Air Fryer Recipe
Samosas
Samosas are a crisp, savoury snack, traditionally deep-fried, though they can be made a little lighter in the air fryer.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Water as needed
- 3 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
- 1 cup peas, boiled
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 tablespoon oil
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped
Method
- Stir the flour and salt together in a bowl.
- Add the vegetable oil and rub it into the flour until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
- Gradually add the water to make a firm dough, then cover and leave it to rest for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, then stir in the potatoes and peas.
- Mix in the coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric, red chilli powder and salt. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir through the fresh coriander, then leave the filling to cool.
- Divide the dough into portions, roll them into balls, flatten into discs, then roll into ovals.
- Cut the ovals in half, shape each piece into a cone, fill with the potato mixture, and seal the edges with water.
- Preheat the air fryer to 180°C, brush the samosas with oil, and arrange them in the basket.
- Cook for 15-18 minutes, turning halfway, until golden brown.
Why this works in an air fryer
Rubbing oil into the flour shortens gluten strands, giving a crisp, flaky shell rather than a bready one. A firm, rested dough seals cleanly, while a cool, fairly dry potato filling prevents steam blow-outs. The air fryer’s fast convection browns the oiled surface, so dryness and spacing matter more than deep-fryer buoyancy.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 5–6 litre basket holding about 6 medium samosas in one layer with gaps; in a single-drawer model cook in batches on the centre of the basket, while dual-zone drawers usually run slightly cooler when both sides are active, so swap sides or add 2–3 minutes if browning is uneven.
Common pitfalls
- Pale, floury patches after 12 minutes mean the surface oil was too light or uneven; brush again very thinly, especially along folds, and continue for 3–5 minutes.
- Cracked seams with filling leaking out signal hot or wet filling, or dry edges; cool the filling fully, mash it drier, and use a small smear of water-flour paste rather than water alone for sealing.
- Hard, blistered edges but a pale centre means the dough was rolled too thick at the fold; roll ovals evenly to about 2 mm and avoid overlapping heavy seams on the base.
- Soggy undersides at the flip point show overcrowding or trapped steam; leave clear gaps, cook fewer at once, and stand them seam-side up for the second half.
Variations & substitutions
- Use plain flour in place of all-purpose flour; it behaves similarly, but add water gradually as UK plain flour can hydrate a little differently by brand.
- Swap half the potato for cooked cauliflower or carrot cut small; the filling will be wetter, so cook it in the pan until visibly dry before shaping.
- Add paneer cubes to the cooled filling; keep them small so they heat through without tearing the cone, and expect slightly softer centres.
- For a wholemeal version, replace up to one third of the flour with chapati flour; add a splash more water and expect a nuttier shell that browns faster.
Storage & reheating
Keep cooked samosas chilled for up to 3 days, then reheat in the air fryer at 170°C for 5–7 minutes from chilled, or 8–10 minutes from frozen, until the pastry is crisp and the filling is hot.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
