Aloo Samosa Pinwheels

If you are looking for an easy indian fusion appetizer for your next party, these bite size samosa pinwheels come together in no time! This super fun twist on traditional samosa is not only fun to make but super delicious too. You could make them ahead and bake or air fry when ready to serve, either way they are a crowd pleaser!

Imagine spicy aloo samosa filling laced with smoky roasted cumin and green chillies all rolled up in flaky puff pastry and baked to perfection. These literally fly off the platter! I like to serve them with tamarind chutney ( green chutney would be as delicious too).

This recipe is similar to my samosa tart, which is another of my favorite to serve at parties for its ease of cooking and how impressive it looks!

Aloo Samosa

Aloo = Potatoes. Samosa is an extremely popular deep fried snack from the indian subcontinent. To make aloo samosa, a spicy potato filling is parceled in a triangular shaped flaky dough and sealed. Then it is is deep fried to golden.

In India, samosas and chai are a love language. Every bite of samosa offers an irresistible combination of flavors and texture that makes one instant fall in love with it. Samosas are enjoyed as a street snack, appetizer, or even a light meal. They grace the menus of street food stalls, restaurants, and households throughout south asia.

Though aloo or potato is the most common and loved filling for samosa, the possibilities extend to variations like paneer samosa or minced meat samosa, cheese samosa as well as dessert samosa (with a sweet filling).

To make samosa pinwheels recipe, we are just going to use ready to use puff pastry, thus eliminating the steps of making the dough and shaping them triangular. The filling is my go to authentic samosa filling, made of potato and peas and aromatic of hing, ginger, fresh coriander leaves and green chillies. Make these for your Diwali party and serve them with cocktails or chai.

Why You will Love Samosa Pinwheels

• They are irrestible and will give you all the indulgent feels of eating a samosa. Because these pinwheels are baked in buttery puff pastry, you feel that same indulgence as that of crispy samosa crust from deep frying. 
• Samosa Pinwheels are much quicker and easier to put together than traditional samosa, saving you time and effort.
• Can be made a day ahead and kept cold in the fridge and baked off or air fried right before you are ready to serve.
• Perfect to serve a crowd- these are vegetarian!
• The best part is that you can divide the work over 2-3 days. Make samosa filling a day ahead. Next day stuff and roll the pastry. On the day you want to serve, simply slice and bake. 

How To Make Samosa Pinwheels

Make The Spiced Potato Filling

1. Peel the cold boiled potatoes and using your hands, crumble them into small pieces. Avoid using a masher. Set aside.
2. In a medium sized frying pan, add the cooking oil and heat it up on medium heat. Temper the hot oil with cumin seeds, hing and coriander seeds, saute for 10-15 seconds, taking care that the spices do not burn. 
3. Add the chopped ginger and green chillies to the pan and saute for about 10-15 seconds taking care not to burn. 
4. Take the pan off the stove if needed. Add green peas to the pan, return to the stove and and sprinkle ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook the peas for 1-2 minutes until the peas are soft. 
5. Add the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the red chilli powder, chaat masala and amchur powder. Mix everything .
6. Reduce the heat to low and stir on low heat for 3-5 minutes until the potatoes are warmed through and nicely combined with spices but do not turn brown. Switch off the stove. 
7. Add the cilantro. Mix, taste and adjust the salt if needed. Samosa filling is ready. 
8. Transfer to a bowl or let the filling completely cool down in the pan. You can make the filling a day ahead as well.

Stuff Samosa Filling in Puff Pastry

9. Line a large cookie baking sheet with parchment paper a silicone mat. 
10. In a small bowl, make a slurry of 1 tablespoon all purpose flour and 2 tablespoon water. 
11. Flour your working surface and unroll one of the thawed puff pastry sheet. Using a rolling pin, smooth out the folds of the pastry. Spread a thin layer of flour slurry (about ½ inch) on edges of the pastry.
12. Add the samosa filling on long side of the pastry leaving a ½ inch gap. Do not over stuff the samosa roll. Roll gently (like you would a cinnamon bun roll) but tightly to make a log. Pinch the end gently to close.

Tip - If at any time you feel that the puff pastry is getting warm, refrigerate immediately and resume work once its chilled.

Slice and Bake

13. Using a sharp knife, cut about 1 to 1.5 inch thick pinwheels out of the pastry log. Place the pinwheels on the cookie sheet 2 inches apart, they will spread.
14. Chill in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes before you bake or you can store them covered until ready to bake. 
15. Preheat oven to 400 F (or the temperature indicated on your puff pastry package).
16. Brush the pinwheels liberally with melted butter. Bake for 15-20 minutes in preheated oven until light golden brown. Start checking after 16 minutes so that they are not too browned.
17. Transfer using a spatula to a cooling rack. Serve warm with chutneys and chai.

Samosa Pinwheels in Air Fryer

You could cook the samosa pinwheels in the air fryer if you wish. Place pinwheels in a single layer on the basket of air fryer. Layer them with space in between because they will spread as they puff. Air fry at 400F for 8-9 minutes.

Note - Air Frying isn't my favorite because air fryer basket is smaller in size compared to a baking sheet & you should not overcrowd the basket, you will need to air fry in many batches. However, if you are making a small batch of pinwheels, it is fine to use air fryer.

Recipe Tips

• Most packages come with two sheets of puff pastry, make sure to work with one sheet at a time keep the other one chilled.
• Always thaw puff pastry before using. I find its best to pull it out of the freezer and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro or mint leaves for a fresh look.
• You could add some crumbled paneer or chopped tandoori paneer tikka to the filling for a cheese variation.
• Add some finely chopped roasted cashews or golden raisins to the filling for a nutty, sweet bite.