Make your own, 100% vegan samosas at home! These little dumplings are stuffed with spiced potatoes, peas, and crunchy peanuts. The best part: these suckers bake up to golden deliciousness (no frying!).
I'm usually a little reluctant to post baked versions of fried things, because they're often a disappointment. And the more delicious the original, the more reluctant I am, because the further it has to fall.
So as much as I love samosas (because they're way up there on the awesome scale), one might not expect me to create a baked version. I normally probably wouldn't even try.
But years ago I had a baked samosa that just happened to be the best samosa I ever ate. I have no idea who baked it. A friend brought it to me from a yoga class (will somebody bring some samosas to my yoga classes, please??). But it was so delicious and satisfying. I decided baking up some vegan samosas might actually be a good thing.
And indeed it was! I'm not going to lie and paint these as super healthy. They're potatoes wrapped in pastry. Carb wrapped in extra fatty carb. They're just not fried, so a little bit healthier and there's no fear of oil splattering involved. And of course they're vegan!
Jump to:
Ingredients You'll Need
- Flour. The recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour (which I suppose is another way these samosas are a tad healthier than the norm). Regular old white all-purpose flour works just find as well.
- Baking powder.
- Salt.
- Canola oil. Feel free to substitute your favorite baking oil. Corn oil, vegetable oil, and even olive oil will all work.
- Cooking spray. If you have an oil mister (which I highly recommend having), use it. Otherwise, just buy a can of cooking spray at the store.
- Russet potatoes. These are also referred as plain old baking potatoes. They're starchy, so they give our filling a great texture. Less starchy potatoes such as red or golden varieties can be substituted if necessary though. For less traditional samosas, experiment with other veggies and/or legumes. Sweet potatoes, cauliflower, chickpeas and lentils would all be delicious!
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Ginger.
- Serrano pepper. You can skip this for milder samosas, or substitute another variety of hot pepper like a jalapeño if that's what you have on hand.
- Spices. We're using a mix of whole cumin seeds, garam masala, turmeric, and coriander. Cayenne pepper is optional and can be used just if you'd like some extra heat.
- Frozen peas.
- Roasted peanuts. These are kind of unusual for samosas (as far as I can tell) but so good! Skip them if you prefer.
- Salt & pepper.
- Fresh cilantro. Cilantro haters can skip this ingredient.
How They're Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make vegan samosas. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- You'll start by preparing the pastry dough. It's not all that different from making a pie crust. You'll mix some flour, baking powder, oil and water, knead it a bit, and then let it rest while you make the filling.
Tip: In a hurry? Substitute premade pie dough! Just make sure it's vegan, as many brands contain butter or lard. Wholly Wholesome is a good vegan brand to try.
- Boil your potatoes until they're fork tender. Make sure not to overboil the potatoes or they'll get gummy.
- Sweat the onion for a few minutes in oil, then add your spices and aromatics. Sauté everything briefly.
- Add the potatoes, peas and peanuts to the skillet. Cook everything for a few minutes more.
- Mash the filling lightly using a fork or potato masher. You don't want mashed potato filled samosas, but you do want the potato pieces pretty small so they fit nicely into the wrappers.
And then comes the fun part!
- Grab a hunk of dough and roll it into a ball, then use a rolling pin to roll the ball into a circle. Roll the dough thinner than you think you need to. ⅛ inch thick is about perfect. Cut the circle into two half circles.
- Wet the edges of one of the half circles and place a dollop of filling in the center.
- Wrap the dough circle into a cone shape, seal the edges, and voila! You have an unbaked vegan samosa.
Tip: You can wrap your samosas in any shape you like, but if you want those cute little triangle-shaped samosas you get at restaurants, this is the way to go!
- Lightly oil your wrapped samosas and bake them.
- Dig in!
Leftovers & Reheating
Leftover baked vegan samosas will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
To reheat them, thaw (if frozen), then bake them in a 400°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes. You could also microwave them, but they might get a bit soggy.
More Vegan Indian Recipes
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Baked Vegan Samosas
Make your own, 100% vegan samosas at home! These little dumplings are stuffed with spiced potatoes, peas, and crunchy peanuts. The best part: these suckers bake up to golden deliciousness (no frying!).
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (Note 1)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ cup canola oil, or another suitable baking oil
- Oil mister or cooking spray
For the Filling
- 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (Note 2)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil, or another high heat oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- ½ serrano pepper, seeded and minced, optional
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- ¾ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste, optional
- ⅓ cup frozen peas, thawed
- ⅓ cup roasted and salted peanuts, optional
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional
Instructions
To Make the Dough
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Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl.
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Stir in the water and oil to form a dough.
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Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.
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Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with a dish towel. Let it sit for 30 minutes, while you make the filling.
To Make the Filling
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Place the potatoes into a medium pot and cover them with water.
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Place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the potatoes to cook just until fork tender, about 15 minutes.
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Drain the potatoes into a colander and return them to the pot.
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Coat the bottom of a medium skillet with oil and place it over medium heat.
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When the oil is hot, add the onion. Sauté until soft and translucent.
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Add the garlic, ginger, serrano pepper, and cumin seeds. Continue to sauté until the garlic is very fragrant and the cumin seed darken a bit, about 1 minute.
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Add the garam masala, turmeric, coriander and cayenne pepper to the skillet, saute for a few seconds more, then add the potatoes, peas and peanuts.
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Sauté for another minutes, flipping the ingredients around to coat the potatoes in the spices.
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Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the salt, pepper and cilantro. Taste-test and adjust any seasonings to your liking.
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Lightly mash the potatoes with a potato masher, leaving some chunks.
To Make the Samosas
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Preheat the oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Lightly flour a work surface and gather a small glass or bowl of water.
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Grab a 3-4 tablespoon handful of dough and roll it into a ball.
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Place the dough onto your work surface and roll it into a 5-inch circle (about ⅛ inch thick) with a rolling pin. Cut the circle in half.
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Use your fingers to wet the outer edges of one of the half circles.
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Place about 1 ½ tablespoons of filling into the center of the dough half circle.
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Fold the dough about the center point of the cut edge, bringing opposite sides of the cut edge together to form a cone shape.
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Pinch the dough together about the opening formed at the bottom of the cone.
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Place the samosa on the baking sheet and repeat until all of the dough and filling are used.
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Spray both sides of the samosas with oil.
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Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.
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Serve with your favorite chutney.
Recipe Notes
- All-purpose flour can be used as a substitute if preferred.
- While russets work best for this recipe, less starchy varieties of potatoes such as red and yellow potatoes can be substituted with varying results.
- I served this batch of samosas with some mango and garlic chutneys that I had on hand, but the cilantro mint chutney from this samosa burrito recipe would be delicious too.
Get out of town! I do love a good pakora. Often they are on the heavy side for me so a few bites suffice but I believe I could eat a half dozen of these while I binge Dr. Who. Thank you! And gorgeous photos.
Thanks Hanne!!
These were amazing, the best samosas I've ever had!!! I kinda like samosas,, but always find them too spicy. I didn't add any spice and I loved them not fried, the dough was good!
Thank you!!! I will have this recipe forever! I was left raving about these little babies! I can't thank you enough.
Thanks so much Connie!! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
I am going to try these! When I've made them before, I used flour tortillas as the wrapper. I wonder if there is a vegan flour tortilla I could use, asks The Lazy Chef.
I use Mission or Trader Joe's - they're vegan! :)
Hi Alissa, I made the samosas, they were delicious. The dough is really great. Another recipe of yours that's for keeps. Thanks!
I'm so glad you enjoyed them!!
Can the oil be left out of the recipe or is there a substitute you recommend?
I'm really not sure with this one! You might be able to substitute water or non-dairy milk in the dough, but it could turn out dry. I'd love to hear how it works out if you try!
I'm looking forward to trying this but am curious if you've tried it with or think it could work with a non wheat flour?
Honestly I'm not sure! The dough is very similar to pie pastry, so if you have a non-wheat pie crust recipe you could try using that to make the samosas. I'd love to hear how they turn out if you do!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I really enjoyed these, especially when paired with cilantro chutney. So tasty and not too guilty!
I'm so happy to hear that!!
I made these for dinner tonight, and my family loved absolutely them! Thank you for the delicious recipe!
I'm so glad they were a hit! Thanks so much Tenaya!
hi there!
I am sure going to try your recipe. Do you think they would freeze well?
I haven't frozen them myself, but I don't see why not!
They look wonderful and sound tasty. I have been invited to an outdoor party in my neighborhood and like to make them can you eat them cold or cool.? Thanks
I prefer them hot, but they're delicious cold as well! I hope you enjoy them!!
Great recipe!! I used organic extra virgin coconut oil and omitted the peanuts. The samosas turned out great! Thank you!!
Awesome! Glad to hear it!
Hello there :) I was wonder if this recipe freezes well? That way I could make a few batches and freeze some for later use.
I haven't tried freezing them, but I've heard that freezing potato can change the texture. Otherwise I think they'd hold up fine in the freezer!
Have been looking for an oven baked recipe for samosa pastry.
This is absolutely incredible. The taste is pure amazing.
Thankyou!
I had given up years ago on finding or making a good baked samosa dough. Everything I tried sucked. On a whim, I looked it up again today and, lo and behold, a trusted recipe site came up in the results.
These are AMAZING! You’ve solved the age old question of baked samosa dough.
Thanks as always for the excellent recipe. You rock.
I'm planning to make this recipe but i would need the measurements in grams instead of cups. Do you know what these would be?
Hi Tanisha! I just added a button below the ingredients list that you can click to switch back and forth between US and metric. Clicking "metric" should give you grams. I'm slowly adding these to all my recipes, but feel free to ask if you ever come across one that I haven't gotten to yet - it just takes me a minute to add it!
Anxiously, tried the samosas today. To my surprise they turned out amazingly delicious and beautiful golden brown colour.
Recipe super hit!!
I’ve reviewed these before and they are an easy 5*s!
For those asking if they can be frozen: yes, they can! We always do 3x or 4x batches and freeze them. The texture of the potato is slightly different, but it doesn’t at all affect the quality or enjoyability of these little pockets of goodness. Just wrap in tinfoil and reheat at 350*f until warm. Perfection!