Jeera Aloo Recipe (Cumin Potatoes)

Jump to Recipe

Jeera Aloo is a delicious vegetarian Indian dhaba style side dish recipe for boiled potatoes cooked in cumin seeds. A flavorful potato dish which you can prepare just in few minutes with only handful of ingredients. This easy cumin potato recipe is definitely a keeper, you won't regret it!

Close up of Jeera aloo served on round earthenware with sliced onions and chili on side

Jump to:

What makes this recipe so good?
Ingredients + Notes
How to make Jeera Aloo
FAQs + Storage
Expert Tips
Serving Suggestion
More delicious potato recipes for you
📖 Recipe

What makes this recipe so good?

Tributes sprout in my mind when I think how the humble potato can transform into a crispy succulent dish like this Jeera Aloo. When there’s no vegetable available at home this starchy tuber comes to the rescue.

The great part of this Jeera Aloo recipe is, you can not only serve it as a side dish with bread or dal rice, but also enjoy as a snack as well as appetizer.

Be it lunch, dinner or breakfast, my family would happily welcome this tantalizing potato side dish. The aroma of the potatoes sizzling in oil infused with cumins fills the air, they are in pure joy waiting for the dish to arrive at the table.

It's a perfect meal during fasts which helps in keeping your empty stomach satisfied.

As this recipe has cumin seeds and roasted cumin powder, it enhances the flavor of this zingy dish. It also helps in the process of digestion along with ginger, turmeric, coriander seeds and also naturally add flavor to this dish.

Now, coming to the secret that makes this dry Jeera Aloo fry so delicious is the use of special homemade Jeera Masala. Lightly roasted mix of spices gives boiled baby potatoes a perfect Punjabi dhaba style flavor which is totally irresistible.

If you have boiled potatoes stored in your refrigerator, then you can pull it off in flat 15 minutes. Isn't it so easy and quick? 🙂

This Jeera Aloo is:

Simple, quick and easy
Versatile - serve it as snack, side dish, appetizer or mains
Vegan, gluten free, paleo and whole30 approve
Easily customisable for larger crowd

Ingredients + Notes

Coming down to the ingredients which you can below, you only need handful of pantry stuffs to make this delicious jeera aloo fry.

mise en place for jeera aloo recipe - boiled baby potatoes, spices, seasonings, lime, chilies and cilantro

Potato : As you see here, I am using boiled baby potatoes for this recipe. But feel free to use regular boiled potato cubes here.

Chilies : Feel free to use serrano peppers in case if green chilies are not handy.

How to make Jeera Aloo

First, start with dry roasting the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and dried red chilies until fragrant.

cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and dried red chilies dry roasting in small pan

Then, add the dry roasted masala and ½ teaspoon dry mango powder to the blender and blend to a coarse powder. The Jeera Masala is ready to use, set it aside.

dry roasted spices ground to make coarse jeera masala powder in blender jar

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. When the oil hot enough, reduce the flame to medium and add the cumin seeds and green chillies. Allow the cumin seeds to crackle for few seconds until fragrant, does not burn.

cumin seeds and slit green chilies added in hot oil in pan

Add grated ginger and sauté for few seconds.

grated ginger added to hot oil in pan with cumin seeds and green chilies.

Then, add turmeric powder and cook for few seconds making sure it does not burn. Keep the flame medium low as to avoid burning.

ground turmeric added to pan after sautéing grated ginger in oil

Then add boiled baby potatoes, salt and toss very well, cover and cook on low for 3-4 minutes.

TIP: Let the potato sear for few extra minutes to give nice crispy golden layer.

boiled and peeled baby potatoes, and salt added to the pan

After cooking boiled potatoes for few minutes, add ground jeera masala powder and mix. Cook on low heat for not more than 1 minute only, cooking for too long may burn the masala.

ground jeera masala added to the cooked potatoes in pan

Finally, add lemon juice (or lime juice) and chopped cilantro leaves and toss.

Cooked jeera aloo tossed with lime juice and fresh chopped cilantro in pan

Serve hot with puri, roti or paratha along with some sliced onions on side.

FAQs + Storage

How do you make jeera aloo without boiling the potatoes?

1. Prepare jeera masala powder and set it aside.
2. Start with peeling and cutting the regular potatoes into small cubes. Heat oil in heavy bottom pan and the reduce the heat to medium.
3. Add cumin seeds and let it crackle. Then, add green chilies, ginger and turmeric powder.
4. Add potato cubes and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Then, add salt and mix. Sprinkle some water, cover and cook again for 5-6 minutes until potato cubes and soft but intact.
6. Add prepared jeera masala and toss. Cook on low heat for 1 minute only.
7. Squeeze lemon juice and add chopped coriander leaves, toss. Serve hot with puris, parathas, roti or dal rice.

How to store the leftovers?

Transfer the leftover cumin potatoes in clean airtight box and refrigerate it up to 4 days.

What other variety potatoes are the best to cook jeera aloo?

Apart from baby potatoes, you can opt to use Yukon potatoes, russet potatoes as well as red skinned potatoes to make this recipe.

Expert Tips

To get the best dhaba style taste, please do not compromise on and skip jeera masala steps. It provides amazing flavor profile to this jeera aloo sabji.

As said above, you can use regular boiled potato cubes instead of baby potatoes here. For the below mentioned amount, use 2 and half cups boiled potatoes cubes.

Another key point to remember, heat the oil very well and then simmer the heat before adding cumin. The hot oil on simmering heat will infuse the cumin flavor to the oil perfectly without burning it.

Increase or decrease the amount of green chillies and red chillies as per your taste.

overhead shot of cumin potatoes serving on black plate with fried poori bread on the side

Serving Suggestion

You can serve this jeera aloo with any of your favorite Indian breads like Paratha, Roti, Puri or Bedmi Puri.

Or simply pair it with Khichdi or Dal Rice with some salad and papad on side.

A small bowl of cooked potatoes for breakfast keeps body energetic all day long. So, at times we even enjoy this small bowl of cumin potatoes as breakfast just like that! 🙂

More delicious potato recipes for you

If you made my Punjabi dhaba style Jeera Aloo recipe, please let me know how it turned out for you! I'd love to hear through your comments and ratings below.

If you are looking for more delicious and easy recipes delivered straight to your inbox, you can sign up for my email newsletter.

You can also follow me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook to see more of my kitchen creations.

Jeera Aloo (Cumin Potatoes)