Pani Puri

By Dassana Amit
Last Updated: September 22, 2021

Vegan, Vegetarian
4.90 from 95 votes • 147 Comments

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Pani puri is an immensely popular Indian street food of crispy, hollow, fried dough balls (puri) stuffed with boiled potatoes or steamed moong sprouts or boiled chickpeas or white peas curry (also known as ragda) together with spicy tangy water and a sweet chutney. Pani puri is a favorite chaat snack of many folks and ours too. With so many bursts of tastes and flavors in your mouth when you have pani puri, you just cannot have one 🙂

pani puri recipe, pani puri
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Table of Contents

  1. What is Pani Puri
  2. How to make Pani Puri (Stepwise Photos)
  3. Helpful Tips for Pani Puri
  4. Recipe Card

What is Pani Puri

Pani Literally translates to water and here the Puris are fried puffed crisp dough balls which are hollow. Generally, the water or pani is sour, tangy as well as spicy. This spicy pani is balanced with the addition of sweet tamarind chutney.

This sweet chutney is called as Meetha (which means sweet) Pani. The spicy water is called as Teekha (which means spicy) Pani. Both are added in the puri along with the main filling which consists of boiled potatoes, cooked chickpeas, moong sprouts or a thick dry curry made from white peas which is called as Ragda.

I don’t know who invented pani puri or how it came into existence. It is one of the popular street foods in India. Whereas in Mumbai, we call it pani puri. In the northern states, it is called Golgappa and in Bengal, it is called as Puchka. In Bihar and Jharkand its known as gupchup. So there various ways this street food snack is made and enjoyed.

This is an easy pani puri recipe as you don’t need to make the sweet tamarind chutney.

The pani recipe that I share is spicy, tangy as well as sweet. However if you want a more sweeter taste, you can make the sweet chutney.

This pani or spiced water recipe is my mom’s recipe and to save time she would make the pani in such a way that it would have all the three major tastes – spicy, tangy and sweet. So all three tastes – teekha, khatta and meetha taste in just one pani. Otherwise generally both the spicy chutney and sweet chutney are made separately.

Pani puri is my most favorite chaat from childhood. I used to have them often with my family on the streets of Mumbai (Bombay) and it was something I have thoroughly enjoyed.

If you are a foodie then there few more delicious street food recipes from Mumbai which you can easily make at home like:

pani puri served in bowls and plates
Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Pani Puri

1. Rinse 1 cup tightly packed coriander leaves, ½ cup tightly packed mint leaves, 2 to 3 green chilies and 1 inch ginger very well in water a few times. Drain all the water.

Peel the ginger and roughly chop it. Also chop the green chilies. Roughly chop the coriander leaves and mint leaves. Don’t use the stem of mint leaves as they can make the spiced water have a bitter taste. Only use the fresh mint leaves.

herbs in a bowl

2. Add coriander leaves, mint leaves, ginger and green chili in a grinder or blender jar. For a less spicy pani you can add just 1 chopped green chilli.

herbs added to grinder jar

3. Add 1 tablespoon tightly packed tamarind and 3.5 to 4 tablespoons jaggery powder or grated jaggery.

If you do not have tamarind, then you can use 2 tablespoons lemon juice. You can also use equal amounts of jaggery and dates. So you can add 2 tablespoons crumbled jaggery and 2 tablespoons chopped dates.

tamarind and jaggery powder added

4. Now add 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder, 1 teaspoon chaat masala and salt as per taste. You can also use a mix of black salt and pink salt or regular salt. I personally prefer to use either black salt or edible rock salt.

spices and chaat masala added

5. Add ⅓ cup water and grind to a smooth consistency.

green chutney in the grinder jar

6. Remove the chutney to a bowl or a small pan.

chutney removed in a bowl

7. Now add ½ cup water in the grinder jar and swirl the jar so that the chutney at the sides of the jar gets mixed with the water.

water added to grinder jar

8. Add this water to the bowl containing the chutney.

chutney water added to green chutney

9. Then add ½ to ¾ cup water. You can add less or more water depending on the consistency you want. But do not add too much water as then the taste and flavor of the spiced water reduces. Also check the taste and if required you can add some more jaggery or salt as required.

water added to green chutney

10. Mix very well. Cover the pan and refrigerate the pani. Before refrigerating you can also add 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of salted boondi.

Boondi also gives a good taste. It can also be made at home or purchased easily from grocery stores.

mixing water with green chutney

Making potato filling for pani puri

11. Boil 2 to 3 medium-sized potatoes. You can boil or steam the potatoes in a pan, instant pot or stovetop pressure cooker adding water as required.

When warm, peel them and chop them into small cubes. You can also add some steamed or boiled moong sprouts. Some finely chopped onions can also be added. I have added 1 small-sized finely chopped onion.

mashed potatoes in a bowl

12. Add 1 to 1.5 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves.

coriander leaves added to potatoes

13. Then add ¼ teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon chaat masala and 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder. Also add salt as per taste.

spices added to potatoes

14. Stir and mix very well. Keep aside.

mixing potatoes with herbs and spices

Assembling Pani Puri

15. Keep everything ready before you start assembling the pani puri. The potato filling, pooris and the spiced water.

In the photos below, I have made sweet tamarind dates chutney, just to show the assembling. 

First crack the top of the puri with a spoon or with your fingers or thumb. Then stuff the potato filling in the puri with a spoon.

Add a few teaspoons of sweet chutney or as per your choice. The addition of sweet chutney is optional for the pani recipe shared in this post.

serving and preparing pani puri

16. Then add a few teaspoons of the green spiced water or as per your choice.

adding green chutney in the pani puri

17. The pani puri is ready to serve. Pop in your mouth, eat every bite and enjoy the burst of various flavors and textures. Make sure to eat them immediately as you prepare each puri.

They have to be had immediately. Or else the puris become soggy. To make a Mumbai style pani puri recipe, use ragda or moong sprouts as the filling.

pani puri served in a plate

Helpful Tips for Pani Puri

  • The puri or pooris for making pani puri are made from flour or sooji (cream of wheat or rava) or both. These can be brought ready from the stores or can be made at home too.
  • If you want to make pooris at home, then check this post -> Puri recipe for golgappa.
  • For the stuffing, you can use your choice of fillings. At home we prefer moong sprouts or ragda. You can also use boiled potatoes and onions. Even boiled white chickpeas or black chickpeas can be used along with boiled potatoes.
  • Assemble everything before you begin to make pani puri.
  • You can prepare the spiced water before a few hours and then chill it in the fridge. You can also make it overnight and keep it in the fridge.
  • Adding ice cubes may dilute the taste and flavor of the water.
  • Addition of black salt gives a really good taste and flavor. So if possible do try to add black salt in the pani recipe.

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

pani puri served on a white plate

Pani Puri

By Dassana Amit

Pani puri is a popular Indian street food of crispy, fried, hollow dough balls that are stuffed with boiled potatoes, steamed moong sprouts, spicy tangy water and sweet chutney.
4.90 from 95 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Cuisine Indian
Course Snacks
Diet Vegan, Vegetarian
Difficulty Level Easy

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Servings 4
Units

Ingredients

For pani puri stuffing – * check notes for other options

  • 2 to 3 potatoes – medium-sized
  • 1 onion – small to medium-sized, optional
  • 1 to 1.5 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
  • 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili powder – optional
  • black salt or regular salt or pink salt, as required

For pani recipe

  • ½ cup chopped mint leaves – tightly packed,
  • 1 cup chopped coriander leaves – tightly packed (cilantro)
  • 1 inch ginger – chopped
  • 2 to 3 green chilies – chopped (for a less spicy pani, add about 1 green chili)
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind – tightly packed
  • 3.5 to 4 tablespoons jaggery powder or grated/chopped jaggery or sugar, add as required – check point 6 in notes
  • 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder
  • ⅓ cup water for blending
  • 1 to 1.25 cups water to be added later, add water as per the consistency you want
  • 1 to 1.5 tablespoons boondi (fried tiny gram flour balls), optional
  • black salt or regular salt, add as required

Other ingredients

  • 24 to 30 puris you could buy these puris readymade or make them at home
  • 1 small bowl Tamarind Chutney or tamarind dates chutney – optional

Instructions
 

Making pani puri stuffing

  • Boil the potatoes till they are cooked completely.
  • Peel them and then chop them.
  • Finely chop the onion if using it.
  • In a small bowl, mix the potatoes, onions, coriander leaves, cumin powder, chaat masala powder and black salt or regular salt. Mix well and keep aside.

Making pani (spiced water)

  • In a blender add all the ingredients mentioned above for the pani.
  • Add water and grind to a fine chutney.
  • Remove the green chutney in a large bowl. Rinse the mixer jar with ½ cup water first and then add this water in the bowl. Then add ½ to ¾ cup more water.
  • Mix well. Check the seasoning. Add more salt or jeera powder or chaat masala or jaggery if required. If you want a thin pani, you could add some water. But keep on checking the seasoning, as per your taste.
  • Add the boondi to the pani.
  • You can chill the pani in the fridge or add some ice cubes to it.

Assembling pani puri

  • Crack the top of the puri with a spoon.
  • Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of the boiled potato-onion filling in the poori.
  • Stir the green pani first and then add it in the poori. Optionally you can add some sweet chutney in the puri. 
  • Serve the pani puri immediately otherwise the prepared puri with stuffing and water will become soggy.
  • You can also make individual portions with the puris, potato-onion mixture and the pani. Let the individual assemble the pani puri for himself/herself as per his/her taste.

Notes

1. Pani puri stuffing ideas

Other stuffing combinations for pani puri Or a combination of these:
  • Steamed moong sprouts
  • Boiled white chickpeas (kabuli chana)
  • Boiled black chickpeas (kala chana)
  • Boiled potatoes
  • Chopped onions
  • Chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
  • Ragda – a dry white peas curry
2. To make the pani hot and spicy, You can add one more green chili.
3. Ensure that your puri is crispy and not soft. In case if the puri has become soft then lightly roast them in a pan stirring often until crispy.
4. Make sure to use fresh herbs. Don’t use the stems of mint leaves as they can make the spicy water bitter.
5. Don’t add too much water to the spicy chutney as you don’t want the flavors to become diluted.
6. Instead of only jaggery powder, you can also add 1.5 tablespoons chopped seedless dates and 1.5 tablespoons of powdered jaggery. The sweetness can be adjusted according to your taste preferences by adding less or more of the dates and jaggery. 

This Pani Puri post from the archives (August 2010) has been republished and updated on 22 September 2021.

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147 Comments

  4. I love all your recipes… but this one is my favorite 😋 thanks for sharing… God bless.5 stars

    Reply

  5. I made the pani and aloo stuffing for my family and they absolutely loved it!

    I also added lemon juice to the pani which really helped bring the flavour out. Thank you Dassana!5 stars

    Reply

    1. Great and thanks for sharing this lovely feedback. Thanks also for the rating on the recipe.

      Reply

  6. what a brilliant idea ! fried hollow ball itself so nice. stuffing and dipping… pani puri is full of fun… this recipe is going to be very interesting! thanks!5 stars

    Reply

  8. Hello! I recently made too much of the potato filling for pani puri and now I am wondering, what else can I use this filling for? I didnt think it would be ok in samosa’s because I mixed some pani puri masala into the filling as well.. HELP! I really dont want it to go to waste and neither do I want to keep eating pani puris !

    Reply

    1. You can make aloo tikki with it. Add some breadcrumbs or cornstarch or rice flour to bind the tikkis. You can also make some nice toasted or grilled potato sandwich. I also think samosa should be fine as the filling will have a spicy, tangy taste to it.

      Reply

  9. I tried this recipe..it’s so yummy. My family loved it especially my daughter.
    Thank you for posting this recipe.5 stars

    Reply

  12. Hi
    I added 1/2 tsp jaljeera powder and 1/2 tsp dry mango powder. Also 2-3 tbsp lemon juice. I also filtered the pani and used a tamarind chutney along with the filling too.

    Reply

    1. steam or boil the mangoes in a pan or pressure cooker. then make a paste of it. you can filter the mango paste if you want. then add to the pani. or alternatively, you can grind the boiled mango pulp when grinding other ingredients. remove the mango skin and the seed. just take the pulp. you can even make aam panna as khatta-meetha pani. skip cardamom in aam panna if making it as khatta-meetha pani. recipe here – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/aam-panna-recipe-aam-panna/

      Reply

  15. You are one where I got an idea to bake with wheat flour and they are successfull and my inspiration to cook.
    Followed your recipe for pani puri and pani puri water. Came out really well. My kid loved it.
    From the comments yes kneading is very important and I have to add 3 more tbsp of water on top of your recipe. And Wish I can share the picture I made.
    Thank you very Much

    Reply

    1. thanks a lot shanthi. whole wheat bakes are so good and can be made more healthy also by using healthy ingredients. for the pani puri dough less or more water depends on the quality of rava. so one can easily add more water if required. nice to know your kid loved pani puri. you can share pics at vegrecipesofindia@gmail.com

      Reply

  16. Hello, sir, I follow your recipe and it always turns out to be good. but sir I live in the USA and here sometimes we get mint leaves or sometimes mint paste in a bottle. Also, jaggery is very expensive to buy.. can you tell me a replacement of jaggery? and how much to add for 4 people? also please tell me if I am using mint paste and tamarind paste how many tablespoons I have to add ?. waiting for your reply5 stars

    Reply

    1. thanks meeta. you can use sugar instead of jaggery. just add the same amount of sugar as that of the amount of jaggery mentioned in the recipe.
      for mint paste you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of it. add as per your taste. i am not sure how much thick and concentrated the paste is, so guessing the amount. for tamarind paste, add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon.

      Reply

  17. This Paani is exactly like those of Authentic PaniPuri waalas out on streets! ???? Thanks for sharing!5 stars

    Reply

    1. fathima, filling can be as per your choice. you can add chana (white chana or black chickpeas or moong sprouts also). also the amount of red chilli powder and chaat masala in the filling can be added less or more as per your taste.

      Reply

  19. Hi am Natasha from Sri lanka! I tried this recipe They came out so good that I suprised my whole family. Thank you so much! And the recipes are so damn good!4 stars

    Reply

  21. I tried this it was very nice thanks a lot for this website I learnt so many dishes from this. especially chatts was really fantastic and everyone loved it in our family

    Reply

  24. Hi,
    I simply followed your Pani Puri recipe n came out delicious. My husband and friends loved it.
    Thank You ?

    Reply

  26. I’ve always found step by step instructions for recipes I want to learn and prepare. And the final product is delicious.
    Thank you ma’am.

    Reply

  30. hi Chef, when ever I want to try some recipe then what I look for is ur website.
    most of the recipes I have tried really came out well, thanks to step by step explanation with photos. i liked very much the recipes of street food ( chats) in this website.plz provide recipe of masal puri ,not the spicy puri one but its a chat we get along with sev puri and other chats at roadside vendors.
    thanks and regards.

    Reply

    1. thankyou smita 🙂 for your kind and positive words we are pleased to know this. have taken your request for masala puri recipe on our file and you are welcome.

      Reply

  34. Your recipes are just wonder full. I’m following ur recipes since few months and I like all of them. Ur presentation, messurements, explanation etc r so good that it inspires one to try the recipes at the earliest and too with confidence dt it will come out nice. Thank you dear for this site n ur recipes. On seeing ur site I wonder how come a person know all the recipes

    Reply

    1. thankyou so much for your kind and honest words 🙂 we are very pleased to know this god bless you.

      Reply

  37. Yummi nice… my sister was oftenly asking me.. Finally I could prepare for her.. Thank you

    Reply

  38. Dear Dassanna: Pani puri recipe is mouth watering, no doubt but how to make puris at home, (with the help of sooji (rava) or combination of wheat flour/rava, and if yes, what ratio. whether oil to be added to the dough? Pl help. thanks and best wishes.

    Pratibha

    Reply

  39. Superb I tried it thanks for helping out everyone in my family loved it fantastic indeed a useful guide I rate 5/5

    Reply

  40. Superb recipe
    Came out to be amazing !
    Me and my family loved this pani puri recipe ☺☺5 stars

    Reply

  42. Hi Dasanna,

    I have started referring to your recipes quite often now after my success in Idlis with your recipes. I often check check other sites as well for a recipe but I feel very comfortable with your style of cooking. Not only the recipes which I never tried, routine recipes like vegetables and curries I love to keep my methods aside and try your recipes. It gives a nice change to me while cooking and it is always a success with your recipes 🙂
    Thanks a lot!
    Hoping to get my pani puris also delicious just like you have shown!!5 stars

    Reply

  44. superrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr……………………………………………….5 stars

    Reply

  45. Thanks for the great recipe!
    When I first tried pani puri in Southall/ West London coming over from Germany to visit my now-husband, I thought how can you eat something like this! My husband made me eat them. After 3 of them I fell so much in love with golgappa I tried to make them at least 10 times at home. My puris always became soft, as others described, until I tried your recipe. Now we are married for almost 10 years and he requests them every week. I actually make chana masala to stuff them. Two birds with one stone – and enough left to have paratha with chane the next morning. Thanks for your recipes!5 stars

    Reply

    1. welcome dori. thanks for sharing your positive feedback on puri recipe. nice to read your story. in some places in india, chana stuffing is also added in the pani puri. it taste good.

      Reply

  46. Hi Dasanna,
    I always want to make pani puri at home but the taste does not meet like that of the street? May be because i don’t use tamarind…What can be used in place of tamarind, i have not found it in market here in Nepal

    Reply

  50. I was living in india for almost a year but I had to return to my country in south America. You can’t imagine how happy and grateful I am for this website! I can’t wait to try all of your recipes! They look so delicious and I love the photography! Kudos for that… I hope I can find most of the spices and ingredients.
    Once again thank you for sharing your knowledge on Indian cuisine ♡5 stars

    Reply

  51. Hi Dasana, I tried a pani puri recipe from another web site but the pani did not taste like the yumm pani we get from the street side shops and I wasn’t able to fix the taste either. In your recipe you mentioned jal zeera. Will the jal zeera water be sufficient for the pani puri water? I will try out your pani recipe too over the weekend and let you know soon — thx

    Reply

    1. the jal jeera recipe posted already or the blog as well as pani made with ready made jal jeera can easily be sufficient for 1 pack of pani pooris. this pani recipe is both sweet and sour, so you don’t need to make a separate sweet chutney. whereas if you make jal jeera you will have to make a sweet chutney.

      Reply

  52. Hi Dassana, Made this for my son today and we all just loved it..The recipe was very clear and the result was awesome, just like the chat shops..Thank you very much, and regards.5 stars

    Reply

  54. You are amazing. Love all your recipes. Your blog helps me cook every day. And I know I will never make a bad dish if I stick to your instructions. Knowing you are from bombay makes me proud. Your hubby is a very Lucky man. Lots of love and hugs, amisha ( ohio, usa)5 stars

    Reply

    1. thanks amisha. thats a sweet comment from you. i personally feel good that i am from mumbai. mumbai teaches you many things 🙂 hugs to you too 🙂

      Reply

  56. its very tasty recipe. i really enjoyed in making this recipe. my family members also liked it very much. thankkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk youuuuuuuuuuuu5 stars

    Reply

  57. its very nice recipe i enjoyed a lot by preparing and eating it. thank you for this tasty and goood recipe4 stars

    Reply

  58. My son loves pani puri but i am scared to get him frm outside so i tot let me try at home i just tried this recipe it came out so well my son loved it and had it enough…. thank u…5 stars

    Reply

  59. Ahaaaa……. It’s delicious and I also learn from this website how to make pani puri yummmmmiiiii5 stars

    Reply

  61. It is very nice,i like pani puri very much,every weak my frnds and me are meeting at pani puri shop only so i thought thats the best and best

    Reply

  62. Dear Dassanna,

    Me at my parents place, decided for “CHAT PARTY” n thanks alot…prepared pani puri, sev puri n dahi batata puri My parents n all fly members were so happy on my progress…

    Thanks alot dear…

    Your fan,
    🙂5 stars

    Reply

    1. welcome sujata. good to know that you are trying so many recipes. these are my favorite chaat snacks.

      Reply

  63. Great Pani puree and dahi puree recipes. Look forward to trying them out…yummy…thanks a lot.
    Balu

    Reply

  64. Gr8 recipe..
    Yummy..
    these r one of my favourites..
    Pani puri r irresistable almost for everybody no doubt..
    and these r delicious, only whn preparation is neat, hygienic & performed devotionally…
    thankyou for guiding, who were really in it’s search.

    Reply

  66. Superbbb recipe. I just tried it. I tried many recipes for puri but everytime I was disappointed. Your recipe worked perfectly. Thank you soooo much.

    Reply

  70. hamare yaha chhole mein aalu bhi daalte hai thoda…..
    aapka post dekh ke muh mein paani aa gaya….

    english use karna bhi man nahi hua…. :))))

    Reply

  72. poochka .. paani poori and fulki.. no matter what they call.. and how differently they make it .. it makes yogic minds .. greedy 🙂 nice post !! thank u for sharing the Mumbai style of Pani puri !!

    Reply

    1. you can google and find different types of pani puri recipes. i usually stick to the same pani puri recipe and don’t make much changes.

      Reply

  74. I fisrt landed on your site while looking for chat recipes, since then I am a frequent visitor.

    Recipe is nice, no doubt about it and you might have got lot of appriciation for it. There is something else, here I want to talk about. That’s your writing style. You have a talent to nicely put it in words, that’s the important part. Pictures, wonderful…. Really liked it. Are you a photographer?

    Keep up the good work.

    Thanks
    Deepti

    Reply

    1. thanks deepti for all that you have said. i used to photograph before i started the blog and in my college wanted to do a professional photography course. but things did not fell into place. destiny brought me again to photography and i love it. i am a self learned photographer and the learning never ends for me 🙂

      Reply

    1. you mean making the ragda from white peas, zara… right?

      avoid as it will take around 2-3 hours cooking in a pot.

      go for some quick filling for the pani puri like canned chickpeas or steamed sprouted moong beans or just simple boiled and chopped potatoes.

      Reply

    1. i have the samosa recipe ready with photos…. but i do not have enough time to post it… i have shifted to a new house and the internet connection is very very slow here….. it will take some time till i settle down here and then will hopefully get time to post all the recipes that are waiting to be posted… including the samosa recipe

      Reply