aloo tikki

Aloo Tikki Recipe

By Swasthi on July 17, 2022, Comments, Jump to Recipe

Literally translating to Potato Patties, this Indian street food ‘Aloo Tikki’ is a staple at the street stalls, chaat centres and fancy cafes, getting sold out instantly. Your taste buds will call out these crispy Aloo Tikki served with Coriander chutney or sometimes served as a chaat, topped with various chutneys, yogurt and crunchy sev. In this post I share how to make the BEST Aloo Tikki (with & without stuffing). For a low-fat option you may also bake or air fry these.

aloo tikki

You can also make a Tikki burger and Tikki chaat with the help of my faqs below.

About Aloo Tikki

Aloo Tikki is a very popular snack indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. In Hindi, Aloo means “potato” and tikki means “patties or cutlet”. Made with boiled & mashed potatoes, spices and herbs, these Indian style potato patties are shallow fried or pan fried to perfection until crisp.

Aloo Tikki is considered to be the Indian version of the hash brown although there are multiple variations to this snack, owing to the changes in the regional cuisine. You will find them with plenty of customizations like a stuffed aloo tikki or simply a spicier, thinner and more flavorful one.

A North Indian aloo tikki has a stuffing of cooked spicy chana dal or paneer or matar (green peas). The Western Indian aloo tikki is simply a plain patty.

Apart from eating them as a snack, the North Indian version is also served with Chole, topped with Sweet Tamarind Chutney, spicy Coriander chutney, and fresh chopped onions and coriander leaves. Optionally, whisked Indian Curd known as Dahi is also used. This is known as Chole Tikki Chaat.

In Western India, the same patties are made without any stuffing. They are plain and are also known as Aloo pattice. These are also served as a part of Ragda Patties where white peas curry, is served with aloo tikki and topped with 3 kinds of chutneys.

About the Recipe

Making plain aloo tikki at home is a breeze & gets done faster! The stuffed version does not take any longer if you prepare the stuffing while the potatoes are boiling. But it takes a little longer for the patties to stuff and shape. I make the plain ones more often for a evening snack and reserve the stuffed tikkis for occasions.

I made the stuffed aloo tikki with a spicy paneer and peas mixture. These are crazy delicious and addictive! To make the plain aloo tikki, simply skip making the stuffing and shape them to patties as shown below.

You can make the plain tikkis, thin or thick to your liking. I make our plain ones thin and crisp because my family loves them that way. I have shown these in the video.

Aloo tikki

More Potato recipes
Hara bhara kabab
Veg cutlet recipe
Samosa
Aloo bonda
Chilli potato
Aloo pakora/bajji

How to Make Aloo Tikki (stepwise photos)

Boil Potatoes

1. Rinse and peel 4 to 5 medium potatoes (about 550 to 600 grams, 1.2 pounds). Place a rack in a cooker and pour 1 cup water. Place the potatoes on the rack and pressure cook just until fork tender but not mushy. Depending on the potatoes and the brand of cooker, you may need anywhere from 3 to 5 whistles to cook them on a medium heat. Cool them.

If using your instant pot, Place them on a trivet and pressure cook for 7 to 8 mins. Let the pressure release naturally. Then peel them and cool completely.

boil potatoes for aloo tikki

Make The Stuffing (optional)

2. While the potatoes cook, make the stuffing optionally. If you prefer the plain aloo tikki, skip this section entirely. To a small pan, add 1 teaspoon oil. When the oil turns hot, add 2 tablespoons cashews and fry until light golden. Add 1 tablespoon grated ginger and 1 chopped green chilli (leave out for kids). Fry briefly until the ginger turns aromatic for about 40 to 50 seconds.

3. Lower the heat completely. Stir together ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder (reduce for kids), ¼ teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon chaat masala or cumin powder and ¼ teaspoon salt.

4. Add the 1 cup peas and cook covered until tender. If they are not tender/ young, add 3 to 4 tablespoons water and cook covered until soft. When done they should be soft and get mashed easily. Mash them a bit with a spatula. This helps to bind them well with the paneer.

5. Crush 1½ teaspoon kasuri methi in your palms and add it along with 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves and ¾ cup crumbled paneer (about 100 grams).

6. Turn off the heat and mix well. Taste test and adjust the salt and spice. Keep this aside.

Prepare the Tikki Mixture

7. Grate or mash the boiled potatoes with a masher. Make sure there are no chunks of potatoes left.

8. Next add the following:

  • 2 tablespoons chopped cashews (about 6 to 8, optional)
  • 1 chopped green chili (skip for kids)
  • ¾ teaspoon garam masala
  • ½ teaspoon chaat masala (or 2 tsps lemon juice)
  • ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chili powder
  • ¾ to 1 tablespoon ginger (grated or 1 teaspoon paste)

Optional – Heat 1 tablespoon ghee until very hot, pour over the red chilli powder. This removes the raw smell of the red chilli powder. Don’t skip this if you want to pan fry the tikkis.

9. Add 2 tablespoons fine chopped coriander leaves.

10. Add 2 tablespoons rice flour or cornstarch (corn flour) and 4 tablespoons bread crumbs. You can substitute bread crumbs with powdered poha. To make that, add some poha to a small grinder and powder it. I used poha powder.

11. Bind the mixture together to make a soft ball. Add more bread crumbs if the mixture turns sticky. Make sure the mixture is non-sticky and not dry/crumbly as well. Sticky or soggy mixture will make soft aloo tikkis. Taste this and add more salt or spice if required.

12. Divide the mixture to 6 portions if making stuffed aloo tikki or to 8 to 9 portions if making plain. Make smooth balls and keep them covered till the end.

Shape aloo tikki

13. To make plain aloo tikki, You will just flatten each ball and shape it to a patty, joining any cracks on the sides and rolling the sides on your palm. (check video)

To make the stuffed tikki, flatten a ball and shape it to a cup with your fingers, just like the way you make for a Aloo paratha. If the edges crack, join them with your fingers. Place 2 tablespoons of the paneer peas mixture inside the cup. Press down the mixture gently several times into the cup.

14. Bring the sides up over the stuffing and seal it. I did not use oil, if you want you may grease your fingers. That helps to join the cracks as well.

15. Keep your aloo tikki covered as we don’t want them to dry out. At this stage If they look too dry, I prefer to pat the prepared aloo tikkis with wet hands. You will be left with a few tablespoons of stuffing which you can use for your sandwiches.

Fry the Tikkis

16. Pour oil, over half inch in a small deep pan. You can pan fry or shallow fry them. I did the shallow frying here to make the aloo tikkis extra crisp. Do the heat test by dropping a small piece of the mixture to the hot oil. If the oil is hot enough the mixture will sizzle and rise up without becoming brown.

Regulate the heat to medium and gently slide the aloo tikki to the hot oil one after the other. Do not touch them for at least 3 mins, till the base turns firm and crisp.

You can fry these in as little as ¼ cup oil. Use a small kadai and fry one after the other.

17. Turn them to the other side and fry until golden and crisp.

18. Remove them to a kitchen tissue.

Serve aloo tikki hot with mint chutney or serve as a patty in a burger. I have also shared how to make aloo tikki chaat and aloo tikki burger below.

Aloo tikki recipe

Here are some tips that will help you make the best Indian style potato patties.

Pro Tips

Tips for Boiling potatoes

Boiling potatoes correctly is the crucial step to make crisp and firm potato patties. Boil them just until fork tender. Avoid overcooking them. Overcooked potatoes often turn mushy and become paste like due to the excess moisture.

Mushy potatoes will need a lot of flour or bread crumbs to reduce the moisture.

How to boil them perfectly?

One way is to boil the whole potatoes in a pot without peeling the skin. Cooking them in a pot will help you keep an eye on them so they are not overcooked. You can also cook them in a pressure cooker.

The other way is to cube them and steam over a steamer or a pot. A perfectly boiled potato should be fork tender but not mushy.

Preparing the mixture: Cool the potatoes completely then mash them well with a masher. Alternately you can also grate them using a grater.

Avoid mashing them while still hot. Avoid adding the bread crumbs or flour to the potatoes when they are still hot. Both these will make the potatoes pasty and sticky.

The prepared mixture should be dry and non-sticky. Sticky mixture will make soft and mushy aloo tikkis. They may break while frying. If the mixture turns even slightly sticky use more bread crumbs or flour to absorb the excess moisture.

Tips to fry perfectly

Aloo tikkis are mostly shallow fried. However they can also be pan fried, air fried or grilled in an oven. If shallow frying, Oil in the pan should come to at least half the height of the aloo tikki.

Make sure the oil is hot enough, if not the aloo tikkis will stick to the pan and mess up. To check if the oil is hot enough, drop a small piece of prepared mixture to the hot oil. It should come up steadily without browning. This is the right temperature.

After sliding the aloo tikki to hot oil, do not disturb them until the base turns firm and golden. Allow the base to firm up first, then turn them. If not they will break and mess up.

Troubleshooting

If the aloo tikki soaks up lot of oil, it means either the mixture has too much moisture in it or the oil is not hot enough. To fix, add more bread crumbs to the mixture. Ensure the oil is hot enough by doing the heat test.

Substitutes

Bread crumbs are always the best to absorb excess moisture in potatoes. However if you do not have them then toast a few slices of bread on a griddle until slightly crisp, tear them and pulse them in a dry grinder to make crumbs. Use these as a substitute to bread crumbs.

Alternately, you can also use corn starch, rice flour, poha powder or roasted gram flour (besan). To make your own poha powder, make a fine powder of flattened rice and use.

aloo tikki recipe

Faqs

How to make aloo tikki burger?

My way of making aloo tikki burger is super simple. I toast the sliced buns with little butter.

Then spread this mint yogurt chutney, place lettuce, and then the aloo tikki over that. Followed by some sliced onions, tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and then smear some chutney again on the other sliced bun. Cover and enjoy.

Mint yogurt chutney goes very well in a aloo tikki burger. Alternately you can also use this green chutney or mayonnaise mixed with some tomato sauce.

How to make aloo tikki chaat?

Follow this tamarind chutney recipe and green chutney recipe to make both the chutneys. Both the chutneys must be of thick pouring consistency. If needed bring them to consistency by adding some water. Keep this aside.

Whisk half cup thick yogurt with 1 tsp of sugar and salt until the sugar dissolves completely. It must be of a pouring consistency.

Place the crisp fried aloo tikkis in a serving bowl. Pour 2 to 3 tbsps of yogurt. Followed by the tamarind chutney and green chutney. Add the chopped onions, tomatoes & coriander leaves. Then sprinkle a handful of nylon sev over it. Serve it immediately.

Can I freeze the tikkis?

Yes you can. Place them on a tray and keep in the freezer until firm. Remove them and store in a freezer safe container or a zip lock bag.

When you want to use them, thaw them first and roll them in a bit of corn starch. Dust off the excess flour and fry them.

Can I crumb coat aloo tikki?

Tikkis are never crumb coated. But if you prefer to use them in a aloo tiki burger, you may. Mix half cup gram flour with little water in a bowl to make a thick flowing batter. It should not be too runny or too thick.

Then dip the aloo tikki in the batter and coat it well with the prepared batter. Immediately place the aloo tikki in bread crumbs and coat it well. Press down gently so the bread crumbs stick to the tikki.

Repeat these steps and crumb coat all of the aloo tikkis. Set aside for 10 mins and fry them as mentioned below. Typically oil in your pan should be atleast to half the height of aloo tikki. This way they turn extra crisp. You can check my veg burger recipe for the same step by step pictures.

Related Recipes

Recipe Card

aloo tikki recipe

Aloo Tikki Recipe

Aloo tikki are Indian style potato patties served as a snack, chaat or eaten as a patty in a burger. These can be pan fried, shallow fried, baked in oven or air fried. These aloo tikki are best served with coriander chutney or mint chutney. Skip the stuffing to make plain aloo tikki.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings6 Tikkis
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

  • 4 medium potatoes (550 to 600 grams, 1.2 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger (grated or 1 tsp paste or ¼ tsp ginger powder)
  • ¾ teaspoon garam masala
  • ½ teaspoon chaat masala (or lemon juice)
  • ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ghee or oil (very hot) optional
  • 2 tablespoon coriander leaves (finely chopped)
  • 1 green chili chopped
  • 2 tablespoon corn flour (cornstarch or rice flour) or (poha powder if pan frying) (2 tbsps more if needed)
  • 4 tablespoon bread crumbs or poha powder ( more if needed)
  • ¾ teaspoon Salt (adjust to taste)
  • 2 tablespoon cashews (chopped, optional)
  • 4 to 6 tablespoon Oil or as needed

For the Stuffing (optional)

  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 2 tablespoons cashews chopped (6 to 8)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger (grated or 1 tsp paste)
  • 1 green chilli (chopped, optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon garam masala
  • ¼ teaspoon chaat masala  (or cumin powder)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup peas (frozen or fresh – young/tender)
  • teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
  • ¾ cup paneer (crumbled, about 100 grams)


Instructions

Preparation

  • Boil potatoes just until cooked. Do not overcook them. They should be firm and not mushy or soggy. (check the tips above in intro for details).
  • Cooker: Add them to a cooker and pour water to partially cover them. Cook for 3 to 5 whistles depending on the size of your cooker. Instant pot: Pressure cook them for 7 to 8 minutes and let the pressure release naturally.

Make the Stuffing (optional)

  • Heat oil in a small pan and fry the cashews until golden. Fry ginger and green chilis for 40 to 50 seconds. Lower the heat and stir in red chilli powder, garam masala, salt and chaat masala.
  • Add the peas and cook covered on a low heat till tender. If the pan is dry pour 3 to 4 tablespoons water. When they are soft cooked, mash them gently and turn off the heat.
  • Crush kasuri methi in your palms and add it along with coriander leaves and crumbled paneer. Mix well taste test and adjust salt as required. Keep this aside to cool.

How to Make Aloo Tikki

  • Cool the boiled potatoes completely and remove the skin. Grate or mash them in a mixing bowl. Make sure there are no chunks of potatoes.
  • Add cashews, ginger paste, garam masala, chaat masala, salt and red chili powder.
  • Heat 1 tbsp ghee till very hot in a kadai. Pour that over the red chili powder to remove the raw flavor. Add coriander leaves and green chilies.
  • Make sure the potatoes are cooled first before adding the flour and bread crumbs. Begin to mix and make a firm and non sticky ball. If required you can add more bread crumbs or flour to absorb moisture.
  • The mixture must be firm and non-sticky. If it is sticky, it means it is too moist. So add more bread crumbs or flour.
  • Divide the mixture to 6 equal portions to make stuffed tikki or to 8 equal portions to make plain tikki. Roll them to smooth balls keep covered.
  • Plain Aloo Tikki: Flatten the ball to a thin tikki. Place them in a tray and set aside.
  • Stuffed Tikki: To make suffed tikki, shape the dough to a cup (check pictures in the post). Place 2 tablespoons of the paneer peas mixture inside the cup and begin to press down inside and bring the sides up and seal the aloo tikki. Make all the tikkis and place them in a tray.
  • Heat 4 to 6 tbsps oil in a medium sized pan. To test if the oil is hot, drop a small portion of dough to the oil. It has to sizzle and come up to the surface without turning brown.
  • Gently transfer the aloo tikkis one after the other to the oil. Do not disturb them until the base of the tikki firms up, for at least 2 to 3 mins.
  • Turn them to the other side gently and fry until golden & crisp on both the sides.
  • Remove them to cooling rack. For extra crisp tikkis, you can refry them in the oil again.
  • OR Bake in oven Alternately brush the patties with oil & place on a greased wire rack over a tray. Bake in a preheated oven for 18 to 20 mins at 390 F (200 C) or until crisp. Flip them to the other side after 10 to 12 mins. Adjust the timing based on your oven.
  • Air frying: Brush the tikkis & place them in the air fryer wired rack. Air fry at 360 F (180 C) for 8 to 10 mins on each side. Keep check and adjust the timing as needed. If your air fryer needs preheating, preheat it first before air frying.
  • Serve aloo tikki hot with coriander chutney, mint chutney or serve them inside your burger. (to make check the tips in intro)


Notes

  1. Adjust the amount of spices to suit your taste.
  2. Do not overcook the potatoes as they become mushy. Mushy potatoes are no good to make aloo tikki.
  3. If the tikkis soak up lot of oil, it means the oil is not hot enough or the mixture has a lot of moisture. Adding some flour to the mixture will fix the problem.
  4. Adding flour prevents the tikkis from soaking up oil. You can replace it with poha powder only if pan frying, baking or air frying. If you skip the flour for the deep fried version the tikkis will soak up oil.
  5. Adjust the grilling time as it depends on the size of the tikkis and the oven.
  6. You will be left with a few tablespoons of stuffing, use that for your sandwiches or rolls.
  7. Nutrition value is for 1 plain aloo tikki, without the stuffing.

Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

Video

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Aloo Tikki Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 127 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Trans Fat 0.03g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 6g
Cholesterol 5mg2%
Sodium 281mg12%
Potassium 52mg1%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 67IU1%
Vitamin C 4mg5%
Calcium 17mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

© Swasthi’s Recipes

Aloo Tikki First published in May 2017. Updated and Republished in July 2022.

Aloo Tikki Recipe

About Swasthi

I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me

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Recipe Rating




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5 stars
Made them for my family’s dinner. It turned out to be delicious. Thanks for giving a heads up on certain areas where a beginner such as myself can mess up.
Thank you for sharing the recipe.

4 stars
This was great! But unfortunately, I had waaaaaaaay more stuffing than the potato mixture. Literally half the stuffing mixture is still left over!! I followed the recipe exactly so I’m not sure what happened…maybe I needed to make bigger tikkis because I ended up making 9, even though the recipe said I would get 6? Aside from that, everything was fine 🙂

5 stars
These aloo tikki were the most delicious Christmas appetizer! Made them without the stuffing because a few of our guests eat only plant based. Every one loved the flavor profile. We baked them and brushed with generous amount of ghee. They smelled heavenly and tasted great with your mint chutney. Thank you for the amazing recipe.

5 stars
Super aloo tikki!!!! They were a blast!!. Followed the recipe except to triple paneer. Not a fan of peas, so replaced with paneer. Can’t thank you enough!! Please continue to share new recipes.

5 stars
Hi Swasthi. I have tried few of your recipe and very impressed with your recipe. Really easy to follow and comes out very well. So well done to you.

5 stars
Hi Swasthi,

Can you give details of the steel kadai you have used in the video?

Thanks,
Jayshree

5 stars
These are AMAZING! The perfect amount of crispiness and flavoring. And so easy. Definitely will be making these over and over. Thank you!

5 stars
Another very tasty recipe.

5 stars
I have used this recipe, unstuffed, many times now. It is always very tasty, and I can use different breadcrumbs, like panko. This time I added green onion also, and my children loved it. You website is my favorite for recipes, thank you.

Hi Swasthi, apologies for this but how would you cook the potatoes (water & time) in a pressure cooker? Looking forward to trying these!

5 stars
What kind of breadcrumbs did you use in the recipe?

5 stars
Okay, thank you!

5 stars
loved the aloo tikkis i prepared myself by following your recipe. thank u for the lovely recipe.

5 stars
Thank You Swathi! This was a very good recipe for Aloo tiki I tried the non stuffed one. My kid, My husband and my sister loved it!

4 stars
Truly tasty tikkis. Ensure that you mash the potatoes well to get a smooth texture

5 stars
Hi Swasthi,

Tried this recipe today and turned out fantastic. Many thanks again.

5 stars
My tikkis always made soft and mushy…with this recipe … I was able to made crispy tikkis…I made aloo tikki burger with this and turned out so well…thank you for this recipe..

5 stars
Hi Swasthi,
Tikki was yummy and delicious.
Thank you!?

Hi Swasthi!
Can I skip the cashews and use besan instead of bread crums?

I like Tikki recipe, I was looking for Bombay style Ragda Patties, Could you upload that recipe please
Thanks

Hi Swasthi,
I wanted to tell you there is a way to boil potatoes that is easy and gets rid of a lot of moisture, so it’s perfect for patties. Simply microwave the potatoes! You can check tutorials online and ce you get it, it’s easy. I could never get the correct consistency for tikkis with stovetop boiling, then I learned the microwave method and never had problems again. No more breadcrumbs flour etc.

Have a nice day, Didina

5 stars
Such a yum and easy to make recipe. Thank you. I baked the patties though. Came out really well.