Onion Bhaji (also known as Onion Pakora or Kanda Bhaji) is a delicious Indian snack made by deep-frying finely sliced onions dipped in lightly spiced gram flour batter. These crispy and spicy onion fritters are perfect to serve with Indian meals such as Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani or Dal Palak (Spinach Dal) as a side dish. Alternatively, you can have them as a snack dipped in cooling Onion Raita or spicy ketchup.
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These ridiculously good Homemade Indian snacks are crispy, filled with spices, and so easy to make. They come together with a handful of pantry ingredients and taste way better than the shop-bought ones. They are extremely addictive, vegan, gluten-free, and ready in 30 minutes!
What are Onion Bhajis?
Onion Bhajis are Indian style crispy fritters made with thinly sliced onions tossed in a besan flour batter made with fragrant spices, chilli, and cilantro, then deep-fried until golden brown and crispy.
Also known as Onion Pakora/ Pakoda or Kanda Bhaji, these vegan Indian fried onions are traditionally served as an appetiser or a snack. The most popular accompaniments are chutneys, Indian tea or some cooling raita.
Why This Recipe Works?
- It is very easy to make these onion pakoras with a few pantry ingredients you might have in hand.
- These delicious Indian onion fritters are vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.
- Same as my other delicious fritter recipe Mucver (Courgette Fritters), they are the perfect snacks for cold/rainy days to have with a cup of tea or coffee,
- You can store the leftovers for up to five days refrigerated.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Onions - Traditionally big red onions are used for the pakora recipe but I prefer pink, yellow or white as they have a milder flavour. Thinly slice them with a mandolin, a food processor or a sharp knife.
- Gram (besan/chickpea) flour - This gluten-free flour gives the bhaji a mild, nutty taste and a beautiful crunch. Depending on the brand of flour, you might need to adjust the amount of the water stated in the recipe to get a perfect consistency for the batter.
- Spices - A little salt, fennel seeds, and turmeric powder are all you need as far as dried spices go. Feel free to spruce up the batter with additional herbs and spices such as cumin, garam masala, curry powder, curry leaves, chilli powder and garlic powder.
- Coriander leaves (Cilantro) – They add a nice herbal freshness to the pakoras; you will smell its delicious fragrance while making the pakora batter.
- Bicarbonate of soda - It makes the batter light and helps the bhajis crisp up. You can substitute it with baking powder.
- Oil for Frying – Ideally you want to use an oil with a high smoke point such as rapeseed, vegetable, sunflower or canola oil.
- Chillies - Finely chopped green or red chillies help to spice the bhajis up. Adjust the amount to your taste.
How to Make Bhaji?
This recipe for Onion Bhaji is very easy to make and doesn't require much of your time. However, you need to follow a few simple steps to achieve the best results:
Thinly Slice The Onions
The most important thing to get right is to slice the onions finely. Or they will stay raw and won't crisp up by the time the batter is cooked. You can use a sharp knife, a Mandoline Slicer or a food processor to slice the onions.
Prepare The Batter
After slicing the onions, prepare the batter mixture for onion bhaji. In a bowl, put gram flour, bicarbonate of soda, turmeric, fennel seeds, salt and water. Add water slowly until it has a dropping consistency similar to heavy cream/double cream.
Add chopped coriander, chilli and sliced onions, and mix well with a spoon until the batter covers the onions.
Fill a deep pan or a wok with oil to a depth of 5-6 cm and heat the oil to 180° C (356°F). Check the temperature of the oil by dropping in a small bit of the mixture. It should sizzle and float when it's hot enough. Into the hot oil, drop a small portion of the mixture with a spoon and shape them into patties. Don't overcrowd the pan as the pakoras will end up greasy.
Fry until both sides are golden brown and crispy. Transfer them to a cooling rack placed over a baking pan. Serve warm with raita or any other favourite dip/chutney of yours.
Related Recipes
For more delicious recipes around the world why not try:
If you make too many bhajis and have leftovers, you can freeze them and keep them for up to five months. Simply place them in a zip-lock freezer bag or an airtight container. Defrost them thoroughly and reheat them in the oven to get them crispy again.
There is only 78 kcal in one piece of onion pakoda when you make them with exactly the same ingredients as stated in the recipe card below.
You can store the leftover pakoras refrigerated for up to five days in an airtight container. They’re amazing cold the next day in lunch boxes or picnic baskets. However, if you want to eat them warm and crispy, simply place them in your air-fryer for 4 to 5 minutes, or in the preheated oven for around 7 to 8 minutes at 180 °C. Alternatively, you can use a microwave to reheat the bhajis but they won’t be crispy this way.
Top Tip From The Chef
The ideal frying temperature for the pakodas is between 177°C – 185°C (350°F-365°F).
If the oil is too hot, the pakoras will get burned too quickly, and if the oil is not hot enough, they will absorb the oil and the fritters will get soggy. Check with a cooking thermometer for the most accurate temperature read.
If you don't have a cooking thermometer, you can check the temperature of the oil by dropping in a small bit of the mixture. It should sizzle and float when it's hot enough.
I hope you enjoy the process of making these crispy Onion Bhajis as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
Onion Bhaji
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 medium onions (300 g) (finely sliced)
- 150 g gram flour
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- ⅔ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ⅔ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ⅔ teaspoon salt
- 1 chili (finely chopped)
- ⅓ cup chopped coriander
- 170 ml water
- oil for frying (ground nut or vegetable oil)
Instructions
- Prepare the batter with gram flour, bicarbonate of soda, turmeric, fennel seeds, salt and water. The batter should have a dropping consistency similar to heavy cream/double cream.
- Add chopped coriander, chilli and thinly sliced onions, and mix well with a spoon until the batter covers the onions.
- Fill a deep pan or a wok with oil to a depth of 5-6 cm and heat the oil to 180° C (356°F). Check the temperature of the oil by dropping in a small bit of the mixture. It should sizzle and float when it's hot enough.
- Into the hot oil, drop a small portion of the mixture with a spoon and shape them into patties.
- Fry until both sides are golden brown and crispy.
- Transfer them to a cooling rack placed over a baking pan. Serve warm with raita or any other favourite dip of yours.
Nutrition
FOOD SAFETY
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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Cara
Love this recipe 😍