Pakoras or chickpea flour fritters are a thing of joy. They are synonymous with monsoon season. Be it bread pakoras, mirchi bajji, moong dal bhajiye ,onion bhaji pakora or sindhi onion pakodas. There are other variations like palak pakora, gobi pakora, aloo pakora and even cabbage pakoras.
Vegan gluten free snack, deep-fried pakoras are a crowd favorite. However, the only vice of this street food is the high oil content in it. It is deep fried which is hardly healthy in any way. There is no issue in eating it once a while, but the thing with onion pakora is, ye dil maange more!
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Can you air fry pakora?
Everyone loves pakoras which are more than a popular Indian street food now. You will find fans of onion fritters everywhere. However, these crunchy pakoras can be made with lots of veg, spices and chickpea flour.To get that perfect crispy pakora in the air fryer, you gotta get the batter right. The batter should be thick, not watery. In a bowl, combine chickpea or red lentil flour, onion, spices, and a pinch of baking soda to make the batter.
We tried to make pakode in air-fryer many times until we cracked this perfect recipe. Earlier the batter would stick to the grill. Sometimes it felt a bit raw. At times it was a little soft. What is a pakora without the crunch, right? We finally had an idea, to use muffin liners instead of putting the batter on the basket grill on parchment paper. Scroll over the instructions below to make the perfect crispy onion pakoda and you will never be disappointed.
How to make onion pakora in air fryer? ( video recipe)
Equipment
- Air fryer
- oil spray
- perforated paper liners / muffin liners. You can cut a parchment paper as per your air fryer basket and make holes in that to allow the air to pass through or use the liners used for bamboo steamers.
- large bowl
Key Ingredients
- Onions - Use red or white onions, chop them as you like.
- Red lentil flour or chickpea flour (Besan flour) - I prefer red lentil flour for air fryer recipes
- Green chilli - Optional , only if you like it hot
- Spices ( Turmeric powder ,Red chili powder) -
- Mint/coriander leaves
- Baking soda - a pinch of baking soda mixed with water . This helps to make the pakora soft
- Salt as per taste
- Water to make thick batter
- Oil for air frying . Choose your oil wisely, refer to our detailed post on best oil for indian cooking
- few drops of lemon juice (optional) - This helps to make the pakora soft as it reacts with baking soda
Refer to recipe card for details.
Related links
How to make onion pakora in air fryer ? Step by step instructions
It is possible to make onion pakoda in air fryer.Follow the below steps for the same. These are red onion bhaji as I have used red onion, you may use white onions as well
- Slice the onion and add salt to it. Leave it aside for 5 minutes in a large mixing bowl .
2. Add the lentil flour to the mix. I have used red lentil flour here, you may use chickpea flour / besan.
3. Add remaining ingredients (except baking soda) with 2 tbsp. water, start mixing the ingredients
4. Add the chopped coriander/mint to the batter
5. Mix baking soda with water and add to the mix at the last. Add few drops of lemon juice now.
6. Line the air fryer basket with a baking sheet with holes/steamer sheet.
Scoop spoonfulls of mixture to fill the basket.Spray oil,brush oil before they start to cook.
7. In a preheated air fryer(5 minutes at 170 C | 340 F ) ,air fry the pakoras on 170 C | 340 F for 8-10 mins
8. Place them in the air fryer basket without the baking sheet,spray oil and cook further at 170 C | 340 F for 5 mins ,then turn over and cook again for 3-4 minutes or until cooked from all sides.Total cook of 18-19 minutes.
9. Serve air fryer onion pakodas hot with tamarind chutney & green chutney.
Air fryer pakora recipe | air fryer onion pakoda recipe
Equipment
- Air fryer
- parchment paper or muffin cups.
- oil spray
Ingredients
- 2½ cup onions sliced
- 1 teaspoon Salt as per taste
- 1 cup lentil flour red lentil flour / gram flour / chickpea flour (besan)
- 1 tablespoon sooji / semolina or use rice flour (if you are using besan)
- 1-2 green chillies as per taste
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder optional
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder or as per taste
- 1 tbsp. coriander leaves or mint leaves
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼-1/2 cup water Water If you leave onions aside for long time with salt, then you need less water.
- 2 tbsp. Oil for oil spray
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
For air fryer onion bhajis
- Slice the onions,add the salt,allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the lentil flour to the mix.Add remaining ingredients with ¼ cup water,start mixing the ingredients
- Add the chopped coriander to the batter.Mix baking soda with 2-3 tablespoon water and add to the mix at the last . Add few drops of lemon juice now.
- Line the air fryer basket with a baking sheet with holes/steamer sheet.Scoop spoonfulls of mixture to fill the basket.Spray oil,brush oil or spray oil before they start to cook.
- In a preheated air fryer(5 minutes at 170 C | 340 F) ,air fry the pakoras on 170 C | 340 F for 8-10 mins
- Place them in the air fryer basket without the baking sheet,spray oil and cook further at 170 C | 340 F for 5 mins ,then turn over and cook again for 3-4 minutes or until cooked from all sides.Total cook of 18-19 minutes.
Variation - Semi cooked in water
- Mix onion and all ingredients(including baking soda), do not add any water as water will be released by onions
- Heat a pot of water, once boiling, add big spoonful of pakora batter,let it cook for 2-3 minutes,slowly take them out of the bowl
- Allow these the semi cooked onion pakora to cook down on a tissue
- Once they are at room temperature, brush them oil, preheat airfryer at 170C/340F,
- Serve hot once they are golden brown from all sides.
Video
Notes
Variations for air fryer pakora
You can always make the traditional deep fried pakora , refer to the recipe of onion bhaji. However I prefer to make this air fried healthy version of the pakoras more as this uses very less oil. I can then eat them multiple times too with my cup of masala chai 🙂
Storage suggestions
Air fried onion pakoda stays crisp until next day when stored in an air tight container.
FAQs
Yes, I like heating pakora in air fryer. Just air fry them for 2-3 mins at 160 deg C after preheating the air fryer.
Baked onion bhaji is similar to onion pakoda in air fryer. It gives much better results than the oven.
Yes you can preheat the airfryer and cook the frozen onion bhaji at 180C/355F for 7-8 minutes to get crispy onion bhaji.
It all depends if you deep fry them or air fry them. air fried onion bhajis have almost 60 % lesser onion bhaji calories compared to the deep fried.
Conclusion: You want to eat pakode in every season. Whether its raining or cold, hot pakoras and tea is welcome even on a sunny afternoon. Enjoy this healthy onion bhaji without worrying about these extra calories! As they are air fried, these are are slimming onion bhajis (when compared with deep fried ones) . Yes they are as crispy as the fried ones if you were wondering. Morever these are plant based , hence this is a vegan onion bhajis recipe.Win-win for everyone!
Silvie Gowans says
Brilliant.
bhavana bhatia says
Thank you so much Silvie.
Cheers!
Bhavana