Potato Fry (Aloo Fry)

Updated: August 29, 2022, By Swasthi

Potato fry is an Indian side dish made with potatoes, spices and herbs. Also known as aloo fry, this 25 minutes super quick dish is a fantastic way to serve spiced potatoes in your meal. In Indian cuisine, stir fry dishes are commonly referred as ‘fry’ so this dish of stir fried potatoes is known as potato fry, though no frying is actually involved in the recipe. Learn to make the perfect crispy & non-sticky spiced potato stir fry with the help of my easy recipe.

potato fry aloo fry



Potato Fry

In South Indian cuisine, we usually serve stir fry dishes with rice, Rasam or Sambar, so is this aloo fry. You can also serve it in a meal of dal fry or dal tadka, jeera rice or even with plain rice and ghee.

My kids love this with just anything, so I sometimes also pack it in their school box with some rotis and veggie salad. For a quick interesting dinner, I spread some green chutney on roti and wrap them up with a filling of this stir fried potatoes, lemon juice or chaat masala, kachumber and coriander leaves.

Sometimes when the mood strikes in I use this for the sandwiches too. Smear some schezwan sauce or mayo or hung curd and stuff these stir fry potatoes. The options are endless!

I have made this potato fry in South Indian style with curry leaves, garlic and urad dal tempering. You can simply skip the curry leaves and urad dal if you don’t have. You can also make a North Indian version of this by using crushed kasuri methi, amchur powder or chaat masala.

Pro Tips

  1. To stir fry always use potatoes that are not from the cold storage section as they don’t get cooked or roasted quickly. Use any old potatoes like the regular potatoes, Yukon gold or Russet Potatoes.
  2. Always keep the potatoes immersed in a bowl of water to get rid of the excess starch. Also rinse them well before adding to the pan. This prevents them from sticking to each other while frying.
  3. Also keeping them in water hydrates the potatoes and help to cook well easily.
  4. I have used a basic garam masala to spice up the aloo fry. You can also use pav bhaji masala, kitchen king masala or sambar powder.
  5. Always add salt to potatoes only after are cooked well. Adding salt early to the potatoes hinders them from cooking well.
  6. I don’t make very hot & spicy foods at home as my kids cannot eat. So this potato fry is lightly spiced with red chili powder & light garam masala. Do adjust them to suit your taste.
Potato fry also known as aloo fry

Photo Guide

How to Make Potato Fry (Stepwise photos)

1. Wash 250 grams potatoes well. Peel them and cube to bite sizes or about half inch cubes.
2. Immerse them in a bowl of water until used further.
3. Crush or chop garlic and rinse the curry leaves.

4. Heat a pan with 1½ to 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil becomes hot, add ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and ½ teaspoon urad dal. Let the urad roast until light golden, then add 1 broken red chili, 1 to 2 chopped or crushed garlic cloves and 1 sprig curry leaves. If you don’t have curry leaves you can use pudina.

seasoning in oil with curry leaves for potato fry recipe

5. Remove the water from the potatoes. Rinse them well and add them to the pan. Make sure the pan is hot before you add the potatoes. Also add ⅛ teaspoon turmeric.

addition of cubed potato to pan for aloo fry recipe

6. Fry for about 3 to 4 minutes.

frying aloo on a low flame in potato fry recipe

7. If you want crisp aloo fry, continue to fry them without covering until they are fork tender. For softer potatoes, I regulate the heat to low. Cook covered till the potatoes are soft cooked. If the potatoes are too dry then you may sprinkle water.

simmering aloo fry until the cubes are cooked

8. Add ½ teaspoon red chili powder and ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala.

addition of spice powders chili powder for potato fry recipe

9. Mix and fry for few more minutes, till the chili powder blends well with potatoes. If you want you can add more chilli powder. Taste test and adjust salt.

tossing potato fry until done

Serve aloo fry with rice and rasam.

potato fry aloo fry

You may like to check these aloo curry, South Indian aloo kurma, quick potato sagu, simple aloo rice, biryani and potato sandwich.

For more potato recipes, you may like to check
Aloo gobi masala
Aloo matar

Jeera aloo
Aloo tikka

potato fry aloo fry south indian style

Related Recipes

Recipe Card

potato fry

Potato fry (Aloo fry)

5 from 70 votes
Potato fry also known as aloo fry, made with basic ingredients is a comfort food from Indian cuisine. This simple stir fry can be eaten with rice- sambar or rice-rasam or as a side in a Indian meal. This is a kids' friendly recipe.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Servings2 to 3
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

  • cup potatoes (½ inch cubes, 250 grams, 2 to 3 medium)
  • tablespoon oil (adjust to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 to 2 garlic cloves chopped or crushed
  • ½ teaspoon urad dal (optional)
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 dried red chili broken (optional)
  • teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
  • teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to taste)
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala or sambar powder
  • teaspoon salt as needed


Instructions

Preparation

  • Wash potatoes and peel. Cube to small bite sizes about half inch cubes. Keep them in a bowl of water until used. This helps to remove the excess starch and prevents them from sticking to each other while frying.
  • Crush or chop garlic. Rinse curry leaves and set aside.

Making potato fry

  • Pour oil to a heavy bottom non stick or cast iron pan. When the oil turns hot, add cumin, mustard, red chili and dal (optional). Fry until the dal turns golden.
  • Add curry leaves and garlic. When the garlic is lightly fried, add hing.
  • Drain the water from potatoes and then add them to the pan. Sprinkle turmeric. Mix and fry potatoes for about 3 to 4 minutes on a medium heat stirring often.
  • For crispy aloo fry, keep stirring and fry them without covering until fork tender. You can also add more oil for better roasting.
  • For soft potatoes, lower the flame. Cover and cook till the potatoes are fork tender. Stir in between to prevent burning.
  • When the potatoes are done, prick them with a fork to check if they are cooked completely. You shouldn't feel them hard from inside. Otherwise cook them for a little longer.
  • Then sprinkle chili powder, salt and garam masala. Toss everything well and fry for a minute or two to blend well. I usually add a tsp of oil at this stage so the spice powders coat all of the potatoes easily.
  • Serve potato fry with rice and rasam, sambar.


Notes

  • For a change you can also sprinkle some chaat masala.
  • Adjust the amount of spice powders to your taste. Too much of spice powders will dry out the aloo fry so use only as needed. 
  • You may use pav bhaji masala or any other spice powder of your choice.
  • Soaking potatoes in lot of water for sometime helps to get rid of the excess starch. This step also hydrates the potatoes and fries them quickly in the pan. They won’t stick to each other while frying.

Video

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Potato fry (Aloo fry)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 107 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 398mg17%
Carbohydrates 2g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 186IU4%
Vitamin C 20mg24%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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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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5 stars
Nice and simple. When making your veg biryani recipe I add the aloo fried this way.

5 stars
Delicious! My first time potato fry with garam masala. Tasty! Indian cuisine is fantastic

5 stars
Since I got married I am cooking with the help of your recipes. We live in Germany and not everything is available. But whatever I can buy I make it according to your wonderful recipes. Thank you so so much!

5 stars
Both south and north indian versions lovely. Great simple and tasty side dish. Many thanks again, Sandy

Hi Swasthi, for the north indian style, what sort of quantity of kasuri methi and amchur would you advise? Thank you, Sandy

5 stars
While doing the fry.. I have using your procedure only potato fry. My potato are sticking to the pan.. how to get rid..

5 stars
Easy and quick recipe.

Hi Swasthi, can you please post Taro root fry (Chamadumpa) here? Once problem I am facing with Taro root is, it gets slimy after boiling for removing the outer skin. So I kept the boiled roots in the refrigerator for several hours, then peeled the skin, cut into small pieces and fried. Thinking that this would remove the sliminess. But to my disappointment, still the individual pieces are sticking to each other during frying and still slimy. I am wondering if there is anyway to drastically reduce the sliminess in Taro root while cooking. May be the Taro root we get here in US is of a different species compared to the ones that are available in India. I am just thinking out loud here. In any case, if you happen to know to make Taro root fry, nice and dry and crispy, let me know. Thanks

5 stars
Swasthi, how to make sure that the potatoes don’t turn mushy? I always have problem with that! Please help..

Hi madam….. I want to know about nutrition information can you please explain me

5 stars
Lovely. Turned out good.

5 stars
Your recipe is so easy and quick to make.

5 stars
Very tasty recipe
Good to cook very yummy

5 stars
Hello SWASTHI JI

just tried this recipe . very easy to make & very tasty as well . tastes good for rice as well as roti . good part is this is not a very spicy dish. love this dish .

one quick suggestion .
please launch a MOBILE APP so that it would be more convenient for us.

thank you . .

5 stars
Nice recipe

5 stars
I really luv ur recipe collections & i tried many recipes frm ur site it came well and my hubby luvs it. Thank u so much.

One more tip in the above recipe Potato Fry: after adding spices jst add a half a spoon of besan flour it wud help to bind the spices with potato.

5 stars
Thank you so much for your recipes! I just got married in Dec 2016 and have been cooking for my husband his fav Andhra dishes (I’m not from Andhra). Your recipes have helped a great deal! My husband is very happy with my cooking thanks to you! ?

P.S I added onions (cause we love onions) to this recipe and it tasted super yummy. Thanks again!

5 stars
It is v.good

5 stars
I loved the recipe,but potatoes cubes sticked to each other, what should be done to get it perfectly.

5 stars
I always search for your recipes .I loved it .Thank u , not only this recipe I have tried so many recipes from your list

Very good