Aloo Tikki Recipe (Indian Potato Patties)

If there’s one more integral dish of the Indian street food culture, it is the Aloo Tikki. Made with aloo (potatoes), spices and herbs these crispy, crusty and oh-so-good tikki (patties) are loved just as it is or as part of other preparations like a chaat, etc. This post has the basic Aloo Tikki recipe, plus I have perked it up with a savory green peas stuffing (that can be easily given a miss). These perfectly spiced and herby potato patties are delicious, but the addition of green peas only makes them better.

What is Aloo ki Tikki

Aloo Tikki are crispy, spiced, savory patties made from mashed potatoes, ground spices, herbs, together with a binding ingredient like bread crumbs or cornstarch. They can be pan-fried, shallow fried or deep fried.

An Aloo Tikki is usually popular in North India where it is sold on street carts and enjoyed by all as a scrumptious street food.

The street style Aloo Tikki recipe usually has a savory stuffing of green peas or Paneer or chana dal, and is served with Chana Masala or a spicy chickpea curry or chole.

All of this is finally topped generously with chopped onions, sweet tamarind chutney and fiery green coriander chutney. Sometimes, even curd/dahi (Indian yogurt) is also added to result in a dish, bursting with flavors and textures.

While you are trying this Aloo Tikki recipe at home, you can obviously skip on the stuffing and go ahead with the plain Aloo Tikki. These potato patties made without the green peas stuffing also tastes spectacular.

The Aloo Tikki gets a makeover in the form of Aloo Pattice in Western India, where the potato patties are typically made without any filling. However, the method of preparing these patties are similar with slight variations in the spices added.

You can find the crispy Aloo Pattice on the streets of Mumbai served with Ragda or a white peas curry. This common dish is also known as the Ragda Pattice.

How to make Aloo Tikki Recipe

Cook Potatoes and Green Peas

1. The potatoes and green peas have to be cooked together first. You can opt to not cook the green peas.

In this case, only cook the potatoes using either of the method listed below or you can cook potatoes in a pan or pot adding water as needed.

a) Cooking in pressure cooker on stovetop: In a 3 or 4 liter pressure cooker, take 4 to 5 large potatoes and 2.5 cups water. Place a small trivet and keep a bowl containing ½ cup green peas in it. Pressure cook for 5 to 6 whistles on medium to medium-high heat.

b) Cooking in Instant Pot: Place 4 to 5 large potatoes in the steel insert of a 6 quart Instant Pot. Add 2.5 cups water. Place a small trivet. On top of the trivet, keep a small bowl containing ½ cup green peas. Pressure cook on high for 20 to 25 minutes.

You can also place the trivet that comes with your Instant Pot. First add 2.5 cups water. Keep the potatoes and the bowl filled with green peas on the trivet.

2. For the pressure cooker, remove the lid only after the pressure settles naturally.

For Instant Pot, do a quick pressure release after 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Check with a knife or fork to see if the potatoes are cooked well and tender. The knife or fork should be able to slid easily if the potatoes are cooked properly.

If the potatoes are undercooked, then cook them for some more minutes.

Make Green Peas Stuffing

4. Drain the water from the steamed green peas using a small strainer or colander. Take the peas in a bowl and mash them.

5. Mash to a coarse texture.

6. To the peas, add the following ingredients:

• ¼ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)
• ½ teaspoon fennel powder (ground fennel)
• ½ teaspoon dried mango powder or ¼ to ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped green chilies
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
• 2 pinches black salt and regular salt as per taste

7. Mix very well. Check taste and add more salt if needed.

Make Potato Tikki Mixture

8. When you drain the green peas, drain the water from the potatoes as well and let them become warm.

Do not keep them in the hot water as the potatoes may end up soaking the water and become soggy. Make sure all the water is completely drained.

9. When the potatoes are warm, peel them and grate. I find it easier to grate the potatoes and then mash them. However, you can also chop them and mash with a potato masher.

Let the grated or mashed potatoes cool completely to room temperature. You can even keep the potatoes in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

10. After the mashed potatoes have cooled completely, add the following ingredients to it:

• ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon garam masala powder or curry powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon dried mango powder or ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon black salt and regular salt as per taste

11. Next, add ¼ cup breadcrumbs and ¼ cup arrowroot flour.

Instead of arrowroot flour, you can opt to add rice flour, cornflour (cornstarch), tapioca starch or roasted gram flour (roasted besan).

12. Mix everything very well.

Assemble and Make Potato Patties

13. Divide the potato mixture into small or medium shaped patties with a hollow center or cup shaped discs. You can apply some oil on your palms when making the patties or tikki.

14. Place the green peas stuffing in the center.

15. Bring the mashed potato edges on the top and seal them.

16. Roll gently between your palms and flatten. Make all tikkis this way.

Fry Aloo Tikki

17. Heat 2 tablespoons oil on a skillet, tawa or frying pan till it is medium hot. Gently place the tikkis and begin to pan-fry them.

18. When the base is crispy and golden, gently flip each tikki with a spatula.

19. Fry the second side till crispy and golden. You can gently flip once or twice more till the tikkis are golden and crisp evenly.

20. Remove and place in a strainer kept on top of a bowl. You can even drain them on paper towels. Fry in batches all tikkis this way.

Add 2 tablespoons more oil when frying the second batch.

21. Serve hot Aloo Tikki with coriander chutney and tamarind chutney. You can also serve these potato patties with sweet yogurt raita.

Serving Suggestions

Aloo Tikki can be served as an evening snack with some green Cilantro Chutney, Tamarind Chutney, tomato ketchup or even chana masala.

This recipe will yield 6 large potato tikki. You can choose to make medium or large-sized tikki according to your preferences.

The recipe is easily scaleable to make for small or large servings. If you double the recipe, then use a large skillet to pan fry the patties or you could use two skillets or tawa for frying.

When doubling the recipe, keep in mind to add more of the binding ingredients if needed. These will vary with the type and quality of potatoes.

What more with Aloo Tikki

Besides serving this Aloo Tikki with yogurt, chutneys and spice blends, the way it is traditionally served in cities in Northern India, here are a few fun and equally tasty ideas that this Aloo Tikki recipe can be transformed to.

1. Aloo Tikki Chaat – This a mouth-watering mélange of spicy, sweet, sour and tangy flavors as is always in a chaat. Somewhat similar to how an Aloo Tikki is regularly served on North Indian streets.
2. Aloo Tikki Chole – A double bonanza for all those who love their potato tikkis as well as can’t ever get enough of the uber essential Punjabi Chole or chana masala. Fried tikkis topped with spicy chickpea curry, chutneys, crunchy onions, chaat masala and sev; there’s nothing that you will not like in this dish!
3. Aloo Tikki Burger – So, this one dives straight into the fusion world. With potato tikkis between burger buns, this very Indianized burger will be a hit with your kids. Try it!
4. Frankie – A Frankie is quite a delectable version of a roll, quite frankly! Use the Aloo Tikki recipe to make the main stuffing in this recipe and you’re all set. This also gets made with whole wheat flour wrap. So, there’s a nutritious angle to it as well.

Expert Tips for Best Aloo ki Tikki

1. Potatoes: Try to use potatoes that are not very gluey or sticky. Starchy potatoes are your best bet. Preferably make the patties with older potatoes or russet potatoes. Do not use new potatoes.
2. Stuffing: The spiced green peas stuffing can be given a skip. You can even use steamed sweet corn, grated cottage cheese or paneer and cooked split chickpeas/chana dal in place of the green peas. Make sure that the corn or chana dal are cooked well and remain separate without being pasty or mushy.
3. Binding: Adding a binding agent is always a good idea, as it helps to keep the tikkis in shape, crisp them up and not crumble while frying. For a truly crispy Aloo Tikki, using breadcrumbs is a great idea. So, I prefer a combination of breadcrumbs and arrowroot flour in my Aloo Tikki recipe. You can use either.
   
   Also, cool the potatoes completely before adding any thickener. Or else, the mixture will turn into a sticky mass of potatoes.
4. Binding ingredients: Instead of arrowroot flour, you can even use cornstarch, rice flour, roasted besan (chickpea flour or gram flour), tapioca starch and potato starch. But don’t miss on the breadcrumbs as they help in getting a nice crunchy crust on the patties.
5. Leftover bread slices: If you have leftover bread, then you can do this. After soaking the slices in water, squeeze well and add to the aloo. The bread becomes the binding agent in this case.
6. Herbs and spices: Depending on your palate, lessen or add more of the herbs and spice powders. Fresh mint leaves and chaat masala powder also enhance the flavors of the tikki.
7. Crumbing: You can crumb coat the patties prior to frying them. Traditionally, we do not crumb coat aloo tikki.
8. Crispiness: You can twice fry the patties for more crispiness. Begin by frying the patties till a pale golden color on them is achieved. Remove and set aside to become warm or cool. Finish by frying again till golden and crisp.
9. For fasting: In case you decide to make these aloo tikki for Hindu vrat (fasting) days, use only arrowroot flour, water chestnut flour, tapioca flour or buckwheat flour. Also, in place of regular salt, add edible rock salt.  
10. Freezing: After shaping these Indian potato patties, you can store them in a sealed container or zip lock bag and freeze them. Thaw the frozen patties before frying them.

This Aloo Tikki recipe post from the archives first published in August 2009 has been republished and updated on July 2022.