Make a street-style favorite at home with our homemade pani puri recipe! Crispy puri balls are stuffed with a spiced potato and chickpea filling, topped with homemade tamarind chutney, and drenched in flavored water that’s a perfect balance of sour and spicy- no wonder it’s such a popular snack!
What is Pani Puri?
Pani puri (golgappa or puchka) is a popular street food sold in roadside stalls in India. Vendors serve the tiny, crispy puris brimming with a flavorful mixture of mashed potatoes, chickpeas, onions, chilies, and warm Indian spices. They pour zesty and slightly spicy water (pani) into the stuffed puris; this is the highlight of the tasty snack for most people. Pop one of these into your mouth for a flavor bomb of delicious ingredients combined perfectly into one bite!
How to Make Pani Puri Recipe
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
For the Filling:
Step 1: Wash and peel the potatoes. Add them to a stockpot with a teaspoon of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and cook at a rolling boil for 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set them aside.
Step 2: While the potatoes cool, combine red onion, green chilies, cilantro, Kashmiri chili powder, chaat masala, ½ teaspoon salt, and cumin powder in a mixing bowl.
Step 3: When the potatoes are cool, transfer them to the mixing bowl. Use a potato masher to break up the potatoes. Then, add the chickpeas and use the masher to break them up slightly. Stir everything together to combine. Set the mixture aside.
For the Best Pani Puri Water:
Step 4: Add mint, cilantro, ginger, green chilies, lemon juice, and ¼ cup of water to the blender. Process the mixture until smooth and pour it into a serving bowl.
Step 5: Stir in the chaat masala, cumin, ginger powder, salt, and 2 cups of COLD water.
For the Tamarind Chutney:
Step 6: Wash out the blender and combine dates, tamarind paste, water, sugar, Kashmiri chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, ginger powder, and salt. Pulse to combine and pour it into a serving bowl.
How to Assemble the Perfect Bite
Use your thumb to gently crack the top and create a hole in the puri.
Stuff it with some of the reserved filling using a spoon.
Add 1-2 toasted peanuts, chilies, onions, and cilantro
Top it with some tamarind chutney.
Then, dunk or pour some of the pani puri water over the top.
Finish our pani puri recipe with a drizzle of dahi and sprinkle with chaat masala to serve.
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What Else to Eat With Pani Puri Recipe?
Pani puri is a delicious Indian chaat recipe eaten as a light meal, snack, or appetizer. Part of the fun of making them at home is getting creative with your toppings and making the meal a hands-on experience.
- Yogurt: I love the taste of dahi (or plain yogurt) drizzled over pani puri; the creaminess ties all the flavors together.
- Chaat masala: Chaat masala is an Indian spice blend that offers a tangy finish to the dish when sprinkled over the top.
- Tamarind chutney: Sweet and sour tamarind (imli) chutney is a must-have with pani puri. You can also serve it with mint chutney.
- Vegetables: Include fresh vegetables like chopped onion, chili, and cilantro, or try diced cucumbers and tomatoes.
- Sev: Broken-up gram flour noodles called sev taste great as a topping
What to Do With the Leftovers
- Refrigerate – The leftovers of pani puri, specifically the filling and pani, can be kept in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is pani puri water made of?
The ingredients and their quantities vary from household to household and recipe to recipe. However, most recipes include chilies and fresh herbs like mint and cilantro. Use spices such as chaat masala, black salt (if you can find it), and cumin powder to season the dish. Then, ingredients like fresh lemon juice or tamarind are added to provide a tangy element to complete the flavor of the puri water.
Can I prepare this recipe ahead of time?
Make the filling, pani, and chutney in advance and store them separately in the refrigerator; this will save you time the day you serve our pani puri recipe, especially if you plan to prepare other dishes.
Where do I find the puris?
Making puris at home is labor-intensive. However, if you decide to make them , try this recipe! Otherwise, purchase the deep-fried dough balls at Indian grocery stores or online.These items are typically sold in packages of 10 to 20. You have the option to purchase them pre-made, like I did, or as discs that can be easily fried in a pan.
More Appetizer Recipes:
Pani Puri Recipe
- 50 puris, ready-made
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed
- 1½ teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- 1 green chili, finely diced
- ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ cup canned chickpeas, drained
- ½ cup mint
- ½ cup cilantro
- 2 slices fresh ginger
- 1-2 green chilies
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon salt or black salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
- 2 cups cold water, plus ¼ cup water to blend
- ¼ cup pitted dates, chopped
- ¼ cup tamarind paste
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar or jaggery
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup toasted peanuts
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- 1 green chili finely diced
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup dahi
- chaat masala
For the Filling:
- Wash and peel the potatoes. Add them to a stockpot with a teaspoon of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and cook at a rolling boil for 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set them aside.
- While the potatoes cool, combine red onion, green chilies, cilantro, Kashmiri chili powder, chaat masala, ½ teaspoon salt, and cumin powder in a mixing bowl.
- When the potatoes are cool, transfer them to the mixing bowl. Use a potato masher to break up the potatoes. Then, add the chickpeas and use the masher to break them up slightly. Stir everything together to combine. Set the mixture aside.
For the Pani Puri Water:
- Add mint, cilantro, ginger, green chilies, lemon juice, and ¼ cup of water to the blender. Process the mixture until smooth and pour it into a serving bowl.
- Stir in the chaat masala, cumin, ginger powder, salt, and 2 cups of COLD water.
For the Tamarind Chutney:
- Wash out the blender and combine dates, tamarind paste, water, sugar, Kashmiri chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, ginger powder, and salt. Pulse to combine and pour it into a serving bowl.
For the Assembly:
- Use your thumb to gently crack the top and create a hole in the puri. Stuff it with some of the reserved filling using a spoon. Add 1-2 toasted peanuts, chilies, onions, and cilantro. Top it with some tamarind chutney. Then, dunk or pour some of the pani puri water over the top. Finish our pani puri recipe with a dollop of dahi and sprinkle with chaat masala to serve.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.