Aloo Paratha

4.94 from 16 votes

Aloo Paratha is a popular Indian whole wheat flatbread stuffed with spicy potato filling. Best enjoyed with yogurt and butter!

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Indian Aloo Paratha – whole wheat pan-fried flatbread stuffed with a spicy potato filling.

This paratha is best enjoyed with yogurt, pickle, butter and a side of chai!

3 aloo parathas on a white plate with a bowl of yogurt in the back

Parathas were a staple in my home growing up. We ate them for breakfast, even for dinner at times. Mom made all types of parathas- gobi paratha, mooli paratha, matar paratha, sattu paratha (stuffed with sattu which is a roasted chana flour) among many others.

But the most common and frequently made one was Aloo Paratha – the one stuffed with spiced mashed potatoes. 

The reason must be that potatoes are so readily available everywhere. I know that I always have potatoes in my house and so aloo paratha becomes the top choice when we crave parathas.

Indian Aloo Paratha

Aloo paratha is a whole wheat flatbread which is stuffed with spicy mashed potatoes. It is pan fried with oil or ghee and is usually enjoyed with butter, yogurt or pickle.

My aloo paratha is nothing fancy, it’s a basic simple recipe which is made in so many homes across India.

Just some boiled mashed potatoes, mixed with spices and then stuffed in the dough, which is then rolled and pan-fried. Some people like to grate the potatoes for more texture, I just go the traditional way and mash the potatoes.

Also you can cook the potatoes with some oil and temper them with cumin before adding all the spices. It just varies from person to person. I straightaway added all the spices to the mashed potatoes. There’s no right or wrong way here to make aloo paratha, it always tastes good no matter how you make it.

The thickness of the parathas is also a personal preference. At my in-laws place, parathas are made quite thick (that’s a traditional Punjabi way) but I know some people make their parathas very thin. So again, no right or wrong here.

Ingredients

There are two parts to a paratha recipe- the dough and the filling.

one bowl with boiled potatoes, one with flour and a plate with spices

Atta (whole wheat flour): the dough for the paratha is made with everyday atta which we use in Indian kitchens for making rotis. My favorite brand for atta here in the US is sujata gold. You can find it at Indian grocery stores.

Potatoes: since this is aloo paratha, the filling is entirely made of potatoes. You can use either russet potatoes or gold potatoes. I actually prefer gold potatoes for this paratha but others will work too.

Spices: I have used spices like cumin, amchur (dried mango powder), garam masala, ajwain (carom seeds), Kashmiri red chili powder in the filling.

But honestly you can use whatever spices you want. Even kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) would be a good addition.

Herbs: I like using lots of chopped cilantro in my aloo paratha. And for that little kick, a green chili is must!

Other than these, there’s of course salt and some oil which is used in the dough and also to pan fry the parathas. 

A lot of people cook their parathas in ghee, I just prefer roasting them in oil.

Tips to Make Good Stuffed Paratha

My parathas didn’t turn out that way they do now when I first started. They would often be hard and just not good.

Here are some tips that will ensure that your parathas turn out good.

The key to making a good paratha lies in kneading a soft dough. So knead a soft dough and do use some oil in the dough. That will help keep the dough soft and eventually the parathas will also turn our better.

Roll evenly– so when rolling the parathas, try to roll evenly. Move your rolling pin in single strokes across the entire length of the paratha so that it rolls evenly. This will ensure that the stuffing is evenly distributed throughout the paratha. 

The center can get thicker than the edges and then that doesn’t roast well and remains uncooked. So pay attention to that.

Always make sure that your tawa/griddle on which you will be making the aloo paratha is hot before you put the paratha on it. If it’s just medium hot, the paratha will take time to cook and that will result in a “not so soft” paratha.

Be generous with oil or ghee when roasting! If you want your parathas to be softer, then apply a little extra ghee or oil. That definitely helps. 

Serving Suggestions

Aloo paratha is best enjoyed with yogurt, achar (pickle), butter and a cup of chai!

You can also enjoy it with some cilantro chutney

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this aloo paratha recipe vegan?

This recipe is vegan. A lot of people love their parathas with ghee so you may use that in place of oil to fry the parathas. I love ghee but when it comes to my paratha, I prefer them with oil and keep them vegan.

Can we make this gluten-free?

This recipe is not gluten-free and to make it gluten-free would be a totally different recipe. I have not tested the recipe with any gluten-free flour.

How to store the parathas?

You can wrap these parathas in foil and store them in the refrigerator. They will be good for 2 to 3 days.

Heat them up in microwave or skillet before serving.

Method

1- In a bowl mix together atta (whole wheat flour), salt and oil.

2- Add water little by little and start mixing the dough.

3- Knead to form a smooth and soft dough. The dough should be soft, if it isn’t add little more water. I added around 3/4 cup + 1-2 tablespoons water here.

You can also use the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer to knead the dough. 

4- Cover and let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes. Divide the dough into 4-6 equal parts.

step by step picture collage of making aloo paratha

5- To make the filling, boil the potatoes first until they are completely done.

You can use a regular pressure cooker and cook on high for 8 to 9 whistles or in instant pot for 10-15 minutes (or even more depending on the size of the potatoes). Once potatoes are boiled, peel the skin, let them cool a bit and then transfer to a bowl.

6-  Mash the potatoes and then add chopped green chili, cumin, amchur (dried mango powder), garam masala, ajwain (carom seeds), kashmiri red chili powder, salt and cilantro.

7- Mix until everything is well combined. Taste test and adjust seasoning to taste. The stuffing for the paratha is now ready.

8- Take the dough and divided it into 8 to 10 equal parts (depending on how big you want your parathas to be). My dough weighed around 60 grams each.

Now, take one of the dough balls and roll it into a circle of around 4-5 inches in diameter. Apply around 1/2 teaspoon oil on the rolled dough. Then place around 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center (you can add more filling but don’t overfill). 

step by step picture collage of making aloo paratha

9 & 10- Now, bring all the edges together to the center and then pinch to seal the edges.

11- Flatten the dough ball using your hands.

12- Now using your rolling pin, roll the dough to a circle of around 7 to 8 inches diameter. Use dry atta as needed while rolling. Dip the dough ball in dry atta as and when it becomes difficult to roll and then roll again. The trick here is to apply equal pressure while rolling. If you do that, your paratha will turn round automatically.

Heat a skillet/tawa on medium-high heat.

step by step picture collage of making aloo paratha

13- Transfer the rolled paratha onto the hot tawa. Make sure your tawa is hot before you add the paratha on it.

14- Cook the side for a minute or two until it’s partially cooked and then flip over. Apply oil or ghee, around 1/2 teaspoon on the half-cooked side and flip again.

15- Now apply oil on the other side as well. Press with a spatula and cook the paratha until both sides have golden brown spots on them. Make sure to press the edges so that they get cooked as well.

Repeat with the remaining dough balls and cook all the parathas similarly.

step by step picture collage of making aloo paratha

Serve aloo paratha hot with butter, pickle and a cup of chai!

stack of parathas on a plate with cup of chai in the background

If you’ve tried this Aloo Paratha Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on FacebookInstagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!

Aloo Paratha

4.94 from 16 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 8 paratha
Aloo Paratha is a popular Indian whole wheat flatbread stuffed with spicy potato filling. Best enjoyed with yogurt and butter!

Ingredients 

Dough

  • 2 cups atta 260 grams, whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt also known as carom seeds
  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • water to knead the dough, around 3/4 cup (180 ml) + 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 ml)

Stuffing

  • 3-4 medium potatoes around 400-450 grams
  • 1 green chili finely chopped, or more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon amchur also known as dry mango powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/4 teaspoon ajwain
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder replace with regular chili powder if you prefer spicy
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or adjust to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

oil or ghee, to cook the parathas

    Save this recipe!
    Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!
    Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

    Instructions 

    Make the dough

    • In a bowl mix together atta (whole wheat flour), salt and oil.
      Add water little by little and start mixing the dough.
      flour and oil in a steel bowl
    • Knead to form a smooth and soft dough. The dough should be soft, if it isn't add little more water. I added around 3/4 cup + 1-2 tablespoons water here.
      You can also use the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer to knead the dough. 
      Cover and let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes. Divide the dough into 4-6 equal parts.
      kneaded dough

    Make the filling

    • To make the filling, boil the potatoes first until they are completely done.
      You can use a regular pressure cooker and cook on high for 8 to 9 whistles or in instant pot for 10-15 minutes (or even more depending on the size of the potatoes). Once potatoes are boiled, peel the skin, let them cool a bit and then transfer to a bowl.
      Mash the potatoes and then add chopped green chili, cumin, amchur (dried mango powder), garam masala, ajwain (carom seeds), kashmiri red chili powder, salt and cilantro.
      mashed potatoes with spices, cilantro
    • Mix until everything is well combined. Taste test and adjust seasoning to taste. The stuffing for the paratha is now ready.
      spicy mashed potatoes

    Make the paratha

    • Take the dough and divided it into 8 to 10 equal parts (depending on how big you want your parathas to be). My dough weighed around 60 grams each.
      Now, take one of the dough balls and roll it into a circle of around 4-5 inches in diameter. Apply around 1/2 teaspoon oil on the rolled dough. Then place around 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center (you can add more filling but don't overfill). 
      spiced potato ball placed in middle of a rolled dough
    • Now, bring all the edges together to the center and then pinch to seal the edges.
      Then flatten the dough ball using your hands.
      hand pinching a rolled dough to seal it
    • Now using your rolling pin, roll the dough to a circle of around 7 to 8 inches diameter. Use dry atta as needed while rolling. Dip the dough ball in dry atta as and when it becomes difficult to roll and then roll again. The trick here is to apply equal pressure while rolling. If you do that, your paratha will turn round automatically.
      Heat a skillet/tawa on medium-high heat.
      rolled paratha
    • Transfer the rolled paratha onto the hot tawa. Make sure your tawa is hot before you add the paratha on it.
      Cook the side for a minute or two until it's partially cooked and then flip over. Apply oil or ghee, around 1/2 teaspoon on the half-cooked side and flip again.
      paratha being cooked on a skillet
    • Now apply oil on the other side as well. Press with a spatula and cook the paratha until both sides have golden brown spots on them. Make sure to press the edges so that they get cooked as well. Repeat with the remaining dough balls and cook all the parathas similarly.
       Serve aloo paratha hot with butter, pickle and a cup of chai!
      spatula pressing a paratha to cook it

    Notes

    1. You may use ghee to cook the parathas in place of oil. But if you do that, the paratha won’t be vegan.
    2. Adjust spice levels to taste. Add more green chilies for a spicier filling.
    3. If you are new to making aloo paratha and have trouble rolling it- don’t add salt into the stuffing at first. Sprinkle salt at the end on top of the stuffing once you have placed it inside the dough and then roll. This will make the stuffing less moist and you will be able to roll easily. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 171kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 3g, Sodium: 421mg, Potassium: 402mg, Fiber: 5g, Vitamin A: 20IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 31mg, Iron: 3.4mg

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

    Additional Info

    Course: Breads
    Cuisine: Indian
    Your feedback is valuable!Please share your comments, ratings, and any suggestions or adaptations below to help us improve and make our recipes more successful.

    This post has been updated from the recipe archives, first published in January 2017.


    Hi, I’m Manali!

    Bringing you easy, delicious vegetarian & vegan recipes! Eating veggies can be fun, you just need to get creative in the kitchen with the right set of ingredients!


    Leave a comment

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    52 Comments

    1. Hi!
      These were one of my absolute favourite things I had in India, some had cauliflower inside too.. But here where I live , atta flour and some of the spices aren’t easy to come by, and would be a really expensive special order. Can I substitute atta flour with anything more readily available? Also, can the dough be made ahead and frozen? Or the entire thing frozen and then defrosted and fried when wanted?
      Thank you so much!

      1. Hi Kirsten, paratha is always made with atta so if you are looking for the same taste that you had in India then you should use atta. Else use whole wheat flour mixed with half all purpose flour that you find it baking aisle and try with that. The dough is best made when fresh. You can definitely cook the paratha and freeze it but in my experience potatoes do not freeze well.

    2. 5 stars
      I enjoy the paratha’s very much. It’s the first time in a long time that I have tried to make them and I was pleasantly surprised. Especially, since I didn’t have whole wheat duram, I got by with some semonlina and a little all-purpose flour. I paired them with some Keema (using veggie crumbles) based on a recipe from @spicecravings!
      Thanks for sharing all your recipes, they are a great source of inspiration!
      Chris

    3. 5 stars
      Another great recipe. Thank you, Manali! I made these stuffed with mashed baked yam instead of boiled white potato, and with the same spices; topped with yogurt and your apple chutney—hard to stop eating them! Do you have recommendations on how to make this with sweet potato/yam and make them so the filling does not get squeezed out during the rolling process? I was thinking maybe yam has more moisture in it than white potato and I should try to ‘reduce’/dry out the sweet potato mix in a frying pan on low heat–what do you think? Or maybe I need to roll the dough thicker before adding the filling? Thanks.

      1. a good idea will be to grate them and then roast them a little to dry off the moisture, also do not add salt in the filling. Add salt at the last point when you have added the filling and just before rolling, sprinkle salt on top.

    4. Everything looks good until we roll it. It got destroyed when I put the mixture inside and rolled. Could not make it through. Sorry.

      1. rolling a perfect paratha is a skill which takes time and constant practice. It took me many years to learn it myself, so if this was your first try, I am not surprised 🙂

    5. 5 stars
      I loved it! Came out beautiful! My husband is Indian and I’m always trying to make him home made food he remembers from his own childhood home. Thank you for sharing. I love your blog 🙂

    6. Hi there,

      Love your recipes and been working through several of them recently. One question: The recipe instructions say to use chat masala, but the ingredient and quantity are not listed in the ingredients lists. How much chat masala should we use? Thanks again!

    7. Manali – Is there a certain type of potatoes you buy for these? Sometimes when I use Russet Potatoes -they seem too sticky making it difficult to roll the parantha…Any suggestions on that are appreciated

    8. 5 stars
      Made these tonight. First time I ever made paratha. They were delicious. Aloo paratha is one of my husband’s favorites when we eat out and he loved them. Very easy to follow instructions. Thank you for the recipe.

    9. This aloo paratha sounds EXACTLY up my alley!! I love that it uses potato in the dough!

    10. This aloo paratha sounds amazing, Manali! Potatoes are the perfect winter comfort food. Now go put some socks on, ok? 🙂

    11. Hope it warms up a little for you, Manali! I’ve never had paratha before, but I love the sound of it! Sounds delicious with the potato filling!