Crispy Onion Pakoda (Kanda Bhaji, Indian Onion Fritters)

Crispy Onion Pakoda (Onion Pakora, Kanda Bhaji, Indian Onion Fritters) is one of the favorite Indian snacks during the monsoons or winter days. Make the best onions pakora using my easy recipe (vegan, can be easily made gluten-free).

Jump to:

• About Onion Pakoda (Kanda Bhaji)
• Ingredients
• How To Make Onions Pakoda (Kanda Bhaji)
• Pro Tips By Neha
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Suggestions
• You Might Also Like
• Recipe Card

About Onion Pakoda (Kanda Bhaji)

Crispy Onion Pakoda (Onion Pakora, Kanda Bhaji, Indian Onion Fritters, Pyaz Pakora) is a very popular North Indian snack served as a tea-time snack, especially during the monsoons.

Crispy from the outside and soft from the inside, these onion pakora are an all-time favorite in Indian homes.

You will also find many street carts and roadside tea stalls selling piping hot onion bhaji, kadak masala chai, and green chutney.

Kanda Bhaji is also perfect for serving at tea parties, get-together snacks, monsoon snacks, or even for a game or movie night.

My onion pakoda recipe makes the crispiest pakoras. It is vegan and can be easily doubled or tripled.

Here are some more pakora recipes you may like

• Punjabi Bread Pakora
• Chawal Ke Pakode
• Moong Dal Pakoda
• Corn Pakoda
• Palak Pakoda
• Chicken Pakora

Ingredients

Onions – This is the star ingredient of this kanda bhaji recipe. Use red onions to make the pyaz pakora. They are slightly pungent in taste, making the pakoda very flavorful. Having said that, yellow onions or white onions also work fine.

For The Batter – A batter to make kanda bhaji is made using chickpea flour (besan, gram flour). I add rice flour to the batter to make the pakoda crispier. You can replace rice flour with cornstarch.

You will also need salt, Kashmiri red chilli powder, fresh ginger, cilantro (fresh coriander leaves), green chillies, asafetida (hing), vegetable oil, turmeric powder, and chaat masala to make the batter.

Oil – Fry the pakoras in vegetable, rice bran, or mustard oil. The ones fried in mustard oil will have a unique taste to them.

Skip adding asafetida to make the pakora gluten-free.

Adjust the green chilies as per your liking.

You can also add chopped curry leaves, fennel seeds (saunf), mint leaves, sesame seeds, crushed coriander seeds, and carom seeds (ajwain) to the batter.

How To Make Onions Pakoda (Kanda Bhaji)

Peel 2-3 medium red onions, rinse them with water, and drain well. Remove ½-inch from the top and bottom and cut the onions into even, thin slices.

Add

• 2 cups of thinly sliced onions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• 2 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
• 2 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro
• 2 teaspoon finely chopped green chilies
• ¼ teaspoon asafetida

to a large mixing bowl.

Mash the ingredients using your fingers until they all come together.

Keep the bowl aside for 10 minutes.

Note – The onions will release some water during this time. This is a crucial step in making crispy pakoras.

Now add 1 cup chickpea flour, 2 tablespoon rice flour, and 2 tablespoon vegetable oil to the bowl and mix well.

Add ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1-2 tablespoon of water and mix well to make a thick pakoda batter. The batter should feel like sticky dough.

Note – The consistency of the batter is critical to making crispy pakora. Add water just enough to bring the ingredients together. If the batter is thin, the pakoras will not turn out crispy.

Heat 3-4 cups of vegetable oil for frying in a pan over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium flame.

Note – The temperature of the oil is critical to fry crispy pakoras. It should neither be very high nor very low. Fry The pakoras on medium flame.

Drop small pakoda in the hot oil using your fingers and fry until they are golden brown and crisp. Flip the pakoras using a slotted spoon a few times while frying to ensure even browning.

Note – Do not overload the pan while frying the pakodas. I fried this amount of batter in 3 batches. If the pan is overloaded, the oil temperature will decrease, and the pakoras will not turn out crispy.

Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

Sprinkle chaat masala on top and serve immediately.

Pro Tips By Neha

Slice the onions into thin, even slices. If the onion slices are thick, they absorb more oil making the pakoras oily.

Do not fry the onion pakoda on low heat. They will absorb excess oil and will become soggy.

Do not fry on too high heat, either. They will turn brown from the outside and will remain uncooked from the inside.

Always use good quality fresh gram flour. Taste the flour before making the pakoda, as it can get bitter if it is too old.

Please do not make the batter and leave it. The onions will keep leaving the water, and the batter might become loose. Mix more gram flour before frying if you still have leftover batter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Suggestions

Serve these crispy and delicious deep-fried onion pakoda with your favorite chutney for a tea-time snack. My favorites are Tomato Ketchup, Coriander Mint Chutney, and Sweet Tamarind Chutney.

You can also serve it with Bread or Pav. In Maharashtra, it is popularly sold under the name of Kanda Bhajiya and Pav.

In south Indian darshinis and restaurants, these crispy onion fritters are served with Coconut Chutney.

Do not forget to serve a hot cup of Adrak Wali Chai, Masala Chai, or Filter Coffee along with these Pakoras.

Storage Suggestions

Pyaz pakora tastes the best when made fresh, just out of oil. You can keep them for 1-2 hours, but they will start to soften a bit.

You can air fry or bake the leftover pakora until they are crispy again.

I also do not recommend making the batter and storing it. It becomes watery after some time. If you still have some leftover batter, add some gram flour to correct its texture and fry the pakoras.

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Recipe Card