Aloo Pakora

Aloo Pakora is a savory delight! These crispy potato fritters are made with sliced potatoes dipped in an earthy, spiced gram flour batter and fried until golden. They taste best when they’re served warm and fresh!

Aloo ka pakoda was my favorite type of pakora while growing up, and it still is! And now my kids love it as much as I do. These pakoras were a Sunday snack ritual – it’s almost like comfort food!

There is something special about rain and Pakoras; they are a well-known rainy-day affair. I usually make a platter with assorted pakoras – spinach pakoras, cauliflower pakoras, paneer pakora, onion pakora, chicken pakora, and beguni!

If you have been following my blog recently, you might have seen I have posted a few pakora recipes, and there are many more in the making. But Aloo pakora tops the charts and is a super hit with adults and kids alike.

Watch How to Make Aloo Pakora

What is Aloo Pakora?

Aloo pakora is also known as aloo bhajiya, potato bhajiya or potato bajji. It’s the Indian-style fritter!

They are made by dredging thinly sliced potatoes in a spiced gram flour batter and deep-fried until golden and crisp. The outside has a flavorful crispy crust, and the inside has perfectly cooked potatoes. It goes well with ketchup or chutney and chai.

They are gluten-free and vegan. They make an ideal snack to serve when you have unexpected guests.

Ingredients

• Potatoes – It is best to avoid a gummy variety of potatoes and use starchy ones instead. Yukon Gold potatoes, Russet, and Idaho, are great for deep frying. The potatoes must be sliced into thin, uniform slices. You can peel them or keep the skin on when slicing. For easy slicing, a mandolin slicer comes in handy. If you’re slicing them ahead of time, soak them in a bowl of icy cold water to keep them from turning black due to oxidation.
• Oil: Any oil with a high smoking point is ideal for deep frying. I used canola oil.
• Gram Flour (Besan): Gram flour, also known as besan, is made from split chickpeas, known as chana dal. It is a versatile flour used to make snacks, desserts, curries, etc. It is also gluten-free. You can buy this at the Indian grocery store.
• Spices: Kashmiri Red chili Powder, cumin powder, turmeric, coriander powder, salt, and chaat masala are all the spices you require for this recipe. You can get chaat masala from the Indian Grocery store or on Amazon. It has a unique tangy, spicy flavor that is difficult to resist and is a perfect add-on to the pakoras.
• Water: You will need water to make the batter. Add it slowly to ensure you get the right consistency.

How to Make Aloo Pakora?

These are easy and simple to put together.

• Add all the batter ingredients, including besan and spices, in a bowl. Add little water as needed to make a thick, flowing batter. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

Pro-tip: If you are in a hurry and don’t have time to let the batter rest, add a pinch of baking soda to the batter. This will make the pakoras crunchy.

• Peel the potatoes into thin slices about 1/8 inch thick and spread them on a large plate. Sprinkle all the spices for the potato on them.
• Heat oil in a kadhai or deep fryer on medium-high flame. You can use any neutral-tasting oil with a high smoking point. I used canola oil.

Pro-tip: To check if the oil is ready for frying, you can put a drop of gram flour batter into the oil. It should take about 2 seconds to float up on medium-high heat. If it comes up immediately, the oil is too hot. This can make the pakoras cook quickly on the outside but not on the inside. 

• Dip each potato slice in the batter to coat each side evenly. Add them carefully to the medium hot oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry in batches, so they do not overlap.
• Fry till the potato fritters are golden and crisp on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to turn them a few times while they cook evenly.

• Using a slotted spoon, remove the pakoras and transfer them to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain excess oil.
• Serve the aloo pakora hot or warm with Indian cilantro chutney or tomato ketchup. Sprinkle some chaat masala, and enjoy!

Pro-Tips

• Rice flour: Traditionally, the batter is made with only gram flour. However, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of rice flour, as this makes the pakoras crunchy while keeping them gluten-free.
• Batter consistency: Make a thick flowing consistency batter. If the batter is too thin, it will absorb too much oil while frying. If the batter is too thick, then the pakoras will be doughy and won’t taste as good.  Make sure the batter is also lump-free.
• Spicing the potatoes: After slicing the potatoes, pat dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Spicing the potatoes is optional, but I find the pakoras are even tastier with the extra spices. 
• Fry in batches: To ensure even cooking, don’t crowd the frying pan with too many pakoras at once.

Variations

• You can add ginger-garlic paste to the batter for extra flavor.
• You can also add ajwain (carom seeds) to the batter as these aid in digestion.
• You can add finely chopped cilantro and green chilies for the extra spice kick.
• You can add thinly sliced onion along with potatoes to make aloo pyaaz ke pakode (potato onion pakora). For this, it is best to mix the sliced onions and chopped potatoes with the gram flour to make a batter, similar to how onionn bhaji is made.

Serving Suggestions

Serve it for breakfast, evening tea, or as a side dish to add crunch to your meal.

Aloo ka pakora is best paired with spicy, tangy, or sweet chutneys. Our top favorites are mint cilantro chutney and tamarind date chutney.

You can also serve it with a garlic-yogurt dip or just with ketchup.

You can have these pakoras with chapati / roti and simple dal or sandwich between two slices of bread with tomato ketchup.

Pakora and masala chai is a match made in heaven!

You can roll them in a tortilla wrap with other vegetables and toppings and have them for lunch!

How To Store and Reheat?

Nothing beats freshly fried aloo pakoras. In our house, there are no leftovers – my kids just polish them off 🙂 Once the pakoras are cold, they become soggy and lose their crispness.

If by chance, we have a few left, I store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can reheat them in the air fryer or oven.

Commonly Asked Questions

More Pakora Recipes

• Eggplant Pakora (Baingan Pakora)
• Gobi ke pakode (Cauliflower Pakora)
• Paneer Pakora
• Besan Chilla