Samosas are great appetizers for a family dinner or party. Best of all, by switching up the filling, you can turn 1 dish into 10 (or more)! Scroll down for some of the best samosa fillings, both sweet and savory, with links to recipes.
Samosas are a staple street food in Central Asia and South Asia. (They're usually wrapped in homemade dough then fried, but you can click through for an easy Baked Hack.)
Like Singaporean curry puffs, these golden brown street snacks are very versatile: you can fill samosa dough with almost anything, both sweet and savory. And, of course, don't forget the samosa sauces: mint chutney, tamarind chutney etc, which add sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors to the crispy bites.
To make a range of easy party appetizers, scroll down for some ideas for samosa fillings!
Classic Flavor
Classic samosas, or Aloo Samosa, have a filling of potato, onions, green peas, lentils mixed with spices such as garam masala, coriander seeds, red chili powder, ginger, and/ or green chili. (If you don't have garam masala on hand, you can add some Madras Curry Powder instead- it's not traditional but it works.)
They can be vegetarian or not. For non-vegetarian samosas, ground beef is sometimes added.
Tip: To make this street food a more filling dish, you can make samosa chaat: basically a deconstructed samosa combined diced onions, a mix of chutneys, then topped with yogurt, chaat masala, and fresh coriander etc. If that's not enough, pair them with these samosa side dishes!
Meat
Chicken
Chicken samosas are super tasty, and made with a blend of garam masala and cilantro.
Butter Chicken Samosa
If you like Indian Curry, Butter chicken samosas are a delightful twist on both the classic samosa filling and the popular takeout!
Chicken Tikka
Chicken marinated in tikka spices, then cooked and stuffed into samosas taste sooo good! You can get them at Trader Joe's but making your own Chicken Tikka Samosas will be so much healthier and more satisfying!
Lamb Samosa
Minced lamb, mixed with cumin seeds and green chillies, is one of the most popular samosa flavors.
Beef Keema
Others
Paneer
Aloo Paneer is one of my favorite dishes to order at an Indian restaurant, so I can never say no to these Paneer Samosas.
Don't leave out the green chillies and red chilli powder, as they help add complexity to lift all that cheese!
Cheese
The best thing about homemade samosas is you can make any flavor you like, even cheese samosa! My favorite is cheddar cheese mixed with spring onions!
Guinness
Cheese Guinness Beef Samosas are a great mash-up of your favorite pie and Indian food.
Vegan
This vegan Punjabi snack owes its flavor to the turmeric and curry powder used!
Sweet Potato
Sweet potato is sauted with peas and spices in these crispy samosas.
International
Chinese
Fill your samosas with chicken and noodles for a Chinese-inspired version. To shorten the cooking time, you can also use spring roll wrappers for the samosa pastry.
Or how about stir-fried veggies in soy sauce?
Sweet
Apple Pie
In fall, why not stuff the fried snacks with cinnamon-spiced apples?
Chocolate
Chocolate samosas are a surprising yet irresistible dessert. You can even add banana slices!
Chinese Sesame
Mix Chinese black sesame and some dark chocolate- like I do in these sesame chocolate chip cookies- then wrap in the the dough ball before deep frying. Delicious!
Coconut
Coconut samosas have a tropical flavors- filling made with coconut and sugar.
Cream Cheese
If you like crab rangoons, you'll love Cream cheese samosas. Don't forget to serve with green sauce or tamarind sauce!
Alternatively, you can use a savory cream cheese filling, such as garlic cream cheese or olive cream cheese.
More Ideas
- Sweet Potato and Black Bean: A vegetarian twist on the usual samoa recipe, with mashed sweet potatoes and black beans, seasoned with cumin and coriander.
- Cheese and Corn: A fusion filling with melted cheese and sweet corn, seasoned lightly with black pepper or chili.
- Tandoori Cauliflower: Cauliflower florets marinated in tandoori seasoning and roasted before filling.
- Mushroom and Garlic: Sautéed mushrooms with garlic and thyme, a delightful vegetarian option.
- Pumpkin and Feta: Mashed pumpkin with crumbled feta cheese and a hint of sage.
- Chickpea and Onion: Spiced chickpeas with caramelized onions, offering a vegan choice.
- Buffalo Chicken: Shredded chicken with buffalo sauce and a touch of blue cheese.
- Pesto and Mozzarella: Italian-inspired filling with pesto sauce and mozzarella cheese.
- Ratatouille: A French-inspired samosa filled with zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers.
- Pepperoni Pizza: Pepperoni slices with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese will be an instant kid favorite.
- Sautéed Shrimp and Cream Cheese: Shrimp sautéed with garlic and mixed with cream cheese.
- Bacon and Egg: A breakfast version with scrambled eggs and crispy bacon bits.
- Masala Quinoa: Spiced quinoa with vegetables, offering a healthy, modern filling.
- Lentil and Rice: Cooked lentils and rice with aromatic spices, for a hearty vegan option.
- Goat Cheese and Beet: Roasted beets with creamy goat cheese and a hint of dill.
- Sausage and Bell Pepper: Cooked sausage with sautéed bell peppers and onions.
- Nutella samosas: hazelnut chocolate in deep-fried dough? Yum!
Expert Tips
Tip #1: The samosa is traditionally made with homemade dough and various fillings. This requires patience as the all purpose flour and water need to be mixed, then the dough needs to rest at room temperature. When I'm in a hurry, I use puff pastry for an easy baked samosa instead! (You can also use filo pastry or spring roll wrappers.)
Tip #2: To be healthier, bake or air fry the samosas. Alternatively, use whole wheat flour for the dough. (I suggest starting with either baking/ air frying OR using whole wheat flour, and not doing both as the latter will taste much too healthy/ not so good.)
Storage
To ensure your samosas stay crisp, store them uncovered at room temperature until they cool down completely.
After cooling, wrap them in parchment paper and place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
This method helps to maintain their crispiness and flavor.
Reheating
When ready to savor them again, reheat in an oven or air fryer for best results, as this restores their crispiness without making them oily.
Any questions about what makes the best fillings for samosas or the samosa recipe? Let me know in the comments!
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