Air fryer samosas are a favorite snack or appetizer in my house. Crispy pastry, plump with a filling of spicy potatoes and peas, are easy to grab and so satisfying!
Whether I put them out for an afterschool snack for my son and his friends or serve them as an appetizer before a meal of Indian curries and other dishes, this Air Fryer Samosa recipe is always a huge hit.
They are just as delicious, but a bit easier and less messy to make than the regular deep fried Samosas or Onion Samosas.
In fact, when working on this post, I made 2 double batches. My teenage son showed up with a few of his friends just as I was cleaning up the kitchen after shooting my photos. Within minutes, there were only crumbs left on the platter!
I like to serve these Air Fryer Samosas with an assortment of dipping sauces including Cucumber Raita, Garlic Chutney, Tamarind Chutney, and Cilantro Mint Chutney.
You can fill your homemade samosas with lots of different mixtures of meats or veggies. This Air Fryer Samosa recipe relies on the classic Punjabi samosas filling of cooked potatoes, peas, green chile, onion, garlic, ginger, and spices. It’s the same samosa filling that I use in my fried Samosas.
I use the same Samosa Dough Recipe for my fried Samosas. It’s a really easy dough to make and uses basic pantry ingredients (with optional ajwain seeds for added flavor if you like!)
Why you’ll love this air fried samosa recipe
Air frying samosas is a cinch and you can avoid the whole hot kitchen and splattery mess of deep frying. The pastry still turns out crisp and golden brown, but with less oil!
You can make these in a basket-style air fryer, air fryer oven, or even in an electric pressure cooker with an air fryer lid.
This recipe is also vegetarian so it’s a great dish to serve at parties when you want to make sure there is something substantial for the non-meat-eaters.
Ingredients you need to make samosas in the air fryer
For the complete list of ingredients with quantities and detailed prep and cooking instructions, please see the recipe card that appears at the end of this post.
All of the ingredients you need to make samosas in the air fryer are easily available at any supermarket. Here’s what you need:
- All-purpose flour: I use the same samosa dough recipe for my Air Fryer Samosas, Fried Samosas, and Onion Samosas. It’s a simple mix of all-purpose flour, cooking oil, and water. Ajwain seeds add flavor, but they’re completely optional.
- Oil: You can use any neutral-flavored oil. I like sunflower seed oil, safflower oil, or peanut oil. The oil goes in the dough and you’ll also saute the vegetables in it.
- Potatoes: You can use just about any potato here. I like to use Yukon Gold or other thin-skinned potatoes because I’m lazy and don’t want to have to peel them! If you use something with a thicker skin, like Russets, peel them before dicing.
- Aromatics: Onion, ginger, and green chiles add flavor and a kick of spice.
- Spices: I use garam masala, ground coriander, ground cumin, and salt.
- Peas: Peas add nice color, texture, and flavor to the filling. I use frozen peas straight out of the freezer.
- Lemon juice and cilantro: Stir these fresh ingredients into the filling after the cooking is done for some nice bright flavor and balance.
How do you make this air fryer samosa recipe?
For the complete list of ingredients with quantities and detailed prep and cooking instructions, please see the recipe card that appears at the end of this post.
Samosas are easier to make than you might think. The dough comes together quickly and easily. It’s also easy to handle. The step-by-step directions in the recipe card will guide you through from making the dough to filling and air frying samosas. Here’s how:
- Firstly, make the dough by combining flour, oil, warm water, and salt. Next, mix the ingredients until they come together into a nice, smooth ball. Finally, wrap the dough in plastic wrap, put it on a plate, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Be sure to put the dough on a plate because the oil may seep out a bit during chilling.
- Next boil the potatoes until they’re tender and then drain them.
- Heat some oil in a skillet and saute the onion until it softens, then add the chile, ginger, and spices.
- Add the potatoes to the mix and cook, mashing with a spatula. Stir in the peas.
- Let the mixture cool for a few minutes. Then add the lemon juice and cilantro.
- Divide the dough into golf ball size balls and roll or pat them out into thin rounds, about 4 inches across. (You can use a tortilla press for this part! Put the dough balls between the two sides of a cut-open resealable plastic bag and press to flatten).
- Put about a tablespoon of the spiced potatoes filling in the center of the dough round. Next fold two sides up until they meet. Press those sides together into a seam. Bring up the third side and press together to make two more seams. You’ll have sort of a triangular pyramid shaped samosa.
- Line the air fryer basket with a parchment paper liner or a silicone liner. Arrange several samosas in the basket in a single layer. You’ll be able to cook 6 to 8 samosas per batch, depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Spritz or brush generously with oil and then bake for about 18 minutes, until the samosas are golden brown.
- Serve hot or warm.
my favorite air fryers
Do you still need to buy an air fryer? Check out this list of the best air fryers—including basket-style air fryers, oven-style air fryers, and crisp lid-style air fryer attachments for your electric pressure cooker. You can use any of these to make this recipe. My favorite is number one on the list!
How to serve these air fried samosas
I like to serve samosas the same way I serve traditionally deep fried samosas. I serve them as an appetizer with an assortment of dipping sauces or chutneys. Serve them with your choice of dipping sauce like Cucumber Raita, Tamarind Chutney, Cilantro Mint Chutney, and/or Garlic Chutney.
For an appetizer assortment, add Chicken Pakora and Paneer Pakora, which go great with all the same dipping sauces.
If you’d like to follow your air fryer samosa appetizer up with an Indian food meal, serve Dal Soup, Kachumber Salad, Instant Pot Chicken Korma, Instant Pot Chicken Biryani, Shrimp Biryani, Chicken 65, or Kerala Fish Curry.
Air Fryer Samosas
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ajwain seeds optional
- ¾ cup oil
- ½ cup warm water
For the filling
- 2 medium potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt divided
- 3 tablespoons oil divided
- ½ onion diced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 to 2 green chiles such as jalapeno or serrano, diced (remove the seeds and ribs for less heat)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- First, make the dough by combining the flour, oil, warmwater, and salt. You’ll mix the ingredients until they come together into a nice, smooth ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, put it on a plate, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Be sure to put the dough on a plate because the oil may seep out a bit.
- Heat a pot of water with ½ teaspoon of the salt to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until they are tender, about 12 minutes. Drain.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion softens, then stir in the ginger, chiles, garam masala, coriander, cumin, and the remaining teaspoon of salt.
- Add the potatoes to the skillet and cook, mashing with a spatula, until the potatoes begin to turn golden in parts. Stir in the peas and remove from the heat.
- Let the mixture cool for a few minutes and then stir in the lemon juice and cilantro.
- Divide the dough into golf ball size balls and roll or pat them out into thin rounds, about 4 inches across (you can use a tortilla press for this part! Put the dough balls between the two sides of a cut-open resealable plastic bag an press to flatten).
- Put about a tablespoon of filling in the center of the dough round and fold two sides up until they meet. Press those sides together into a seam. Bring up the third side and press together to make two more seams. You’ll have sort of a triangular pyramid shaped samosa.
- Line the air fryer basket with a parchment paper liner or a silicone liner and arrange several samosas in the basket in a single layer. You’ll be able to cook 6 to 8 samosas per batch, depending on the size and design of your air fryer.
- Spritz or brush generously with oil and then air fry samosas for about 18 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
- Serve hot or warm.
Notes
- If you don't want to make homemade samosa pastry, you can substitute frozen puff pastry or even make filo pastry samosas.
- You can use a tortilla press to flatten the dough balls. Put the dough balls between the two sides of a cut-open resealable plastic bag (cut the bag down both side seams, leaving the bottom intact) and press to flatten.
- You can store leftover samosas at room temperature for up to 2 days. To reheat samosas, pop them back in the air fryer and heat them at 380°F for 6 to 8 minutes.
- You can freeze samosas, too, after cooking them. Frozen samosas will keep for up to 3 months. Cook frozen samosas in air fryer by cooking on at 380°F for 10 to 12 minutes.
I love samosas but I had never made them myself before. I can’t believe how easy they were, and the flavor was spot on.
These were so crispy and flavorful! I omitted the ginger (my mom is allergic) and used minced garlic instead. Will be making again.
These are delicious! I made them last weekend and everybody loved them!