Crispy Onion Pakoda is one of the most favorite Indian snacks during Monsoons or Winter days. These fritters taste even better when served with some delicious Indian Chutneys.
If you love Pakoras, here are some more recipes – Punjabi Bread Pakora, Chawal Ke Pakode, Moong Dal Pakoda, Corn Pakoda, and Palak Pakoda.
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About This Recipe
Onion Pakoda or Onion Pakora is a very popular Indian fritter recipe that is a Monsoon favorite in almost every Indian home.
Crispy from outside and soft from inside, these pakoras are an all-time favorite at home, when served with some tangy spicy Green Chutney.
Thinly sliced onions dipped in a spiced besan or gram flour batter and then deep-fried, the mere thought about the same is making me hungry right now. These are perfect for your tea parties, get together snacks, monsoon snacks, or even for a game or movie night.
During Monsoons or Winter days, you will even find many street vendors or restaurants selling them hot along with a hot cup of Adrak Wali Chai. I am sure most of you have already tried it, but if you haven’t you are definitely missing on some delicious food.
You can even use other vegetables such as Potato, Paneer, Gobi, Baby Corn, Palak instead of Onions to make Pakoras.
These Onion Pakoda are,
- Crispy
- Addictive
- Delicious with Green Chutney
- Easy to make
- Perfect for Monsoons
- Perfect accompaniment to Masala Chai
Ingredients
Onions – Every household has their own way of making Onion pakoras. Some chop them in rounds, but I like to slice them thin. In this way, they turn out nice and crispy.
Gram Flour batter – For the batter, besan is mixed with rice flour and oil. Rice flour makes the Pakoras more crispy.
Oil – To deep fry the Pakoras.
Other Ingredients – Thinly sliced onions are mixed with some more ingredients such as salt, red chili powder, ginger, coriander, green chili, and hing to add more flavor. These ingredients make these Pakoras spicy and delicious.
Step By Step Recipe
Peel the onions and slice then into thin slices.
Mix sliced onion, salt, red chilli powder, ginger, coriander, green chilli and hing in a bowl.
Mash well using your hands. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
Add besan, rice flour and oil and mix well.
Add turmeric, baking soda and 2-3 tbsp water and mix well to make a thick pakoda batter.
Heat oil for frying in a pan. Once the oil is hot, adjust the heat to medium.
Drop small pakodas in the hot oil and fry until the pakoda are golden brown and crisp.
Drain on a plate lined with kitchen towel. Sprinkle chaat masala on top and serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use Mustard Oil or any Vegetable Oil to fry the Pakoras.
If you are slicing onions for Pakora, thinly slice them. Thinly sliced onions result in crispy Pakoras.
You can use a knife or a mandolin slicer to slice them.
Some people even slice them in rounds and then fry the rings dipped in the batter.
Red Onions are the best to make these pakoras. You can use Yellow or White Onions too.
To make Onion Pakoras crispy, always add in rice flour along with Besan in the batter. You can also add in corn flour instead of rice flour in the batter.
Also when you slice your onions too thick, it will soak excess oil and make them soggy, so make sure your onion slices are moderately thin.
Avoid adding too much water in the batter as much as you can, to get crispy Pakoras.
Do not fry them on low heat, as they will absorb excess oil and will result in soggy Pakoras.
To avoid deep-frying, you can also make these Pakoras in Air Fryer. Firstly, preheat the Air fryer to 180 C or 360 F for about 6 minutes.
Brush or Spray the basket with oil and add small Pakodas in one layer on the basket tray. Close the basket and air fry the Pakodas for 10 minutes. Make sure to turn the pakodas once in the middle. Spray or brush more oil if needed.
Once done, air fry at 200 C for 2-3 minutes more to get a lovely brown color and crispy Pakodas.
Make the batter as per the recipe. Now drop the scoops of the mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spray or brush oil on top.
Bake them for about 10-15 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
You can avoid adding hing in the batter to make them Gluten Free. All other ingredients used in this Onion Pakora recipe are Gluten Free.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these crispy and delicious deep-fried Onion Pakoras along with Coriander Mint Chutney or Sweet Tamarind Chutney.
You can also serve it with Bread or Pav. In Maharashtra its is popularly sold with the name of Kanda Bhajiya and Pav.
In South Indian Darshinis and Restaurants, they are even served with Coconut Chutney.
You can also serve a hot cup of Adrak Wali Chai, Masala Chai, or Filter Coffee along with these Pakoras.
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Recipe Card
Onion Pakoda Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-3 Onions
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 2 tsp Ginger (finely chopped)
- 2 tsp Coriander Leaves (finely chopped)
- 2 tsp Green Chillies (finely chopped)
- ¼ tsp Hing
- 1 cup Besan
- 2 tbsp Rice Flour
- 2 tbsp Oil
- ⅛ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 pinch Baking Soda
- Oil (as required, for frying)
- 1 tsp Chaat Masala Powder
Instructions
- Peel the onions and slice then into thin slices.
- Mix sliced onion, salt, red chilli powder, ginger, coriander, green chilli and hing in a bowl.
- Mash well using your hands.
- Keep aside for 10 minutes.
- Add besan, rice flour and oil and mix well.
- Add turmeric powder, baking soda and 2-3 tbsp water and mix well to make a thick pakoda batter.
- Heat oil for frying in a pan.
- Once the oil is hot, adjust the heat to medium.
- Drop small pakodas in the hot oil and fry until the pakoda are golden brown and crisp.
- Drain on a plate lined with kitchen towel.
- Sprinkle chaat masala on top and serve immediately.
