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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
Serve veg cutlet with green chutney or any dip.
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
- You can also add half cup crumbled paneer to the mashed veggies to make paneer veg cutlets.
- 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
Veg Cutlet Recipe (Vegetable Cutlet)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
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)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Cutlet recipe first published in October 2015. Updated and republished in July 2021.
About Swasthi
Iโm 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 Swasthiโs Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
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.
Hi Arthi,
Nice to know you! Happy to know these recipes helped. You can refrigerate the uncooked cutlets for 1 to 2 days. Place parchment papers or dry muslin cloth in between the cutlets else they will stick to each other. You will directly take them out from the refrigerator and fry/bake. Don’t let them sit on the counter. Also a slightly higher temperature is required to bake else they won’t turn as crisp as the pan fried cutlets. Hope this helps
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.
Thank you so much Nirmala. So happy to read this!
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 ?
Thank you so much Shruthi. That makes me happy!
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 ๐
Simi, Thank you so much for leaving a comment. This makes me so happy!
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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.
Ragini, so glad to know they turned out delicious. Thank you!
I read Your Article that was so amazing. I hope that you can provide similar article with information.
Thanks Nisha
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
Thanks for trying Dani. If you air fry for a little longer you will be able to get it. Alternately you may toast the crumbs first in a pan until light golden and use to bread. Hope this helps
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.??
Thank you! I am sure they will turn out good.
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?
Hi Maria,
Yes. you have to grind them.
Just made it for my toddler! Hope she will like it, because I definitely do! Thank you
Yes I am sure she will!
Thank you
Can I use all purpose flour instead of besan or rice flour ?
Priyanka,
I don’t suggest because you won’t deep fry these cutlets. So all-purpose flour may remain raw or undercooked inside.
Hi if I want to only bake and not fry the cutlet, how long should I bake the cutlet in the over for?
Hi,
Bake them for 20 mins. Turn them to the other side and bake again until crisp.
Easy & healthy recipe
Easy and healthy recipe
Thanks Bhagyashree
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.
Welcome Sarah
So glad to know! Thank you so much for leaving a comment!
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 didnโt break but didnโt hold too strong either.. the dough was a bit sticky.. how do I make a firm cutlet ?
Hi Kasthuri
It just needs more bread crumbs or poha powder. Try with poha. Take a look at my pictures. The mixture has to be almost dry and non-sticky before making the patties. Add as much poha as needed. With bread crumbs the taste will be more of bread. Hope this helps
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 Anjali
You felt it difficult because your veggies didn’t get cooked well. But this recipe can be made so easily if you have well cooked veggies. The cook time for veggies vary because you and I live in different countries. The veggies available to you may take longer to cook and mine may cook faster. So you need to adjust the cook time.
Any Recipe available online has to be customized a bit to suit your taste like – adding more chilli, spice powders etc. Again the same thing here, you may be using a different kind or from different brand. Hope this helps in further.
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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..
Hi,
This recipe has not been tested with egg white. I don’t think egg will get cooked if pan fried. I have never eaten a frozen cutlet so don’t know. But to make it from scratch with fresh ingredients this is the best.
Can i add paneer and corn to it?
Yes you can
I have tried many of your recipes including this one and always turned out delicious.
Glad to know Deepti
Thank you so much