Aloo Tikki is a popular Indian street food snack consisting of mashed potato combined with fragrant spices, formed into patties, and pan-fried until crisp. These delightful bites are especially delicious served with various chutneys for dipping!

Aloo tikki (also called aloo ki tikki or aloo pattice) are vegetarian Indian potato patties. In Hindi, the word “aloo” means potato and “tikki” means patty. Think of them almost like Indian hash browns! They’re packed with flavor and easy to make.
Aloo tikki is delicious served with chutney, but is also a lovely base for a chaat. Chaat is a family of Indian snacks which typically include some main ingredient or ingredients which could be anything from chickpeas to samosas, papri (fried dough wafers) to aloo tikki. These are then topped with a variety of ingredients such as yogurt, chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro, sev (thin dried yellow chickpea noodles), spices, and chutneys.
This aloo tikki recipe is a Western Indian style recipe, which features basic Indian potato patties without any filling or stuffing. You can also make stuffed aloo tikki (more popular in Northern India) by making a flavorful stuffing (often containing peas, chana dal, or paneer) and then making the potato mixture into a wrapper around the stuffing before shaping and frying.
Ingredient notes
- Potatoes: Use floury potatoes such as russets.
- Breadcrumbs and Cornstarch: Both of these ingredients act as binders to help create a dough-like texture with the potatoes. You could replace the cornstarch with other starches such as potato starch, rice flour, or arrowroot.
- Garam Masala: Garam masala is actually a spice mixture which you can purchase or even prepare yourself. It typically contains cumin, coriander, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, and cloves but can also include other spices like mace, nutmeg and fennel.
- Chaat Masala: There is no substitute for chaat masala. It’s a unique spice mixture which includes spices like black salt and dried mango. These give it a combination of salty and tangy flavors. Find it in Indian markets or online.
How to make it
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with fresh water. Salt generously and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are easily pierced with a paring knife.
Drain the potatoes. When cool enough to handle, peel them, then transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Grate or mash the potatoes until relatively smooth.
Add breadcrumbs, cornstarch, green chile if using, cilantro, ginger, salt, garam masala, chaat masala, and Kashmiri chile powder and mix to combine. Use your hands if it’s not too hot. It should become a smooth, dough-like mixture. If it’s too sticky, add more breadcrumbs or cornstarch, as needed.
Divide the mixture into 8 equal-sized balls and pack the mixture tightly like a snowball. Carefully flatten each ball into a flat disc about ½-inch thick. Use your hands to pat the edges inward so the thickness is even (not thinner at the edges) and the shapes are round. This should also smooth any cracks along the edges.
Set aside and cool to room temperature before cooking. You can leave them at room temperature until ready to cook, up to 2 hours.
Add a thin layer of oil to a nonstick pan. It doesn’t have to be very deep, but enough to just cover the base of the pan–you can add more later too as needed.
Heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the aloo tikki patties and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 3 to 4 minutes. Then flip and cook another 3 to 4 minutes on the second time until evenly browned.
Transfer to the wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to cool slightly.
Serve with chutney on the side, if desired.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
Aloo tikki is best served immediately. Store leftovers wrapped in foil or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reheat in a nonstick skillet, in the oven, or an air fryer until heated through and crisped back up.
If you make a big batch, you might want to freeze some of the extras. Freeze uncooked or cooked and fully cooled aloo tikki in a single layer on a baking sheet or cafeteria tray until frozen solid, then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before cooking or reheating to serve.
You can peel and cube the potatoes before boiling, which allows them to cook faster, but beware. They can absorb water and also overcook easily so keep an eye on them. Overcooked potatoes will result in a mushy, waterlogged mashed potato and yield less crispy aloo tikki.
If desired, you can add some defrosted frozen peas to your potato mixture before forming into patties and frying.
Don’t overcrowd your pan while cooking. If your pan is on the smaller side, cook the aloo tikki in batches as necessary.
You can certainly use more oil than I do and cook the aloo tikki with more of a shallow fry, getting oil further up the sides to crisp it all over rather than just the top and bottom. Personally, I find they are fantastic this way with a bit less oil wasted and a bit less fat absorbed, but you can cook them however you want.
Other recipes you may like
- Aloo Chaat (Potato Chaat)
- Homemade Naan and Sanaa Dipping Sauces
- Chicken Saag (Indian Chicken and Spinach Curry)
- Chicken Vindaloo (Goan-style Hot and Sour Chicken)
- Murgh Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)
- Chana Dal (Bengal Gram)
- Punjabi Dal Makhani
- Jeera Rice (Indian Cumin Rice)
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Aloo Tikki (Indian Potato Patties)
Ingredients
- 500 to 600 grams russet potatoes (about 2)
- ¼ cup dried breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch
- 1 green chile minced (optional)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon ground Kashmiri chile powder or cayenne pepper
- Vegetable or canola oil for frying
- Mint chutney, cilantro chutney and/or tamarind chutney, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with fresh water. Salt generously and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are easily pierced with a paring knife, about 25 to 40 min, depending on the size of your potatoes.
- Drain the potatoes. When they’re cool enough to handle, peel them, then transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Grate or mash the potatoes until relatively smooth (a few chunks are totally fine and will add some texture to the patties).
- Add the breadcrumbs, cornstarch, green chile if using, cilantro, ginger, salt, garam masala, chaat masala, and Kashmiri chile powder and mix to combine. Use your hands if it’s not too hot. It should become a smooth, dough-like mixture. If it’s too sticky, add more breadcrumbs or cornstarch, as needed.
- Divide the mixture into 8 equal-sized balls (roughly 75 grams each) and pack the mixture tightly like a snowball. Carefully flatten each ball into a flat disc about ½-inch thick, and use your hands to pat the edges inward so the thickness is even (not thinner at the edges) and the shapes are round. This should also smooth any cracks along the edges. Set aside and cool to room temperature before cooking. You can leave them at room temperature until ready to cook, up to 2 hours.
- Set a small wire rack over a baking sheet lined with foil for easy cleanup or line a small tray or large plate with paper towels to soak up extra grease.
- Add a thin layer of oil to a nonstick pan (it doesn’t have to be very deep, but enough to just cover the base of the pan–you can add more later too as needed). Heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the aloo tikki patties and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 3 to 4 minutes, then flip and cook another 3 to 4 minutes on the second time until evenly browned.
- Transfer to the wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to cool slightly before serving with chutney on the side, if desired.
Notes
- Aloo tikki is best served immediately. Store leftovers wrapped in foil or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reheat in a nonstick skillet, in the oven, or an air fryer until heated through and crisped back up.
- Freeze uncooked or cooked and fully cooled aloo tikki in a single layer on a baking sheet or cafeteria tray until frozen solid, then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before cooking or reheating to serve.
- If desired, you can add some defrosted frozen peas to your potato mixture before forming into patties and frying.
- Don’t overcrowd your pan while cooking. If your pan is on the smaller side, cook the aloo tikki in batches as necessary.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
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