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Maybe you've seen them being made on giant tawas by vendors all around the streets of India? Lemme tell you, this Aloo Tikki Chaat recipe is more flavorful, comes together crazy fast, and is fresher (and more sanitary) than anything you have had from a hawker. And it's completely vegan and gluten free? Go ahead and get ready to rock these!
Recipe tips tailored to what matters most to you:
This is naturally gluten-free, just double check your sev and use hing resin instead of powdered asafetida since it can be cut with wheat starch.
The potato patties freeze and reheat great, so make a big batch ahead of time and just whip up the fresh dahi yogurt sauce when you're ready to eat.
Make your own cilantro chutney and tamarind chutney instead of buying small jars, a big batch costs way less per tablespoon.
Air fry the tikkis instead of pan frying in oil, they crisp up great with barely any oil in the basket.
No amchur on hand, a little lemon juice or some sumac fills in for it here.
Opt for russets or Yukon Gold potatoes. Their high starch content helps create a fluffy, non-gummy texture for your aloo tikkis.
Cool the cooked potatoes under cold running water in a colander before letting them drip dry.
Reduce oil splatters that can make a mess of your stove by cooking this in a Dutch oven instead of a frying pan.
Oodles more tips, step-by-step recipe photos, info on weird ingredients, and FAQs are all still here. I just tucked 'em out of the way so you can start cooking sooner.
While some Indian streetfood snacks require deep frying like the papdi crackers in aloo papri chaat, or might need to be done over hot coals like shakarkandi chaat, and others like bhel puri or phool makhana sabji go soggy sorta insanely fast, guess what? This particular chaat has none of those problems, and it's perhaps the most heavenly way to eat a potato. Don't tell the samosas and French fries that they have been upstaged, ok?
These are easy to make in about half an hour, and perfect as an appetizer or a side to turn your vegan tikka masala into a feast. Grab all your ingredients, because this is gonna be a doozie!
I love Potato Latkes, and this is kind of an Indian version. Perfect recipe to eat as an appetizer, or to accompany other Indian dishes.
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🥰Why you'll adore this aloo tikki chaat recipe
🌱Vegan AF, SF & GF: Like all of my vegan Indian recipes, not a single adorable creature gets turned into a snack here. And just so we are clear, this is one of my soy-free, gluten-free vegan recipes too, so nearly everyone you know can eat these bad boys.
🪷Easily Sattvic: Avoiding onions and garlic? If you serve aloo tikki without the tiny amount of red onion in the garnish, and you make or use onion and garlic-free chutney, it can be one of your go-to sattvik recipes that is a real crowd-pleaser. You can also turn this into one of your Ekadasi recipes if you use cassava flour in place of the cornstarch, and hold off using sev (because it's made from chickpeas) as a garnish.
🌟 Dialed in Desi Flavor Bomb: Getting the consistency just right was one thing, but writing this recipe in such a way that you will have perfect success did take a little tinkering. That's why I have included the amount of potatoes in weight for those who want to have the most accurate results, and also given detailed instructions for folks who don't have a kitchen scale.
Tested and Approved Worldwide: Don't freak out! Like all of the vegan recipes I share, this recipe has been rigorously tested and approved by a team of over 350 recipe testers from all corners of the globe, guaranteeing consistent and delicious results every time.
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🌶️ Ingredients for aloo tikki chaat
Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
Kashmiri red chili powder is the gorgeous, bright red, not-that-hot spice which is essential for achieving the authentic look and taste of many Indian dishes such as masala phool makhana, soya chaap, and vegan chana masala. If you can't get it, a mix of mostly sweet paprika with just a bit of cayenne will work in this recipe.
Amchur
Amchur is made from dried green mangoes (aka raw mangoes - the kind you would use to make Indian mango pickle). This green mango powder provides the perfect, almost dairy-like tang to my vegan Alfredo sauce, and arbi ki sabji, and they make this particular chaat recipe SO much yummier! Can't get any? That's so sad, and I lament about the fact you can't get it every night as I sob myself to sleep. But you can get away with substituting it in this recipe with a little lemon juice or some sumac, which is one of the seasonings I use for acidity in my Turkish ezme recipe.
Chaat Masala
Most people who have tried it will confirm that MDH chaat masala is the king. You can definitely use homemade, or any other brand you are into, though, but my heart belongs to MDH for this particular stuff.
Asafetida
Asafetida (aka hing, and sometimes spelled asafoetida) is a common seasoning in Indian vegetarian cooking, in everything from massoor dal to kala chana dry, and parwal sabji. The stuff is especially important in sattvik recipes like this one, where no onions or garlic are used.
Green Chilies
My preference for this recipe is to use Indian hari mirch green chilies (which also make a great green chili pickle, and play an important role in recipes like turai ki sabji and Indian carrot pickle). Otherwise, you can use jalapeño or serrano peppers if that's what you've got. The varying size of these chilies is why I have listed the number of teaspoons of minced chilies instead of the number of chilies to use in the recipe, to give you more predictable results.
Sweet Tamarind Chutney
Listen, I know you can get some sad, ketchup-grade nonsense, covered in 10 years of dust and cobwebs at your local Indian grocery store, but homemade tamarind date chutney brings this chaat to the next level. Decide your fate…
Cilantro Chutney
My homemade cilantro chutney is made from fresh herbs, green chilies, a little vegan yogurt and simple common spices. Of course, if you are pressed for time you can use store-bought stuff instead, and I will not shame you as much as I did about the tamarind chutney, because I am not the meanest old man in the galaxy. Wait, am I?
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Chana Dal Stuffed Tikki Chaat:
It's not uncommon to find aloo tikki filled with cooked bengal gram (a relative of the split chickpeas used for making chana dal). Simply boil or pressure cook dried chana dal, mix it with minced green chilies, black salt, cumin powder, and a little coriander, and form the potato patties around portions of that filling. It's a great way to increase the protein of this snack.
Punjabi Style Aloo Tikki Chaat:
Did you just take my popular vegan Punjabi cooking class and are high off the flavors? This variation is for you, simply add boiled chickpeas (whole) and add a generous amount of green chilies to your mint chutney to make it straight-up fire. Top with finely chopped tomatoes and minced amla pickle to make the flavors explosive.
Mumbai-Style Ragda Pattice:
Add mashed green peas to the potato patties and then serve the aloo tikki with a spicy white pea curry (ragda), and garnish with finely chopped onions, tomatoes, tamarind chutney, and green chutney.
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
📖 How to make Aloo Tikki Chaat
Nail this potato chaat on your first shot by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.
Step One
Non-violent, unless your name is Mr. Potatohead:
Peel the potatoes and cut them into even two-centimeter (just a bit less than an inch) pieces. Place them in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes until tender.
Step Two
Spa-time for Spuds:
Drain the potatoes in a wire mesh strainer or colander and run cold water over them for one to two minutes to cool. Let them drip dry completely in the colander.
Step Three
Mixmaster Mike:
Transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl and add cornstarch, ajwain seeds, chaat masala, amchur, Kashmiri red chili powder, minced cilantro, green chilies, asafetida, and salt.
Step Four
Let's do the mash:
Mash until everything is well combined. It should form a thick dough, speckled with herbs.
Step Five
Form the Patties:
Divide the potato mixture into three-tablespoon portions. With slightly moistened hands, press and smooth into one-centimeter flat, round patties.
Step Six
Fry or Air Fry:
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, fry the patties in batches for four minutes on each side until golden. Add more oil between batches if needed. Let the potato tikki patties cool on a wire rack.
If Air-Frying: Spray the basket of your air fryer liberally with cooking spray, add the formed potato patties (but don't layer them on top of each other like a crazy person). Spray or brush the patties with a small amount of oil and air fry for 6-8 minutes until you've got lightly golden crispy aloo tikki without all of the oil!
Step Seven
A Sauce to Dahi for:
Mix unsweetened yogurt, chaat masala, ground cumin, lemon juice, jaggery, salt, and water in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.
Step Eight
Chaat assembly:
Arrange the potato patties on a platter. Drizzle with cilantro chutney, tamarind chutney, and the prepared yogurt dahi. Garnish with minced red onion (if using), a sprinkle of chaat masala, fine sev, fresh cilantro leaves, and sliced green chilies.
💡Serving Ideas
Serve this chaat on its own or as a side to my vegan butter chicken recipe (made from homemade vegan chicken) over Indonesian turmeric rice, fragrant nasi minyak or this easy vegan biryani recipe.
A few of my fave sabjis that make great accompaniments for this are avial (the veggie-packed dish with roots in the Mahabharata), peerkangai curry, olan, and arvi sabji.
Since this is a carb-heavy chaat, don't go crazy with dessert, and consider ending the meal with spiced herbal bandrek tea, or some homemade amla candy, which makes for a nutritious, delicious digestive aid.
👉Top tips
- Use starchy potatoes: Opt for russets or Yukon Gold potatoes. Their high starch content helps create a fluffy, non-gummy texture for your aloo tikkis.
- Don't cook the starch: cool the cooked potatoes under cold running water in a colander before letting them drip dry. This way, the potato mixture will be easier to form by hand, and the heat of the potato will not cook the cornstarch, making the texture pasty.
- Use a pan with high sides: Reduce oil splatters that can make a mess of your stove. While using a tawa or frying pan to cook these in is more traditional, frying in a Dutch oven or braising pan can cut your cleanup time in half.
- Air Fryer Aloo Tikki: If you want to make this chaat a bit healthier, these air fryers are a dream. Spray the basket of your air fryer with cooking spray, add the formed potato patties (but don't layer them on top of each other like a crazy person), and air fry for about 6-8 minutes until lightly golden.
- Don't Skimp on Chutneys: Want the most boring aloo tikki chaat in the galaxy? Then go light on the chutneys and garnishes, because what's that term for how it will be that way? Oh yeah, "suck". It will suck like that.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Aloo tikki chaat is a popular Indian street food made from crispy, spiced potato patties (aloo tikki) topped with chutneys, yogurt, and various seasonings like chaat masala. The aloo tikki chaat place of origin is debated to be either in North India, or Pakistan.
Aloo tikki are spiced potato patties, while aloo tikki chaat is a dish that tops these patties with chutneys, yogurt, and other garnishes for a snack that's loaded with tons of great textures, colors, and flavors.
Yes, you can bake aloo tikkis at 400°F (200°C) for about 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through, until they are golden and crispy.
Yes, aloo tikki chaat is naturally gluten-free as long as you ensure that any added ingredients, like chutneys and binding agents, are also gluten-free. Some street vendors use regular flour or bread crumbs to bind them, so if you aren't making them yourself from scratch, ask the person who made them.
🥶 Refrigeration
Store the components separately in airtight containers. Keep the aloo tikkis, chutneys, and toppings like onions, cilantro, and sev in their own containers. Refrigerate for up to three days to maintain freshness and texture.
❄️ Freeze these bad, bad babies?
Nah. Don't freeze this aloo tikki, as the texture of the patties and freshness of the chutneys will suffer.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add a small amount of oil, then reheat the aloo tikkis for about two to three minutes on each side until they are crispy and heated through. Once hot, garnish with the dahi, chutneys and garnishes.
✌️My faves to serve with this aloo tikki chaat recipe:
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Vegan Aloo Tikki Chaat
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Potato Patties
- 500 g. potatoes (3-4 medium Russet potatoes)
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ajwain seeds
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon amchur
- ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ¼ cup cilantro minced
- 1 tablespoon green chilies minced
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 3 tablespoons canola oil sunflower oil, or vegetable oil
For The Dahi
- ½ cup unsweetened plant-based yogurt
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon jaggery palm sugar or coconut sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 5 teaspoons water
For Serving:
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chutney
- 2 tablespoon tamarind chutney
- 2 tablespoons red onion minced don't use if following sattvik method
- Chaat Masala
- 3 tablespoons fine sev
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Sliced green chilies
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2 cm. pieces. Place the diced potatoes into a pot of cold water, bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander or wire mesh strainer, and run cold running water on them for 1-2 minutes to cool them. Allow the potatoes to fully drip dry in the colander before moving to the next step.
- Add cornstarch, ajwain seeds, chaat masala, amchur, Kashmiri red chili powder, minced cilantro, minced green chilies, asafetida, and salt to the potatoes.
- Mash thoroughly until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Divide the potato mixture into 3-tablespoon portions. With clean, slightly moistened hands, press into 1 cm. thick smooth round patties.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan or skillet over medium heat. After 2 minutes, when the oil is hot, pan fry the patties in batches for 4 minutes on each side until all patties have been fried. If necessary, add a little more oil to the pan between batches. Let all fried patties drip dry and cool slightly on a wire rack before serving.
- In a small bowl, make the dahi by combining unsweetened yogurt, chaat masala, ground cumin, lemon juice, jaggery or your choice of sugar, salt, and water. Mix with a small whisk or tines of a fork until smooth.
- To serve, place the potato patties onto a platter (or if serving as individual servings, 2 pieces on each plate). Drizzle with cilantro chutney, tamarind chutney and the yogurt dahi. Garnish with minced red onion (if using), a sprinkle of chaat masala, fine sev, fresh cilantro leaves, and sliced green chilies.
Notes
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hg says
I love Potato Latkes, and this is kind of an Indian version. Perfect recipe to eat as an appetizer, or to accompany other Indian dishes.
Miriam Kearney says
Adam, these sound terrific. I live alone and this seems like a lot of work for one serving - how well do they keep? could I freeze them before I air fry them?
Adam Sobel says
While the cooked potato patties can freeze and reheat ok, the dahi (yogurt sauce) will need to be mixed up fresh. But that's pretty easy!