Crunchy, delicious vegetable pakoras made from potatoes, onions and carrots. Vegan and gluten-free. Detailed recipe with tips on how to make pakoras stay crispy for long!

Vegetables pakoras go by many names, and I knew them as ‘bhajjis’ or ‘bhajiyas’growing up. With just a few Indian pantry staples needed to make them, these crunchy nibbles can be whipped up at short notice. Pakoras and chai are one of those classic matches that are made in culinary heaven, and if it happens to be a cold and rainy day, then vegetable pakoras and chai are exactly what I need! That’s my version of Indian ‘hygge’, right there!

List of Ingredients Needed

To make vegetable pakoras, you will need:

Assorted sliced veggies

Commonly used vegetables are onions (red or yellow), potatoes, carrots. I like to use my food processor to shred the carrots and potatoes. You could also use a mandoline to make thin discs of the potatoes for potato pakoras.

Gram flour

Also known as ‘besan’, gramflou should not be confused with chickepea flour. You can find gram flour at all Asian stores. It is gluten free and used in so many Indian recipes such as paneer tikka, Mysore pak, etc.

Rice Flour

This is how you make your pakoras stay crisp for long! Rice flour is a key ingredient for making pakoras crisp and crunchy.

Seasonings

Salt, red chili powder – use Kashmiri chili powder for best results, cumin powder, coriander powder.

Minced ginger and garlic (or ginger garlic paste)

FAQ’s

What is a pakora or pakoda?

Pakora is a mildly-spiced fritter served with a side of green chutney or tomato ketchup, a very popular snack in India. Pakoras go by several names –  pakodas, bhajjis, pakodi, bhajiya – varying from region to region in India.

Are vegetable pakoras vegan?

Yes pakoras are vegan, and gluten-free as well! This is one of the reasons why I love serving vegetable pakoras to friends at a gathering, they go down with everyone, no matter their dietary requirements.

Is gram flour the same as chickpea flour?

Gram flour, also known as besan in Hindi, is not the same as chickpea flour. Gram flour is made from split and husked Bengal grams – also known as chana dal. Chickpea flour is made from chickpeas or garbanzo beans. Although both come from the same legume family, the two should not be used as substitutes for each other.

How do you keep pakoras crispy?

Rice flour is an important ingredient in making pakoras – they increase that much sought-after crispiness of pakoras. If you are making vegetable pakoras a few hours ahead of serving them, I suggest you keep them wrapped up in aluminum foil and warm them in a preheated oven at 150 C for 15 minutes before serving them. This keeps them crisp and warm.