Easy Vegetable Pakora Recipes

Gluten FreeVeganVegetarian

If you talk about Indian snacks, then Pakoras will probably top the list! These are crispy, battered and then deep-fried till golden and delicious. You can probably use any vegetable you can lay upon your hand for making these vegetable pakoras. And these pakoras are vegetarian, vegan ( in most cases), gluten-free, nut-free and totally open to modifications as per your taste.

Pakoras are very popular as an evening snack throughout the Indian sub-continent. It is often served with a variety of chutneys or dips along with a cup of tea. I have personally buckled down to the temptation of having these deep-fried snacks mostly during the rainy evenings.

The key to the perfect pakoras lies in the pakora batter. It is made with besan or gram flour, which is also known as chickpea flour mixed with water, salt and some spices like Carrom Seeds, Turmeric Powder and some time, Red Chilli Powder. So, this makes the Indian Pakoras vegan and gluten-free.

The consistency of the pakora batter has to be perfect so that it coats the vegetable pieces perfectly before you deep fry them.

As for the vegetables, you can use a variety of them to dunk them in this batter and deep fry. Here, I have used boiled potatoes, sliced onions, capsicums (or bell peppers), paneer or cottage cheese, cauliflower and dried fenugreek leaves or methi.

Apart from these, you can also use aubergines, sliced cabbage, spinach leaves, coriander leaves or cilantro leaves, button mushroom, or even a mix of any of these vegetables.

Easy Indian Pakora recipe ideas for you to try

How to make Onion Pakoras

Onion Pakora recipe
Onion Pakoras served with Tomato Hot Sauce

One of the easiest pakora recipes is of the Onion Pakoras. All you have to do is make the chickpea flour batter with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder in it and drop sliced onions in it. Mix up everything and drop a tablespoon of it in the hot oil. Traditionally, mustard oil is preferred for frying, but any other oil serves the purpose equally.

Once they turn brown on each side, take them out on a kitchen towel. Sprinkle some rock salt on it and serve with your favourite chutney or simply with some ketchup.

You can use Shallots or Spring Onions in the same way to make onion pakoras.

In case you are a fan of Punjabi style Kadhi, you can use this Onion fritter recipe for Pakora Kadhi.

How to make Vegetable Pakoras

Veg Pakoras Recipe
Capsicum Pakoras served with Honey Mustard Sauce

Making veg pakoras is the simplest. You can grab any vegetable you have in your veggie bin and chop-slice-cut them and turn them into pakoras. Here, I have made Capsicum Pakoras, Cauliflower Pakoras and Potato Pakoras.

There are few tips to make better vegetable Pakoras that would come handy.

  • For Potato Pakoras, boil the potatoes first. This will give you soft in the inside yet crunchy outside pakoras
  • For Cauliflower Pakoras, steam the cauliflower florets for a couple of minutes before making pakoras with them. Soak the florets in some salty water and then steam them. Allow them to cool down completely before dipping them in batter and frying. You can make Broccoli Pakoras in the same way
  • For Capsicum/Bell Pepper Pakoras, wash and de-seed them properly. Then cut thin slices to make pakoras with
  • For Cabbage Pakoras, slice the cabbage as thin as you can and then mix it with the batter. Take a spoonful of the batter and fry
  • For Mushroom Pakoras, slice the mushrooms first. Then dip them in the batter and fry
  • For Babycorn Pakoras, steam them ahead and then dip them in the batter and deep fry
  • For Eggplant Pakoras, slice the aubergine/brinjal/eggplant in thin round circles first. Then dip them in the batter and deep fry
Eggplant Fritters or Beguni

Veg Pakoras are very versatile. You can even coarsely chop two or more of these veggies and combine to make Mix-Veg Pakoras.

How to make Paneer Pakora

Paneer Pakora is probably one of the most popular pakoras after Onion Pakora. Chunks of Paneer or Indian Cottage Cheese is dipped in the batter and then deep-fried.

Here, I took the Paneer Pakoras a step ahead in terms of grandeur by marinating them in ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, red chilli flakes and olive oil for a couple of hours.

Then simply picked each of them, dipped them in the batter and deep-fried them till golden and crispy.

In case you are looking for options of vegan pakoras here, substitute Paneer with Tofu.

How to make Pakoras with leafy greens or herbs

Methi Pakoras recipe
Methi Pakoras served with Garlic-Cream Cheese Dip

Using herbs and leafy green vegetables is also very popular in making pakoras. For instance, I have used dried Fenugreek Leaves (Methi) to make these pakoras. Some other greens and herbs that can be used to make pakoras are:

  • Coriander Leaves or Cilantro
  • Parsley Leaves
  • Fresh Fenugreek Leaves
  • Baby Spinach Leaves
  • Italian Basil Leaves
  • Mint Leaves

How to serve Pakoras?

Pakoras are absolutely no-fuss snacks and can be served with a variety of dips and chutneys. Some of the options are:

You can also serve a side of Garden Salad with Lemon wedges.

Have you tried this recipe? I would love to hear about it.
Tag me on Instagram @speakingaloud_hashdiaries or Facebook @hashdiaries and I will share it further.

Easy Vegetable Pakora Recipes
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 

If you talk about Indian snacks, then Pakoras will probably top the list! These are crispy, battered and then deep-fried till golden and delicious. You can probably use any vegetable you can lay upon your hand for making these vegetable pakoras. And these pakoras are vegetarian, vegan ( in most cases), gluten-free, nut-free and totally open to modifications as per your taste.

Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: Gluten Free Recipes, Pakora Recipe, Paneer Recipes, Vegan Recipes, vegetarian recipes
Servings: 30 Pieces
Calories: 125 kcal
Author: Priyanka
Ingredients
  • 4 tbsp Besan or Chickpea Flour
  • 2 tbsp Cornflour
  • ½ tsp Baking Soda
  • ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
  • ½ tsp Carrom Seeds or Ajwain
  • 1 tsp Oil
  • ¼ cup Water approx
  • Vegetables for making the pakoras
  • Oil to fry the pakoras
Instructions
  1. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Ensure that there are no lumps in it.

  2. Now gradually add the water and whisk. Make a slurry that would coat the vegetables properly. It should be something similar to a pancake batter

  3. Heat the oil in a wok

  4. Meanwhile prepare the vegetables that you are going to make the pakoras with.

  5. Once the oil is hot enough, take some of the batter and drop a little in the oil. If it holds its shape and floats up, then it is of the perfect consistency.

    Otherwise, if it splatters and spreads through, then add some more chickpea flour to balance the excess moisture in the batter

  6. Take the sliced vegetables and dip them in the batter. Make sure that the batter coats each one of them completely. Now drop them carfully in the hot oil.

    Do not crowd the oil, fry in batches. Once they turn golden brown, take them out on a kitchen towel. Serve hot.

  7. In case you are making pakoras with greens or herbs, then finely chop them before adding to the batter. Now take a spoonfull of the batter and drop it in the oil. After a minute or two, turn them over and fry them. Once they are done, take them out and serve.

Recipe Notes

This is an estimated calculation for 10 Onion Pakoras. 

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7 responses to “Easy Vegetable Pakora Recipes”

  1. Ankit Avatar

    I had tried some of ur dishes who I like the most Like Bengali egg curry , planner dhaba style d chicken Bharta but two dishes I loved most is panned badam d fish grilled these two r different as I liked it most .. so any different kind of recipe post more I’ll love to cook it.. just one confusion I had gone through one recipe wanna try it but before that wana know that chicken with potatoes wats combination wats special in it u had post one chicken with potatoes recipe

    1. speakingaloud Avatar

      I think you are talking about Bengali Chicken Curry with Potatoes. It is a light curry, mildly spicy and very delicious. Try it to know what I am saying. Happy cooking.

      1. Ankit Avatar

        I just wana clear why chicken with potatoes no combination…I read complete recipe.. happy cooking to u ..

  2. Ankit Avatar

    Any non veg dishes recipe …

    1. speakingaloud Avatar

      If you are looking for non-veg dishes, then there are plenty of them. On the right side of the page there is an option for Non-Vegetarian recipes, click on that and you will find many recipes. Thanks

      1. Ankit Avatar

        Ok fine I’ll be waiting for recipes of dishes took less time for preparation d will be delicious too

      2. Ankit Avatar

        I searched it out but not find any different dishes of non veg u sally I cooked butter chicken d rogan gosh d fish fry too but looking for some different recipe non veg dishes something out of normal easy to cook with less spices d all .. not too much time taken too.

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Indian Food Blogger Priyanka Bhattacharya

Hi! I’m Priyanka!

A passionate home cook and food lover who loves nothing more than sharing my favourite recipes with the world.

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