Want to make Crispy Onion Bhajis? Then, try this Easy Onion Bhaji recipe. They are the perfect tea-time snack as well as a delicious side to your favorite Indian curries! Made with onion, chickpea (gram) flour, and basic Indian spices, these onion bhaji fritters are quick and easy! Very addictive, vegan, gluten-free, and ready in 30 minutes! Learn how to make these delicious Indian onion bhajia step by step.
Easy Onion Bhaji recipe
Does Onion Bhaji need any introduction really? I doubt so! They are also popularly known as Kanda Bhaji, Kanda Bhajia, Pyaz ke Pakode, or Onion Pakora. These Onion Bhajis are also a popular Indian street food snack!
I cannot imagine an Indian takeaway without a serving of these popular bhajis, but they’re actually so so easy to make at home too! So delicious with Tarka Dal, homemade garlic naan, quick chana masala, mango chutney, and cucumber raita.
In India, whenever we would invite friends and family over for tea, my mom would make a fried tea time snack. This tradition has travelled with me to the UK. I love to make Pakoras, Aloo Bonda, Samosa, or even Vada’s to serve with Indian Masala Chai. Something crispy – either fried, air fried or baked!
Learn to make perfect Crispy Onion Bhaji at home with all the tips and tricks!
TRENDING RECIPE ON SANDHYA’S KITCHEN – VIDEO
Ingredients you’ll need for Onion Bhajis
Red onions – I prefer red onions in my fritters. But you can always use White onions too if that’s what you like.
Gram flour – also known as Chickpea Flour or Besan are naturally Gluten Free. They are easily available in major supermarkets.
Rice flour – is optional. Want extra crispy Bhaji’s then do add the rice flour.
Coriander Leaves adds a luscious flavor to the bhajis. If you don’t like them, simply leave them out.
Spice Powders – I like to use Ground Cumin, Ground Coriander, and Turmeric.
Chilli powder or Green Chillies – I prefer Chilli Powder in the bhajis. If you like it spicer, you also add finely sliced green chillies too.
Salt – is essential and has an important role in making our crispy bhajis with onion.
Water – Add only as much as needed.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE ONION BHAJIS?
Slice the Onions Thin and Uniform – either using Mandolin Slicer or using a sharp knife.
In a mixing bowl, add the sliced onions, gram flour, coriander leaves, spice powders, and salt. Mix them well with clean hands. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 20 minutes (or longer up to 1 hour). This step is essential for achieving crispy bhajis.
Salted sliced onions release the moisture(natural juices) and turn a bit soft. Gram Flour added to the mixture allows in binding together to make a simple fritter batter.
When you are ready to make onion bhaji’s, squeeze the Onions to release the water. This liquid is usually sufficient in combining the onion fritters batter. However, if you feel the batter is too dry, add one teaspoon of water at a time and mix with hands until the batter sticks to the onions together.
Heat oil in your pan. Check if your oil is sufficiently hot by adding a pinch of the onion bhaji batter. If it comes up immediately, you know the oil is ready for frying the remaining Onion Pakora.
Using a spoon or clean hands, add small onion bhaji batter portions into the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes. Flip the bhaji’s once they are light brown on one side and fry until they are brown all over and evenly cooked.
Check if they’re cooked inside and the bhaji is not wet. Drain the fried fritter on a kitchen roll or absorbent paper to soak up any excess oil.
If you are making a large batch of these fritters, place them on a baking sheet in the oven at a low heat to keep them warm.
Serve hot Onion Pakora with Green Chutney and Cucumber Raita!
Why is My Bhaji Not Crispy?
Onion Bhaji did not turn crispy because of mainly Three Factors.
- Onions are SLICED TOO THICK or they are not UNIFORMLY SLICED.
- When you fry the bhaji in low heat, they tend to absorb a lot of oil and turn out soggy too. Remember to check if the oil is hot enough.
- There is more water than required to make the Onion Fritter Batter.
- There are more fritters in your frying pan and they are crowded!
All these factors will result in not-so-crispy onion bhaji.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Onion Bhaji
Store the onion bhaji in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat them, Pre-heat the oven to 180C and place the onion bhaji in the oven between 5-10 minutes or until just warm. You can also reheat the onion bhaji in the air fryer.
Can I Bake The Onion Bhajis?
You can bake Onion Bhaji at 180C for 30-40 minutes. To bake the Bhaji, Preheat the oven to 180 C and line the parchment paper on the baking sheet. Place an equal proportion of onion bhaji on the paper, brush it with a little oil. Bake for 30 -40 minutes or until crispy and cooked.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ONION BHAJI AND MUSHROOM BHAJI?
Onion Bhaji is an appetizer whereas Mushroom Bhaji is a tasty side dish served with rice or flatbread. Both the dishes are Vegan and are usually available from your local Indian takeaway!
YOU MAY LOVE THESE POPULAR INDIAN CURRIES TO SERVE WITH THE BHAJI
Vegan Aubergine, Mushroom and Potato Curry
HAVE YOU MADE THIS RECIPE?
Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a ★ rating!
Post a photo of your creation on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #sandhyaskitchen. I would love to see your pictures!
EASY INDIAN ONION BHAJIS RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- 2 large red onions sliced thin
- 1 cup gram flour /chickpea flour
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/4 cup coriander leaves
- Salt to taste
- 1 – 3 tsp water as needed
Instructions
- PREPARE THE ONIONS – Peel the onion, wash and cut the onions in to thin slices. Cut them into halves again.
- MIX THE INGREDIENTS – In a mixing bowl, all all the dry ingredients – onion, flour, spices and salt.Mix them with clean hands and allow them to sit for at least 20 minutes ( or longer – up to 1 hour )
- ONION BHAJI BATTER – After 20 minutes, squeeze the onions with your hands to release the water. Combine the mixture together to form a thick batter. If you feel the batter is too dry, add 1 teaspoon of water at a time until the batter coats the onions well.
- If you feel, during the process of frying the batter has gone a bit watery, you can add 1-2 tsp of gram flour too.
- FRYING THE BHAJIS – Heat Oil Check if your oil is sufficiently hot by adding a pinch of the onion bhaji batter. If it bubbles up immediately, you know the oil is ready for frying the remaining Onion Pakora.
- Using a spoon or clean hands, add small onion bhaji batter portions into the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes. Flip the bhaji’s once they are light brown on one side and fry until they are brown all over and evenly cooked.
- Check if they’re cooked inside and the bhaji is not wet. Drain the fried fritter on a kitchen roll or absorbent paper to soak up any excess oil.
- SERVE – Serve with your favourite coriander chutney or raita.
- STORE & REHEAT – Store any leftover onion bhaji's in an airtight container and refrigerate upto 3 days. To reheat, place them on a baking tray and cook in a preheated oven at 150C for 10-15 minutes.
I have never tried these before. Interesting. J am looking forward to trying withse at home with my family. Looks great!
This recipe is amazing! I loved all the flavors and it made for a great app! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Beautiful spirals! I love onoin bhaji and hadn’t the faintest idea on how to make them so thanks for making them so approachable!
Oh Yes, Farah! Onion Bhaji are really easy to make.
This is one of my family’s favorite appetizers / snacks to have on the weekend!! Crispy, flavorful and overall just so so good!
I used to buy Onion Bhajis from a local restaurant before – never made them but now thanks to your recipe I can!
Oh wow. Just made these – first ever attempt at onion bhajis – and they were incredible! Such a great recipe, my boyfriend and I both loved them. Will definitely be making them again!
Thank you for the fantastic feedback. This Onion Bhaji is easy and simply authentic – just the way I learnt from my mum.
So easy and tasty bhajjis! What a perfect vegan dish!
This recipe is very delicious and easy to make! Very helpful, thanks for sharing it. Will make it again.
I love onion bhajjis, but I haven’t had them in ages. I need to give them a try this weekend. Thanks for a great recipe with so many useful tips.
I was supposed to share but they were so good I ate them all myself! I’ll make them again for the family.
I have been on an Indian food kick lately but haven’t heard of onion bhajis yet. These sound so good and I love they can add a little crunchy side to some of my favorite meals.
Sandhya, the bajjis look perfect to share and with the chutney, we are good to share.
I loved these crispy onion, it was an experiment for me because I have never had onion bjajis before and I loved the crunch and sweetness of the onion.
One of my favorite Indian snacks! I went to India on my honeymoon partly for the wonderful food, so it’s great to find this recipe.
so good – that chutney though – yes!!
Can these be cooked and frozen then reheated in the oven
I have not tried freezing them so far. However this question has come in the right time. I making batch of onion and kale bhaji tomorrow. I am going freeze & then try to reheat over the weekend to see if it works.
Nice, simple recipe. I like the squeeze of the onion trick. Mine have always been a bit wet historically.
Quick question – do you shallow fry or deep fry your bhaji’s?
I deep fry my Onion Bhaji. Glad you loved it!! Squeezing the onion always works as the vegetable tends to leave out their juices.
I’ve just made these but not cooked them yet.
Is it ok to leave for a couple of hours before cooking?
They smell delicious by the way.
Please will you give measurements by weight as well as by cups. It’s not so important for spoonfuls, but a cupful of flour can actually vary quite a lot in weight, depending on how packed down it is.
Hi Ben, Thank you for your message. I will surely weigh the chickpea flour by weight next I make it. Hope your Onion Bhaji tasted great.
They did, thanks!