Veg Cutlet Recipe (Vegetable Cutlet)

Updated: June 10, 2023, By Swasthi

Veg Cutlet made with mixed vegetables, herbs and spices makes for a great tea-time snack that your whole family will love! Did you know that cutlet is one of the most popular snack eaten across the world. Cutlets come in different shapes, sizes and kinds but one thing is common – They are crisp and additively delicious! These vegetable cutlets are a flavor bomb, super delicious and healthy as they are pan fried.

About Cutlet

The word ‘Cutlet’ is derived from the French word ‘côtelette’ and were a typical starter/appetizer in the French Cuisine. Later they became very popular across the world and are made in numerous ways. Veg cutlet are popular in the Indian cuisine and are made with vegetables like potatoes, carrots, peas, herbs and spices. Like the traditional cutlets, our vegetable cutlets are breaded and fried until crisp.

You may be wondering what a vegetable cutlet is

A veg cutlet is a simple mashed and spiced vegetable patty that is dipped in batter, later dredged in bread crumbs and fried in oil. There are vegetarian and non-vegetarian cutlets made in Indian cuisine. However in all of these versions, potato forms the base of the patties.

My Recipe

This recipe of vegetable cutlet is simple, healthy, gluten-free and vegan. For making any kind of cutlet we need bread crumbs or flour to bind the ingredients. But my recipe can be made without both of them by simply replacing bread crumbs with flattened rice/ poha or roasted gram flour (sattu).

In this post I have shown making cutlets without bread crumbs, for both binding as well for crumb coating. However if you don’t have poha, then you can simply use bread crumbs or panko crumbs.

Apart from potatoes I use peas, carrots and beans. Sometimes I also use cauliflower, baby spinach, broccoli and sweet corn kernels. For a meaty texture you can also add some soya granules (vegetable textured protein).

Sweet potatoes, yam, raw banana and even grated beetroot can be used. But remember that the taste of your cutlets will depend on the veggies you use. So use only the vegetables you like.

These veg cutlets can also be served as burger patties in a Veggie Burger. But are best served with
Coriander Chutney

Green chutney
Schezwan sauce
Mint chutney or chilli sauce.

Apart from making a great tea time snack, they also make a great appetizer & party snack.

cutlet

Photo Guide

How to Make Veg Cutlet (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

1. Firstly rinse and fine chop 8 french beans, 1 large carrot to ½ inch and 2 medium potatoes to ¾ inch cubes. You can also use cauliflower and beets. We need

  • 2 cups potatoes
  • ½ cup French beans
  • ¾ to 1 cup carrots
  • ½ cup green peas
chopping veggies to make veg cutlet recipe

2. Add them to a steam basket. Pour 1½ cups water to your cooker or steamer. Place a rack or trivet and then place the steam basket in the steamer. Cover and steam them together until fork tender. They must be soft cooked and firm but not mushy or soggy.

To pressure cook, add them to the cooker and pour half cup water. Pressure cook on a medium heat for 2 whistles. When the pressure drops, drain the excess water. To cook in instant pot, pressure cook for 3 minutes and let the pressure release naturally.

steamed veggies to make veg cutlet recipe

3. Make sure there is no excess moisture in the veggies else your cutlets can break down. Coll down slightly and mash them well with a masher.

mashed mix veggies for veg cutlet recipe

4. Add 3 tablespoons fine chopped coriander leaves, 1 to 2 chopped and deseeded green chilies, ½ to ¾ teaspoon garam masala and 1 teaspoon ginger paste. Mix everything well. I have also added half teaspoon roasted cumin seeds if you want you may add. I have not listed this in the ingredient list in the recipe.

addition of spice powders for veg cutlet recipe

5. Add 6 tablespoons bread crumbs or start with 2 tablespoons poha powder. I prefer to use powdered poha for a yeast-free option. Mix well to a smooth dough, if the mixture is still too soft, add more poha or bread crumbs. The quantity of poha you require depends on the kind of potatoes and the texture of your boiled potatoes. If they are too soft, you will need more. I use about half cup here but you may need less if your potatoes are different.

Make Poha powder: Simply add ½ cup poha (white or red) to a grinder and grind to a fine powder.

addition of poha to make veg cutlet recipe

Shape Vegetable Cutlet

6. This is the texture of my cutlet mixture. It should be soft with a good binding but not sticky, too wet or soggy. Divide to 12 portions, roll to balls and flatten to patties. If you have a trouble binding because your mixture is dry, either mash it well again or mix it with wet hands or sprinkle a tbsp of water and mix well.

mixing ingredients to make dough for cutlet recipe

7. Prepare crumb coating, add half cup bread crumbs or half cup coarsely powdered poha to a plate. Next make a thin batter using 2 tbsp of besan or rice flour and 3 to 4 tbsps water in a small bowl. Place the patty in the batter and coat it well on both the sides. (For a thicker crust, you may use more flour and make a thicker batter.)

dipping veg patties in batter for veg cutlet recipe

8. Place it on the bread crumbs or poha. Make sure the patty is coated with bread crumbs on both the sides. Here I used white poha powder.

coating veg cutlet with bread crumbs

9. Repeat this for all the patties and place them on a plate. Leave this aside for about 5 to 10 minutes. This helps the bread crumbs to stick well to the patties. Press down gently each cutlet so the coating sticks well.

breaded patties for vegetable cutlet recipe

10. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a small pan, shake off the cutlet gently, to remove excess dry crumbs and place them in the hot oil. I used 1 tablespoon oil for every batch of 5 patties. You can also air fry or bake these cutlets following my pro tips section below.

shallow frying vegetable cutlet recipe

11. Lastly turn the cutlets to the other side and fry until golden. If required drizzle more oil in the pan. Remove to a wired rack to keep them crisp.

flip and fry veg cutlet

Serve veg cutlet with green chutney or any dip.

cutlet recipe - vegetable cutlet

Pro Tips

  • Always steam or boil the vegetables al dente and not mushy. This prevents the cutlets from turning too soft from inside.
  • Mash the veggies and then add bread crumbs or poha powder or besan to reduce the moisture in the veggie mash. My preferred choice is powdered poha as it is a healthy choice than the bread crumbs.
  • The veg cutlet are dipped in batter made of chickpea or rice flour then crumb coated to make them crispy. You can also coat them with coarse crushed poha (powdered poha)
  • Shallow fry them until crisp on a low to medium flame. You can also bake them.
  • You can flavor the veg cutlet mixture with any spice powders you like. I have used garam masala.

Baked and Air fryer Veg Cutlet

To bake these veg cutlets, preheat the oven to 360 F or 180 C for 15 mins and place the patties on a greased tray. Bake them for 20 minutes or until the tip becomes golden and crisp.
To air fry, place the cutlets in the air fryer and spray some oil. Air fry at 360 F or 180 C for 16 to 18 minutes.
Air fried and baked cutlets won’t turn golden brown like these. But if you want them golden, then roast the bread crumbs first until light golden and use them for crumb coating.

Variations

  1. You can also add half cup crumbled paneer to the mashed veggies to make paneer veg cutlets.
  2. Half cup grated mozarella or cheddar cheese can also be added to make cheese cutlets. If using cheese, double coat the cutlets so that cheese doesn’t come out of the cutlets and mess up.

Related Recipes

Recipe Card

cutlet recipe veg cutlet

Veg Cutlet Recipe (Vegetable Cutlet)

4.98 from 266 votes
Cutlet recipe – Veg cutlet is a quick tea time Indian snack recipe made with mix vegetables like potatoes, peas, beans and carrots. Serve vegetable cutlet as a tea time snack or appetizer with some green chutney or any dip. 
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Servings13 cutlet
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

Veggies for cutlet

  • 2 cups potatoes peel & cube to ¾ inch (2 large) (or sweet potatoes)
  • ½ cup green peas (frozen or fresh)
  • 1 cup carrot diced (1 large)
  • ½ cup beans chopped (6 to 8)
  • 3 tablespoon coriander leaves or cilantro finely chopped

Other ingredients

  • ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
  • ¾ teaspoon ginger grated or paste
  • 1 to 2 green chilies finely chopped (skip for kids)
  • ½ to ¾ teaspoon garam masala
  • 6 tablespoon bread crumbs or ½ cup thick poha powdered or roasted besan (read notes)
  • 4 tablespoons oil or as needed

For crumb coating

  • 2 tablespoon besan or gram flour or rice flour or corn flour
  • ½ cup bread crumbs or powdered poha for the crust


Instructions

Preparation for Cutlet

  • Peel and chop potatoes to ¾ inch cubes, carrots to ½ inch and beans to smaller bits.
  • Steamer/pot – Transfer all the chopped vegetables & peas to a steamer basket and steam them until fork tender and not mushy or water logged.
    or Pressure cook – I pressure cook all the vegetables together for 2 whistles on a medium heat with half cup water. Drain any excess moisture left and use up in your soups.
  • Meanwhile, If you do not have bread crumbs, add some poha to a mixer jar and make a super fine powder.
  • Add the boiled vegetables to a mixing bowl, cool down slightly and mash them well with a masher.
  • Add bread crumbs, salt, grated ginger, garam masala, coriander leaves and chilies. Mix well to form a non-sticky dough. If using powdered poha, start with 2 tablespoon only and mix well. If it is still too sticky, add more crumbs or powder only as required. (See photos in the post for texture)
  • Taste test and add more salt or spices to your taste. Divide the cutlet dough to 13 to 14 parts. Roll to balls.

How to make Veg Cutlet

  • Flatten them gently and make thick patties. Keep them aside in a plate and cover to prevent drying.
  • In another plate add ¼ cup bread crumbs or powdered poha for the crust. To another mixing bowl, add besan or rice flour. Pour water just enough to make a slightly thin/runny batter. For a thicker crust, make a thicker batter
  • Arrange all the 3 – Cutlets plate, batter bowl & bread crumbs plate side by side. 
  • Dip each vegetable cutlet in the batter to coat on both the sides. Then place them on the bread crumbs. Gently coat them with the crumbs all over.
  • Place them back on a plate aside. Repeat the same steps of dipping them in the batter and then the crumbs for all the veg cutlets. Leave this aside for about 5 to 10 minutes. 
  • Just before frying, gently shake them off in the plate to remove the excess crumbs.

Frying Veg Cutlet

  • Lastly heat 1 tablespoon oil for shallow frying in a wide pan. When the oil turns hot, gently place the veg cutlet in the pan. 
  • Fry them on both the sides until golden and crisp. Set aside and fry them in 2 batches using more oil as needed.
  • To bake the veg cutlet – Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 360 C for 15 mins and place the patties on a greased tray. Bake for about 15 mins on each side or until golden and crisp.
  • Serve veg cutlet with green chutney or any sauce.


Notes

  • Use powdered poha only as required, starting with 2 tablespoons, add more if required. The quantity mentioned in the post is what I use. However it may change depending on the kind of potatoes or the moisture level in your cooked potatoes. 
  • Make sure your poha powder is fine else the mixture may turn crumbly.
  • To make green chutney, add 1 cup coriander leaves, ½ cup mint leaves / pudina, 1 tbsp fried gram / dalia,½ to ¾ tsp cumin, salt as needed, 2 to 4 hot green chilies, ¼ inch ginger, 2 to 3 medium sized garlic cloves, Lemon juice as needed and 2 tbsps cold water. Grind to a smooth chutney. Taste test and add more salt or chilies to taste.

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Veg Cutlet Recipe (Vegetable Cutlet)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 93 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Sodium 51mg2%
Potassium 243mg7%
Carbohydrates 10g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 3540IU71%
Vitamin C 10.3mg12%
Calcium 29mg3%
Iron 1.7mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

© Swasthi’s Recipes

Cutlet recipe first published in October 2015. Updated and republished in July 2021.

About Swasthi

Iโ€™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 Swasthiโ€™s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me

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Recipe Rating




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Hi Swathi,

I started cooking at the age of 44 after my mom passed away. Till then I haven’t been in the kitchen to eat too (that’s how pampered I have been). Your recipes have been a great learning ground for me and whatever I make has turned out just perfect. I have a question, can I make the cutlet, refrigerate it and fry it / bake it next morning.

5 stars
My guests were pleasantly surprised with these cutlets. Everyone loved them. This recipe takes times but they turned out better than what I expected. Thank you

I have made cutlet all my life but they were never this delicious. Thank you, my guests loved them so much that many were messaging me for the recipe. I showed them your website. Thank you your recipes make a difference. I have also tried more than 10 and everything from here seems to be A class.

5 stars
This was a superhit !!!
I have experimented with so ma y different variations of cutlet recipes and never was totally satisfied.
You recipe with poha was a game changer .
Thank you for the recipe
It was lip smacking and delicious and easy to prepare ?

5 stars
I’ve made this recipe a few times now and it always gets raveeee reviews!! Both the vegetarian and non-vegetarian members of my family love it so much that I never have any leftovers, and I always double the recipe. This has become a fixed part of my recipe rotation and a family favorite. Thank you for a hit as always Swasthi ๐Ÿ™‚

5 stars
My family is a big fan of cutlet. Veg, fish & chicken, just any cutlet is our favorite. I tried this recipe last evening and to my surprise they turned out more delicious than I thought. Thank you for this amazing cutlet recipe.

5 stars
I read Your Article that was so amazing. I hope that you can provide similar article with information.

5 stars
Made these cutlets in the air fryer. They turned out delicious however I did not achieve the same color as yours. I use panko crumbs and followed the recipe exactly. Any advice on how to get the golden crust. Thank you

5 stars
I liked your cutlet recipes and am trying it out today. I didn’t know aboutPoha being added and let’s see how the taste differs.??

also what is exactly poha flour? I found poha in the store – its flattened rice, so to make flour I have to just grind it?

5 stars
Just made it for my toddler! Hope she will like it, because I definitely do! Thank you

5 stars
Can I use all purpose flour instead of besan or rice flour ?

Hi if I want to only bake and not fry the cutlet, how long should I bake the cutlet in the over for?

Easy & healthy recipe

5 stars
Easy and healthy recipe

5 stars
I love ur recipes. Any recipe I have tried, it turns out amazing. I made these cutlets as an appetizers. My kids could not stop eating. It was delicious! Thank you for sharing.

4 stars
The cutlet tasted absolutely yummy.. thanks for the recipe. My one concern is that the cutlet was tooo soft.i did add some bread crumbs to the dough. The patties didnโ€™t break but didnโ€™t hold too strong either.. the dough was a bit sticky.. how do I make a firm cutlet ?

4 stars
Tasty but labour intensive. The issue I faced was, the veggies did not get uniformly cooked in the cooker..tho I tried twice, 2 whistles each time. I then picked out the diff veggies and steamed them seperately..next time will just do that – steam each veg seperately. Also, tho we are low chilli eaters, the 2 de seeded chillis made it too bland, added 1/4 tsp chilli pwd. Tookabt 4 min each side…do share approx timings to cook, in the recipe. Used poha powder to bind, rice flour batter and bread crumbs crust. Guests enjoyed it..but this is one of the rare recipes here, I would not attempt again without experienced help! Disclaimer- am a novice cook.

Hi taste was very good but I have a few concerns…
1. Some cutlets were nice while some were gummy
2. Sides were not getting cooked

I steamed the veggies for 15 mins in my instant pot. I also substituted rice flour mixture with egg white. Overall nice recipe but doesn’t match frozen veg cutlets..

Can i add paneer and corn to it?

5 stars
I have tried many of your recipes including this one and always turned out delicious.