If you’re looking for an exciting twist on traditional samosas, then this samosa chaat recipe is for you! It has a delightful mix of textures and temperatures - the crunchy samosas, creamy sauces and yogurt, the heat from spices and the aromatic herbs all make for an exciting dish, paired perfectly in each bite!
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⭐ Origin Story
Samosa chaat is a popular Indian street food made of crunchy samosas combined with various spices. It usually contains a spicy chutney or yogurt-based sauces, tangy tamarind sauce, onions, and sometimes potatoes or chickpeas. It's very affordable and widely available in Indian restaurants and street sides stalls, so it's a popular snack that everyone can enjoy without breaking the bank and now you can make it at home.
💭 Why you'll love this recipe
- It's flavorful, balanced, and versatile. This samosa chaat recipe is a perfect balance of flavors in each bite. The sweet tamarind chutney balances the green chutney, while cooling yogurt brings all the flavors together in one tasty bite. Plus, the crispy samosa and soft chana masala combination is irresistible.
- Super easy to make. This dish only takes 45 minutes to make. All you need to do is prepare all of your ingredients, assemble them together, and voila!
- It's healthy. Samosa chaat is also surprisingly light - you won't feel weighed down after eating it, making it a guilt-free indulgence on any day of the week!
📋 Ingredients and Notes
To make this samosa chaat recipe, you'll need samosas, the chickpea base, and then toppings (i.e., the "chaat")
You can make your own samosas or buy your favorite ones from the store.
For the chickpea curry (chole or chana masala), you will need vegetable oil, cumin seeds, onion, garlic, ginger, green chili peppers, tomatoes, chickpeas, turmeric, ground coriander, Garam masala spice mix, salt, and hot water.
Tip: If you have an Indian grocery store nearby, you can also get chaat masala, and roasted cumin powder, both of which are great additions to this recipe.
For the toppings (chaat), you'll need plain yogurt, cilantro chutney, sweet tamarind chutney, red onion, cilantro leaves (i.e., coriander leaves), and sev (optional, an Indian chickpea snack).
Notes and Variations
- Substituting Sev: Sev is a popular Indian snack made from gram flour. It's fried in hot oil until it puffs up and becomes crunchy, then seasoned with spices. Sev is often used as a crunchy topping in samosa chaat, but this is optional. You can also use fried shallots or onions, crushed peanuts instead.
- Make this vegan. Replace the yogurt with a vegan version or omit it altogether to make this recipe vegan.
- Adding other vegetables. You can also add different vegetables such as onions, carrots or peas to bulk up the dish!
📖 How to Make Samosa Chaat
If you are making your own samosas, check out my recipe for baked or air fryer samosas so you can make crispy samosas without nearly as much oil. Follow package directions to cook frozen samosa. You can also buy fresh samosas (or frozen samosas!) from your local Indian restaurant or grocery store!
Make chickpea base (chana masala)
First, heat vegetable oil in a medium saucepan and add the cumin seeds. Once it starts sizzling, add chopped onions, garlic, ginger, chilies, turmeric and coriander. You can also add a pinch of red chili powder here if you want to kick it up a notch. If you have made my chana masala in the past, this is basically the same recipe! Make a large batch, portion and freeze if you wish!
Cook for 6-7 minutes over medium to low heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are golden brown. Pour pureed tomatoes and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, covered.
Stir a few times to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add chickpeas, water, and garam masala powder and cook on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes to thicken.
This is your chickpea curry base (or if you would like, you can make a big batch of this chana masala and use it in a number of ways!)
Make chutneys
Most samosa chaat recipes need two types of chutneys - cilantro / mint chutney and a sweet tamarind chutney. You can buy both of those at your local Indian grocery store or they're quite simple to make from scratch too!
My samosa chaat recipe assumes that you'll buy the chutneys from the store, but have included instructions below in case you want to make them at home. I personally prefer cilantro and tamarind chutney in my samosa chaat!
To make the cilantro chutney: add about 2 small bunches of cilantro and remove the stems (about 120 grams or 4 oz of cilantro), 1 green chili pepper (Indian chili or Thai bird's eye chili or jalapeño) along with half a teaspoon of ginger paste, salt, cumin powder, and a tablespoon of yogurt to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
To make the sweet tamarind chutney: Add 1 cup of tamarind pulp to a medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat until it thickens. Then, stir in half a cup of brown sugar or date syrup. Finally, add in 2 teaspoons of minced garlic, a pinch of cumin powder and salt, reduce heat to low and cook until thickened.
Assemble the samosa chaat
Serve a layer of chole (chana masala) into each serving bowl.
Top with dollops of yogurt, and break two samosas per person, add more chole, cilantro chutney, and tamarind chutney.
Garnish with chopped red onions, chopped cilantro leaves, and sev (or other crunchy toppings). Once cooked, serve samosa chaat hot!
👩🏽🍳Top Tips for Making the Best Samosa Chaat
Making the samosa chaat is super easy – just remember these 5 tips and soon, you'll have your friends and family begging for more!
- Pick the right samosas. If you're buying them fresh, get ones that are fresh and crunchy. I prefer the traditional potato samosas, but you can also get other types (e.g., cheese, paneer, etc.) Or better yet, if you have extra time on your hands, make a large batch at home to freeze and air fry or bake them as you need.
- Use fresh spices. Using fresh spices and chutney is critical, so don't skimp on these ingredients! If possible, try to use freshly ground spices as they will add an extra layer of flavor to your dish. Sprinkle chaat masala (available in grocery stores) or a pinch of Garam Masala over your samosa chaat for extra depth of flavor.
- Don't skip the tamarind chutney. I know it's a unique flavor profile, but tamarind chutney is what brings all of these ingredients together—it adds tanginess and sweetness that no other ingredient can replicate quite as well! To get an extra punch of flavor with each bite, warm up your chutney before adding it.
- Simmer the chana masala. You can use canned chickpeas or cook from dry beans, but simmer them slowly to bring out the flavors, and then add them before other toppings like yogurt or chutney.
- Garnish with fresh herbs. Don't need to say this twice, but fresh herbs like cilantro add brightness and an extra zing to your dish! You can also serve samosa chaat with crispy add-ons like sev, boondi, and puffed rice to give some contrast in texture.
👩🏽🍳Troubleshooting FAQs
Samosa chaat has samosas and is topped with fresh onions, cilantro, yogurt, and tamarind chutney depending on your preference. The yogurt and chutney together provide a sweet and creamy element to the dish while the tangy tamarind chutney provide a necessary tartness!
It depends! But it can be customized so it's healthier for you. Swap the fried samosa for a baked or air fried one, add light yogurt and omit any fried onions or sev, then it is quite healthy! Either way, it's delicious as a fun little snack!
Yes, you can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days if handled correctly and stored in an airtight container. However, storing the samosa in the chaat can make them soggy, so I suggest storing the ingredients separately (i.e., store samosas in the fridge or freeze them and bake later, make chana masala and store it in the fridge) and making samosa chaat fresh if you can.
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
I suggest storing samosa chaat as its component parts instead of storing it after assembly. Store chole in a sealed container, in the fridge for 2-3 days. If you're looking to preserve your chutney, keep in mind that they are only good for 2-3 days in the fridge. I don't recommend storing samosa chaat after it's assembled though it is technically fresh for a couple of days in the fridge (it just gets super soggy!)
Check out some of these delicious Indian snacks and sides as well:
Did you make this recipe?! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Please leave a comment and a star rating and let me know how it went! We love hearing from you, thank you so much
📖 Recipe
Samosa Chaat
Ingredients
For Chickpea Curry (Chole)
- 14 ounces chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 large red onion , chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 inch ginger , chopped, substitute 1 teaspoon frozen or minced ginger
- 1 dried green chili, chopped
- 1 cup pureed plum tomatoes
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- salt, to taste
- 1 ½ cup hot water
For Chaat
- 4 samosas, homemade or store bought
- 4 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chutney, see notes for substitutes
- 1 tablespoon sweet tamarind chutney, see notes for substitutes
- 1 teaspoon red onion, thin slices
- 1 teaspoon cilantro leaves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons Sev, optional, substitute with other crunchy topping
Instructions
Make Chole
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the cumin seeds. Once it starts sizzling, add onions, garlic, ginger, chillies and spices - turmeric and coriander.
- Cook for 6-7 minutes over medium to low heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are golden brown.
- Pour pureed tomatoes into the saucepan, and add salt. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, covered. Stir a few times to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Add chickpeas, water, and Garam Masala powder and cook on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes to thicken.
Assemble Samosa Chaat
- Serve 1 cup of chole into each serving bowl.
- Top with dollops of yogurt, and break a samosa into each bowl. Add more chole, cilantro chutney, and tamarind chutney on top.
- Garnish with chopped red onions, cilantro leaves and sev (optional).
- Serve hot!
Notes
- Experiment with different types of samosas. I prefer traditional potato samosas that are air-fried, but you can make this with any type!
- Use fresh spices. Try to use freshly ground spices and sprinkle chaat masala (available in grocery stores) or a pinch of Garam Masala over your samosa chaat.
- Don't skip the tamarind chutney. I know it's a unique flavor profile, but tamarind chutney is what brings all of these ingredients together!
Samosas are my favorite amd this version was the bomb.y whole family was convinced i had ordered takeout they were so good, haha! thanks for a great recipe!
What a meal this turned out to be! Decided to make this instead of going out for dinner and it couldn't have been more delicious. I was a bit intimidated by some of the ingredients but the substitution notes were helpful and I actually had a jar of tamarind chutney in the pantry for quite some time now that I had no idea what to do with. Found my answer with this recipe!
Cooked a batch of chickpea curry. Spices blended perfectly, making it a delightful dish for dinner.
I made this chaat for an anniversary dinner and we both loved it! It was so worth a trip to the Indian grocery shop to get the ingredients. We'll be having it again soon! Thank you.
I used store bought samosas this time as I was a little nervous about them, but the flavors were incredible, next time, I'm going to try making my own samosas which I think will make them even better!