Samosa Chaat

// Samosa Chaat is a tangy, hearty, and spicy north Indian street food! This popular Indian snack is made with samosa, chole, and chutneys.



Samosa Chaat is a tangy, hearty, and spicy north Indian street food! This popular Indian snack is made with samosa, chole, and chutneys.

Samosa Chaat is a tangy, hearty, and spicy north Indian street food! This popular Indian street food is made with crispy crunchy samosa, spicy chole (chickpea curry), yogurt, onions, chutneys, and spices!

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A vibrant dish of samosa chaat garnished with sev, pomegranate seeds, and chopped herbs, presented on a decorative plate, with a backdrop of a rustic jug, a cup of chai, and dimly lit ambiance.
Colorful and appetizing samosa chaat topped with crunchy sev, fresh pomegranate, and diced onions on an ornate plate, accompanied by Indian condiments and a traditional metal cup.

With so many comforting flavors and various textures such as crunchy, crispy, sweet, tangy, salty, and spicy this chaat makes an ultimate street food.

In this lip-smacking chaat recipe, crunchy aloo samosas are covered piping hot spicy chole (chana masala), and then topped with dollops ofplain yogurt, sweet tamarind chutney (imli chutney), cilantro chutney, sev, onions, pomegranates, and spices!

Other than eating samosa as it is, this popular Indian street food is one of my preferred ways to relish samosa. This street-style samosa chole or samosa chaat is ideal for parties and get-togethers to enjoy with friends and family over a cup of masala chai.

Indian street food is not just some food, it’s an emotion. Every time I hear the word ‘Chaat’, I visualize myself standing on a street in India and waiting for my chaat, and my mouth suddenly gets filled with water. Aloo tikki, Avocado Chaat, chole aloo tikki, aloo tikki chaat, bhel puri, dahi vada (bhalla), samosa roll, and samosa pinwheels, vada pav, etc., there is so much to indulge in.

A person's hand holding a golden spoon, scooping up a portion of samosa chaat, showcasing the texture and toppings of this popular Indian street food. There is also a plate full samosa in the background

About Samosa Chaat

Samosa Chaat is a very popular chaat snack recipe from North India. It is a vegetarian snack containing smashed crisp samosas layered with spicy chole (chickpea curry).

It is then drizzled with layers of plain yogurt (dahi), sweet tamarind chutney, cilantro-mint chutney, onions, pomegranates, sev, cilantro and spices.

This street style Chole Samosa or Samosa Chaat hits all the flavor profiles. It has everything you expect from a good chaat – a balanced combination of mouth-watering flavors and contrasting textures — this one dish covers everything of the Indian flavor profile.

In this chaat, every single component has a special place. Samosa is crispy on the side and has a delightful filling on the inside which gives this chaat a feel of devouring fried food. Chole is spicy, hearty, and flavorful.

Yogurt (dahi) gives it a cooling touch, both in terms of temperature and spiciness.

The sweet chutney adds sweetness and green chutney adds a spicy herby punch. And the onion adds the crunch and spiciness, pomegranate adds the crunch and fruity punch. Cilantro adds vibrant color and freshness. The topping of sev adds an extra crunch.

And a sprinkle of chili powder and chaat masala powder to enhance the overall taste.

What is Samosa Chaat

Indian Samosa Chaat is a very popular Indian street food due to its hearty taste and finger-licking flavor profile and all the deliciousness. This Indian snack is addictive, super delicious, and generally served with a sweet masala chai.

Other than samosa chat, this snack is also known as chole samosa chaat, chaat samosa, samosa chole chaat, channa samosa, samosa chole, and punjabi samosa chaat.

This easy chaat is a match made in heaven for samosa and chole lovers!

Like most Indians, I also love all types of samosas and samosa chaat. Chaat recipes are North India’s pure food love, and that’s why they can be found everywhere.

The good thing about this samosa chole chaat is that you can enjoy it on the streets, as well as in the comfort of your home.

Making any chaat is not complicated at all, you just need to have all the components ready, and your chaat can be served in just minutes.

This Samosa Chaat

✓ is a wonderful party appetizer or brunch

✓ is brimming with amazing texture and flavors

✓ has the deliciousness of samosa and chickpeas

✓ is super delicious, tangy, and spicy

✓ goes well with a cup of chai

✔︎ is easy and simple to make

✔︎ tastes just like the street chaat

✔︎ is ready in under 30 minutes

✔︎ can be served as a chaat or snack}

✔︎ can easily be customized

Overhead shot of samosa chaat richly garnished with sev and pomegranate, surrounded by a selection of Indian snacks and dips, embodying a feast for the senses.

Samosa Chaat Ingredients

Serving this easy Punjabi samosa chaat doesn’t require many ingredients. However, the samosa chaat recipe has 6 main components and some optional ingredients that need to be ready before you start making Samosa Chaat. Let’s have a look at what these are.

1. Samosa

As the name suggests, this is the main ingredient of our samosa chaat recipe. I have made my own samosas from scratch for this recipe. Here you can either use homemade samosa or the store bought pre made samosa, or. If you live in India, then you can also get the hot samosa from local confectionery (halwai). Store-bought ones come really handy especially when you are making it for a crowd. A pre-made frozen samosa can also be used for making this chaat. 

2. Chole (Chickpea Curry)

There are many ways you can make chana masala or chole. For this samosa chaat recipe, I have shared a special chole recipe that tastes so great in chaat. However, for making this chaat, you can also use other chickpea curries, such as this Amritsari Chole, Restaurant style chana masala, or Chole Masala.

3. Yogurt

Dahi (yogurt) is an essential ingredient here as it balances out the spiciness from chole (chickpea curry) and samosa and gives the chaat a bit of cooling temperature. So adding some chilled, thick, and creamy yogurt is a must in any chaat.

You can use both homemade yogurt or store-bought yogurt here.

4. Green Chutney or Cilantro Chutney

Adding green chutney gives a nice herby flavor to this chaat. A simple mint coriander chutney for chaat can be made with coriander leaves (cilantro), or with mint leaves. I have shared many different types of green chutney such as this Coriander Chutney (3 Ways), Mint Coriander Chutney - 2 Ways, or Coriander Coconut Chutney on the blog. You can use any of your favorite chutney recipes here.

5. Tamarind Chutney

Sweet tamarind chutney or meethi chutney is added for a sweet, tangy flavor. You can use this Tamarind Chutney or  Chocolate Tamarind Chutney recipe. Or you can also use your own tamarind chutney recipe. Both of the chutneys are a must for any type of chaat, so make sure not to skip the chutney part. If you can’t make the chutney at home, then you can also buy them at Indian grocers. 

6. Spices

I have sprinkled this chaat with some spices. Red chili powder is added for heat and warmth, and chaat masala powder is added for tang.

7. Toppings & garnishes

I used the typical chaat toppings here which are chopped onions for crunch, pomegranate arils for a fruity flavor, fine sev for crunch, and chopped cilantro for freshness and color.

How to make Samosa Chaat

Making samosa chaat is very simple once you gather everything together. Just layer everything and serve. Generally, samosa chaat has 6 layers, but this one has 8 layers. This is how to assemble the samosa chaat:

  1. Samosa - Break hot samosa and place them on a serving plate. 

  2. Chole - Top samosa with hot spicy chole. 

  3. Samosa - Add half broken samosa.

  4. Chole - Again top with chole. 

  5. Yogurt - Add a generous amount of plain yogurt (Dahi). 

  6. Chutneys - Drizzle tamarind chutney and green chutney over the samosa and chole.

  7. Toppings - Sprinkle chopped onions, pomegranate arils, sev, and cilantro all over the chaat.

  8. Spices - A final sprinkle of the chaat masala and chili powder.

  9. Samosa chaat is done. Serve immediately! Don’t the samosa soak in chole and chutney for long, or else it will turn soggy.

You can get the detailed step by step samosa chana chaat recipe and video tutorial in the recipe box on this page.

A delicious serving of samosa chaat on an intricately bordered plate, with a backdrop featuring Indian chai in a copper cup and savory snacks, capturing the essence of Indian cuisine.

Serving Suggestion

The Samosa Chaat is a meal in itself, you really don’t need anything else to accompany it. If you are having it for breakfast then you can pair it with jalebi, and milk or chai. For tea time you can have it with a cup of hot chai or coffee.

Anupama’s Tips & Tricks to make the Best Samosa Chaat

  1. Samosa - Always use hot and crisp samosa for making samosa chaat. If your samosa is at room temperature, reheat them in an oven, or air-fryer. Don’t microwave them, or the cover won’t stay very crisp. Other than aloo samosa, you can also use other fillings such as chicken samosa, paneer samosa, or vegetable samosa.

  2. Canned Chickpeas - If you don’t want to use dry chickpeas, then you can also use canned chickpeas for making chole. Using canned chickpeas will cut down cooking time.

  3. Stovetop - If you don’t have a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, then you can make the chole in a large and thick stove top pan. Just keep in mind that cooking soaked chickpeas would take quite a lot of time. So either you can use canned chickpeas or boil them in a thick-bottomed pan until they are soft. Just stir the chickpeas occasionally while boiling.

  4. Serving Size - I have used 2 ½ samosas for plating this chaat, which makes a filler meal in itself. This recipe makes about 6 plates of samosa. If you want to serve them as an appetizer, then use only 1 samosa per plate.

  5. Vegan Samosa Chaat - This recipe uses dairy yogurt. If you are making a vegan version of this chaat then you can swap yogurt with any of your favorite vegan yogurt.

  6. Spices - This chole recipe makes a spicy chole. If you prefer less hot chole, then you can surely adjust the amount of spices according to your taste buds.

  7. Pre Made Samosa - If you are planning to make it for a party or get-together, then you can make the samosa a day before and fry them lightly. Let them cool and store them in an air-tight container. Re-fry them right before serving. 

More delicious chaat recipes you may also like are: Chips Chaat,  Corn Chaat, Bread chaat 2 Ways, Kala Chana Chaat, pakora chaat, and palak patta chaat.

 A close-up of a delectable samosa chaat dish held by a person, highlighting the colorful toppings and textures, ready to be enjoyed.

FAQ

Can I make samosa in advance for the Samosa Chaat recipe?

Yes, making samosa in advance is actually possible. It is advisable especially when you are making it for a party. You can either refrigerate lightly fried samosa for up to 2 days or freeze them for up to 2 months. 

When you want to serve samosa chaat, just thaw them at room temperature and deep-fry them.

Can I use Air-Fried or Baked Samosa?

Yes, you can surely use those. Making samosa chaat using non-fried samosa is a guilt free way to enjoy chaat. I have shared a baked samosa recipe on this samosa recipe page.

What is samosa chaat made of?

Indian Samosa Chaat is made using broken pieces of freshly fried samosas topped with chickpea curry, also known as chhole, mint-coriander chutney, sweet tamarind chutney, yogurt, and various spices. 

It’s then topped with fresh cilantro or coriander leaves, chopped onions, sev (crunchy noodles), and some pomegranate seeds for color and fruity freshness.

How to store leftover samosa?

To store leftover fried samosa, line an airtight container with parchment paper and store the cooled samosas in them. Whenever you want to make chaat, simply reheat them in a pan or bake them in an oven at 160°C for 10 minutes.


Samosa Chaat (Step-by-step photo instructions)

How to make Chole

  1. Rinse and soak dried chickpeas in enough water for 8-10 hours or overnight. In the morning drain the water and rinse the chickpeas with fresh running water.
  2. Image of the recipe cooking step-1-1 for Samosa Chaat
  3. Transfer the rinsed chickpeas to a pressure cooker. Then add salt, tea bags, whole spices - bay leaf, cinnamon stick, black cardamom, black peppercorns, and cloves. Also, add about 4-5 cups of water and stir well. Note: the tea bags are only added for deep color, they don't really make any difference in the taste. Alternatively, you can boil chole in Instant Pot. PRESSURE COOK and cook on HIGH pressure for 30 minutes.
  4. Image of the recipe cooking step-1-2 for Samosa Chaat
  5. Once the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes. Open the lid, and chole is ready. Cover the pressure cooker with the lid and pressure cook chickpeas for 4-5 whistles on low heat. Let the pressure come off completely before opening the lid. After cooking, you would be able to press the chickpeas easily with your fingers once cooked. Discard the tea bags and keep the chickpeas aside.
  6. Image of the recipe cooking step-1-3 for Samosa Chaat
  7. Heat oil/ghee in a pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and saute them until they are fragrant.Once the seeds start to sizzle, add bay leaf, asafetida, and ginger-garlic paste. Sauté for 1 minute, then add onion paste and sauté it for 4-5 minutes on medium heat.
  8. Image of the recipe cooking step-1-4 for Samosa Chaat
  9. When the onion is translucent, add the turmeric powder, roasted cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, dry mango powder black salt, and chole masala. Mix everything well. Stir continuously and saute for about 1 minute or until the spices start oozing with oil.
  10. Image of the recipe cooking step-1-5 for Samosa Chaat
  11. Next, add tomato puree and stir well to combine. Let the puree cook for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and mix everything well. Cook for 2 minutes.
  12. Image of the recipe cooking step-1-6 for Samosa Chaat
  13. After that, add Kasuri methi, green chili, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, and ginger julienne. Mix it well. Add water and mix everything.
  14. Image of the recipe cooking step-1-7 for Samosa Chaat
  15. Cover the pan with a lid and let the masala cook for 5-6 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked and the raw smell goes off. Uncover the pan, and add the cooked tomato masala to the boiled chickpeas along with 1/2 cup of water.
  16. Image of the recipe cooking step-1-8 for Samosa Chaat
  17. Mix everything well. Then add salt to taste and garam masala powder and mix. Check for seasoning, and add more salt if required. Also, you can adjust the amount of water and spices at this point. Let it cook for 10-12 minutes. Add chopped cilantro and mix. Cook for 2 more minutes. Chole is ready. Keep it covered and gather all the chaat ingredients.
  18. Image of the recipe cooking step-1-9 for Samosa Chaat

How to Assemble Samosa Chaat

  1. To make one plate of samosa chaat, place 2 hot and crisp samosas on a serving plate and roughly break them. Pour about 2-3 ladlefuls of hot chole on top of the samosas. Break 1/2 samosa and place it on top. Top with some more chole. Drizzle plain yogurt, tamarind chutney, and cilantro chutney.
  2. Image of the recipe cooking step-2-1 for Samosa Chaat
  3. Garnish them with cilantro, onion, sev, and pomegranate arils. Sprinkle some chaat masala powder, red chili powder, and some more sev. Serve immediately!
  4. Image of the recipe cooking step-2-2 for Samosa Chaat

Recipe Card


Samosa Chaat [Recipe]

Recipe Image
Samosa Chaat is a tangy, hearty, and spicy north Indian street food! This popular Indian snack is made with samosa, chole, and chutneys.
★★★★★
(Rating: 5 from 4 reviews)

Prep time 🕐 Cook time 🕐 Total time 🕐
35 mins
Category ☶ Cuisine ♨ Serves ☺
Snacks Indian 6 Plates
Nutrition Info ⊛ Serving size ⊚
508 calories 1

INGREDIENTS

For the Chole (Chickpeas Curry)
  • 2 cups dry chickpeas (Kabuli chana)
  • 3 black tea bags (or 1 tablespoon of black tea leaves wrapped in a muslin cloth)
  • 2 bay leaves (tej patta)
  • 1-inch cinnamon stick (dalchini)
  • 4-5 cloves (laung)
  • 4-5 black peppercorns (kali mirch)
  • 1 black cardamom pod (moti or kali ilaichi)
  • Salt to taste
  • 3-4 tablespoons oil or ghee
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
  • Pinch of asafoetida (hing powder)
  • 2 teaspoons homemade ginger-garlic paste (adrak lehsun ka paste)
  • 3/4 cup onion paste (make it by blending onions in a blender)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi powder)
  • 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder (jeera powder)
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
  • 1 teaspoon dried mango powder (amchur powder)
  • 1.5 tablespoons chole or chana masala powder
  • 1 cup tomato puree (you can use homemade or store-bought)
  • Water, as needed needed
  • 2 tablespoons crushed kasuri methi
  • 2 small-sized green chilies, slit (lambi kati hui hari mirch)
  • 4-5 tomato slices
  • 10-12 thinly sliced onions rings
  • 1 tablespoon ginger juliennes
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
  • 1 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped
For the Samosa Chaat
  • 12 medium-sized samosa (you can use homemade or store-bought)
  • Plain, thick-whisked yogurt for serving
  • Sweet tamarind chutney for serving, as needed
  • Cilantro mint chutney or coriander chutney for serving, as required
  • Nylon (thin) sev for serving
  • Pomegranate arils for garnishing (optional)
  • Chaat masala and red chili powder to sprinkle, as required
  • 1/2 cup chopped onions for serving
  • 1-2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves for serving

INSTRUCTIONS:

How to make Chole
  1. Rinse and soak dried chickpeas in enough water for 8-10 hours or overnight. In the morning drain the water and rinse the chickpeas with fresh running water.
  2. Transfer the rinsed chickpeas to a pressure cooker. Then add salt, tea bags, whole spices - bay leaf, cinnamon stick, black cardamom, black peppercorns, and cloves. Also, add about 4-5 cups of water and stir well. Note: the tea bags are only added for deep color, they don't really make any difference in the taste. Alternatively, you can boil chole in Instant Pot. PRESSURE COOK and cook on HIGH pressure for 30 minutes.
  3. Once the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes. Open the lid, and chole is ready. Cover the pressure cooker with the lid and pressure cook chickpeas for 4-5 whistles on low heat. Let the pressure come off completely before opening the lid. After cooking, you would be able to press the chickpeas easily with your fingers once cooked. Discard the tea bags and keep the chickpeas aside.
  4. Heat oil/ghee in a pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and saute them until they are fragrant.Once the seeds start to sizzle, add bay leaf, asafetida, and ginger-garlic paste. Sauté for 1 minute, then add onion paste and sauté it for 4-5 minutes on medium heat.
  5. When the onion is translucent, add the turmeric powder, roasted cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, dry mango powder black salt, and chole masala. Mix everything well. Stir continuously and saute for about 1 minute or until the spices start oozing with oil.
  6. Next, add tomato puree and stir well to combine. Let the puree cook for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and mix everything well. Cook for 2 minutes.
  7. After that, add Kasuri methi, green chili, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, and ginger julienne. Mix it well. Add water and mix everything.
  8. Cover the pan with a lid and let the masala cook for 5-6 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked and the raw smell goes off. Uncover the pan, and add the cooked tomato masala to the boiled chickpeas along with 1/2 cup of water.
  9. Mix everything well. Then add salt to taste and garam masala powder and mix. Check for seasoning, and add more salt if required. Also, you can adjust the amount of water and spices at this point. Let it cook for 10-12 minutes. Add chopped cilantro and mix. Cook for 2 more minutes. Chole is ready. Keep it covered and gather all the chaat ingredients.
How to Assemble Samosa Chaat
  1. To make one plate of samosa chaat, place 2 hot and crisp samosas on a serving plate and roughly break them. Pour about 2-3 ladlefuls of hot chole on top of the samosas. Break 1/2 samosa and place it on top. Top with some more chole. Drizzle plain yogurt, tamarind chutney, and cilantro chutney.
  2. Garnish them with cilantro, onion, sev, and pomegranate arils. Sprinkle some chaat masala powder, red chili powder, and some more sev. Serve immediately!

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NOTES:

  1. Always use hot and crisp samosa for making samosa chaat. If your samosa is at room temperature, reheat them in an oven, or air-fryer. Don't microwave them, or the cover won't stay very crisp.
  2. Other than aloo samosa, you can also use other fillings such as chicken samosa, paneer samosa, or vegetable samosa.
  3. If you don't want to use dry chickpeas, then you can also use canned chickpeas for making chole. Using canned chickpeas will cut down cooking time.
  4. If you don't have a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, then you can make the chole in a large and thick stove top pan. Just keep in mind that cooking soaked chickpeas would take quite a lot of time.
  5. I have used 2 ½ samosas for plating this chaat, which makes a filler meal in itself. This recipe makes about 6 plates of samosa. If you want to serve them as an appetizer, then use only 1 samosa per plate.


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