Aloo Tikki Recipe

Literally translating to Potato Patties, this Indian street food ‘Aloo Tikki’ is a staple at the street stalls, chaat centres and fancy cafes, getting sold out instantly. Your taste buds will call out these crispy Aloo Tikki served with Coriander chutney or sometimes served as a chaat, topped with various chutneys, yogurt and crunchy sev. In this post I share how to make the BEST Aloo Tikki (with & without stuffing). For a low-fat option you may also bake or air fry these.

You can also make a Tikki burger and Tikki chaat with the help of my faqs below.

About Aloo Tikki

Aloo Tikki is a very popular snack indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. In Hindi, Aloo means “potato” and tikki means “patties or cutlet”. Made with boiled & mashed potatoes, spices and herbs, these Indian style potato patties are shallow fried or pan fried to perfection until crisp.

Aloo Tikki is considered to be the Indian version of the hash brown although there are multiple variations to this snack, owing to the changes in the regional cuisine. You will find them with plenty of customizations like a stuffed aloo tikki or simply a spicier, thinner and more flavorful one.

A North Indian aloo tikki has a stuffing of cooked spicy chana dal or paneer or matar (green peas). The Western Indian aloo tikki is simply a plain patty.

Apart from eating them as a snack, the North Indian version is also served with Chole, topped with Sweet Tamarind Chutney, spicy Coriander chutney, and fresh chopped onions and coriander leaves. Optionally, whisked Indian Curd known as Dahi is also used. This is known as Chole Tikki Chaat.

In Western India, the same patties are made without any stuffing. They are plain and are also known as Aloo pattice. These are also served as a part of Ragda Patties where white peas curry, is served with aloo tikki and topped with 3 kinds of chutneys.

About the Recipe

Making plain aloo tikki at home is a breeze & gets done faster! The stuffed version does not take any longer if you prepare the stuffing while the potatoes are boiling. But it takes a little longer for the patties to stuff and shape. I make the plain ones more often for a evening snack and reserve the stuffed tikkis for occasions.

I made the stuffed aloo tikki with a spicy paneer and peas mixture. These are crazy delicious and addictive! To make the plain aloo tikki, simply skip making the stuffing and shape them to patties as shown below.

You can make the plain tikkis, thin or thick to your liking. I make our plain ones thin and crisp because my family loves them that way. I have shown these in the video.

More Potato recipes
Hara bhara kabab
Veg cutlet recipe
Samosa
Aloo bonda
Chilli potato
Aloo pakora/bajji

Photo Guide

How to Make Aloo Tikki (stepwise photos)

Boil Potatoes

1. Rinse and peel 4 to 5 medium potatoes (about 550 to 600 grams, 1.2 pounds). Place a rack in a cooker and pour 1 cup water. Place the potatoes on the rack and pressure cook just until fork tender but not mushy. Depending on the potatoes and the brand of cooker, you may need anywhere from 3 to 5 whistles to cook them on a medium heat. Cool them.

If using your instant pot, Place them on a trivet and pressure cook for 7 to 8 mins. Let the pressure release naturally. Then peel them and cool completely.

Make The Stuffing (optional)

2. While the potatoes cook, make the stuffing optionally. If you prefer the plain aloo tikki, skip this section entirely. To a small pan, add 1 teaspoon oil. When the oil turns hot, add 2 tablespoons cashews and fry until light golden. Add 1 tablespoon grated ginger and 1 chopped green chilli (leave out for kids). Fry briefly until the ginger turns aromatic for about 40 to 50 seconds.

3. Lower the heat completely. Stir together ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder (reduce for kids), ¼ teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon chaat masala or cumin powder and ¼ teaspoon salt.

4. Add the 1 cup peas and cook covered until tender. If they are not tender/ young, add 3 to 4 tablespoons water and cook covered until soft. When done they should be soft and get mashed easily. Mash them a bit with a spatula. This helps to bind them well with the paneer.

5. Crush 1½ teaspoon kasuri methi in your palms and add it along with 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves and ¾ cup crumbled paneer (about 100 grams).

6. Turn off the heat and mix well. Taste test and adjust the salt and spice. Keep this aside.

Prepare the Tikki Mixture

7. Grate or mash the boiled potatoes with a masher. Make sure there are no chunks of potatoes left.

8. Next add the following:

• 2 tablespoons chopped cashews (about 6 to 8, optional)
• 1 chopped green chili (skip for kids)
• ¾ teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon chaat masala (or 2 tsps lemon juice)
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chili powder
• ¾ to 1 tablespoon ginger (grated or 1 teaspoon paste)

Optional – Heat 1 tablespoon ghee until very hot, pour over the red chilli powder. This removes the raw smell of the red chilli powder. Don’t skip this if you want to pan fry the tikkis.

9. Add 2 tablespoons fine chopped coriander leaves.

10. Add 2 tablespoons rice flour or cornstarch (corn flour) and 4 tablespoons bread crumbs. You can substitute bread crumbs with powdered poha. To make that, add some poha to a small grinder and powder it. I used poha powder.

11. Bind the mixture together to make a soft ball. Add more bread crumbs if the mixture turns sticky. Make sure the mixture is non-sticky and not dry/crumbly as well. Sticky or soggy mixture will make soft aloo tikkis. Taste this and add more salt or spice if required.

12. Divide the mixture to 6 portions if making stuffed aloo tikki or to 8 to 9 portions if making plain. Make smooth balls and keep them covered till the end.

Shape aloo tikki

13. To make plain aloo tikki, You will just flatten each ball and shape it to a patty, joining any cracks on the sides and rolling the sides on your palm. (check video)

To make the stuffed tikki, flatten a ball and shape it to a cup with your fingers, just like the way you make for a Aloo paratha. If the edges crack, join them with your fingers. Place 2 tablespoons of the paneer peas mixture inside the cup. Press down the mixture gently several times into the cup.

14. Bring the sides up over the stuffing and seal it. I did not use oil, if you want you may grease your fingers. That helps to join the cracks as well.

15. Keep your aloo tikki covered as we don’t want them to dry out. At this stage If they look too dry, I prefer to pat the prepared aloo tikkis with wet hands. You will be left with a few tablespoons of stuffing which you can use for your sandwiches.

Fry the Tikkis

16. Pour oil, over half inch in a small deep pan. You can pan fry or shallow fry them. I did the shallow frying here to make the aloo tikkis extra crisp. Do the heat test by dropping a small piece of the mixture to the hot oil. If the oil is hot enough the mixture will sizzle and rise up without becoming brown.

Regulate the heat to medium and gently slide the aloo tikki to the hot oil one after the other. Do not touch them for at least 3 mins, till the base turns firm and crisp.

You can fry these in as little as ¼ cup oil. Use a small kadai and fry one after the other.

17. Turn them to the other side and fry until golden and crisp.

18. Remove them to a kitchen tissue.

Serve aloo tikki hot with mint chutney or serve as a patty in a burger. I have also shared how to make aloo tikki chaat and aloo tikki burger below.

Here are some tips that will help you make the best Indian style potato patties.

Pro Tips

Tips for Boiling potatoes

Boiling potatoes correctly is the crucial step to make crisp and firm potato patties. Boil them just until fork tender. Avoid overcooking them. Overcooked potatoes often turn mushy and become paste like due to the excess moisture.

Mushy potatoes will need a lot of flour or bread crumbs to reduce the moisture.

How to boil them perfectly?

One way is to boil the whole potatoes in a pot without peeling the skin. Cooking them in a pot will help you keep an eye on them so they are not overcooked. You can also cook them in a pressure cooker.

The other way is to cube them and steam over a steamer or a pot. A perfectly boiled potato should be fork tender but not mushy.

Preparing the mixture: Cool the potatoes completely then mash them well with a masher. Alternately you can also grate them using a grater.

Avoid mashing them while still hot. Avoid adding the bread crumbs or flour to the potatoes when they are still hot. Both these will make the potatoes pasty and sticky.

The prepared mixture should be dry and non-sticky. Sticky mixture will make soft and mushy aloo tikkis. They may break while frying. If the mixture turns even slightly sticky use more bread crumbs or flour to absorb the excess moisture.

Tips to fry perfectly

Aloo tikkis are mostly shallow fried. However they can also be pan fried, air fried or grilled in an oven. If shallow frying, Oil in the pan should come to at least half the height of the aloo tikki.

Make sure the oil is hot enough, if not the aloo tikkis will stick to the pan and mess up. To check if the oil is hot enough, drop a small piece of prepared mixture to the hot oil. It should come up steadily without browning. This is the right temperature.

After sliding the aloo tikki to hot oil, do not disturb them until the base turns firm and golden. Allow the base to firm up first, then turn them. If not they will break and mess up.

Troubleshooting

If the aloo tikki soaks up lot of oil, it means either the mixture has too much moisture in it or the oil is not hot enough. To fix, add more bread crumbs to the mixture. Ensure the oil is hot enough by doing the heat test.

Substitutes

Bread crumbs are always the best to absorb excess moisture in potatoes. However if you do not have them then toast a few slices of bread on a griddle until slightly crisp, tear them and pulse them in a dry grinder to make crumbs. Use these as a substitute to bread crumbs.

Alternately, you can also use corn starch, rice flour, poha powder or roasted gram flour (besan). To make your own poha powder, make a fine powder of flattened rice and use.

Faqs

How to make aloo tikki burger?

My way of making aloo tikki burger is super simple. I toast the sliced buns with little butter.

Then spread this mint yogurt chutney, place lettuce, and then the aloo tikki over that. Followed by some sliced onions, tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and then smear some chutney again on the other sliced bun. Cover and enjoy.

Mint yogurt chutney goes very well in a aloo tikki burger. Alternately you can also use this green chutney or mayonnaise mixed with some tomato sauce.

How to make aloo tikki chaat?

Follow this tamarind chutney recipe and green chutney recipe to make both the chutneys. Both the chutneys must be of thick pouring consistency. If needed bring them to consistency by adding some water. Keep this aside.

Whisk half cup thick yogurt with 1 tsp of sugar and salt until the sugar dissolves completely. It must be of a pouring consistency.

Place the crisp fried aloo tikkis in a serving bowl. Pour 2 to 3 tbsps of yogurt. Followed by the tamarind chutney and green chutney. Add the chopped onions, tomatoes & coriander leaves. Then sprinkle a handful of nylon sev over it. Serve it immediately.

Can I freeze the tikkis?

Yes you can. Place them on a tray and keep in the freezer until firm. Remove them and store in a freezer safe container or a zip lock bag.

When you want to use them, thaw them first and roll them in a bit of corn starch. Dust off the excess flour and fry them.

Can I crumb coat aloo tikki?

Tikkis are never crumb coated. But if you prefer to use them in a aloo tiki burger, you may. Mix half cup gram flour with little water in a bowl to make a thick flowing batter. It should not be too runny or too thick.

Then dip the aloo tikki in the batter and coat it well with the prepared batter. Immediately place the aloo tikki in bread crumbs and coat it well. Press down gently so the bread crumbs stick to the tikki.

Repeat these steps and crumb coat all of the aloo tikkis. Set aside for 10 mins and fry them as mentioned below. Typically oil in your pan should be atleast to half the height of aloo tikki. This way they turn extra crisp. You can check my veg burger recipe for the same step by step pictures.

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Recipe Card

Aloo Tikki First published in May 2017. Updated and Republished in July 2022.