This Arabic Sambousak recipe is the perfect crunchy appetizer to serve at any dinner! And I make mine with a hack I discovered years ago using ready made spring roll pastry - so easy. Whether you like it with a meat filling or with a vegetarian potato filling, I've got you covered. This freezer friendly recipe is also super handy for Ramadan.
Why this recipe works
Sambousak in Arabic is a crunchy fried pastry that's stuffed with either a deliciously spiced meat, onions and parsley mixture or a vegetarian peas and potato filling. It's traditionally served as an appetizer at dinner gatherings.
Typically, you'd make the dough from scratch and roll it out really thin and then stuff it. But the best part about this recipe is that it uses ready made frozen spring roll pastry similar to this one. It's so quick and works out perfectly.
You can also use wonton wrappers if you can't find spring roll pastry, which is similar but slightly thicker. They're both usually available at most grocery stores in the frozen section.
Both the meat and the potato filling come together within 15 minutes, so really the only time consuming part is the rolling. But you can do that while watching TV. Oh and did I mention it is SUPER freezer friendly? And you'll get amazing results whether you fry it, bake it, or air fry it.
Ingredients you'll need
For the meat mixture:
- Ground beef: You can use regular or lean ground beef. If using extra lean, be sure to add a bit more oil to the mix
- Spring roll pastry: You can usually find this in the frozen aisle of the grocery store, or you can also use wonton wrappers. For the round cigar shaped sambousak, I use the square sheets, and for the triangular shape I use a long rectangular sheet
- Spices: If you can't find allspice, then feel free to replace it with seven spice (an Arabic spice mixture)
- You'll also need a tablespoon of flour and some water to make a flour paste and seal the edges of the sambousak
For the vegetarian filling:
If you don't have peas, you can feel free to skip them, but they do add a nice flavour and colour. For the black pepper, adjust this based on how spicy you'd like it. The amount used in the recipe yields a medium spice level.
How to make this recipe
- Prepare the meat meat mixture if that's what you're using by softening the onions with some oil, then adding in the ground beef and breaking it up into small pieces using a wooden spoon. Once the beef is browned and the water has evaporated, add the spices and warm through, then add the parsley.
- If you're using the vegetarian filling, prepare it by peeling and roughly cutting the potatoes, then boiling them until fork tender. Soften onions with some oil in a pan, then add the cooked potatoes and mash them with a fork. Then add the spices and the frozen peas and cook until the peas are tender.
- To prepare the pastry, thaw out the spring roll pastry in the fridge overnight
- Remove it from the packaging and place it on a plate covered with a towel to prevent it from drying out
- For rolling the meat sambousak, use a square sheet and wrap it as pictured below. Place it in a diamond shape on your surface, and place a spoonful of the mixture on the bottom corner. Roll over the corner, then fold in the sides and continue to roll until you reach the edge. Seal with the flour paste
- To roll the triangular vegetarian sambousak, use a long rectangular sheet of pastry and place a spoonful of the filling on one corner. Fold it over diagonally to create a triangle. Then fold it over diagonally the other direction and continue to do that until you reach the end. Seal the wrapper using the flour paste
- Shallow fry them in a pan, ensuring the oil used comes up about halfway to the sambousak and is hot before dropping them in (the oil should start to bubble right away). Fry them for a few seconds on each side until golden brown
How to air fry or bake the sambousak
To bake the sambousak, preheat the oven to 375F. Brush the sambouak generously with vegetable oil on both sides and place on a baking sheet in one layer. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
To air fry, brush them generously with vegetable oil on both sides and lay them in one layer inside the air fryer. Air fry for
Freezing instructions
These sambousak are so freezer friendly. Simply roll them up then place them (uncooked) in a large container in one layer, preferably lined with parchment paper to avoid them sticking. Close the container with an air tight lid (or you can also cover tightly with a plastic bag - I've done that before).
Once they freeze (which should take a few hours), you can remove them from the container and place them in a freezer friendly ziploc bag to save on freezer space. They can stay in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Fry them from frozen for amazing results, and do this as close as possible to the time that you'll be serving them to maintain freshness. But if you need to fry them a good 3-4 hours in advance, don't worry - they hold up well.
FAQ's and Expert Tips
You can use ready made spring roll pastry or ready made wonton wrappers. Both will yield great results and are easier than homemade dough.
Yes - you can bake them or air fry them for great results. Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes and air fry at 380F for 20-30 minutes until golden. For both the oven and air fryer, you need to generously brush them with vegetable oil on both sides.
Yes, this recipe is really freezer friendly. You can freeze them before cooking in one layer until they freeze solid, then remove them and store in a ziploc bag. Fry them from frozen for great results.
If you tried this recipe, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page - I'd love to hear from you!
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Sambousak (Meat and Vegetarian Filling)
Ingredients
For the Meat Filling:
- 450 g ground beef regular or lean
- 1 onion approx. 1 cup diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon allspice or sub seven spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup finely chopped parsley
For the Vegetarian Potato Filling:
- 3 medium potatoes approx. 550g
- 1.5 cups frozen green peas
- 1 onion approx. 1 cup diced
- 1.25 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon curry powder medium or mild
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the Pastry:
- 30 sheets spring roll pastry squares for the round meat sambousak usually frozen
- 30 sheets spring roll pastry sheets in a rectangular shape for the vegetarian sambousak usually frozen
For the flour paste to seal the sambousak:
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
To make the meat filling:
- Start by dicing the onions finely and cooking in a skillet with the vegetable oil on medium heat until softened. This should take 3-4 minutes
- Add the ground beef and break it up into fine pieces using a wooden spoon. Cook with the onions until all the water that is released from the beef evaporates, which should take about 5-7 minutes
- Add all the spices and cook for a few more minutes. Taste and adjust per preference
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add in the finely chopped parsley. Mix well and allow it to cool
Rolling the Meat Sambousak:
- Thaw the spring roll pastry in the fridge overnight. Using the square pastry, remove from packaging and place on a plate covered with a towel to prevent drying
- Mix together the flour and water to create a paste which will act like glue
- Place the pastry square on your surface to make a diamond shape (with the tip in the middle)
- Place a spoonful of meat filling near the bottom and start rolling the pastry over it, then half way through rolling, fold in both sides and continue to roll. Place a bit of the flour paste on the last edge of pastry then fold it over and secure it place.
- Repeat until all the pastry sheets are used up
- To cook, you can shallow fry in a skillet on medium heat for 20-30 seconds on each side until golden brown, then place on a paper towel lined plate to soak up the excess oil.
- Alternatively, you can also airfry the sambousak. Before placing in the airfryer, at 380F for about 15-20 minutes or until golden.
To make the vegetarian potato filling:
- Start by peeling the potatoes and chopping into large chunks (quarters or eighths), then cover with water and boil for approximately 15-20 minutes until fork tender
- Finely dice the onions and cook with the vegetable oil in a skillet on medium heat until softened. This should take 3-4 minutes.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, drain well and add to the skillet and mash them roughly with a fork
- Add the frozen green peas and all of the spices and mix well
- Cover with a lid and allow the mixture to cook on medium heat for 7-10 minutes until the peas have softened. Taste and adjust per preference.
Rolling the Vegetarian Sambousak
- Thaw the spring roll pastry in the fridge overnight. For the triangle shaped sambousak, you'll need long rectangular pieces of pastry. You can either purchase it in that shape or purchase a large square and cut it in half.
- Place a spoonful of the filling in one corner, then fold it according to the photo in the post in order to achieve the rectangular shape.
- To cook, you can shallow fry in a skillet on medium heat for 20-30 seconds on each side until golden brown, then place on a paper towel lined plate to soak up the excess oil.
- Alternatively, you can also air fry the sambousak. Before placing in the air fryer, brush them generously with vegetable oil on both sides and place them inside the air fryer in one layer. Air fry at 380F for about 15-20 minutes or until golden.
- You can also bake them at 375F for 25-30 minutes, ensuring that you also brush them generously with oil on both sides and place them on a baking sheet in one layer
Notes
- You can find the ready made spring roll pastry in the frozen section. Alternatively, you can also use wonton wrappers
- To freeze the Sambousak, simply roll them and place them on a parchment lined tray (or container) in one layer. Add another parchment paper on top and layer more as necessary. Cover the container with the lid (or cover with a plastic bag if you don't have a container) and place in the freezer
- Fry them from frozen for best results
- You can also use the vegetarian filling for the round shaped Sambousak - it's really up to you. The round ones are easier to roll
- Shallow frying gives the best results and a deep golden colour
- However, you can also generously brush them with oil and air frying at 380F for 15-20 minutes. This will result in a very crunchy Sambousak but a slightly lighter golden colour
- You can also bake them at 375F for 25-30 minutes making sure that you also generously brush them with oil on both sides and placing them on a baking sheet in one layer
These look delicious! I want to make both the meat (using Beyond meat alt) and veggie Sambousaks. I’m still working through my list of your recipes to make, so this one is going on it right now.