How to make easy gluten free samosas with a sweet & spicy chickpea filling

Easy gluten-free samosas are filled with a sweet and spicy chickpea filling that makes you feel like you're travelling through the markets of New Delhi - from the comfort of your own couch.

My gluten-free samosas are made only with whole and natural ingredients. The best part is that they come together in a fraction of the time thanks to a ready-made, frozen sweet and spicy chickpea filling that is vegan, gluten-free and paleo.

This post is a partnership with Wholly Veggie! Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible; I am proud to only work with companies that I truly believe in.

Jump to:

• University snacks
• Adapting samosas to be gluten-free
• Ingredient Spotlight: Sweet & Spicy Chickpea Veggie-Full Meal
• Ingredients for gluten-free samosas recipe
• Directions to Make gf Samosas Recipe and Dipping Sauce
• Directions for tamarind dipping sauce
• Scaling the recipe
• Storage
• Heating instructions
• Top Tips for making gluten-free samosas
• More Gluten-Free Recipes
• Recipe

University snacks

When I started university, I divided all my classes into three days. From 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I'd spend the day on campus, alternating between studiously sitting through classes to wanting to claw out my eyes with boredom.

The hardest part of that schedule was my constant and recurring desire to sleep through my study periods, those gaps I left in my day assuming I'd be doing all the readings for the next few classes. The second hardest part was packing enough nourishing food to last me through the long days.

That's when I discovered samosas.

Sold by students trying to raise money for their associations, Indian samosas were a cheap, filling vegetarian snack. What they lacked in health they more than made up for in flavour. And if I could get a little package of tamarind dipping sauce with them, my meal was complete. I also loved pairing them with a tamarind cocktail, which my friends dubbed "the Samosa Cocktail" for its sweet and tangy flavor..

Adapting samosas to be gluten-free

After going gluten-free, samosas were one of the foods I missed the most. But the process of making them always seemed so tedious. First, you had to cook the filling. Then, develop the dough. Third came the folding. And then the frying. Only later did you also need to think of a dipping sauce (because what's a samosa without dipping sauce?!)

In total, too much work.

That is, until I discovered the Wholly Veggie! ready-made veggie-full meals - and that's when I knew my filling was taken care of.

Don't get me wrong, making gluten-free samosas at home is still going to be a labour of love. But for many of us with celiac or gluten intolerances, these easy gluten-free samosas are going to be the only way to enjoy a take-out favorite.

The funny thing is, these gluten-free samosas are even better than take-out!

I like to serve these gluten-free samosas with a light vegetable side, as they're already quite filling! My personal favorite is roasted garden carrots, creamy cucumber salad, or a sweet and simple Russian vinaigrette salad. If you are looking for more hand pies, try my vegetarian empanadas or bosnian pita pies.

Ingredient Spotlight: Sweet & Spicy Chickpea Veggie-Full Meal

The secret ingredient to the perfect gluten-free samosas recipe is the sweet & spicy chickpea veggie-full meal.

Full of the comforting and familiar flavours of chickpeas, tomatoes, butternut squash, lentils, spinach, chickpea balls, and red bell peppers, this filling has an incredible balance of sweet and spicy flavours. Believe me that in between tastings, it was hard to leave enough of it to actually use as a filling!

All Wholly Veggie! ready-made meals are dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan or vegetarian (depending on the product), soy-free and non GMO. They can be heated in the microwave, which turned out to be a great plus when I had a screaming toddler on my hands one afternoon.

And they're actually made by a Canadian company in a kitchen, not a factory.

So excuse me as I go and stock up my freezer full of them.

Ingredients for gluten-free samosas recipe

To make these easy gluten-free samosas with sweet & spicy chickpea filling you need:

For the Gluten-Free Samosas:

• Sweet and spicy chickpea filling: pre-seasoned and hearty
• Gluten-free flour mix: or a combination of corn, rice, tapioca, and potato flours
• Turmeric: adds a warm, earthy flavor
• Ground fennel seed: provides a fragrant, licorice-like note
• Xanthan gum: helps bind the samosa pastry dough (if not included in the plain flour mix)
• Salt: enhances overall flavor
• Baking powder: creates a light, crisp texture
• Coconut oil: improves dough texture and richness
• Water or non-dairy milk: adds moisture

Ingredients for tamarind dipping sauce:

• Tamarind paste: forms a tangy base
• Hot water: dissolves ingredients evenly
• Salt: balances flavors
• Chili pepper flakes or ground chili: brings a spicy kick
• Brown sugar: introduces sweetness
• Ground cumin seeds and coriander: add earthy warmth to the chutney

See recipe card for exact quantities.

Directions to Make gf Samosas Recipe and Dipping Sauce

This recipe is truly one of the best gluten-free samosa recipes I've ever tasted. The resulting dough is a beautiful orange color, and it flakes in your mouth as you bite into. The sweet & spicy chickpea filling is perfectly balanced, full of crunch and texture.

Prep ingredients

The only thing you'll need to do to the Wholly Veggie! ready-made sweet & spicy chickpea meal is defrost it. You can use the microwave, or good old time.

This dough comes together super easily in the food processor. If you don't have one, you can mix all the ingredients in a bowl using a spatula and your hands.

If using a food processor, you'll be working with the all-purpose blade, so set that up.

Make the flaky gluten-free samosa dough

Next, add the gluten-free flour mix or the individual flours to the food processor bowl. Add ground fennel and turmeric, along with xanthan gum if your mix doesn't have it. Pulse briefly to combine if using individual flours. 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.

Prepare your working surface

Dust a large working surface with some gluten-free flour (I like to use potato flour or rice flour for this). This is where you'll be rolling out your samosas, so you want a fairly large area.

Shape and chill the dough

Take the dough out of the food proessor, and knead it until dough is soft and pliable. Lightly coat in gluten-free flour and wrap in plastic wrap.

Refrigerate gluten-free samosa dough for 30 minutes.

Form gluten-free samosa dough into balls

Divide the dough into 12 equal portions for small samosas. Each ball should be about the size of a ping pong ball.

Roll out samosa sheets

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.

Fill gluten-free samosas with sweet & spicy filling

Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the 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.

Shape your samosas

There are two ways to shape your samosas that I like:

The lazy way: Half moons

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.

This is the same folding technique as used in my vegetarian empanadas.

The traditional way: 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 until its colous becomes golden-brown and they crisp up. Remove samosas onto a plate lined with a paper towel.

Directions for tamarind 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.

Serve gluten-free samosas with sweet & spicy filling with tamarind dipping sauce

Serve gluten-free samosas warm, with a side of our tamarind dipping sauce.

Scaling the recipe

This rice-flour samosa recipe makes about 20 samosas. Halve the recipe if you're looking for one meal for 2-4 people.

You can also make more of these gluten-free samosas and freeze them.

Storage

Easy gluten-free samosas with sweet & spicy filling will keep in a sealed container in refrigerator for one week. They will keep much longer in the freezer, though.

Heating instructions

If reheating gluten-free samosas that were made in advance, it's better to use the oven at 400F for 5 minutes.

It's best to let these samosas naturally thaw out and not cook directly from frozen.

More Gluten-Free Recipes

If you loved these gluten-free samosas, you'll enjoy these other delicious, gluten-free recipes! Start your morning off right with a comforting Gluten-Free French Toast, perfect for a satisfying breakfast. For a hearty, savory meal, try this Gluten-Free Vegetarian Moussaka, a Greek classic made without gluten. If you're in the mood for baking, the Gluten-Free Pie Crust is versatile and vegan, while the Gluten-Free Cornbread is great for any Southern-inspired feast. And for something sweet, don’t miss the Pistachio Cranberry Cookies, a perfect blend of flavors in every bite.

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