Baked Aloo Tikki – Crispy and Healthy

Give this healthy, crispy baked Aloo Tikki a try and you are definitely going to come back for more. This is my healthy take on Aloo Tikkis or Potato cutlets that are otherwise deep fried/ shallow fried. This recipe in particular is going to blow your mind. We’re using this minimum-oil recipe (just for brushing) to create an amazing dish out of my favorite tuber/veggie of all time.

What is Aloo Tikki?

Aloo Tikki is roughly translated to potato pieces but they are a lot more than pieces. It is said that this snack is the vegan alternative to hash browns. The variations of Aloo Tikkis are numerous. Some people consume it as snacks whereas some put it between two slices of bread to eat it like a sandwich. A variety of variations of Aloo Tikki exist thanks to the geographical spread of the Indian population. In some parts of India, turmeric and red chilli powder are used more whereas in some mint is utilized more. Based on the availability of the ingredients, the flavors are mixed and matched.

Aloo Tikkis are soul-warming snacks that originate from the Indian subcontinent, especially North of India, made out of boiled potatoes, peas, and different flavorsome spices. These ingredients are formed into ball-sized pieces and deep-fried/shallow-fried until golden. These golden delights are packed with healthy vegetables, appetizing flavor, and delicious spices. Have I made your mouth water yet or need I go on?

Inspiration to make Baked Aloo Tikki or potato cutlets

The street food business in India is massive. Apart from restaurants, there are specific streets dedicated to street food stalls that serve you dishes like Pani Puris, Kulfis, Samosas, Indo-Chinese. You name it and the street carts have it. People don’t hesitate to grab food from these stalls as long as it satiates their palate.

Ever since I moved abroad, I miss grabbing some hot Gobi Pakodas or a plate of Ragada Pattice (another variation of Aloo Tikki). Although these dishes are yummy to eat, some are made with unhealthy amounts of oil. It becomes difficult to consume such high quantities of oil regularly. Hence, I came up with the idea of making healthy Aloo Tikki with fresh ingredients and less oil.

How to make Baked Aloo Tikki (Tips and tricks)

The process of making Aloo Tikki is fairly simple. Add all your favourite veggies to the boiled potatoes along with spices. Season as per your taste and spice tolerability. Since we are air frying these, you don’t have to worry about the hassle of large amounts of oil. Just make sure that you lightly coat the cutlets with a little bit of oil before putting them in the Air Fryer.

Few things to keep in mind while making Aloo tikkis or patties are:

1. Binding it all: The binding agent is very important to hold all the ingredients together and hold the shape given to the tikkis. Potatoes in themselves are amazing binding agents. Occasionally some potatoes dry up after boiling and don’t bind well. This makes the tikkis crumble and break while frying. Instead you can try adding some crumbs to the mix and bind it well with a little bit of water. You could also add soaked bread slices and mix it well before shaping them.
2. Amchur: Also known as dry mango powder is what gives the tikkis a tangy flavour. It’s easily available in any Indian store. If you don’t find it, you can substitute it with sumac. Avoid skipping Amchur and Chaat Masala as these two spices give the tikkis that zing no other spice can give.
3. Crumb coating: This step is optional. The idea is to give the cutlets a crisp exterior and a soft interior. This job is done by the bread crumbs. You could either coat the cutlets in bread crumbs or skip this step. If you are going to crumb coat the tikkis, then I suggest dipping them in plant-based milk first and then in breadcrumbs.
4. Serve these tikkis with mint-coriander chutney or spiced plant-based yoghurt. It goes very well with pickled onion rings too. If you want to spruce it up a bit, keep these tikkis between two buns with onion rings and mint-corriander chutney lathered on both sides of the bread. It’s a common snack that we Indians have at tea time.

Freezing & Storing

These potato cutlets can be easily frozen and consumed later. Store them in an airtight bag or ziplock bag in the freezer. It can be stored for up to 3 weeks. Thaw the cutlets a few hours before and air fry them as per instructions.

Give this simple, healthy Aloo Tikki recipe a go and I would love to see which chutney you served it with. Tag me on Instagram. Ciao!

Try other snacks from the blog:

• Vegan Yoghurt Toast – Spicy