Aloo Poha recipe with step-by-step photos. Aloo Poha is flattened rice with potatoes that are perfect for brunch with a cup of my masala chai.
My all-time favorite Indian breakfast – Aloo Poha with a hot cup of Kadak Masala Chai. It’s a comforting, delicious, and heavenly combo.
What is Poha?
Poha is a traditional Maharashtrian dish, although it’s popular all over India. It’s perfect for brunch with a cup of masala chai. Poha is super simple to make and has many variations, but my favorite kind is with onions, potatoes, and peanuts. Additionally, you can also add peas.
Aloo Poha is:
Light
Delicious
Flavorful
Healthy
Good Source of Protein & Fiber
Vegan
Gluten-Free
Perfect for Brunch
How to make Aloo Poha recipe with step by step photos?
Prep
1. Measure 2 cups of Poha, wash, and set aside.
2. Peel and dice a potato into small cubes. Chop an onion, I just used my Chopper. Set aside curry leaves and sliced green chili.
3. Set aside your spices… mustard seeds, asafoetida (hing), turmeric powder, and dry red chilies.
Cook
1. Heat up a wok on medium heat, once hot, add oil to wok followed by the spices – mustard seeds, hing, turmeric powder, and dry red chilies. Saute for 20 seconds or until the seeds splutter.
2. Then add curry leaves and green chili. Saute for another 20 seconds.
3. Add the onions and potato to the spices. Add salt. Saute for about 3-4 minutes on medium heat.
4. Once the onions and potatoes are slightly brown, this is what you should have.
5. Cover with a lid and cook for 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low-medium heat.
6. In the meantime, heat up a small pan on medium, and dry roast the peanuts. This will take about 3 minutes. Stir occasionally.
7. Once done, this is what you should have.
8. Back to the onion and potatoes, the potato should be fork-tender. If not, then core and cook it for a few more minutes.
9. Add red chili powder and stir.
10. Now gently fluff the poha with a fork.
11. Add the poha to the onion-potato mixture. Mix well until the poha is coated.
12. Add the dry roasted peanuts and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
13. Finish off the dish with fresh cilantro. Mix well.
Serve with a cup of my Kadak Masala Chai. Enjoy!

Aloo Poha (healthy, vegan, gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 2 cups poha
- 1 1/2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 Idaho potato diced
- 1 green chili sliced in half
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 3 dry red chilies
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/8 tsp asafoetida hing; use gluten-free (optional)
- 1/4 cup unsalted peanuts dry roasted
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- salt to taste
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
Prep
- Measure 2 cups of Poha, wash, and set aside.
- Peel and dice a potato into small cubes. Chop an onion, I just used my Chopper. Set aside curry leaves and sliced green chili.
- Set aside your spices... mustard seeds, asafoetida (hing), turmeric powder, and dry red chilies.
Cook
- Heat up a wok on medium heat, once hot, add oil to wok followed by the spices - mustard seeds, hing, turmeric powder, and dry red chilies. Saute for 20 seconds or until the seeds splutter.
- Then add curry leaves and green chili. Saute for another 20 seconds.
- Add the onions and potato to the spices. Add salt. Saute for about 3-4 minutes on medium heat.
- Once the onions and potatoes are slightly brown, this is what you should have.
- Cover with a lid and cook for 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low-medium heat.
- In the meantime, heat up a small pan on medium, and dry roast the peanuts. This will take about 3 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Once done, this is what you should have.
- Back to the onion and potatoes, the potato should be fork-tender. If not, then core and cook it for a few more minutes.
- Add red chili powder and stir.
- Now gently fluff the poha with a fork.
- Add the poha to the onion-potato mixture. Mix well until the poha is coated.
- Add the dry roasted peanuts and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Finish off the dish with fresh cilantro. Mix well.
hello! first time to ur blog!.Like ur clicks a lot!. Poha is my personal fav!. I like this way of making it than the kind we make it at home (South indian ) .
Hi Nandini, Thanks so much… hope you enjoy it!
you're awesome! definitely subbing your blog. i had a bit of trouble figuring out some of the spices but i see a lot of them are common but you've listed the indian names. : )
hi thanks for the recipe..looks really good.i would like to know if i add carrot and peas when do i add it?thanks
@Anonymous, add the peas/carrots after step 14 and before step 15.
Once they soften and release a little water.. and hopefully evaporates, go ahead with step 15 and continue. Hope this helps!
good one 🙂
whenever I made aloo poha, it always used to come out disastrous. But today I tried your recipe for breakfast and it was a hit!! thanks soo much for the illustrations. keep posting such good recipes.
I made Poha two days ago and it was a hit for my 15 month old. It’s a perfect weekend breakfast dish to make. Everytime I made it my potatoes was not cooking correctly or too mushy because I boiled it; the best part I actually didn’t burn my onions. I would always leave out the potatoes for any reason. Want to thank you for the steps of making my Poha on point and potatoes back in my Poha.
This was perfect with my morning tea ! The flavors and spice has a good kick