Jeera aloo recipe is a easy quick and simple Indian side dish with potatoes and cumin seeds from north Indian cuisine.
Prepared with pantry staple ingredients, ready in minutes, no prep work involved, this aloo jeera is a perfect weeknight curry or most suited to for packing in lunch box. Vegan, gluten free no onion garlic recipe.
For more aloo recipes please check Bombay potatoes, potato roast, potato poriyal, aloo gobi recipes.

Calling all potato fans 🙂 Today’s recipe is yet another delicious Indian potato dish that tastes so good.
Potato is a mainstay at home and I turn to panic mode if my stash goes low. How many of you do that? It is such a favorite given how versatile and delicious it is.
Potatoes lend themselves so beautifully in all recipes right from humble home style ones to gourmet elaborate preparations.
This jeera aloo is a super simple, home style humble recipe that tastes so good, satiating and comforting.
This simple potato recipe is something I prepare very often to serve with rotis or dal and rice for a quick dinner.
You will find this jeera aloo in many north Indian thai meals, be in restaurants or wedding buffets.
You can make this recipe in flat 20 minutes, no need to boil potatoes before hand or do any prep work. Perfect weeknight recipe that you can prepare amidst other chores.
Get the recipe with step by step photos and video below. Enjoy!
About This Potato Recipe
Jeera aloo literally means cumin potatoes. Jeera means cumin seeds and aloo means potatoes in Hindi. So this is a simple preparation of cooking potatoes with a good dose of cumin seeds.
Making jeera aloo is super easy. It is no prep time involved, no fuss mess free recipe that even beginners can confidently make.
I make this mostly for packing in lunch or when I have sudden guests. It goes well with both rice and roti. Leftovers can be easily used as filling for sandwich, wraps or kathi rolls.
Combination of jeera, green chilli and curry leaves are simply amazing in this curry. This curry does not use ginger garlic, onions.
My aloo jeera recipe does not call for boiled potatoes and thus eliminates all the prep time. All you need make this jeera aloo recipe are a pan or kadai.
The best part about this recipe is its simplicity. I do not like to drown this curry in loads of spice powders or whole spices. The star of this recipe is cumin seeds and I let it be 🙂
Try this and you will be amazed how delicious jeera aloo is for such a simple recipe with very few ingredients.
Peeled and cubed potatoes are sautéed in a tempering of cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chilies and further seasoned with salt and chili powder. The potatoes are then cooked until crispy and tender. So easy, so quick 🙂
If you are used to make this curry with cooked potatoes, I have given the instructions for that also.
Serve this simple and easy aloo curry warm or at room temperature. If you have never tried this recipe, do make it today and enjoy! This jeera aloo is
easiest potato curry for beginners
Simple side dish for rice or roti
made with just 7 ingredients
vegan, gluten free, no onion garlic
ready in 30 minutes
versatile
delicious, comforting and flavorful.
Please find below my step by step photos, instructions and video for this easy to make jeera aloo that is delicious, flavorful and hearty. There are also loads of tips, variations and serving suggestions as always 🙂 Take a look at the video recipe too.
How To Make Jeera Aloo – Cumin Potatoes Recipe?
First, rinse and scrub three large potatoes. You will need around 400 grams potatoes or 2 cups of cubed potatoes. Cut the potatoes into bite size cubes and place them in a large bowl full of water for 20 minutes.
Drain the potato cubes in a colander and rinse two or three times by changing water. Drain the excess water thoroughly and set the potato cubes aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan, preferably cast iron. Once the oil is hot add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, 2 teaspoon cumin seeds and let them splutter.
Add slit green chillies and curry leaves. Saute until the curry leaves turn crispy.
Add the cubed potatoes and mix . Saute in high heat continuously for 2 minutes. This will make the potatoes non sticky.
Now add 1 teaspoon red chili powder, salt to taste and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder. Saute and mix well. Saute for 3-4 minutes keeping the pan open.
Now cover the pan and cook in medium flame for 8-10 minutes until the the potatoes are cooked and zeera aloo is done.
Add lemon juice, chopped cilantro leaves or coriander leaves and mix well. Remove from flame.
Serve jeera aloo hot or warm.
Serving Suggestions
This simple and easy jeera aloo tastes wonderful with all Indian main course dishes.
Serve jeera aloo hot with chapathi, with dal fry, rice and salad for a a hearty meal. This also tastes good with sambar, rasam rice.
This aloo jeera tastes very good with roti paratha and poori as side dish.
I also use this cumin potatoes as filling in potato sandwich, wraps.
Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
How to Make Jeera aloo with boiled potatoes?
If you would rather prefer to make cumin potatoes with pre cooked potatoes here are the instructions.
First of all boil 3 large potatoes. You can boil the potatoes in a pot, pressure cooker or instant pot. It will take around 10 minutes cook time,
- Pot– add the potatoes to boiling water in a pot, cover and boil the potatoes for 10 minutes or until soft. Peel the potatoes and cut into large pieces.
- Pressure cooker- Place the potatoes in a pressure cooker base, add water, cover and cook for 2 whistles.
- Instant pot– Cook in pressure cook or manual mode for 4 minutes with pressure valve sealed.
Peel the potatoes and break them big pieces. Follow the recipe and add cumin seeds, green chili in oil, add the potatoes and saute. Add chopped cilantro leaves or coriander leaves, lemon juice, mix and serve hot.
Add spice powders, mix and saute for another 5-6 minutes.
What other spice powders will taste good in this recipe?
Apart from the regular basic spices like red chilli powder and turmeric powder you can also ass roasted cumin powder or jeera powder, crushed coriander seeds, dry mango powder amchur or even a dash of garam masala powder.
Addition of these ingredients will make zeera aloo more spicy.
How to make aloo jeera spicier?
To make zeera aloo more spicy you can
- increase the number of green chili to 3 or 4
- Add some minced ginger for a sharp note
- Add 2 teaspoons red chilli powder.
Can I use baby potatoes in zeera aloo?
Yes , you can either boil and peel them or just scrub and cut each potato into half and make this recipe.
Any variations of jeera aloo that you recommend?
Along with potatoes you can add blanched peas or par boiled cauliflower or gobi in this recipe.
I sometimes add broccoli too in this aloo recipe.
If you to add greens you can use a handful of methi leaves or finely chopped spinach or palak leaves. Just add along with curry leaves.
You can add finely chopped onions to this aloo jeera.
More Side Dish Recipes
I hope you will try this recipe and enjoy as much as we did. Please give a star rating ★ in the recipe card below. Follow us on Pinterest , Instagram, Facebook for more recipes and ideas.
Recipe Card
Jeera Aloo Recipe
1 CUP = 250 ml
Ingredients
- 2 cups potatoes big
- 2 teaspon cumin seeds
- 15 curry leaves
- 2 green chilies slit
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons oil
Instructions
- Wash and peel the potatoes. Cube them of same size. Soak the cubed potatoes in water for 10 minutes. Rinse well and remove the starch.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot temper with cumin seeds. Add curry leaves and saute for few seconds.
- Next add the cubed potatoes and saute for 3-4 minutes.
- Now add salt, chili powder and turmeric powder. Saute for 3-4 minutes.
- Cover and cook in medium flame for 6-10 minutes.
- You can add more oil and saute for 5 minutes for roasted curry. Serve jeera aloo hot with rice or roti.
Swasthi Poorva says
Tried this aloo jeera today and it turned out to be the best. Love all your recipes for their simplicity. Big fan girl here 🙂
Harini says
Thank you so much Swasthi Poorva for your kind words 🙂 Glad this recipe turned out well for you!