Air fryer cornflakes chivda is a crispy, light and low-oil Indian snack mixture made with raw cornflakes, thin poha, peanuts, roasted gram, curry leaves and simple spices. It is also called cornflakes chiwda, cornflakes mixture, makai poha chivda or corn poha namkeen.
This homemade version is easier than the traditional deep-fried cornflakes mixture because the cornflakes and poha are lightly soaked, drained and crisped in the air fryer. You still get the crunchy texture and tangy masala flavour, but with much less oil. It is perfect with tea, for Diwali snacks, Holi munching, movie nights or as a homemade namkeen to store in an airtight jar.
If you enjoy Indian air fryer snacks, you may also like air fried moong dal, farali chiwda and this full collection of Indian air fryer recipes.
Jump to:
Air fryer cornflakes chivda - Video recipe
Why Make This in the Air Fryer?
The air fryer helps make cornflakes chivda crisp with very little oil. It is easier than deep frying, needs less supervision and keeps the snack lighter. The hot air dries and crisps the soaked cornflakes and poha, while the peanuts and tempering ingredients roast well in a small oven-safe bowl or tin.
Quick Summary: Soak cornflakes briefly, drain, air fry at 170°C, repeat with poha, roast peanuts with tempering, then mix everything with salt, chaat masala, mint powder and amchur.
Ingredients
- Raw cornflakes or makai poha
- poha or rice flakes
- Peanuts
- Raisins
Tempering
- Roasted Bengal gram or chutney dal
- Mustard seeds
- Curry leaves
- Dried red chillies
- Oil
Spices
- Salt
- Turmeric powder
- Chaat masala
- Amchur or dried mango powder
- Mint powder
- Red chilli powder or cayenne pepper
- Sugar, optional
Pro Tip: Use raw cornflakes or makai poha for this recipe, not the breakfast cereal served with milk. Raw cornflakes need a quick soak before air frying, while breakfast cornflakes are already cooked and need a different method.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Soak and drain the raw cornflakes
Add raw cornflakes or makai poha to water for only a few seconds. Drain immediately using a sieve. Do not soak for long, otherwise the cornflakes can become too soft.
Air fry the cornflakes
Transfer the drained cornflakes to an air fryer-safe tin or bowl. Spray lightly with oil and air fry at 170°C for about 5 minutes, until crisp. Keep aside.
The cornflakes should look puffed and crisp, not wet or chewy. If they still feel soft, air fry for 1 to 2 more minutes, checking carefully so they do not over-brown.
Soak and drain the poha
Add thin poha to water for a short soak. Drain it properly in a sieve. Thin poha softens quickly, so avoid soaking it for too long.
Air fry the poha
Place the drained poha in an air fryer-safe tin. Spray lightly with oil if needed. Air fry at 170°C for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until dry and crisp.
Make the tempering and air fry with peanuts
In an air fryer-safe bowl, add oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, roasted Bengal gram, dried red chillies and peanuts. Air fry at 170°C for 5 to 6 minutes, until the peanuts are roasted and the curry leaves are crisp.
Example: You can use this same tempering method for other homemade namkeen recipes such as poha chivda, murmura chivda or low-oil mixture.
Mix the air fried items together
Add raisins at the last cook for maximum 1 minute. Add the air fried cornflakes, crisp poha and peanut tempering to a large bowl. Add salt, turmeric, chaat masala, amchur, mint powder, red chilli powder and sugar if using. Toss gently so the flakes stay crisp and do not break.
Variations
- Sweet and spicy cornflakes chivda: Add a little powdered sugar with chaat masala and red chilli powder.
- Poha cornflakes mixture: Increase the quantity of thin poha and reduce the cornflakes.
- Nutty chivda: Add cashews, almonds or sliced dry coconut with the peanuts.
- Extra tangy mixture: Add more amchur and chaat masala after air frying.
- Festival namkeen: Add raisins, fried cashews or sev after the mixture cools completely.
Substitutions
- Raw cornflakes: Use makai poha or frying cornflakes, not breakfast cereal, for this soaked air fryer method.
- Thin poha: Use thin rice flakes. Thick poha may need a longer cooking time and will give a different texture.
- Roasted Bengal gram: Use chutney dal or skip it if unavailable.
- Mint powder: Use dried mint, skip it, or add a little more chaat masala.
- Amchur: Use lemon powder or increase chaat masala slightly.
- Peanuts: Replace with cashews, almonds or pumpkin seeds if needed.
Related recipes
Cornflakes chivda recipe
Equipment
- Air fryer
- frying pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cornflakes or makai poha
- 1½ cups thin poha or rice flakes
- ½ cup peanuts
- ¼ cup raisins
Spices and tempering ingredients
- ¼ cup roasted Bengal gram or chutney dal
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 10 to 12 curry leaves
- 2 dried red chillies broken
- 2 teaspoons oil
- Oil spray as needed
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon amchur or dried mango powder
- ½ teaspoon mint powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder adjust to taste
- ¾ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon powdered sugar optional
Instructions
- Add raw cornflakes to water for a few seconds only. Drain immediately and let extra water pass through the sieve.
- Transfer the drained cornflakes to an air fryer-safe tin. Spray lightly with oil and air fry at 170°C for 5 minutes, or until crisp. Keep aside.
- Soak thin poha briefly and drain well. Spread it in the same tin and air fry at 170°C for 8 to 10 minutes. Stir once or twice while cooking.
- In an air fryer-safe bowl, mix peanuts, roasted Bengal gram, mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried red chillies and oil.
- Air fry this tempering mix at 170°C for 5 to 6 minutes, until the peanuts are roasted and the curry leaves turn crisp. Add raisins at the last cook for maximum 1 minute.
- Add the crisp cornflakes, poha and peanut tempering to a large mixing bowl.
- Add turmeric, chaat masala, amchur, mint powder, red chilli powder, salt and sugar if using.
- Mix gently with a spoon until the masala coats the chivda evenly.
- Let the air fryer cornflakes chivda cool completely before storing it in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
FAQs
Yes, cornflakes chivda can be made in an air fryer with very little oil. For this method, briefly soak raw cornflakes or makai poha, drain well, spray with oil and air fry until crisp.
No, raw cornflakes or makai poha are different from breakfast cereal cornflakes. Raw cornflakes are usually used for frying or roasting in Indian chivda recipes. Breakfast cornflakes are already cooked and should not be soaked for this recipe.
It may turn soft if the cornflakes or poha were soaked too long, not drained well, or stored before cooling completely. Air fry again for a few minutes at a lower temperature to remove extra moisture.
Store cornflakes chiwda in an airtight container for 10 to 15 days. Keep it away from moisture and always use a dry spoon.
Yes, you can skip peanuts or replace them with cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds or extra roasted Bengal gram. The texture will change slightly, but the mixture will still taste good.
Conclusion
This air fryer cornflakes chivda is a simple low-oil version of the classic cornflakes mixture. The recipe uses raw cornflakes, thin poha, peanuts, curry leaves and tangy spices to make a crisp homemade namkeen without deep frying. Make a batch for tea time, festive snacking or weekend munching, and store it in an airtight jar once it cools completely.
Dennis says
Thank you for the cast iron recipe. New to the corn poha and I don't want to use oil. Did you rinse it first or just heat it in the pan? Is 8 or 10 minutes on a low medium good?
Thanks, Dennis
bhavana bhatia says
Hi Dennis,
Thanks for writing to us.
You do not need to rinse it. Just roast in a cast iron pan with minimal oil. You can also roast it in salt as it was done in traditional method. Yes low medium 8-10 mins is fine.
Thanks
Bhavana
Dennis says
Great. Happy for the cast iron recipe
Juhi Goel says
Mine tend to fly around in the air fryer and stick and on the fan area ,i don't know why ?
bhavana bhatia says
hi Juhi,
One thing that will help to make them less prone to flying is to ensure that they are oiled well.Using an oil spray allows to coat oil to these uneven cornflakes more evenly.
hope this helps