Jeera Aloo is a vibrantly spiced North Indian sautéed side dish of boiled potatoes tempered with cumin, ground spices and herbs. It is satisfying to eat as it is easy to prepare. This classic Jeera Aloo Recipe is loaded with cumin and fresh herbs, and is naturally gluten-free and vegan. Try it for a healthy and comforting lunch or as an addition to your favorite dinner dishes!
About Jeera Aloo Recipe
Jeera Aloo is Hindi for “Cumin Potatoes,” which is about the most perfect name for this deliciously spiced dish.
Lots of earthy, rich cumin seeds are the foundation in this recipe. As you see with the name of the recipe, in Hindi, Jeera refers to Cumin and Aloo means Potatoes.
Both the potatoes and cumin are complimented with green chilies, turmeric, chili powder and lemon juice, and all together create a fantastic blend of bold and tangy flavors. Every bite of tender potato tastes so warm and comforting!
You can also add a bit of fresh minced ginger, if you like, for even more spice. And although I don’t include garlic or onion here, feel free to add them when you try this easy jeera aloo recipe for yourself.
The recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Whole potatoes are boiled with the skins on, then cooled, peeled and chopped, and sautéed with spices.
Jeera aloo is great for making as a filling and healthy lunch, or hearty side for any number of main dinner dishes.
Below you’ll find my step-by-step photos, video and instructions for making the best jeera aloo recipe, plus yummy serving ideas!
Cumin imparts a rich, earthy flavor to any dish it’s added too, especially when other ingredients are kept minimal. A classic and popular example is Jeera Rice – a simple yet flavorful dish where rice is tempered in ghee or oil with cumin seeds and some more spices.
Step-by-Step Guide
How to Make Jeera Aloo
Cook Potatoes
1. First, scrub and rinse 5 to 6 medium-sized potatoes (500 grams) in water.
2. Boil or steam the potatoes along with ½ teaspoon salt in a stove-top pressure cooker, Instant pot or a pan, until they are tender and cooked well. Do not overcook or they’ll become mushy!
a) In a stove-top pressure cooker: Place the potatoes and add enough water which just about covers the potatoes in a 3 or 4 litre pressure cooker. Pressure cook on medium-heat for 7 to 9 minutes.
b) In a pan or pot: Peel, and chop the potatoes in small cubes. Chopping will make them cook faster in a pan. Add water enough to cover the potatoes. Sprinkle salt. Cover and simmer on a low to medium-low heat until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain all the water and set aside.
c) In the Instant Pot: Place a trivet in the steel insert of a 6 quart IP. Keep the potatoes on top of the trivet. If you do not have a trivet, you can use a steaming pan which fits in the IP. Pressure cook for 20 to 25 minutes on high pressure.
3. For the stovetop pressure cooker, wait until all the pressure falls in the cooker and then remove the lid.
For the Instant Pot, do a quick pressure release (QPR) after 5 to 7 minutes.
The potatoes should be just cooked until barely fork-tender. You want them to still be firm enough to withstand additional cooking in a skillet next.
Prep and Sauté
4. Once they are cool enough to touch, peel the skins and chop the potatoes into bite-sized cubes.
5. Next I recommend that you go ahead and measure out all of the ingredients you’ll need per the recipe below.
A bit of prep work ahead of time will make cooking the this recipe much easier!
6. Now it’s time to make the aloo jeera. Firstly, heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy bottomed pan or skillet over medium heat.
Using a heavy bottomed pan or kadai prevents the spices from burning and helps the potatoes cook evenly without breaking or sticking while sautéing.
7. Reduce the heat and to the hot oil add 3 teaspoons cumin seeds (jeera) and let them crackle for a few seconds as you continuously stir.
They should brown but not burn, so be sure to keep them moving. The cumin seeds must crackle and you must get the lovely earthy aroma from them.
8. Once the cumin seeds crackle and change color, then add 2 to 3 finely chopped green chilies (1 to 1.5 teaspoons finely chopped green chillies or serrano peppers).
Tip: Green chillies add the pungency and heat to the dish. If you are sensitive to spice, then skip adding them or add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of chopped chillies.
9. Mix well to combine the chilies and cumin seeds.
Make Jeera Aloo
10. Next, add the boiled potato cubes to the pan.
11. Mix together so that the potato cubes are evenly coated with the cracked cumin seeds and green chilies.
12. Sprinkle the potatoes with ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon of red chili powder, and salt to taste.
You can also add 1 pinch asafetida if you are not looking for a gluten-free dish.
13. Sauté the potatoes for 2 to 3 minutes on low to medium-low heat, stirring often to keep the potatoes from sticking and overcooking. The smell of the seasonings together is absolutely amazing!
14. Next add 2 to 3 teaspoons of lemon juice, depending on how much sour flavor you like. Start with 1 teaspoon, and taste as you add a bit more of the lemon juice at a time to reach just the right level of tanginess.
The brightness from the lemon really brings the flavors in the dish together. 3 teaspoons of lemon juice makes the dish nicely tangy and if you love tangy food, you will like it.
If you are not a fan of tangy or sour food, then add 1 to 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.
15. Lastly, add ¼ cup of chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.
16. Gently mix the coriander into the jeera aloo, and turn off the heat.
Serving Suggestions
17. Serve Jeera Aloo hot or warm with Chapati, Poori, Paratha or your favorite Indian bread.
You can also serve it as a side dish with any type of dal, kadhi or rajma masala and steamed rice or jeera rice.
If you enjoy pairing Indian-style potatoes with fried breads but want a change from the usual poori, try serving this dish with Bedmi Puri – a spiced lentil fried bread, or Luchi, a popular Bengali fried bread made with all-purpose flour.
Storage & Leftovers
Refrigerate any leftovers for 1 to 2 days. I usually make wraps, rolls or grilled sandwiches with any leftovers. The earthy spiced tangy potatoes taste fabulous in a toasted sandwich or wraps.
Expert Tips
- Type of potatoes: The variety of potatoes that you can use for this recipe are Yukon gold (yellow potatoes), red skinned potatoes, baby potatoes or russet potatoes.
- Choice of cooking equipments: You can use a pressure cooker, pan/pot or Instant Pot to boil the potatoes. Ensure cooking the potatoes till fork tender, and not to over steam or boil them.
- Adjusting spicing: Green chillies are added in this dish for the pungency and spiciness. If you have an aversion towards heat in food, then make the dish without the green chilies or reduce the quantity.
- Gluten-free option: If you are fine with turning this dish into a non-gluten free one, then you can also add some asafoetida (hing).
- Variations: Some spice and herb variations that you can do in this recipe is by using about 1 teaspoon minced ginger, 1 teaspoon coriander powder and ½ teaspoon garam masala powder. These elevate the overall flavors of the dish.
- Tanginess: Adjust the quantity of lemon juice in the dish, according to the level of tanginess your palate prefers. If you are not much of a fan of too much sourness in a dish, then reduce the quantity to 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
FAQs
What are the best potatoes to use for making jeera aloo?
There are several different potatoes that work well for this jeera aloo recipe. Yukon gold (yellow potatoes), red skinned potatoes, baby potatoes, and russet potatoes are all well-suited for Indian cooking.
What else can I use instead of lemon juice?
If lemon juice is not available you can use 2 teaspoons of dry mango powder (amchur powder) or 2 teaspoons dry pomegranate powder (anardana powder) to get the lovely sour note. Add dry pomegranate powder, at the step when you add turmeric powder and red chilli powder.
How can I make aloo jeera without boiling the potatoes?
If you do not want to boil the potatoes, then follow these steps:
- Fry the cumin seeds and green chillies in the oil as I have explained above in the step-by-step guide.
- Add potato cubes (rinsed, peeled and preferably cut in 0.5 to 1 inch cubes). Mix and then add the spice powders and salt.
- Cover the skillet or pan tightly and cook the potatoes until tender on a low to medium-low heat. If they start sticking to the pan, add some splashes of water. Mix, cover and continue to cook until potatoes are tender.
- Finish with the coriander leaves and lemon juice.
More Potato Recipes To Try!
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Jeera Aloo Recipe
Jeera Aloo is a classic North Indian side dish made with boiled potato cubes sautéed in oil or ghee with cumin, ground spices, herbs and lemon juice. The recipe is naturally gluten-free, vegan and gets ready in less than thirty minutes from start to finish. It is best paired with roti, chapati, paratha or poori.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Prevent your screen from going dark while making the recipe
Cooking potatoes
Scrub and rinse potatoes very well in water.
Steam or cook the potatoes in a pan, stove-top pressure cooker or in the Instant pot.
a) Cooking in a stove-top pressure cooker: In a 3 or 4 litre pressure, add the potatoes and pour enough water which just about covers the potatoes. Pressure cook on medium-heat for 7 to 9 minutes. When the cooking is complete, wait until all the pressure falls in the cooker and then remove the lid.
b) Cooking in a pan or pot: Peel, and chop the potatoes in small cubes. Add water enough to cover the potatoes. Sprinkle salt. Cover and simmer on a low to medium-low heat until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain all the water and set aside.
c) Pressure cooking in the Instant Pot: Place a trivet in the steel insert of a 6 quart IP. Keep the potatoes on top of the trivet. If you do not have a trivet, you can use a steaming pan which fits in the steel insert. Pressure cook for 20 to 25 minutes on high pressure. Do a quick pressure release (QPR) after 5 to 7 minutes.
The potatoes should be just cooked until barely fork-tender and not crumbly.
If you have cooked the potatoes, in a stove-top pressure cooker or in the Instant pot, then let the potatoes become warm or cool at room temperature, then peel them and cut into small cubes.
Making jeera aloo
In a pan, heat oil on medium heat. Let the oil become hot.
Lower the heat and add cumin seeds and let them crackle in the oil taking care not to burn them. Stir them when they begin to crackle.
The cumin seeds should brown but not burn, so be sure to keep them moving. They must crackle and you must get the lovely earthy aroma from them.
Now add chopped green chillies and mix very well.
Add the potato cubes and mix again.
Sprinkle turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt as required. Mix thoroughly.
Saute the potatoes for 2 to 3 minutes on low to medium flame stirring often.
Next add 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice, depending on how much tangy flavor you prefer. Start with 1 teaspoon, mix and taste as you add a bit more of the lemon juice at a time to reach just the right level of tanginess.
Finish off with ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves.
Combine and mix thoroughly. Switch off the heat.
Serving suggestions
Serve Jeera Aloo hot or warm with roti, poori, paratha or your favorite bread. You can also serve it as a side dish with dal and steamed rice.
- Lemon juice substitute: In place of lemon juice, you can also add 2 teaspoons dried mango powder (amchur powder) or 2 teaspoons dried pomegranate powder (anardana powder). If using the latter, add it with the turmeric powder and red chili powder.
- Type of potatoes: Use yukon gold (yellow potatoes), red skinned potatoes, baby potatoes, new potatoes or russet potatoes.
- Spice and herb variations: You can add about 1 teaspoon minced ginger. 1 teaspoon of ground coriander (coriander powder) and ½ teaspoon of garam masala powder also gives good flavors.
- Fats: While I make jeera aloo in oil, for a richer version, opt to make it in ghee.
- Green chillies: Green chillies bring in the pungency and heat to the dish. If you are sensitive to spice, then skip the green chillies or just add about ¼ to ½ teaspoon of chopped chillies or serrano peppers.
Nutrition Facts
Jeera Aloo Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 86 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 531mg23%
Potassium 21mg1%
Carbohydrates 2g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 129IU3%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1mg5%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Vitamin E 4mg27%
Vitamin K 3µg3%
Calcium 11mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
Magnesium 4mg1%
Phosphorus 6mg1%
Zinc 1mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Jeera Aloo recipe from the archives was first published on September 2011.
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