Samosa Pinwheels

This baked Samosa Pinwheels recipe is a light and crispy take on a popular Indian snack. Spiced potatoes, onions, green chili, and peas get wrapped in delicate puff pastry and baked till it's golden crisp.

It's a mouthwatering appetizer or snack baked in the Oven or AirFryer in under 30 minutes. Enjoy it with cilantro and tamarind chutney!

puff pastry samosa pinwheels on black serving plate with cilantro and tamarind chutney in two small white bowls

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I have a few samosa recipes on the blog, but I think this Samosa Pinwheels or Pinwheel samosa version is my favorite. It's a light and crisp, baked puff pastry appetizer (or snack) recipe that takes a little help from the store and results in a crowd-pleasing dish.

These Indian puff pastry pinwheels are a twist on popular snack items, Aloo Bhakarwadi and Samosa. To sum up their taste in simple words, they're baked puff pastry stuffed with a samosa-style spiced potato and peas.

It is a versatile snack that can be made for just about any occasion - potlucks, casual get-togethers, office potlucks, Diwali, Holi, or any festive celebrations.

They can be made well ahead of time (or even frozen!) and are naturally Vegetarian and Vegan!

Trust me when I say, one is never enough and your guests will keep going back for more! They are a fun and interesting take on an Indian Samosa chaat and a beautiful addition to any spread.

You might also like: Popular Indian Snack Recipes made easy.

Samosa is the most popular and relatable Indian snack food, or chaat, that goes as far back as the 13th century. But authentic samosa pastry can be a bit time-consuming. It requires preparing a dough, rolling it out, stuffing it with filling, and deep-frying it, or baking it, like in this air fryer samosa recipe.

But you will love this recipe since that eliminates half of those steps. Let's check out how we can make these delectable baked pinwheels with just a little help from the grocery store.

Jump to:

Ingredients For Samosa Pinwheels
Tips For Working With Puff Pastry
How To Make Samosa Pinwheels
Serving Suggestion
How to Store & Freeze
Recipe Tips & Notes
More Samosa Inspired Recipes on the Blog
Common Questions
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samosa pinwheels recipe on a black serving plate

Ingredients For Samosa Pinwheels

All of the ingredients are for the pinwheel filling. In addition to puff pastry, you will need:

mashed potatoes in large glass bowl with peas, onions and spices in small glass bowls in a circle — Ingredients for Samosa filling

Pinwheel Filling:

Gold Potatoes: I prefer gold potatoes for their creamy and buttery texture, but one large russet potato is a good substitute. Note cooking times will vary based on what potato you use. Check the cook time in this post: Instant pot boiled potato.
Avocado Oil: Avocado has the highest smoke point out of all the vegetable oils, which works for sautéing the spices and aromatics, but a mild olive oil will do.
Cumin Seeds: Whole cumin seeds are traditional and still contain more of their natural oils than ground cumin. As soon as the seeds start to pop, you know they're ready!
Onion: Peel and chop an entire white or yellow onion and use the amount you need for the recipe.
Jalapeno: De-seeded and finely chopped will produce a mild green chili flavor. For a bit more heat, leave a few of the seeds and ribs intact.
Ginger: Fresh or frozen ginger can be used. If using the frozen ginger cubes, you will need two for this pinwheel recipe.
Frozen Peas: Remove one-third cup frozen peas from the freezer while you prep the remaining ingredients.
Cilantro: Cilantro adds that pop of bright, fresh flavor. Add with the peas at the very end to lock in the beautiful green color.
Spices for the Samosa Filling:
- Salt
- Ground Coriander
- Garam Masala
- Red Chili Powder
- Amchur
- Chaat Masala

Puff Pastry:

Frozen Puff Pastry: A typical package of frozen puff pastry, such as Pepperidge Farm, comes with two sheets. This recipe only requires one, so thaw one sheet of puff pastry in your fridge and leave the other in your freezer until you need it.

Puff pastry is somewhat of a finicky ingredient, so I offer a few tips below to produce the flakiest samosa pinwheels as possible!

Tips For Working With Puff Pastry

Puff pastry is a very delicate ingredient and working with it can be a bit tricky. To get that light, flaky, delicate texture, follow the tips below.

Make sure the sheet of puff pastry is fully thawed. If the sheet of dough is still frozen, it will rip apart once you try to unfold it. I recommend to thaw the dough for 3-4 hours in the fridge, but overnight would be even better.
This recipe only requires one sheet of puff pastry, but if you are planning to double the recipe, only work with one sheet of dough at a time and keep the second in the refrigerator. Once you have rolled the first sheet, place it on a baking sheet in the fridge while you complete the second.
Work quickly. Make sure to have the filling ready and cooled before rolling out the puff pastry, then work as quickly as possible. This ensures the fat in the dough does not melt, which is what produces the flaky layers. If the dough starts to warm up halfway through, simply place it back in the fridge to chill.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to prevent sticking.
Use a super sharp knife when slicing the samosa pinwheels. If the knife is not sharp enough, the layers will stick together.
Preheat the oven or AirFryer while the prepared pinwheels chill in the fridge. Puff pastry bakes the best when cold.

How To Make Samosa Pinwheels

These Indian-style pinwheels are rolled and sliced using the same technique, but time and temperature vary based on the oven or AirFryer.

Step 1: Boil Potatoes

The potatoes must first be boiled using the Instant Pot or Microwave.

Instant Pot: Place trivet in the inner pot. Pour 1 cup water and place potatoes on the trivet. Close the lid and pressure cook for 5-7 minutes. Here is the detailed recipe for boiled potatoes in Instant Pot.
Microwave: Poke potatoes with a fork. In a microwave-safe bowl, add potatoes and fill the bowl halfway through with water. Cook potatoes using the 'Potatoes preset", or for 7 minutes at HIGH temperature. Check for doneness by inserting a knife. If still not done, microwave for another 2 mins.
When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and mash them. Keep aside.

Potatoes placed in the Instant pot for steaming

Step 2: Make The Pinwheel Filling

Once the potatoes are boiled and cooled slightly, begin making the pinwheel filling:

olive oil pouring in skillet, hand adding cumin seeds to skillet, hand holding bowl with red onions, hand holding chopped jalapeno in bowl

Place a non-stick pan over medium-high heat for 30-45 seconds. Add oil and cumin seeds (pics 1 & 2)
When cumin seeds begin to sizzle, add chopped onion and jalapeno. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat (pics 3 & 4).

hand holding glass bowl with spices over skillet, mixing spices into skillet with red spatula, mixing potatoes into skillet with red spatula, cilantro and potatoes in skillet

Add finely chopped ginger and spices, including salt, coriander, garam masala, red chili powder, amchur. Stir everything. The residual heat from the onions is enough to bloom the spices and ginger (pics 5 & 6).
Add mashed potatoes and mix everything to combine. Add thawed peas and chopped cilantro. Mix well and set aside until cooled completely (pics 7 & 8).

Step 3: Roll and Slice

two hands rolling puff pastry with wooden rolling pin, spatula spreading samosa filling on puff pastry, two hands rolling puff pastry, two hands sealing samosa pinwheel roll

Thaw one sheet of 'rectangle-shaped' store-bought puff pastry in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours, but ideally overnight. Keep it refrigerated until the filling is cool and ready for use.
Remove the puff pastry sheet from the fridge. Sprinkle a little all-purpose flour on a clean work surface and rolling pin. Using the rolling pin, thin out the pastry sheet so it expands by roughly 15-20% in size (pic 1).
Using the back of a spoon or an off-set spatula, spread the samosa filling in a thin layer all over the pastry sheet, leaving ¼ inch border from the sides (pic 2).
Roll the sheet in the shape of a log, starting from the longer side. Use smaller flips so it rolls up into a tight log (Watch the video). Once rolled, roll it a few times so the seams seal tightly (pics 3 & 4).

hand slicing rolled samosa pinwheels, hand flattening samosa pinwheel, puff pastry pinwheels on baking sheet, samosa pinwheels in airfryer

Trim off ½ inch at the edges and discard. Using a very sharp knife, cut the log in ½ inch discs. Lay the discs flat and 'gently' press down with your fingers, flattening it a bit (pics 5 & 6).

Step 4: Bake Samosa Pinwheels in the AirFryer

Lay the discs down in the fryer basket, keeping a little distance between each. Air fry them at 400°F for 8 minutes. Don't overcrowd the basket as that prevents them from puffing up and getting crisp (pic 8).

Oven-Baked Samosa Pinwheels

Lay the pinwheel discs on aluminum or parchment-lined baking sheet, keeping a little distance between each. Bake as per the pastry-box directions. My pastry pinwheels usually bake for 10-12 minutes in a preheated oven at 400°F (pic 7).

Serving Suggestion

These mouthwatering pinwheels are a great option for potlucks, casual get-togethers, Diwali or Holi parties, Game Day parties or any time you need a snack! A few of my favorite ways to serve these potato-stuffed pinwheels are:

With a side of cilantro, mint or tamarind chutney
With a side of ketchup (yesss!)
Enjoy these with a hot cup of Indian Ginger tea or Masala Chai

Puff pastry pinwheels on black plate next to Indian chutney

How to Store & Freeze

Store any leftover pinwheels in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, simply air fry at 350F for 1-2 minutes.

Can Puff Pastry Pinwheels Be Frozen?

Yes! These samosa pinwheels make a wonderful make-ahead appetizer that you can bake right from frozen. Simply prepare the pinwheels from start to finish, but do not bake.

Place the sliced pinwheels on one layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet lined with a bit of space between each piece. Freeze for 1 hour, or until frozen solid.

Transfer to an airtight container with sheets of parchment between each layer or in a plastic freezer storage bag. Label, date, and freeze for up to 6 weeks.

To bake from frozen, add 4-5 minutes to the baking time for the oven or air fryer method.

Recipe Tips & Notes

Chill the samosa filling completely. If you spread warm potato filling on the cold puff pastry, it will melt the fat in the pastry, completely ruining it's light, flaky texture.
Make sure the puff pastry remains as cold as possible. This ensures your samosa pinwheels will bake to a light and crispy texture. Follow the Tips For Working With Puff Pastry above.
Spread the potato filling as even as possible and leave a border. The even layer will produce an even spiral of potato filling throughout the pastry. The border ensures the pastry rolls and seals properly. For an extra bit of insurance, you can brush a light layer of cold water on the outer edge where you are going to seal so the pastry sticks together.
Leave a generous amount of space between each pinwheel when baking. This facilitates enough air circulation around each pastry puff, which promotes even cooking and that beautiful golden brown color.
For extra golden color, you can (optionally) brush the top of each samosa pinwheel with a light coating of egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon of water).
Easily double the recipe. Since most puff pastry packages come with two pastry sheets, simply double the recipe and use the whole package. It's also another great way to feed a crowd!

More Samosa Inspired Recipes on the Blog

Popular Indian Appetizer Recipes

Common Questions

Where to buy puff pastry?

You can buy puff pastry sheets from the frozen aisle of most lar supermarkets or grocery stores. They typically come in a pack of two sheets.

Can puff pastry pinwheels be frozen?

Yes. After assembling and cutting the pinwheels, spread them out on a cookie sheet and freeze. After a day, transfer the individually frozen pinwheels to a freezer-safe bag or container.

Tried this recipe? I'd love to hear how it turned out! Please leave a ⭐ star rating and a comment below to share your experience; it helps other readers too! Find more easy EVERYDAY recipes on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.

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