These easy vegan mashed potato samosa patties are oil-free, gluten-free, egg-free, and made with healthy plant-based ingredients. Indian spices, frozen peas, and mashed potatoes make delicious aloo tikki potato pancakes that can be baked or air-fried.
Serve potato patties as a main dish, appetizer, or veggie burgers with a yummy sauce like garlic aioli, green tahini sauce, or pineapple chutney.
After having had a few store-bought veggie burgers, which are essentially potato patties, I decided to skip the expense and added oil by creating a few myself. And as much as I love my original veggie samosa burgers and revel in sweet potato chickpea patties, this simple version of mashed potato patties is about as easy as it gets. It has all the flavor of Indian samosas without the effort of stuffing filling into a pastry (although you can most definitely do that).
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Potato cakes are a great way to use leftover mashed potatoes.
- Chickpea flour binds the patties and adds extra protein.
- Patties or patty mixture can be made a few days ahead for a quick meal.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Chickpea flour. Besan or garbanzo flour is the same thing. Ground and filtered chickpeas. It's a super-binder that's naturally gluten-free and gives you a boost of plant-based protein. Rice flour or oat flour (ground oats) are the best substitutes.
Potatoes. You can use any potatoes you fancy. If you use russet potatoes or other types with thick skins, then peel them before boiling them. You can prepare thinner-skinned gold potatoes with skins on them. Extra fiber – is always good!
Cilantro. If you aren’t a fan of cilantro, you can skip the fresh herbs or use chopped parsley.
Garam masala. Garam masala is a traditional Indian spice mix different from curry powder. Look for it in larger supermarkets and specialty stores, or make homemade garam masala.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Recipe Variations
- Sweet potatoes! I get this question a lot, and the answer is yes, you can use sweet potatoes in this recipe. I recommend baking or roasting sweet potatoes. Boiled or steamed sweet potatoes contain a lot of moisture, so you'll need to add extra chickpea flour to keep them together.
- Turn the samosa mixture into mini potato patties or balls for a sensational appetizer.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mash cooked potatoes with spices and lemon juice.
Step 2: Mix in the chickpea flour and the rest of the ingredients.
Step 3: Test the mixture by forming a ball or patty. If it crumbles, add a little lemon juice. If it sinks and spreads, add more flour.
Step 4: Form potato patties and chill for at least 30 minutes. Then bake at 400 F for 15 minutes until brown. Flip and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
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Pro Tip
Make potato cakes and let them cool in the refrigerator overnight. Bake them over the next few days as a full meal or individually for a quick lunch (or breakfast).
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve samosa patties with a flavorful side, like beetroot and cucumber salad, spicy Indonesian cucumber salad, or freekeh salad with roasted cauliflower.
If you're going for a burger vibe, tuck them between plant-based hamburger buns or whole-wheat pita pockets. As an appetizer, serve with a simple dipping sauce - I recommend Indian curry sauce. Delicious!
Storage / Freezing / Reheating
- Store baked potato patties in an airtight container for 5 days.
- To reheat them in the oven, cover them with parchment paper or wrap them in aluminum foil so they don't get too brown. You can also reheat them in the microwave or air fryer.
- Freeze baked potato cakes separated by a layer of plastic wrap or parchment paper so they don't stick together. Bake them from frozen at 400 F, covering them for 15 minutes until they thaw in the middle.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you use a food processor rather than a potato masher, process it with spices and lemon juice. Then transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the chickpea flour, frozen peas, onions, ginger, jalapeno, and chopped cilantro with a spoon.
There are two reasons why potato cakes fall apart. Ensure all the ingredients, especially the flour, are mixed well. First, when you test a ball of potato mixture, it melts in your hand. This means the mixture is too wet, and you must add more flour. If the mixture crumbles, it is too dry. Add more lemon juice, a little at a time. Ultimately, the patties should be dense enough to hold their shape before chilling them, further setting them.
For these vegan potato cakes, start with a hot pan (medium heat), preferably non-stick, and then add the potato cakes in a single layer. Keep the potato cakes thin, less than ½ an inch thick, so they cook through. Fry for 10 minutes, flip each potato cake, and finish browning them. Although we prefer not to use excess oil, you can spray a light coating of olive oil before adding the potato cakes.
To cook potato cakes in the air fryer, make sure they are no more than ½ an inch thick. Air fry at 400 F. Check after 5 minutes and then continue frying for another 2-3 minutes until they brown. Flip the patties and continue frying for another 2-3 minutes until they are brown on the other side.
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Mashed Potato Samosa Patties (Aloo Tikki)
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Ingredients
- 2 large potatoes - 2 ½ cups diced, cut into 1-inch cubes, see notes 1 and 2
- 1 cup frozen peas - thawed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper - or black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt - optional
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice - ½ fresh lemon
- 1 small red onion - chopped, ½ cup
- 1-2 jalapenos - deseeded and diced small
- 1 tablespoon ginger - minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro - coriander, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chickpea flour - besan, gram flour
Instructions
- In a large pot, add the potatoes and cover them with water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the potatoes for 15-20 minutes until they are soft when pierced with a fork.
- Drain the potatoes and run cold water over them to stop cooking.
- Add the cooked potatoes, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper, salt (if using), and lemon juice to a large bowl. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes and combine the ingredients.
- Add the peas to a colander and run hot water over them to thaw them.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of chickpea flour over the top and mix it into the potato mixture using a spoon or your hands.
- Stir or knead in the thawed frozen peas, diced onions, jalapenos, ginger, garlic, and cilantro.
- Check that the mixture is ready by forming a ball. If the ball crumbles apart, add more lemon juice. You need extra flour if the ball melts and spreads into your hand.
- Use about ½ a cup of potato mixture to form about ½ an inch thick patties. Place the patties on a large tray or plate. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- To bake, preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and carefully transfer the potato cakes to the tray.
- Bake the potato cakes for 10-15 minutes until the top browns. Flip the patties and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
Notes
- Peel thicker-skinned potatoes like Russets. Peeling isn't necessary for golden or thin-skinned potatoes.
- If you make this recipe with sweet potatoes, you may need to adjust the amount of chickpea flour. I recommend baking whole sweet potatoes or roasting diced potatoes because their moisture content is less than that of boiled or steamed potatoes.
- To air fry, be sure the potato patties are no more than ½ inch thick. Air fry for 5 minutes at 400 F (200 C). If necessary, fry for a few more minutes until they are brown. Flip, then fry for another 2-3 minutes until they are golden brown.
- Store baked potato patties in an airtight container for 5 days or freeze them, separated with parchment paper for 3 months.
- To reheat in the oven, cover potato patties with parchment paper or wrap them in aluminum foil so they don't get too brown. You can also reheat them in the microwave or air fryer. Reheat frozen patties in the oven.
- For appetizers, make mini-patties or balls and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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Monique van Dorst says
Looks terrific, but.. I am going to try this with sweet potatoes instead.
Denise says
Sweet potatoes would be great - you may need to add another tablespoon of chickpea flour, depending on how much moisture is in your sweet potatoes. Be sure to chill them so they don't fall apart. Happy cooking (and eating) 🙂