I promise you won’t regret making my crispy vegetarian chickpea samosa recipe filled with a boldly spiced chickpea filling. Pair them with an easy sweet and spicy dipping sauce with tamarind and Indian spices, and you'll see your guests’ eyes light up with anticipation.
Ever since my university days, I've had a special place in my heart for a freshly fried samosa: the crisp dough giving way to a sweet and spiced chickpea filling that’s earthy, vibrant, and packed with just the right kick. What truly sets these samosas apart, though, is my tamarind dipping sauce. Tangy, slightly sweet, and with just a whisper of heat, it keeps you coming back for more. I even crafted a tamarind mocktail inspired by the sauce. My family calls it the "samosa mocktail."
Every host eventually faces the point where serving another platter of sandwiches or the predictable cheese-and-crackers setup just feels uninspired. That’s where recipes like this shine—vibrant, fun, and just unusual enough to make guests pause and ask, "What’s in this?" These chickpea samosas with tamarind sauce, paired with the mocktail, bring something fresh to the table without being overcomplicated.
The best part? They’re surprisingly simple to make. Once I got the hang of folding the samosas into neat triangles (or lazy half-moons when time was tight), I couldn’t stop. The crisp shell, punchy filling, and unforgettable dipping sauce all work together seamlessly, making me fall in love with them every time.
I once hosted a cozy weekend gathering where these samosas stole the show. Alongside the tamarind mocktail, I served my guests this easy Black-Eyed Pea Dip or avocado hummus, some sweet yet healthy Chocolate Date Balls, and a vibrant Chickpea Sweet Potato Dip.
How to Make Chickpea Samosa Recipe:
Glad your Sweet & Spicy Chickpea filling, flour, fennel and tumeric, coconut oil, and baking powder, and lets get started.
Prepare the dough and filling
Defrost the Sweet & Spicy Chickpea filling so it’s ready to use. In a food processor, combine the flour, ground fennel, turmeric, salt, and baking powder. Pulse briefly to mix. Add coconut oil and water, processing until the dough forms a ball.
Roll The Dough
Knead gently by hand if needed, then coat lightly in flour and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, rolling each into a ball about the size of a ping pong ball.
Shape the Samosas
Place each ball between parchment sheets and roll into thin rounds about 5 inches in diameter. Add 2 tablespoons of chickpea filling to the center of each round.
Option 1: Forming the Half-Moons
For half-moon shapes, wet the edges, fold over, and crimp.
Option 2: Forming the Triangles
For traditional triangles, fold the dough carefully as described until fully sealed.
Fry the samosas
Heat 1 inch of oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Test with a drop of water—it should sizzle immediately. Fry the samosas in batches, cooking each for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels.
Top Tips for Making Chickpea Samosa Recipe
- Serve hot for the best texture and flavor.
- Don’t overfill your samosas—it’s tempting, but a little restraint ensures they seal properly.
- Keep the dough covered while shaping to prevent it from drying out.
- For an extra crispy crust, fry in small batches and avoid overcrowding the pan.
Directions to Make Tamarind Samosa Sauce Recipe:
In a small bowl, mix tamarind paste with hot water until dissolved. Stir in salt, chilli flakes, brown sugar, cumin, and coriander. Microwave tamarind chutney for 5 minutes or simmer Indian samosa in a small saucepan for 3 minutes.
Storage Instructions for Samosas and Dipping Sauce
If you have leftovers (which is rare in my house!), store cooled samosas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them in an air fryer or oven to maintain their crispiness. The easy samosa dipping sauce can be kept in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a week. Enjoy every bite as though it were freshly made.
Chickpea Samosa Recipe with Tamarind Samosa Dipping Sauce
Equipment
- Food processor (optional)
- Wide pan with tall rims
- air fryer (optional)
- deep fryer (optional)
Ingredients
Ingredients for samosas:
- 2 bags of Wholly Veggie! Sweet & Spicy Chickpea veggie-full meal
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tablespoons 50g coconut oil
- 1.5 cups 250ml water OR milk
Ingredients for tamarind dipping sauce:
- 1 tablespoon concentrated tamarind paste
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon chilli pepper flakes or ground chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
Instructions
Make chickpea samosas:
- Defrost the Wholly Veggie! ready-made sweet & spicy chickpea meal.
- Set up food processor with all-purpose blade.
- Add the flour, ground fennel, and turmeric to the food processor bowl and pulse to combine.
- Add salt and baking powder. Cover and process 3 seconds.
- Add coconut oil and water and process until mixture forms a ball. You may have to get in there with your hands and just gently knead if your processor is too aggressive.
- Dust a large working surface with some flour. This is where you'll be rolling out your samosas, so you want a fairly large area.
- Take the dough out of the food proessor, and knead it until dough is soft and pliable. Lightly coat in flour and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate samosa dough for 30 minutes.
- To roll out samosa balls, divide the dough into 12 equal portions for small samosas. Each ball should be about the size of a ping pong ball.
- Cover your working area with a piece of parchment paper. Place a dough ball on it. Cover with another piece of parchment paper about the same size. Roll the dough into a thin round about 5 inches in diameter.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the sweet & spicy chickpea filling in the center of the dough. Do not overfill your samosas, no matter how good this filling is, as it'll spill out when you try to close them.
- Now, it's time to shape your samosas! There are two ways to shape your samosas that I like.
The lazy way: Half moon samosas
- Wet the edges of the dough with water and overlap one side of the dough over the filling. Your dough should form a closed half-moon.
- Crimp the edges to close.
The traditional way: A triangle samosas
- Wet the edges of the dough with water.
- Working from the right side, pull one side of the dough over the filling and towards the middle. Stop just left of the middle and do not go all the way to the left.
- Then pull the left side of the dough and fold it over the right.
- Your dough should look like a triangle with an opening up top.
- Fold the opening over the top of the two other halves, closing your triangle.
Fry the samosas:
- Fill a large pan with wide, tall rims with 1 inch of oil. Heat the oil over medium heat. Carefully test the oil temperature with a drop of water; the oil is ready when the water sizzles.
- Working in batches, fry several samosas at a time. Try not to overcrowd the pan. Cook each samosa about 2-3 minutes on each side, until its colous becomes golden-brown and they crisp up. Remove samosas onto a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Serve samosas warm, with a side of our tamarind dipping sauce (see dipping sauce directions below).
Directions for tamarind samosa dipping sauce:
- Mix tamarind and water until fully dissolved. Add ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon chilli pepper flakes or ground chilli powder, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cumin and ½ teaspoon ground coriander.
- Microwave mixture for 5 minutes, or bring to a boil in a small saucepan and simmer for 3 minutes.
Carla Klaasen says
Recipe bookmarked! The samosa dipping sauce looks fantastic. One question, if I can't find the chickpea mix, how can I recreate it at home?