Pani Puri

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A perfect recipe to make the quintessential street recipe; Pani Puri. This chaat needs no introduction and is great to make ahead of time!

Puffed hollow dough balls filled with a mix of boiled potatoes, ragda and moong, a sweet and tangy chutney and spicy pani.

A black plate filled with puri, stuffings, spicy pani and sweet chutney in small bowls.

Street chaats are the best in Mumbai. So many of these originated in Mumbai and now are popular across the globe. The word 'Chaat' in Hindi means 'to lick' or 'to taste'. Chaat refers to the collection of delicious sweet, savory and spicy snacks.

There are tons of chaat recipes that are popular. Ragda pattice, dahi puri, bhel puri and paan chaat are among the famous chaats. They have a unique mix of sweet, spicy, tangy and savory ingredients. These are generally made with a lot of different colored, textured and crisp ingredients.

If you are a chaat connoisseur or trying something new for the first time; Pani Puri is something you need to try! It is undoubtedly the uncrowned king of the chaat collection.

Jump to:

What is Pani Puri
Why this recipe works
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to make this recipe
Expert Tips and Notes
Recipe FAQs
More Delicious Chaat Recipes
Pani Puri

What is Pani Puri

Technically, the words Pani mean water and Puri means a puffed crisp hollow dough balls. Generally a spicy, tangy and savory pani is made with a lot of cilantro, mint, green chili and spices. This along with a sweet dates tamarind chutney and a host of fillings make pani puri.

The same recipe is known by different names across the country. Pani Puri in Mumbai, Golgappa in Northern India including Delhi, Paani patashi in Haryana, Fulki in Madhya Pradesh, Pani ke batashe/padake in Uttar Pradesh, Phuska/puska in Assam, Pakodi in Gujarat Gup-chup in Odisha and Phuchka in Bengal, Bihar, and Nepal.

This is a super easy chaat that can be prepped much ahead of time. It is great to make for any party, for a meal or even as an appetizer for a party. Lately, there are a ton of variations of pani puri and I have seen them appear in various parties like Diwali, Holi and so on.

What was simply made with mint, ginger, cilantro and spices is now available in various flavors. These flavors include hing (asafetida), anar (pomegranate), aam (mango), santra (orange) and so on.

These are generally made with artificial flavors but do taste super amazing with alll the fillings and toppings.

A glass container filled with spicy pani and topped with boondi with other pani puri ingredients around it.

Why this recipe works

It is quite easy to put together.
The recipe is generally spicy but can be made mid as well.
Pani Puri is a lip smacking chaat that is super delicious.
It is a versatile recipe that works for kids and adults.
A great addition for any party, get together or event.
The leftovers are even better than the original recipe!
Once the ingredients are prepared, pani puri comes together in a matter of seconds.
This one is a great make ahead recipe.
The recipe scales really well.
The fillings and pani can be modified to make a completely new flavor of the recipe.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Ingredients to make spicy pani for pani puri in small bowls on a dark background.

Cilantro and Mint: Cilantro and mint are the base for the pani. While only mint works as well, it tends to make the pani darker in shade. Addition of cilantro helps keep the water bright green.
Ginger: Another essential ingredient in the pani is fresh ginger. It adds a lot of flavor and taste so do not skip that.
Green Chili: As we want the water to be green, I only add green chili for the spice. And so it does have to be quite a lot of chili to make the pani spicy. Adjust based on how spicy you like the water.
Spices: Rock Salt, roasted cumin powder and aamchur are the only spices I add to the pani. Rock salt gives the water an umami taste, cumin is great for flavor and fragrance and aamchur is sour, making the pani tangy. Do not skip any of these.
Salt and Sugar: A pinch of regular salt is great for the recipe and so is some sugar. Together with the spices, they balance the flavors really well.
Boondi: After the water is ready, I generally add some fried boondi before serving. These soak up the pani and make a flavorful addition to the recipe.
Puri: We need puri to serve the pani puri. These are easily available in the Indian stores and it is also easy to make at home with this quick puri recipe.
Sweet Chutney: Another important element of the recipe is sweet dates tamarind chutney. This chutney is super easy to make from scratch with this instant pot dates chutney recipe.
Fillings: Along with the above ingredients we fill pani puris with either ragda (white peas) or a mix of boiled potatoes, black chana and moong.

See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.

How to make this recipe

1- In a bowl add washed and trimmed cilantro, mint leaves, green chili and ginger. Also add salt, sugar and roasted cumin powder.

2- Transfer to a blender.

Collage steps to make pani puri; add ingredients to a bowl and transfer to a blender.

3- Add water and some ice cubes and churn.

4- Check if everything is smooth and transfer to a bowl using a fine mesh strainer.

Collage steps to make pani puri; blend well and check if smooth.

5- Add in aamchur and rock salt, mix well and refrigerate till ready to use.

6- Soak the brown chana, moong and ragda overnight or for at least 6 hours. Then prepare the ragda using this ragda (white peas) recipe. Also prepare the sweet dates tamarind chutney.

Collage steps to make pani puri; prepare the pani and ragda and set aside.

7- Drain the brown chana and add it to a pressure cooker container. Add water just enough to cover the chana and a pinch of salt. Place in a pressure cooker filled with some water.

8- Wash and cut the potatoes in half. Place them in another pressure cooker container and add a pinch of salt. Then place this on the chana and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally and open the pressure cooker.

Collage steps to make pani puri; prepare the black chana and boiled potato.

9- Add the soaked moong to a pan filled with water. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.

10- Cook on medium flame for 8-9 minutes, ensuring it only cooks al-dente. Drain and set aside.

Collage steps to make pani puri; preparing moong by boiling in a pan and checking if cooked.

11- Peel the potatoes, add to a bowl and also add in some rock salt, chopped cilantro and aamchur.

12- Mash till smooth. Add chana and mix well.

Collage steps to make pani puri; add spices to boiled potato in a bowl and mash well before adding boiled chana.

13- In a plate place puris, potato chana mix, moong, ragda (white peas) and some boondi. Also serve the prepared pani in a bowl and sweet dates tamarind chutney in two bowls.

14- Top the pani with boondi. Pierce a puri and add in the fillings. Also add the chutney and pani and enjoy!

Collage steps to make pani puri;add everything to a plate and serve prepared.

Expert Tips and Notes

The easiest way to make this is to use store bought sooji or flour puri. They are easy to find in Indian stores and come in big boxes. However, skip using the masala that comes with it. It does not give the same pani as the fresh one. If you would rather make your own puri, use this puffed puri recipe.
Make the pani ahead of time and refrigerate or add ice cubes. That way it is chilled by the time it is ready to eat. Also, add boondi last, just before serving to keep them from getting soggy.
While I have listed all the stuffing options, it is not mandatory to make them all. You can either make moong, chana and potato or just ragda. These are the options at the stalls in India.
Make the ragda in the instant pot or simply pressure cook them with some salt and turmeric powder till soft but does not disintegrate.
Assemble and enjoy pani puri immediately. It tends to get soggy in minutes.
A traditional plate of pani puri in Mumbai comes with six puris. However, there is really no limit to the number of puris we can have in one go!
To make the pani more spicy, add a couple of extra green chili. Moreover, enjoy pani puri with just the pani and fillings, leaving out the sweet chutney.
If you would like a boozy version, add some vodka to the prepared pani. This pani puri is indeed super interesting!

A bowl of spicy green pani for pani puri topped with boondi and ice.

Recipe FAQs

Where can I find puri to make pani puri?

Puffed puris for pani puri are easy to find at any Indian store. They come in large plastic boxes from various brands. Get these and heat them up in the oven at 350 F for 4-5 minutes to crisp them up. Moreover, if you would like to make your own, here is my puffed puri recipe.

My pani is super gritty. How can I fix it?

The prepared spicy pani needs to be strained. Straining removes any large chunky bits that may have been left over from blending. Do not serve the pani without straining. One simple step does make a lot of difference!

How does one enjoy pani puri?

To enjoy pani puri, simply poke a hole in the puri making sure it does not break. Then add in stuffing (potato, chana, moong and ragda), sweet dates tamarind chutney and spicy pani. Enjoy the entire puri in one go!

Can I make pani puri ahead of time?

Yes certainly. Making the pani ahead of time and chilling it works great. Moreover, the filling and chutneys can also be made ahead of time. Simply place them all together before serving, add boondi to the pani and enjoy!

Is Pani Puri Vegan?

Yes certainly! There is no element that has any dairy. So the entire recipe is naturally Vegan.

How do I make Jain Pani Puri?

All the elements except potato are jain friendly. Moreover, if you do not consume fresh ginger, simply swap that in the pani with dry ginger or skip it all together. But if you do not consume greens as well, the recipe is not really possible to be made without mint, cilantro etc.