Crispy Vegetable Pakora
Ahhhh Pakoras. Nothing can deter us from these little morsels of joy. They’re the 2nd most popular Iftar recipe (right after Fruit Chaat) and standard protocol for comfort on rainy days. It’s as if their crunch and warmth must accompany the chill of rain, alongside steaming cups of Chai. I thought I was somewhat disconnected from this cultural rain-Pakora phenomenon until I was driving home one day and it started raining. And I wanted pakoras so badly I could cry. Luckily a local restaurant had them and I felt all was redeemed. Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get recipes & tips every week! That day I got lucky, but for the most part, restaurant Pakoras are inferior. They can be dense, doughy, and heavy. In contrast, homemade ones are usually light, airy, and vegetable-forward. These Pakoras are the ones I’ve grown up with – crispy, flavorful, with appropriate heat and a hint of tang. What is Pakora/Pakoda? Pakoras are Pakistani or North Indian-style fritters. Unlike American-style fritters, Pakoras are not round, but craggy-edged, and made with besan/gram flour instead of all-purpose flour.
5 Tips to Make Crispy Pakoras
Pakoras are a kitchen sink type of snack recipe, more about intuition than precise measurements. But when it comes to making and keeping them crispy, there are a few key tips:
Ingredients for Pakora
The ingredient quantities aren’t written in stone, and you can use more or less of each ingredient once you discover what you like.
Vegetables
Potato: There is no right way to cut the potatoes, as long as you get thinly sliced wedges or rectangles. As a general rule, for small potatoes, cut them in quarters lengthwise and then slice each quarter thinly into 1/6-1/4” thick pieces. For medium/large potatoes, cut them into 6-9 wedges (so that each wedge is ~1” thick) and then thinly slice them into 1/6-1/4” inch thick pieces. The important thing is that the potatoes are thin enough to cook through when frying but not too small to separate from the pakora mixture while frying.
Onion: Use yellow or red onion. If you have small onions, halve and thinly slice. For larger onions, quarter and thinly slice. Cabbage: I love red cabbage for its color and texture, but green works just as well. I like to use packets of shredded mixed cabbage instead of buying the whole head. The cabbage is somewhat of a placeholder veggie. See below for a list of vegetables you can use.
More Ingredient Notes
Besan/gram flour: Quality matters here. Look for expiration dates! Tested with Deep and Laxmi brand besan/gram flour, which is made with chana dal. If you can’t find it, substitute it with chickpea flour/garbanzo bean flour which is available at most grocery stores. Cold water: Many recipes skip adding any water, allowing the vegetables to be the only source of moisture. But I find this creates dense pakoras. Water keeps them light and airy. Why cold water? Just as cold water inhibits gluten development in flour, it helps keep the besan/gram batter perked up. It may also create temperature shock between the hot oil and cool pakoras, helping them crisp up while remaining soft inside. Serrano: I opt for serrano because it’s less spicy than Thai/bird’s eye, so you can add more flavor with tolerable heat. If you’re able to find Indian/finger chili’s, that’s even better. Deseed to reduce heat. Cilantro: Use generously for vibrant flavor and color. Red chili flakes + powder: Flakes provide texture while powder brings gentle heat to the batter. Coriander and cumin seeds: Roughly crush whole seeds for better texture. Sub equal amount homemade coriander powder or cumin powder. Oil: Binds the mixture and keeps the pakoras soft and tender on the inside. Lemon juice: Essential for tang and chatpata flavor. Sub 1/2 tsp chaat masala or amchur within the batter. Baking soda: Makes the pakoras slightly fluffier while still keeping them crispy. I kept baking soda optional because the batter is light and airy already. May sub baking powder. Chaat Masala: Optional, for sprinkling on top. Makes them more street-style.
How to make Pakoras
Tip: I like to get my oil started on low heat while I prepare the pakora mixture.
spinach – 1 cup/30g. You may even use thawed frozen spinach (~60g). Squeeze out water before using. Roma tomato – (deseed and remove pulp) – use 1/2, up to 1 tomato instead of full cup cauliflower eggplant zucchini carrots bell peppers beetroot mushrooms broccoli
Make Pakora Mixture
Troubleshooting Tips: The moisture increases depending on whether you use more vegetables, let them sit longer, or work the mixture more vigorously. To address this, add less water or more besan.-If the mixture is too loose/wet toward the bottom, distribute the moisture by mixing it again. After mixing, if it’s still watery, add 1-2 tbsp gram flour until it’s homogeneous.-If it’s too dry, allow it to sit until the vegetables release their moisture. You should not need any more water than called for in the recipe. Type of pan: You can use just about any pan, as long as it’s somewhat deep. A wider pan is beneficial so you can fit more pakoras in and therefore spend less time frying. If you use a shallow fry pan, you can get away with using less oil (like I do in my Pan-Fried Pakora Recipe). They won’t turn out as crispy, but it still works!
Fry Pakoras
Variations/Add-ins
These are ingredients I’ve often used in Pakoras (like my Kadhi Pakora) but left out of the main recipe. Using too many of them at the same time can clutter the flavor:
2 tsp dried pomegranate seeds (anardana) – slight crunch and tang 1/4 tsp whole carom seeds (ajwain), roughly crushed using a mortar and pestle – earthy/umami flavor 1/2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (methi), crushed between the palms of your hands – earthy/herb flavor 1/2 tsp chaat masala or amchur (green mango) powder – tang 1/4 tsp turmeric powder – color
What Sauce to Serve with Pakora
Pakoras are best with any kind of chutney or sauce. My favorite is a simple Green Chutney (recipe below), but you can use Mint Raita, Imli ki Chutney, Sriracha, or Hot and Sweet Sauce. My kids love them with ketchup.
Make-Ahead Tips
I would not recommend frying pakoras more than a few hours in advance. If you’re not serving immediately, place on a wire rack instead of a paper-towel lined plate as they’ll steam up and soften. If you’re serving within an hour, place the wire rack into a warm 200°F/95°C oven until ready to serve. Otherwise, cover and store at room temperature until ready to reheat. This is like my mint raita but without the yogurt.
1/2 cup (~12 g) cilantro leaves 3 tbsp (~4 g) mint leaves, try not to use stems 1/2 small Serrano pepper or small Thai green chili pepper, deseeded (choose how thick the slice depending on how spicy you’d like) 1/8 tsp sea salt, more or to taste 1/2 garlic clove 1 tsp lemon or lime juice 1/8 tsp sugar 2-3 tbsp water, as needed to blend
How to Reheat
Pakoras keep well in the fridge in an airtight container. To reheat, bake at 350°F/175°C until heated through. If you own an air-fryer, I find it’s best at reheating Pakoras! Air-fry at 350°F until heated through. Tried this recipe? If you have a minute, please consider leaving a comment telling me how it was! You can also take a quick picture and upload it directly into the comments. If you’re on Instagram, please tag me so I can see your creations. I truly love hearing from you. Thank you!
3.75 cup (~570 g) besan (gram flour) 3 tbsp coriander seeds, roughly crushed using a mortar & pestle 2 tbsp cumin seeds, roughly crushed using a mortar & pestle 2 tbsp red chili flakes 1.5 tsp red chili powder or cayenne pepper 2 tbsp sea salt/table salt 1/4 tsp heaped baking soda
My friend Sarah from Flour & Spice Blog has more tips on using a Pakora Mix.
