Smashed Aloo Pakora Recipe

This smashed aloo pakora recipe is my effort to bring you a healthier pakora option. No more heating up gallons of oil and frying endless batches of pakoras. These air-fried/baked aloo pakoras are guilt-free, crispy, and just as delicious as their deep-fried counterpart.

What are pakoras?

Pakoras are gram flour (besan) fritters often made with potatoes, onions, spinach, green chilies, and many other vegetables. I have seen people use eggplant, zucchini, and cabbage as well. A dry mix of of gram flour and spices is prepared to which sliced or chopped vegetables and water are added. These are deep fried in sometimes not the best of oils especially if they’re not homemade. This is a common street and Ramadan food in much of South Asia, particularly Pakistan and India.

I know I may offend some by sharing this recipe because pakoras, especially in Ramadan, is a culturally sensitive topic! I know growing up we had to have pakoras every single day at our Iftar table, but now that I am wiser (ahem!) I’d like to think I know better than to negate the wonderful effects of fasting. And so, when trying to come up with a healthier pakora recipe, I decided to try this out. Inspired by the smashed potato trend.

I do want to go on the record, though, and say that pakoras themselves aren’t necessarily unhealthy; it is when we fry them in inflammatory seed oils like vegetable, canola, corn, etc. that they become bad for us. Pan-frying pakoras in healthy fats like avocado or refined coconut oil is a much better option. Of course, we also don’t want to be having starchy vegetables like potatoes excessively either so be mindful of that as well.

Why you’ll love these healthy potato pakoras

Healthier. Deep-fried pakoras can be pretty detrimental to your health if you eat them daily. And although no one eats pakoras all the time otherwise, many of us do tend to go overboard in Ramadan and consume them almost daily.

Quicker. There’s no need to stand around deep-frying batches of pakoras. The potatoes in this recipe are much smaller than regular ones, and boiling them doesn’t take long. If you like quick potato sides, you’ll want to try my sweet potato mozzarella bites next!

Hands-free. There is very little hands-on time. Apart from making the batter, smashing the potatoes, and brushing them, a lot of the cooking is hands-free. The boiling and baking don’t need much attention.

Minimal and easy-to-source ingredients. And ones you’ll likely already have in your pantry.

What you’ll need

Potatoes. Baby potatoes are the best for this recipe. The portions come out perfectly, and they crisp up nicely too. I wouldn’t recommend bigger potatoes for this recipe because they end up thick and taste bland.

Gram flour. For authentic pakoras, use gram flour (split brown chickpeas), also known as channa daal. People often confuse it with chickpea flour, which is made by milling garbanzo beans. You can use chickpea flour if gram flour isn’t available.

Spices. Salt, cumin powder, roasted cumin-coriander powder (recipe in recipe card notes section), red chili powder, garlic powder.

Oil. Avocado or light olive oil.

Water. This thins the batter.

How to make smashed aloo pakora

Important note:

You MUST follow my instructions to the T for this one to be a success. DO NOT be tempted to use larger sized potatoes as they just don’t work. Happy smashing!

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water. Add the baby potatoes and boil them. This takes about 15 -20 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare your pakora batter. Set it aside.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC.

Drain the potatoes once cooked through.

Air fryer method

If you are air frying the pakoras, spray the basket with some oil and air fry at 400ºF/200ºC. Do it in batches, so you don’t overcrowd the basket. Bake time can vary by brand, but it takes about 10 minutes per batch.

Oven method

On a sheet pan lined with greased parchment paper, smash the boiled potatoes with a fork or the bottom of a glass jar. Make sure not to press down too hard, as this will break them apart. Don’t crowd the pan, as we want to get crispy potatoes, not steamed ones!

Coat all the flattened potatoes with a very thin layer of the pakora batter. Use a pastry brush for ease. Don’t add too much batter, or it will result in a crumbly coating. Bake for about 25-27 minutes.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and chaat masala, and enjoy immediately with some Imli Ki Chutney, Pea Chutney, or Hari Chutney.

Tips & substitutions for the best-smashed aloo pakoras

• To get crispy pakoras, grease your parchment paper. That way the pakoras will get crispy on top and bottom.
• Use a square piece of parchment paper to cover the potatoes and use the bottom of a small glass jar to flatten them one by one.
• If you don’t have roasted cumin-coriander powder, swap it with regular cumin powder. The roasted cumin-coriander powder just elevates it.
• Chickpea flour, often confused with gram flour, can substitute.
• Use baby potatoes for this recipe, as they are the perfect bite-sized portion and give a crispier result.
• If your potatoes aren’t getting crispy on the bottom but have darkened on top, turn off the oven at the end of the cooking time and let the pakoras stay in the oven for about 5 minutes.
• If you want, add chopped onions and green chilies before cooking, and cilantro/coriander on top of the smashed pakoras after.
• Enjoy them fresh out of the oven!

What do smashed pakoras taste like?

These smashed pakoras taste like a spiced roasted potato. If I were to compare the difference between a regular pakora and a smashed pakora, I’d say it is much like the difference between French fries and herb-roasted potatoes.

How to store smashed pakoras

These smashed pakoras are best enjoyed fresh out of the oven. If you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat in the toaster oven or air fryer before eating. These pakoras are best not frozen as potatoes do not freeze well.

What to eat with aloo pakoras

• These are excellent as a teatime snack, and you can pair them with other Pakistani snacks like Chana Chaat.
• They make a great side dish or appetizer with Chicken Haleem at dinner parties.

More Pakistani tea-time recipes to try

Pakistani Club Sandwiches

Mango Chaat

Homemade Nimco

Hariyali Chicken Tikka Skewers

If you try this recipe, I’d appreciate it so much if you would rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. And let me know in the comments how it worked out for you. I love hearing feedback and the recipe rating helps others find the recipe!