Best Homemade Pani Puri / Golgappe Recipe

This recipe is the best pani puri or golgappe ever! You will fall in love with all the flavors and the deep-fried goodness of this traditional Indian street food. These little pastries are stuffed with a delectable blend of spices, potatoes and sweet chutney that creates an irresistible treat. One bite and you will not be able to resist having just one!

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Jump to:

• Watch the video
• What is Pani Puri or Golgappa
• Why you’ll love this recipe
• What you’ll need
• How to make Pani Puri
• How to make Pani Puri water / Golgappa pani
• Pro tips and tricks
• Is Pani Puri vegan and gluten-free?
• Why are my puris not crispy?
• How to store Pani Puri water
• How to store puris
• Stuffing variations 
• Other recipes you will love
• Let us know what you think
• BEST HOMEMADE PANI PURI / GOLGAPPA

LET’S BE FRIENDS ON PINTEREST! WE’RE ALWAYS PINNING TASTY RECIPES

Watch the video

What is Pani Puri or Golgappa

Pani puri is a traditional Indian street food. It our family’s must have whenever we host a chaat party or any other family get together. Pani puri, which is also known as golgappa, are fried crepe-like pastries that are stuffed with potatoes, sweet chutney, and flavored water. 

They are literally bursting with flavor. If you have one, you are guaranteed to eat at least two more!

Why you’ll love this recipe

Pani puri is the perfect food for any chaat party. This recipe follows a traditional Indian style of cooking and flavors and it is easy to make them right at home. If you have lived in India or visited there, these will remind you of the delicious golgappe you could get from many street vendors.

What you’ll need

You’ll need three sets of ingredients for this recipe. They include:

• Puri ingredients
• Pani ingredients
• For the filling

For the homemade puri

The delicious homemade puri uses the following ingredients:

• Fava / semolina / suji
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Oil - You’ll need a high smoke point oil to mix the dough, for the board and rolling pin, and for frying the dough.
• Hot water 

For the pani

For the pani, you’ll need the following:

• Mint / pudina
• Coriander
• Ginger
• Green chilies
• Tamarind chutney
• Chaat masala
• Pinch of hing / asafetida
• Roasted cumin powder
• Half lime juice.
• Black salt/ kala namak
• Cold water

For the filling

To make the filling, you’ll need the following:

• Boiled and mashed potatoes - You can use your favorite potatoes, but we often use white or gold.
• Boondi
• Salt
• Red chili powder
• Chopped cilantro

How to make Pani Puri

Follow the steps below to make the best golgappe at home every time.

Making the dough

• First, add the fine semolina/sooji, all-purpose flour, and baking soda in a bowl and mix well.
• Next, pour in the oil, crumble, and mix well making sure the semolina/sooji turns moist.
• Once the dough is moist, add the hot water and knead it for 5 to 8 minutes or until the dough is formed.
• Then, sprinkle water as needed and knead until it forms a smooth and soft dough.
• Finally, cover the dough and rest for 30 minutes before kneading for 2 more minutes before rolling the dough out.

Rolling the dough

• First, divide the dough into 6 roughly equal parts. Next, grease the rolling pin and the work surface with oil. Once they are ready, roll the dough evenly to a diameter of about 7 to 8 inches.
• It should not be too thick or thin. About .5 to 2 mm in thickness is fine.
• Next, use a round cutter to cut out circles from the dough.
• Once the rounds are removed, transfer them on to a damp cloth and cover them with another damp cloth. 
• Repeat the same with the other parts of the dough by collecting the scraps, kneading again, and rolling it out. Use the same process until all the puri are rolled out.

Store Bought Puri

You can use this ready to cook puri from Amazon to skip the preparation of Puri. Use the Air Fryer to avoid the deep frying of Puri

• Pre-heat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 360 degree Fahrenheit.
• Arrange the puri in a single layer. Brush or spray some oil on to the puri.
• Air fry the puri for 2 minutes.
• Remove the puri and set it aside. Continue with the next batch of puri.

Frying the Puri

• First, heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed wok or kadai. To check the right temperature and thickness, test one puri, it should sizzle, float, and puff up immediately.
• Next, gently add 3 to 4 puris to the oil. You can nudge the puris with a spoon to help them puff up a bit. 
• Fry all the puris over medium heat. You can use the ones that don’t puff up for other chaat snacks like sev puri or eat them with chai or other favorites.
• As they fry, flip them periodically so that both sides reach a light golden-brown color and puris are crisp.
• Finally, remove from the oil and place on an absorbent paper towel to soak up extra liquid..

Filling for the puri

• For the filling, first peel and mash the boiled potatoes. Next, add in the boondi, salt, and chili powder. 
• Finally, mix well and set aside.

How to make Pani Puri water / Golgappa pani

For the pani puri water, follow these easy steps.

• First, use a blender to grind all the pani ingredients very well.
• Then, add 4 cups of water and any additional seasoning if you prefer a stronger flavor.
• Once the ingredients are in the water, place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to chill. 
• After an hour, the pani puri ka pani is ready. Finally, add boondi to the pani if you wish to while serving.

Assembly Ingredients

• When you are ready to assemble, crack the top of the puris with your thumb and stuff the cavity with soaked boondi and boiled mashed potatoes. Next, add a dash of sweet chutney and a spoonful of pani. You will want to serve it immediately.
• If you prefer, you can skip the sweet chutney. 
• Either way, they will turn soggy if you wait too long to eat them.

Pro tips and tricks

If you have never made these delicious morsels at home, check out these pro tips and tricks to help you out:

• Make sure you cover the dough when you let it rest to avoid it drying out.
• Don’t forget to knead the dough since this step can make the difference between crispy and softer puri.
• When rolled out, make sure the dough is even and neither too thin or too thick.
• The dough should be soft and similar to chapati dough.
• Make sure to let the dough rest for 30 minutes because this gives the gluten a chance to activate.
• The oil needs to be hot to cook the puris properly but then should be reduced down to medium.
• You can use any puri that does not puff for chaat recipes.
• Avoid overcrowding the oil.
• To reinvigorate soft puri, place them on a cookie sheet and place them in an oven preheated to 200 degrees and then turned off for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Is Pani Puri vegan and gluten-free?

Pani puri is naturally vegan since it uses only plant-based ingredients and does not need any modifications.

It is not gluten-free since it uses both semolina and all purpose flour and both of these contain gluten. You may be able to substitute the all-purpose flour for a gluten free version, but we have not tested this version.

Why are my puris not crispy?

When frying, the oil has to be the right temperature. If it is too cold, the pastries won’t puff up or become crispy, and when the oil is too hot, it can burn the puri before it has a chance to cook.

To test the oil, we recommend placing only one puri in at first to see if it sizzles and starts to puff up quickly. If it does, then the oil is the right temperature for the puri. You can then add 3 to 4 at a time to cook, just make sure you don’t overcrowd the wok or pan.

Also, make sure to knead them well since this will help activate the gluten and help them get crispier in the oil.

How to store Pani Puri water

You can easily store pani puri water in the fridge for several weeks. In fact, before you use it, we recommend allowing it to cool in the fridge for a couple of hours so the flavors have a chance to come together. Just make sure that when you store it to use an airtight container.

How to store puris

The puri store well on the counter in an airtight container if you have not stuffed them yet. To store, allow them to cool completely and wrap with a paper towel before adding to an airtight container.

If you have stuffed the puris, allow them to cool before placing them in an airtight container. You will want to store the stuffed puris in the fridge. They generally last about 3 to 5 days once stuffed.

To reheat, you can place them in an oven set to 350 degrees and allow them to warm through for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Stuffing variations 

In addition to to our stuffing, you can try a few different stuffings for the golgappes for added variety. Some of our other favorites include:

• sprouted mung beans
• white peas
• kala chana

Of course, you can other flavors that you love too. As long as they are cut small enough to fit in the puri, you can use your imagination.

Other recipes you will love

If you love foods that you can serve at your next chaat party, family get together, or anytime you are serving a large crowd, check out these other crowd pleasers:

• Samosa
• Samosa chaat
• Bombay sandwich
• Onion bhaji
• Dahi vada
• Pav bhaji
• Dabeli

Let us know what you think

If you make this great pani puri recipe at home, let us know how it went! When you make them, be sure to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @dbellyrulesdmind or Facebook @thebellyrulesthemind!

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