Can you air fry frozen samosas? Yes! You can air fry mini samosas, regular samosas, veggie samosas, chicken samosas, beef samosas, or any other type! Learn the cooking time and temperature for air fryer samosas, and say good bye to deep frying. You’ll love how easy and how much less messy air frying is compared to using the deep fryer. You might want to start making all of your favorite Indian snacks and appetizers this way!
Did you know that you can get golden brown veggie samosas without making deep fried samosas? We don’t need to heat the house with the oven either. Yup, it’s another air fryer recipe!
You could probably microwave samosa a little faster than making airfryer samosa. However, then you wouldn’t get that crispy, flaky outside that you get when you use an air fryer.
There are a number of frozen samosa options available in the United States. Some are labeled “mini samosa,” but they should all work in this recipe.
| Brand | Flavor | # Per Serving | Calories | Net Carbs (g) | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trader Joe’s | Mini Vegetable Samosas | 4 | 160 | 18 | 4 |
| Trader Joe’s | Mini Chicken Tikka Samosas | 2 | 80 | 8 | 5 |
| Whole Foods Market | Potato and Pea Samosas | 2 | 110 | 15 | 2 |
| Sukhi’s | Potato Samosas | 3 | 250 | 26 | 5 |
| Sukhi’s | Chickpea Samosas | 3 | 250 | 26 | 5 |
| Sukhi’s | Mango Chicken Samosas | 3 | 210 | 20 | 11 |
| Chef Bombay | Mini Vegetable Samosas | 4 | 160 | 18 | 4 |
| Chef Bombay | Mini Chicken Tikka Samosas | 4 | 200 | 18 | 9 |
Depending on where in the world you are, you might find other samosa flavors. For example, you can find McCains samosa in cheese pizza flavor in parts of India.
Jump to:
😋 What is a samosa?
I guess I should back up a minute and cover what exactly a samosa is for those who don’t know. Samosas are crispy dough pockets fried in oil. They are often shaped as a triangle, but you can also find half moon and cone-shaped samosas.
Samosas are usually associated with Indian cuisine, but you can find similar deep fried fritters in many parts of the world. Sambusa and samoosa are some alternative names for these savory pastries.
The best samosas contain a perfectly spiced filling of veggies, meat, and/or poultry. One common samosa filling in Indian restaurants in the U.S. is “aloo matar,” a curry of potatoes and green peas.
📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
The nutritional information for samosas depends on the brand, flavor, and your portion size. Four Trader Joe’s mini samosas (vegetable flavor) have 160 calories, 18 grams net carbs, and 4 grams protein.
⭐ Benefits
What are the benefits of samosas? While I wouldn't consider samosas the most nutritious snack around, here are a few reasons to love this recipe:
- Vegetarian: It’s really easy to find plant-based choices when it comes to samosas. There are even some vegan options for frozen samosas, as I’ll cover in the FAQ section below. If you’re feeding a crowd that includes veg*ns, samosas are an easy option.
- No oil needs to be added: Most frozen samosas already contain a lot of oil. Air frying is much lower in calories than frying the samosa in additional oil.
- Quick appetizer for potlucks, parties, family gatherings: Samosas are a convenient finger food; no utensils are needed to eat them. This makes them a good choice when you need a last-minute appetizer for potlucks. (Yes, they’re not as good as homemade, but sometimes it’s tough to make everything from scratch.)
- Way to get picky eaters to eat veggies: Unless they’re spicy samosas, samosas tend to be very appealing to children. The crispy finger food served with a sweet dip gives kids a bit of a “french fry” experience. Unlike with fries, though, samosas often offer a larger variety of veggies.
- Simple, one ingredient recipe: When you get frozen samosas, you don’t have to make samosa dough, roll dough, or fold dough. These air fried veggie samosas are easy enough for kids and amateur cooks to make. They’re much faster than making samosas from scratch as well.
- Yummy: We used to get really delicious samosas from restaurants back when we lived in the Boston area. I don’t get them as much now that we moved out of the area, but I still enjoy them once in a while. The frozen samosas are a kitchen shortcut that gives me similar flavors.
🥘 Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make air fryer samosas:
- Frozen samosas
- Your favorite samosa dip
You don’t even need spray oil for this recipe. The shell of samosas tend to contain a lot of oil already. They shouldn't stick to the air fryer basket or tray.
I used a box of Trader Joe’s Samosas and a box of Whole Foods Samosas. The Trader Joe’s samosas were a little spicy, with what I would consider a unique flavor. The Whole Foods Potato & Pea Samosas were flavored similar to samosas I’ve had in restaurants.
The “mini samosas” and regular frozen samosas were actually not so different in size. As a result, the air frying directions are the same.
Trader Joe’s mini veggie samosas are 2-2.25 inches (5-5.7 cm) per side, while the Whole Foods samosas are 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) per side. These are much smaller than the samosas I typically see in restaurants serving Indian cuisine.
🍽 Equipment
To cook samosas in the air fryer, you’ll need an air fryer and a meat thermometer. Some boxes of frozen samosas recommend cooking them to an internal temperature of 165F (74C). The best way to ensure your samosas are cooked adequately is to use the thermometer.
I used a 10-Quart Kalorik Digital Air Fryer Oven for this recipe. It has two trays, but I only needed the top tray to cook an entire box of samosas.
If you use a Ninja Foodi, Cosori, Pampered Chef Air Fryer, Actifry, Nuwave, Instant Vortex, Cuisinart, Philips, Power Air Fryer, or another air fryer, you may need to adjust the cooking times. All air fryers cook a little differently. There doesn’t seem to be as much consistency between brands as there is with regular ovens.
🔪 How to Make
Let's talk about how to air fry samosas! First off, you don’t need to defrost samosas before air frying. We can air fry frozen samosas to save time.
Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200C) for 5 minutes. Put your samosas on a hot air fryer tray. I was able to fit 8-9 samosas on a tray in a single layer, with plenty of room for good air circulation.
If you have an air fryer oven, put the tray in the top rack position. Time to air fry!
️⏲ Cooking Time and Temperature
What temp to air fry samosas? How long do you air fry samosas? Frozen samosas cook for a total of 9-10 minutes in an air fryer preheated at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200C). Flip them after 5 minutes of cooking time.
Check the internal temperature of your samosas after cooking, particularly if they contain meat or poultry. They should have reached a temperature of 165F (74C). You can extend the cooking time by a few minutes if needed.
Oven directions: Oven bake samosas by following the directions on the box. Whole Foods samosas bake for 12-14 minutes in an oven preheated to 400F (200C). Flip them halfway through baking time.
️🌡️ Leftovers
How to store samosas? Wrap your cooked samosas in paper towels to help absorb the oil and store in a closed food-safe container. They will last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator, great for an easy meal prep snack.
Samosa chaat is an Indian dish that can be made with leftover samosas. Check out the FAQs below for samosa reheating directions.
🥭 Dipping Sauce
What are the best dipping sauces for samosas? Here are some of my favorites (please keep in mind that most of these contain added sugars):
- Mango Chutney
- Tamarind Chutney
- Green Chutney (made with mint and cilantro)
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Sweet Chili Sauce
- Plain yogurt
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). I don’t think I’ve had a samosa for years, so working on this post was a treat. And that’s the thing with samosas, they are a snack food, not a nutritious entrée. (BTW, Trader Joes admits themselves that their samosas are not “health food.”)
Samosas can get a bit of a health halo because they contain nutritious protein and veggie fillings. However, frozen samosas are an ultra-processed food that are loaded with white flour and highly processed oil. While I’d consider samosas a better snack than most cookies and cakes, they’re not the best choice.
One benefit of the storebought samosas that I tried is that they are much smaller than the ones in restaurants. This may make portion control easier if you do well with moderating these sorts of foods in your diet.
Making your own samosas could be healthier in terms of nutrients provided. You get a greater choice of fillings, and you can use a whole wheat flour for the wrapper. You can also use less oil in the filling and the wrapper.
Speaking of oil, I noticed on both the samosa packages I bought that the ingredients are listed like this:
- Filling (list of samosa filling ingredients)
- Pastry (list of samosa pastry ingredients)
Ingredients are listed in order by weight. Both pastry and filling contained canola oil as an ingredient. If ingredients were listed individually instead of grouped, it is likely that the oil would be high on the list, possibly the 2nd or 3rd ingredient.
Indeed, eating the samosas was nice for a couple of bites but then I started tasting the oil. It was reminiscent of eating a donut, a reminder that samosas are a treat food.
FAQs
Your samosas may not crisp properly if they were not air fried long enough or at a high enough temperature. Remember also that you need to air fry, deep fry, or oven bake samosas to get them crispy. Please don’t microwave samosas if you want them crisp!
Some frozen samosas are naturally vegan (though this doesn’t mean they are healthful options). Trader Joe’s Vegetable Samosas are currently vegan. Be sure to check the nutrition label of the samosas before you buy, as ingredients in products can change.
Frozen samosas are not usually gluten free (or keto) because they contain a wheat flour wrapper. You could try making homemade gluten free samosas using GF flour or rice paper wrappers as an alternative.
With frozen samosas, it’s best to only make what you need for the best texture. If you want to reheat refrigerated samosas, try air frying for 3-5 minutes at 350F (175C). Add more time if needed If they haven’t crisped up to your liking.
Frozen samosas tend to contain a lot of added oil whether they are air fried or deep fried. IMVHO, there’s not a huge difference in taste when we air fry vs deep fry frozen samosas. There may be a bigger difference with homemade samosas, because air fried homemade samosas usually contain less oil.
Frozen samosas tend to contain lots of white flour and added oil. In general, I wouldn’t consider air fryer samosas to be the most health-promoting choice. (It’s possible to make whole grain, low oil samosas from scratch that are more nutritious.)
👩🏻🍳 More Indian Food Recipes
Want more Indian-inspired recipes? As with U.S. cuisine, Indian cuisine varies across the nation. Though I can’t claim authenticity, here are some more recipes with Indian-inspired flavors:
- Mango Lassi Smoothie (No Added Sugar)
- Easy Palak Paneer
- Egg Kheema
- Gulab Jamun Cheesecake
And if you’re all about air frying frozen foods, don’t miss my post on the Best Frozen Foods for the Air Fryer.
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The Disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats no sugar post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Samosas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 box frozen samosas (8-9 samosas that are 2-2½ inches/5-6.35 cm per side; mini samosas or regular)
- dipping sauce (mango chutney or green chutney)
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes. Put the samosas in a single layer on a hot air fryer tray.
- If you have an air fryer oven, put the tray in the top rack position. Air fry for 9-10 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Flip samosas after 5 minutes of cooking time.
- Check the internal temperature of your samosas with a meat thermometer, particularly if they contain meat or poultry. They should have reached a temperature of 165°F (74°C). You can extend the cooking time by a few minutes if needed.
- Serve samosas with your favorite dipping sauce.
Video
Notes
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). I don’t think I’ve had a samosa for years, so working on this post was a treat. And that’s the thing with samosas, they are a snack food, not a nutritious entrée. (BTW, Trader Joes admits themselves that their samosas are not “health food.”) Samosas can get a bit of a health halo because they contain nutritious protein and veggie fillings. However, frozen samosas are an ultra-processed food that are loaded with white flour and highly processed oil. While I’d consider samosas a better snack than most cookies and cakes, they’re not the best choice. One benefit of the storebought samosas that I tried is that they are much smaller than the ones in restaurants. This may make portion control easier if you do well with moderating these sorts of foods in your diet. Making your own samosas could be healthier in terms of nutrients provided. You get a greater choice of fillings, and you can use a whole grain flour for the wrapper. You can also use less oil in the filling and the wrapper. Speaking of oil, I noticed on both the samosa packages I bought that the ingredients are listed like this:
- Filling (list of samosa filling ingredients)
- Pastry (list of samosa pastry ingredients)
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