Samosa Recipe
Samosa Recipes – Baked or fried, these crispy samosas (chicken or beef) are an absolute delight to munch on. The chicken and peas inside the samosas are tasty, but the fact that they’re sauteed in curry and cayenne-coated aromatics makes them out-of-this-world delicious. 💫
To me, samosas are the best appetizers ever! What could be better than handheld pockets of mind-blowing flavor? Am I right? But these little beauties taste so good; I don’t always wait for a party to whip up a batch. They also make a great afternoon snack for the boys and me.
When it comes down to it, it’s the spice combination that really gets me – curry, thyme, chili sauce, garlic, ginger, parsley, and white pepper. The abundance of spices wrapped up in a crispy crust is everything a foodie could ever want in this life! 😋
Samosas vs. Empanadas
Both samosas and empanadas consist of dough filled with meat, potatoes, or veggies that are either fried or baked. But they vary in shape. Samosas are somewhat triangular, and empanadas are usually semi-circle.
Samosas are commonly associated with Asian, Mediterranean, and African cuisine and are heavily spiced with turmeric, cayenne, and curry powder. Empanadas are a popular snack among Latino communities and can be sweet, like pineapple empanadas, or savory, often filled with picadillo.
Recipe Ingredients
- Dough Ingredients – Flour, sugar, salt, and ghee (or oil) mixed with water make the simple but delicious, crispy outer layer.
- Chicken – I like to grind my chicken at home, but finely diced chicken or pre-ground chicken meat from the store will work just fine for this recipe. You can also use ground beef or pork.
- Peas – Opt for frozen peas instead of canned ones for optimal flavor in this recipe.
- Aromatics – Garlic, onion, and ginger add aroma and flavor to the filling.
- Seasonings – Curry, cayenne, smoked paprika, white pepper, and hot pepper or chili sauce make a comforting, spicy curry that’s second to none. Fresh chopped parsley makes for a nice contrast, too.
How to Make Samosas
Make the Filling
- Saute – In a medium-large skillet, add the oil, onions, garlic, ginger, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent burning. (Photo 1)
- Season – Add the curry, pepper sauce, paprika, white pepper, and cayenne, and continue stirring with a heavy wooden spoon for about 2 minutes. (Photo 2)
- Add Meat – Add ground meat and mix thoroughly. (Photo 3)
- Simmer for 5 minutes or more. Finally, throw in peas, parsley, and salt to taste. Adjust seasonings to taste. Remove from the heat and let it cool. (Photo 4)
Make the Dough
- Combine – In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center and add water and ghee or oil. Knead to form a soft and sticky dough. (Photo 5)
- Knead – Place the dough on a heavily floured board and knead for 3-4 minutes. Continue to flour dough as needed to facilitate kneading, being careful not to overdo it. The dough should be soft, elastic, and smooth. (Photos 6-8)
- Divide – On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into eight balls. (Photo 9)
- Roll a dough ball with a lightly floured rolling pin into a circle; cut it in half. (Photo 10)
Assemble the Samosas
- Spoon 1-2 generous tablespoons of filling in the center of a half-circle. (Photo 11)
- Seal – Next, lightly moisten the dough edges with water or flour paste with your finger. Fold the end over the filling to form a triangle, and then continue to fold up the strip in triangles, like you would a flag. Repeat with the remaining dough. Set the samosas on a tray. (Photos 12-13)
Cook the Samosas (Frying Instructions)
- Heat Oil – In a large saucepan, pour vegetable oil until it is at least 3 inches deep, and heat on medium until the oil is at least 350℉ (180℃).
- Fry – When the oil is hot enough, gently place a few samosas at a time into the saucepan. Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is light brown. Turn over and fry for a few more minutes until the other side is golden brown.
- Drain – Use a large slotted spoon or spider to take them out of the oil and place them on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining samosas.
- Serve – Allow to cool slightly and serve hot or at room temperature with avocado ranch dressing and pepper sauce.
Cook the Samosas (Baking Instructions)
- Prep – Place the samosas on a baking sheet and brush them with canola oil.
- Bake at 375℉ (190℃) for about 20 minutes until golden brown, turning once. (Photo 14)
- Serve hot or at room temperature.
Recipe Variations
- Swap the meat. You can use any ground meat you’d like for this recipe. Switch out the chicken for beef, pork, lamb, or even venison.
- Make a vegetarian samosa. Skip the chicken and use cubed potato, peas, and carrots or sweet potatoes and chickpeas instead.
- Try seafood samosas. Follow the recipe, but use shrimp or fish instead of chicken for the filling. Yum!
- Samosa chaat. You can use these samosas as the base for a popular Indian street food. Pile mango chutney, roasted chickpeas, and fried potatoes and vegetables on top of your samosa for an incredibly satisfying meal.
Tips and Tricks
- If pressed for time, pick up a package of filo or phyllo dough at the store instead of making the dough yourself.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when you fry the samosas. That can make the oil temperature drop quickly. The samosas will take longer to cook, may cook unevenly, and will likely taste greasy.
- When frying, use a heavy-bottomed pot pan with reasonably high sides. The heavy bottom (like you have with a cast iron pan) will keep the oil temperature steady. The high edges will protect you from oil splatters while you deep fry. 🙅🏿♀️
Make-Ahead Instructions
Samosas taste best fresh from the frying pan, but you can make the filling one day ahead. Simply store it in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to assemble and cook the samosas.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve them warm or at room temperature with refreshing drinks and fun dipping sauces.
Store leftover chicken samosas in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. To reheat them, pop them in an air fryer or convection oven for a few minutes, and they’ll crisp back up nicely. Or put them in a 350℉ (180℃) oven for about 10 minutes or until warmed through and crisped.
What Goes With Samosas
Dipping sauces go great with samosas. Peruvian green sauce or African pepper sauce is amazingly tasty. Even ranch dressing tastes excellent with these babies.
For a whole appetizer bar, serve them alongside smoked brisket sliders to balance the flavors and textures. 👌
More Fantastic Fried Pastries to Try
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”01NFZ5Og” upload-date=”2019-05-07T06:56:10.000Z” name=”Samosa Recipe” description=”Samosa Recipe – Baked or fried super crispy Chicken Samosas full of well-seasoned chicken, peas and spiced up with just enough spices and heat. Great make ahead appetizer for parties .”]
This blog post was originally published in October 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Samosa Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoon (9g) salt
- ½ cup (100g) ghee, clarified butter, or oil
- 1 cup (236ml) warm water
Filling
- 1-2 tablespoons (15-30ml) oil
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons (6g) minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon (3g) grated ginger
- ½-1 teaspoon pepper sauce or chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon (3g) curry powder
- ½ teaspoon (1-2g) cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon (2g) smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon (2g) white pepper
- ½ pound (230g) ground meat (chicken, beef or turkey)
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro
- ⅓ cup (50g) peas, thawed if frozen
- salt to taste
Instructions
Filling
- In a medium-large skillet, add oil, onions, garlic, and ginger, and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Add curry, pepper sauce, paprika, white pepper, and cayenne pepper, and continue stirring with a heavy wooden spoon for about 2 minutes.
- Add ground meat and mix until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Simmer for 5 minutes or more. Finally, throw in peas, parsley, and salt to taste. Adjust seasonings to taste. Remove from the heat and let it cool. You can prepare this a day in advance.
Dough
- In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, and salt.
- Make a well in the center and add water and ghee or oil. Knead to form a soft and sticky dough.
- Place the dough on a heavily floured board and knead for 3-4 minutes. Continue to flour dough as needed to facilitate kneading, being careful not to overdo it. The dough should be soft, elastic, and smooth.
- On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into eight balls.
- Roll a dough ball with a lightly floured rolling pin into a circle; cut it in half. Spoon 1-2 generous tablespoons of filling in the center of a half-circle; lightly moisten the dough edges with water or flour paste with your finger.
- Fold the end over the filling to form a triangle, and then continue to fold up the strip in triangles, like you would a flag. Repeat with the remaining dough. Set the samosas on a tray.
- In a large saucepan, pour vegetable oil until it is at least 3 inches deep, and heat on medium until the oil is at least 350℉ (180℃).
- When the oil is hot enough, gently place a few samosas at a time into the saucepan.
- Fry for a few minutes until the bottom side is light brown. Turn over and fry for a few more minutes until the other side is golden brown.
- Use a large slotted spoon or spider to take them out of the oil and place them on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining samosas.
- Allow them to cool slightly. Serve hot or at room temperature with avocado ranch dressing or pepper sauce.
- Baking Instructions:Place the samosas on a baking sheet and brush with oil. Then bake at 375℉ (190℃) for 20 minutes or more until golden brown. Turn them over halfway through baking time. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes:
- If pressed for time, pick up a package of filo or phyllo dough at the store instead of making the dough yourself.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when you fry the samosas. That can make the oil temperature drop quickly. The samosas will take longer to cook, may cook unevenly, and will likely taste greasy.
- When frying, use a heavy-bottomed pot pan with reasonably high edges. The heavy bottom (like you have with a cast iron pan) will keep the oil temperature steady. The high edges will protect you from oil splatters while you deep fry.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Just made the filling….soooo good… it’s not going to make it to the pastry though. I am going to enjoy it with tortilla chips, sour cream and some mango chutney and a little shredded iceberg lettuce. Next batch I will complete them.
Glad I doubled the recipe!
Thanks for the recipe! Followed it exactly and used lean ground beef.
Had some very authentic samosas over the weekend and they left me craving more! So, I stumbled upon your recipe and was pleasantly surprised at how easy the dough was to make!
I made my own potato lentil filling and they were so yum!! The dough is very easy to work with, but I did have a bit of trouble getting the hang of folding them. After a few, I managed. My only issue was that they were a bit bigger than ones i have had prepared by my African friends and not all of mine were perfectly cooked through. Maybe I need to adjust the heat and fry them longer? Without burning them, hopefully 😉
Still, my kids loved them! Thank you!!
Hi!
I’m so excited to make this Now it’s 2019 and your recipes are still the best! Could you explain the best way to make clarified butter?
Do you mind if I pass along your recipes?
Best to you and a safe 4th of July to everyone!
Allison
Hello. Sure you can. Thanks for sharing. I have here a homemade ghee recipe >> https://www.africanbites.com/homemade-gheeclarified-butter/ Enjoy! 🙂
I’ll try this Recipe as soon as possible! We have here a small, Indian Shop who sells Samosas and I love them. They are cheap (1€), have an amount of spicy flavour and are, in my opinion, the best Snack for on the road.
Hello!
I can’t wait to try making these. In NYC I just paid 7.50 for just 2 of them
But what I want to ask is…..Can I have your recipe for cucumber raita?
I love raita but some places make it too watery, some make it with no flavor etc
hard to find a great raita
Thank you!
Hello ,
Don’t have a recipe for raita. Hopefully soon.
i like the recipe but it is too long
Came across your samosa recipe, seems something I can try to make. Like the instructional video and the recipe explanation looks easy to follow, thank you for sharing.
You’re most welcome. Please do let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!
Good day so you mean i can make the dough in this easy way? Thanks for sharing
Yes, you sure can. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Immaculate, I really love most of your meal ideas and recipes. Now with these samosas I wish there was a video showing how you wrap them. I have several times and it’s always a disaster so I now use tortilla wraps but I know the ones made your way are very delicious.
I am wondering with the samosas, I am thinking of baking them instead of frying them. With the canola oil, do you mean to put that oil on the baking sheet or put it directly on the samosas before putting them on the baking sheet? I wasn’t sure.
There is no indication of where the cayenne and white pepper go/when they should be added. Assuming it’s just part of the seasoning of the ground chicken?
You add them with all the other spices. Thanks!
I’m a bit confused with the recipe are we supposed to use both warm water and oil or we are to use one type of liquid that is either oil or water
You are suppose to use both warm water and oil or ghee(clarified butter)
What type of oil?
Canola or any cooking oil.
I have had samosas several times in my life and I always enjoyed them. Just last Friday I went out to eat dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and they served a spicy curry chicken samosa with some kind of yogurt dipping sauce. Inadvertently I didn’t ask what the sauce was made out of, silly me. Either way though, said samosas were so delectable that I was driven here to make some myself. I appreciate the recipe post. Thank you in advance.
Do let me know how this works out for you. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
I think you can see the love emanating from your lovely pictures. I love samosas too, and would love to be able to have one of these right now!
You all are making me want to make this too! Thanks for taking the time to comment Christine
I love the samosas.. just the perfect recipe for breaking the fast.. stumbled.. yummly not working will be back again soon
Thanks Fa! I can eat tons of these without realizing I went overboard.
How interesting! I had no idea the Indian samosas were so popular in both South and West African countries. Well, they look divine!! My husband loves chicken… I bet he would love to devour several of those.
Happy new year with good health and prosperity to you and your family.
Denise, Happy New Year to you too! Wishing you and your family good health and prosperity too!
I love samosas but I have surprisingly never made them myself before. If the recipe is this easy and delicious as you make it look – I definitely need to make them!
Thalia, they sure are easy to make. Let me know if you do make it .
As soon as I come here, I drool on my keyboard. Classy image? Samosas. Girl, you really know your stuff. I adore samosas. I could eat them breakfast, lunch and dinner….except there is nowhere within 15km of me that sells good ones! I have never tried them myself, but now I will have to! Thanks for sharing!
You should Nagi. I know you love spicy food.
What is the dipping sauce that you use?
Yummy,the crisp just at the right tome 4 my House Warming.U are good
Looks delicious! Can you tell me how much water to use in the dough? I will be making these ASAP. Happy New Year!
Silly me. Recipe updated. Let me know how it works for you. Happy New Year to you too!!!!
I figured it was a cup, but you can never be too careful with dough. 🙂