If you're looking for a show-stopping appetizer that's bursting with flavour, you'll love this Samosa Tart Au Soleil! It's an irresistible combination of delicate puff pastry and a vegetarian potato pea samosa filling. I've added an additional festive twist with wensleydale cheese but this is optional!
Perfect for festive gatherings such as Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Eid!
What is Tarte au Soleil?
A popular French appetizer, Tarte au Soleil (or "Sun Tart") is made using puff pastry and savoury, like my Tandoori Paneer Tarte au Soleil, or sweet fillings.
The pastry is shaped into a circle, filled, and cut into strips to mimic the rays of the sun. These strips are twisted before baking, resulting in a beautiful, golden tart that’s as delicious as it is visually striking.
In this Indian-inspired version, we fill it with a classic samosa mixture and cheese. Perfect for parties and get-togethers.
Pair it with Indian mint sauce or tamarind sauce for an extra burst of flavour and watch it become the star of your festivities!
You'll also love these puff pastry punjabi samosas and air fryer frozen samosas.
Ingredients
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list in the recipe card below
The base of the filling stays true to traditional samosa recipes, featuring boiled potatoes, peas, and aromatic spices. However, I've added a festive twist by using wensleydale cheese!
Ready rolled puff pastry sheets - easy to find in most grocery stores.
Potatoes - boiled and mashed.
Green chilli and ginger - fresh is best. You want to crush or make a paste.
Wensleydale cranberry cheese - crumbled. If you do not have it, you can use any other cheese or even crumbled paneer.
Oil
Cumin seeds
Spice powders - turmeric powder, red chilli powder or flakes
Lemon juice
Freshly chopped coriander - for garnishing
Milk for glaze - an egg-free substitute to an egg wash
Plain flour for dusting
Samosa Masala - whole coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, whole black pepper
Hayley's Tips
- Keep Pastry Cold: Always work with chilled puff pastry to ensure flaky results.
- Smooth Filling: Avoid chunky potato pieces to make twisting the rays easier.
- Plan Ahead: Make the filling a day ahead to save time and ensure it’s completely cooled before assembling the tart.
Dietary Substitutions
Air Fryer Samosa Tart Recipe
The Samosa Tart can easily be adapted for the air fryer.
Preheat the Air Fryer to 180 C.
Once prompted, carefully add the tart to the basket.
Air-fry for 5-7 minutes. Start with 5 minutes for the first batch, test, then adjust timings accordingly.
Serving suggestions
Serve samosa tart as you would samosas. A set of samosa sauces will go great.
For a festive twist, serve with instant pot cranberry sauce - the sweet and tart flavours will go really well with the samosa filling.
Storage
Samosa tart is best eaten on the day it is prepared as the pastry will loose its texture.
Leftovers can be stored in airtight containers and kept in the fridge for 1 day. Reheat in the oven or air fryer before serving.
I do not recommend freezing this recipe, particularly if your puff pastry has already been thawed once.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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📖 Recipe
Samosa Tart (Tarte Au Soleil)
Equipment
- oven or Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 pack ready rolled puff pastry sheets
- 2 medium floury potatoes mashed
- 1 tablespoon green chilli crushed
- 1 tesaspoon ginger crushed
- 85 gram wensleydale and cranberry cheese crumbled
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder or flakes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt
- 2 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander
- 2 tablespoon milk for glaze
- 1 tablespoon plain flour for dusting
Samosa Masala
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoon whole black pepper
Instructions
- Place all the whole spices for the samosa masala in a spice grinder and grind to a coarse powder.
- Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds.
- Once lightly brown, add crushed ginger and chillies, saute for a few seconds.
- Add mashed potatoes, salt and turmeric and red chilli powder. Mix well.
- Cook for a couple of minutes. Turn the heat off.
- Add lemon juice and ground samosa masala and mix well.
- Let it cool, then add crumbled cheese and coriander. Mix again.
- Lay each pastry and cut it into rounds using a plate. (we used an 8" round plate)
- Slide this onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and keep it in the fridge whilst cutting the other round if the weather is quite warm outside.
- Bring out the first-round pastry, brush milk all along the edge.
- Spread samosa mixture over leaving a ½" gap around the edge.
- Carefully lay another round on top of the first pastry round.
- Seal the edges by pressing with your fingers.
- Use a small round cookie cutter to make an indent in the centre.
- Cut pastry into four quadrants and each in half and half again, you'll have 16 parts.
- Twist each part twice.
- Glaze the pastry with milk and sprinkle cumin seeds.
- Preheat the oven at the gas mark 6-7 or 400F.
- Bake tart until risen and well browned all over, 30–35 minutes. (keep an eye on after 20 minutes)
- Serve immediately.
Air Fryer Method
- Preheat the Air Fryer to 180 C
- Once prompted, carefully add the tart to the basket.
- Air-fry for 5-7 minutes. Try 5 minutes for the first batch to see how your tart has cooked and adjust by a few minutes if necessary.
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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Hayley Dhanecha says
This samosa tart is one of those fun twists that turns out so good and incredibly tasty. The crisp tart base with that spiced, classic samosa filling makes every bite crunchy, flavourful and a little addictive. I love serving it warm with chutney—it’s perfect for parties, tea time or festive snacking.