Pakora Recipe (Vegetable Pakora)

Pakora is a classic Indian snacks recipe made of gram flour, vegetables and few spices. Crispy, flavorful and absolutely addictive with tea. These are traditionally fried but you can easily bake or even air fry them. Vegan and gluten free.

There are many varieties of pakoras and this mixed vegetable pakora is a variation of popular onion pakora. Here I am sharing a very detailed recipe of how to make pakora with step by step photos.

Pakoras are one of the most popular and most loved snacks across India. With onion pakoda being the most popular there are also many variations like this one with mixed vegetables. It is a very popular street food.

It is an excellent tea time snack that you can whip up in minutes even for sudden guests. Fried besan or gram flour has a wonderful flavor and when we combine vegetables with it, it is nothing but addictive.

You can make pakoda easily with ingredients available in the pantry. You can use any and all the vegetables available to make this super tasty and interesting snack.

This is the best pakora recipe that I have beem making for years. It is in the same lines of onion pakoda. This is very crispy and dry compared to the pakoras you get in north Indian restaurants.

I have shared all my tips to make crispy pakora easily at home in this post. If you do not want to deep fry you can bake or use an air fryer.

About This Recipe

Pakora also known as pakoda is a crispy deep fried snack or fritters made of chickpea flour or besan or gram flour as main ingredient along with vegetables and few spices or herbs.

It originates from north India and very popular across the Indian subcontinent that is Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Srilanka and India. It is a very popular Indian food across the globe too.

There are many varieties of this snack. You can basically make pakora with any vegetable or greens or even nuts like cashews, peanuts.

I make this whenever I have bits and bobs of vegetables or we crave something hot and spicy with tea, mostly on gloomy days 🙂

Piping hot plate of vegetable pakoras with masala chai is totally bliss during a rainy day 🙂 It is super easy to make this recipe at home. It is beginner friendly and very hard to mess up 🙂

Along with detailed step by step recipe, I have shared many tips, variations and serving suggestions which will help you make these perfectly. Do try out these yummy vegetable pakora recipe. These are

absolutely addictive, I mean really

crispy

very flavorful

vegan

gluten free

easy to make afternoon snack

a hit with kids, always 🙂

What Are Pakora Made Of?

The ingredients for pakora recipe are super simple ones. You will basically need the following.

Gram flour– Also known as besan or chickpea flour, this is the base of pakora batter or mix. Use fine gram flour that are very fresh for best flavor. It goes rancid very easily, so make sure you use the fresh ones. No need to roast the besan, you can use it directly.

Rice flour- It is optional ingredient used in south Indian pakoda recipes. Usually in north India, pakora is made of besan only. Adding a bit of rice flour makes these fritters super crispy and also they do not turn soggy for long time.

In south India we even store pakoda for two days. It stays good if made properly.

Vegetables– You can use many of the common vegetables and greens in this recipe. This time I have added carrots, baby corns, cabbage, onion, capsicum. I have also added some methi leaves and chopped coriander leaves. I usually do not add beans as they do not taste very good when deep fried.

Carom seeds– Ajwain or carom seeds are added to pakora batter for flavor as well as they aid digestion. Chickpea flour tends to be heavy sometimes so adding ajwain is really helpful. You can also use asafoetida but it is not gluten free, so be aware of that.

Red chilli powder- As add required for heat. The given quantity yields moderately spiced pakoras.

Baking soda– It is again an optional ingredient here. You can add a pinch of baking soda to make pakoras more airy and crispy.

Others– salt, turmeric and oil to deep fry.

How To Make Pakora Recipe

Preparing vegetables

Rinse, wipe and chop the vegetables as mentioned below and place in a large mixing bowl.

1/2 cup carrot- peel and chop into thin batons

1/2 cup capsicum or bell pepper- thin strips

Cabbage 1/2 cup – thin strips

5 baby corn- batons

1 Onion- slice thinly or finely chopped

1/4 cup methi leaves- rinse thoroughly and chop if the leaves are large.

2 tablespoons coriander leaves- finely chopped

Sprinkle some salt all over the vegetables and mix well. Set aside for 15 minutes.

By doing this the vegetables will release some water.

Preparing pakoda mix with gram flour

Add 3/4 cup chickpea flour or besan, 1/4 cup rice flour, 1/4 teaspoon carom seeds, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder and 1 teaspoon salt to the veggies. Also add 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder if you like. I did not add though.

Mix very well without adding any water. The water released from the veggies is enough to bind. Make a thick pliable mixture. Finally add 1/2 teaspoon oil and mix.

Making vegetable pakora recipe

Heat oil for deep frying in a heavy deep pan. I prefer to use cast iron pan for frying. Once the oil is hot (190 C/ 375 F) pinch small balls from the prepared mixture and slide in hot oil carefully. Maintain medium heat.

Let them fry for few seconds undisturbed.

Then stir gently for even frying.

Once the fritters turn crispy and golden brown you can remove them from flame. Remove the fried pakoras using a slotted spoon and place on a kitchen paper or towel.

Serve vegetable pakora hot. You can add few drops of lemon juice or serve pakoras with lemon wedges and raw onions if you like.

Method-2 Making Pakoras In The Oven & Air Fryer

For this method first of all prepare the pakora mixture as mentioned above.

Preheat oven at 200 C or 390 F. Grease a large baking tray with few drops of oil or cooking spary.

Pinch small portions of the pakoda mix and flatten it slightly. This will ensure even baking.

Place as a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake in the hot oven for 15-18 minutes.

Make sure to flip through the fritters half way to ensure quick and even cooking.

Same temperature for air fryer also.

Serving Suggestions

Pakoras are perfect tea time snack. They simply taste wonderful on their own with a cup of tea.

Other ways to enjoy pakoda are with some fried green chillies, green chutney, sweet chutney or even mint chutney.

You can also serve pakoras with dipping sauce like schezwan sauce, tomato garlic dip, momos chutney.

One more popular way of eating pakora in north India is with bread. Try it, it tastes good.

You can also serve this with lemon rice, coconut rice, masala rice, curried rice.

Expert Tips To Make Best Pakora

Flours- While you can use only chickpea flour for this recipe, rice or corn flour makes them super crispy and retain the crispiness too. I highly recommend adding a bit of rice or corn flour here.

Make sure the gram flour is not rancid before mixing with vegetables. You can store gram flour in refrigerate or freezer to improve shelf life.

Vegetables- Always choose vegetables that have somewhat uniform cook time. Here I have choose quick cooking vegetables like bell peppers, carrots, onions. Chop the vegetables into uniform size for even frying.

If you want to make pakoras with potato, sweet potatoes or even beans, I suggest you make it a separate batch. Also slice those vegetables thinly. No need to par boil them though.

The temperature of oil for frying is crucial in this recipe. If your oil is too hot, the pakoras will get burnt from outside and remain uncooked inside and if it is not hot enough they will turn very soggy on frying.

After heating oil for 5-6 minutes, drop a small bit of mixture. If it sizzles after 2-3 seconds the temperature is right for frying. Easiest method is to use a thermometer though.

Always use a pan wide enough to hold the pakora mixture without over crowding. If your pan is small fry in multiple batches.

Once fried, place them on kitchen towel or wire rack for removing excess oil.

These vegetable pakora tastes delicious both hot and at room temperature.

Once you prepare the mixture, I suggest you fry or bake them right away as the vegetables will start letting out water.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to keep pakoras crispy?

To retain the crispiness even after cooling your best is to add 1/4 cup rice or corn flour along with chickpea flour.

Why to use baking soda in pakora?

To make them lighter and airy, but it is an optional ingredient only. Do not use baking powder.

What other greens will taste good in this recipe?

Spinach, amaranth, kale etc.

What other veggies or herbs can I add?

Cauliflower florets, broccoli, grated and squeezed bottle gourd, mint leaves, eggplant, pumpkin, can be added in this recipe.

Which oil is best for frying pakora?

I prefer to use peanut oil but you can use any vegetable oil or canola oil too.

More Snack Recipes

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Aloo tikki

Mirchi vada

Vengaya bajji

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