Aloo Pakora is a delectable crispy Indian snack made with sliced potatoes, gram flour (besan) and few spices. It is vegan, vegetarian, gluten free and can be enjoyed with chutney, ketchup or any dip.
These Indian style deep potato fritters, also known as ‘aloo ke pakode’, ‘batata bajji’ or ‘potato bajji’, are so easy, quick to make and require just handful of basic ingredients. No breadcrumbs or pre-boiling of potatoes required. You can deep fry them or make in air fryer.
When we were kids, my mom would often make these crispy potato pakora as Sunday brunch. My brother & I loved them with ketchup or fresh cilantro mint chutney. They are also great to enjoy on a chilly rainy day with a hot cup of masala or ginger tea.
Aloo Pakoda Ingredients:
Potatoes: To prep the potatoes, we will first peel them and then cut into medium thick slices. You can use a sharp knife for it or a mandolin slicer. The highlight of the recipe is soft melt in the mouth texture of potatoes from inside and crispy texture from outside.
To achieve this it is important to keep the potatoes neither too thick nor too thin. If they are too thin, you will taste more of outer crust and if too thick, the potatoes may taste raw from inside.
Also, after slicing the potatoes it is important to not leave them for too long and begin to change their colour (due to oxidation reaction).
Gram Flour: To make the batter, we will use besan, also known as chickpea flour. It is a pale yellow colour gluten-free flour made with split chana dal (bengal gram) and is used in mostly all traditional Indian fritters recipe. To make the aloo pakoda more crispier, some rice flour or cornstarch is also added to the dipping batter.
Spices & Aromatics: Carom seeds (ajwain) and ginger paste add a wonderful aroma to the fritters and helps in digestion. Red chilli powder is added for spiciness which you can adjust as per your taste.
Baking Soda: Some people also add 1 to 2 pinches of baking soda to the batter as it makes the outer covering slightly more puffy while keeping the pakoda crispy. If you wish you can also add it.
Oil: You can use any cooking oil for deep frying these aloo pakoda like sesame oil, ground nut oil or sunflower oil. The oil should always be hot enough before frying as other pakode can soak up oil and turn out oily.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- Potatoes (medium) – 3 to 4
- Gram flour / Besan – 1 + 1/2 cups
- Rice flour – 2 tbsp (optional)
- Water – 3/4 to 1 cup (as required)
- Carom seeds (Ajwain) – 1/4 tsp
- Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
- Turmeric (Haldi) – 1/4 tsp
- Asafoetida (Hing) – A pinch
- Ginger Paste – 1 tsp
- Baking Soda – A pinch (optional)
- Salt – 1 tsp (to taste)
- Chaat Masala – 1 tsp
- Oil – For frying
Directions:
Step 1:
Peel the potatoes and slice them using a sharp knife or mandolin slicer. They should neither be too thin or thick.
Step 2:
Transfer these potato slices in a bowl of water to prevent from oxidation. Keep it aside.
Step 3:
In a mixing bowl, add besan, rice flour, ginger, baking soda & all the spices (except chaat masala). Add water gradually while mixing continuously with a fork or whisker to get smooth lump free mixture (It should lightly coat the fork or spoon on dipping in it). Keep this batter inside.
Step 4:
When you are ready to make pakore, take the potato slices out of water and spread on a kitchen towel or tissue to get rid of extra water. (Do this is batches when making large quantities)
Step 5:
Heat oil for frying in a deep pan or kadhai. Add 5-6 potato slices in the batter, turn them gently to coat them from all sides. Lift them one by one using your fingers or a fork, drip excess batter and carefully lower down in the hot oil.
Step 6:
Fry on medium-high heat. After 1-2 minutes, flip them to fry from other side too. Continue this till they are crunchy golden-brown from all sides.
Step 7:
Once done, strain the aloo pakode using a slotted spoon and transfer over a kitchen tissue or wire rack. Sprinkle some chaat masala on them and enjoy with coriander chutney, tamarind chutney or ketchup.
Tips:
- Make sure to fry the aloo pakora in medium hot oil. If the oil is very hot, the outer coating will quickly become crispy leaving the potatoes inside raw and if the oil temp is low, the fritters will trun out oily & soggy.
- To make in advance: You can half-fry the fritters and keep aside. Fry them again at the time of serving. This will give crisper and hot pakoras.
- To check whether the oil is ready for frying, drop a pinch of batter in the oil. If it come over the top, the oil is ready for frying.
- If you have any leftover besan batter, you can add finely chopped vegetables to it & make besan chilla (vegetable pancakes) with it.
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(P.S: The post was originally published on 21 May’2015 & has been updated with better images and tips on 14 Jan’2026.)
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(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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