Air Fryer Samosa — Crispy Without Deep Frying

Nanthini's potato and pea samosas made in the air fryer — the same flaky pastry, the same spiced filling, but with a fraction of the oil. The trick to a non-greasy air fryer samosa is the pastry technique. These are indistinguishable from the deep-fried version. Free recipe!

🥘 Ingredients

• PASTRY:
• 250g all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp ghee or cold butter (cubed)
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ajwain seeds (carom) — optional but traditional
• 80-90ml cold water
• FILLING:
• 400g potatoes — boiled and mashed roughly (not smooth)
• 100g frozen green peas — boiled 2 minutes, drained
• 1 medium onion — diced fine
• 2cm fresh ginger — minced
• 2 fresh green chillies — minced (adjust)
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp turmeric
• Small handful fresh coriander leaves — chopped
• Salt to taste, 1 tbsp oil
• FOR SEALING: water
• FOR AIR FRYING: 2 tbsp melted ghee or butter for brushing

👨‍🍳 Steps

1. Step 1 — Pastry: Rub ghee into flour until crumbly (like wet sand). Add salt and ajwain. Add cold water gradually, just enough to bring the dough together — it should be STIFF, not soft. Stiff pastry = flaky samosa. Knead 5 minutes until smooth. Cover with damp cloth, rest 30 minutes.
2. Step 2 — Filling: Heat oil, fry onion until golden. Add ginger and chillies, fry 1 minute. Add spices (coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric), fry 30 seconds. Add mashed potatoes and peas, mix and cook 2 minutes. Add salt and fresh coriander. Cool completely.
3. Step 3 — Shape: Divide dough into 12 equal balls. Roll each into a thin oval (about 15cm long). Cut in half to get 2 semi-circles. Form each semi-circle into a cone by folding and sealing one straight edge with water. Fill cone with 1 tbsp filling. Seal the top opening firmly with a little water, pressing and crimping the edge.
4. Step 4 — Preheat Air Fryer: Preheat to 180°C for 3 minutes.
5. Step 5 — Brush and Air Fry: Brush samosas all over with melted ghee. Place in basket without touching. Air fry at 180°C for 8 minutes. Brush again with ghee, flip. Cook another 8-10 minutes until deep golden and crispy.
6. Step 6 — Serve immediately with mint chutney and tamarind chutney.
7. Tip: The stiff pastry is essential — soft pastry absorbs oil and becomes soggy. Stiff pastry puffs into flaky layers when baked.

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