Samosa Chaat is a popular Indian street food recipe made by serving crispy Punjabi aloo samosas with Chana Masala or Punjabi Chole, together with different chaat toppings – from sweet chutneys to yogurt to ‘sev’. This street-style chaat recipe is a flavor bomb and is perfect to make ahead and assemble right before a party.
Jump to:
About this recipe
Samosa chaat is the perfect balance of all the textures and flavors of Indian street-style chaat! Made with crispy samosas, chana masala, and spicy green chutney, tangy and sweet tamarind chutney, and yogurt – every spoonful of this chaat recipe is a flavor bomb!
It is the perfect recipe for a chaat party, or an Indian menu, because of the convenience of making it. You can simply prep all ingredients a few days ahead of time. On the day of the party, assemble the dish, and serve.
Channa Masala or Punjabi Chole is a key ingredient for this recipe. I like to make a big batch of chole 3-4 days in advance. The chole actually tastes better a day after it is made, and keeps well in the fridge.
Are you a fan of Paneer? Try making our Kadai Paneer recipe or try making Paneer Pizza at home!
To take the stress out of making all ingredients from scratch, I have used frozen store-bought Punjabi aloo samosas. I like to heat them to crispy perfection in the air fryer. You can also make the samosas at home instead, and use them for this chaat recipe.
I also personally like to use store-bought date-tamarind chutney for the toppings, although you can also make the chutney at home.
For the green chutney, I make my homemade mint cilantro chutney, which is so versatile and goes with everything.
Finally, a nice dollop of dahi (yogurt), pomegranate seeds, a sprinkling of chaat masala and roasted jeera (cumin powder), a generous garnish of sev. Your samosa chaat is now ready to be the showstopper appetizer for your party!
Ingredient Notes
Here are all the ingredients you will need to make Samosa Chaat:
Samosas – Use store-bought frozen Punjabi aloo samosas or homemade samosas. If using frozen samosas, use the air fryer to heat them up until crispy. Alternatively, you can use the oven to heat up the frozen samosas.
Punjabi Chole or Chana Masala – Chana Masala (chickpeas cooked in a spicy masala gravy) is a key part of any samosa chaat. You can make channa masala in advance and store it in the fridge. It keeps well refrigerated and in fact, channa masala taste even better the day after it is made.
Chutneys – We use two chutneys for this recipe – sweet and sour date and tamarind chutney, and green chutney or mint cilantro chutney.
Yogurt – Use plain full-fat chilled yogurt seasoned with black salt and a little sugar. Beat the yogurt smooth before drizzling it over the samosa chaat.
The toppings – I have used pomegranate seeds for the color and crunch, chopped red onions, and sev (chickpea strands) for the toppings. Finally, add a sprinkling of chaat masala and roasted cumin powder to finish off the dish.
Step by step recipe instructions
Keep your samosas ready - use either fresh or frozen. If using frozen samosas, use an air fryer to heat them. I air-fried my frozen samosas at 370 F for 8 minutes, flipping them over once midway for even frying. The samosas come out perfectly crispy and I prefer this method to heating them in the oven.
Next, keep all the other ingredients ready. Get a large serving plate and crush up the samosas coarsely. Place them on the plate.
Top off the samosas with spoonfuls of channa masala. You can add as little or as much as you like.
Next, spoon over the beaten yogurt, followed by the green chutney and the tamarind chutney.
After adding the chutney, sprinkle over some chopped red onion followed by pomegranate seeds.
Add a generous amount of fine sev, and to finish the dish, sprinkle some chaat masala and roasted cumin powder.
And that's it, your samosa chaat is now ready to be enjoyed!
Serving Suggestions
Samosa chaat is served as an appetizer for an Indian menu. To complete your menu, I recommend the following sides, mains, and desserts:
Sides & Drinks:
Mains:
Desserts:
Kheer (Instant Pot Rice Pudding)
Eggless Cheesecake (Diwali special cheesecake)
Frequently Asked Questions
Frozen samosas can be cooked in the air fryer without thawing. Simply take out the frozen samosas, and place them in the basket of your preheated air fryer. Cook for 8 minutes at 190 C/ 370 F. Make sure not to crowd the frozen samosas, and leave space between each samosa, for proper and even air frying.
Just as most salads are served at room temperature, so can chaat! Since Chaat is made up of many elements that vary in serving temperature, it is best served at room temperature. Some of the samosa chaat elements - samosas and channa masala are cooked and can be served warm or hot.
Samosa Chaat Recipe
Ingredients
- 6-8 Samosas use eiher fresh or frozen Punjabi Aloo Samosas
- Chana Masala
- Yogurt Full-fat
- 1 teaspoon black salt (kala namak)
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons green chutney
- 2 tablespoons date and tamarind chutney
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
- ½ red onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons Sev extra fine or nylon sev
- ¾ teaspoon Chaat Masala
- ¾ teaspoon Roasted Cumin Powder
Instructions
- Keep your samosas ready - use either fresh or frozen. If using frozen samosas, use an air fryer to heat them. I air-fried my frozen samosas at 370 F for 8 minutes, flipping them over once midway for even frying. Optionally, you can brush oil over the samosas before air frying, for a golden brown finish.
- Next, keep all the other ingredients ready. Get a large serving plate and crush up the samosas coarsely. Place them on the plate.
- Top off the samosas with spoonfuls of channa masala. You can add as little or as much as you like.
- Beat the yogurt with the black salt and sugar. Spoon over the beaten yogurt, followed by the green chutney and the tamarind chutney.
- After adding the chutney, sprinkle over some chopped red onion followed by pomegranate seeds.
- Add a generous amount of sev, and to finish the dish, sprinkle some chaat masala and roasted cumin powder.