Persian Potatoes and Onions (Dopiazeh Aloo)
Oct 08, 2026, Updated Oct 26, 2026
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Dopiazeh aloo is the Persian potatoes and onions dish from Shiraz: basically, for every 2 onions, you use one potato. It takes about 40 minutes with one pot and one skillet. It works as a light dinner on its own or can be served with bread.
I grew up eating this, and the version I make today is the one my Shirazi friend taught me back in school. It is the dinner you make when the fridge looks empty but you still have a bag of onions and a few potatoes, and it never tastes like a compromise, but more like a comforting meal made with a handful of ingredient.
What Dopiazeh Aloo Means
Do piazeh (you will also see it written do piazeh aloo) means “two onions” in Persian. The way my family explained it, and the way nearly everyone I know explains it, the name is the recipe: two onions for every potato. That is why this calls for four onions and only two potatoes (I doubled the recipe). The onions are not a background flavor here. They cook down into this semi-sweet, jammy base that coats every piece of potato.
The second word confuses Farsi speakers more than anyone. In standard Farsi, aloo means plum. In the Shirazi dialect, aloo means potato, so there is not a single plum in this dish. Iran actually has a whole family of dopiazeh dishes, including one with shrimp, but this potato version is the one Shiraz is known for and the one you can make with what is already in your kitchen.
How to Make it
Cut the peeled russets into ½ inch chunks and drop them into boiling water. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until a knife slides in with a little resistance left in the center.
Sauté the onions in olive oil over medium high heat. Stir in the tomato paste, turmeric, salt and pepper and cook for a minute so the tomato paste and spices release their color and aroma.
Add the drained potatoes and stir until every piece is coated.
Cook for another 5 to 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the potatoes are fully tender.
How We Eat it
Most of the time I eat dopiazeh aloo on its own. When I want something to scoop with, I put some homemade lavash bread on the side. A squeeze of lemon juice right before serving is common and cuts through the sweetness of all those onions. For a more filling dinner, add a couple of fried or boiled eggs on the side for protein.
If you are building a Persian table around it, salad shirazi, the cucumber and tomato salad from the same city, is the natural partner, and a bowl of Persian yogurt and cucumber(Mast o Khiar) cools everything down.
Every Family Makes it A Little Differently
Some people leave out the tomato paste completely, and that is fine. Others keep it as simple as possible with just turmeric, salt and pepper, and that is fine too. The golden onions do most of the work either way. In Jahrom, south of Shiraz, some cooks crack eggs straight into the pan at the end instead of serving them on the side.
If this is your first Persian dish, it is a good one to start with, and there are plenty more easy Persian recipes made with pantry ingredients once you are ready to explore. And if potatoes are your thing, our crispy Persian potato tahdig is the next one to try.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get a free e-Cookbook!
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Persian Potatoes and Onions (Dopiazeh Aloo)
Video
Ingredients
- 2 russet potatoes, washed and peeled
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 yellow onions, chopped finely
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cut the potatoes into ½ inch chunks and add them to the boiling water. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until they are almost cooked. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Sauté the onions in the olive oil until golden brown.
- Add the tomato paste and spices and mix to combine.
- Add the potatoes and stir well. Cook for another 5 to 8 minutes.
- Serve warm, with a squeeze of lemon juice if you like.
Notes
- Tomato paste is optional. Many families leave it out. The simplest version uses only turmeric, salt and pepper.
- Do not skip the parboil. Raw potatoes take long enough to cook that the onions can burn before the potatoes are tender.
- A quick squeeze of lemon at the end brightens the dish.
- Make it more filling by serving it with fried or boiled eggs and lavash on the side.
- Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat in a skillet.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The recipe is so simple. I tried it and it came out beautiful 😍. thank you