This vegetable pakora is a must-try recipe for pakora lovers! An Indian-style vegetable fritter made with a variety of mixed vegetables in Indian-spiced batter and fried until crispy golden brown.
An ideal dish to serve as an appetizer or a side dish at family dinners and parties. You can prepare it by using only simple ingredients in under 30 minutes!
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Family Favourite Recipe
The first thing I love about this veggie pakora is I can use any vegetables that I crave or any leftovers that I find while cleaning up my fridge. The kids who are picky with vegetables tend to enjoy my Pakoras, and they finish every piece on the plate.
Not just these veggie pakoras, my family and friends love my “ Fish Pakora ” and “ Chicken Pakora ” recipes as well. Pakoras are super easy and quick to make once you know how to make the batter.
Homemade pakora is cheaper, healthier, and tastes better than takeaway Pakora. In this recipe, I am sharing the most delicious, adaptable Pakora batter recipe so you can easily try it and enjoy it at home. You can customize it with your favourite veggies and make it your own-style pakoras!
What is vegetable pakora?
Pakora, in English, means fritters and vegetables and is a popular street food in India.
Not just the mixed veggie pakora, you can also find other common pakora dishes like onion pakora, bread pakora, cauliflower pakora, cabbage pakora, chicken pakora, sweet corn pakora and aloo pakora.
In India, you can find different varieties of pakora everywhere, from street vendors to five-star restaurants.
Ingredients You'll Need
Onion – Large onion peeled and thinly sliced.
Carrot and potato – Clean by rinsing in water, peel and julienne the carrots and potatoes.
Green chilli - add a kick of heat to pakora, and you can adjust the amount to your liking.
Oil for frying - Neutral-flavored oil such as canola, sunflower, or vegetable oil is suitable for deep frying.
Batter
Gram flour is made from ground chana dal flour. You can use either gram or chickpea flour for this recipe. It is an essential ingredient for making pakora batter.
Corn starch – Compared to wheat flour, it gives a more crispy texture to the fries.
Water - Add a bit of cold water to the batter to form a thick, sticky paste.
Spices
I used the following ground spices, which go well with the pakora batter. You can adjust the flavour to your own liking.
- Chilli powder
- Turmeric
- Garam masala
- Cumin powder
- Coriander powder
How to Make Vegetable Pakoras at Home
- Cut onion and green chilli into thin slices and julienne the carrot and potato.
- Place the vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Then, add the gram flour, cornstarch, chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder and water. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine everything well by using your hand until it forms a thick sticky mixture. Add a splash of water if needed to form a consistent mixture.
- Fill the frying pot with oil about 3” high. Heat the oil to medium heat. (You can check the oil temperature by adding a small batter. If it sizzles steadily, the oil is ready.)
- Scoop 1 tbsp of pakora batter with one spoon and use another spoon to slide it down into the oil. Repeat the process with the rest of the batter and fry the pakoras with medium heat until crispy golden brown. (Do not overcrowd the oil and fry with batches.)
- Once they are crispy golden brown, remove them from the oil and place them over a cooling rack or paper towel.
- Serve with yoghurt mint sauce, chilli sauce, tamarind sauce, chutney, or your choice of dipping sauce.
Customise the Vegetables and Spices
Vegetables—In addition to onion, carrot, and potatoes, you can add other vegetables of your choice. Great options include cauliflower, sweet potato, sweetcorn, bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini/courgette, green beans, and broccoli.
These different types of vegetables have different textures and tastes, so I recommend you try each one separately.
Spices— If you like spicier flavours, you can add extra dried crushed chillies or fresh chilli slices.
Control the heat - If you are making a milder version, kid-friendly pakoras, you can reduce the amount of spices and chillies. You can also omit green chillies if you prefer no heat.
Those who love bold Indian spice flavours add more garam masala and chillies to the batter.
Cooking Tips
When you are making mixed vegetable pakora using different vegetables, it is important to julienne the ones that take longer to cook, such as carrots and potatoes.
If you are looking for a healthier way to make pakora without frying, you can try air-frying or oven-baking methods. For the air-fried vegetable pakora and oven-bake vegetable pakora recipes, you can place the batter scoops on the surface, leaving 1 inch of space between each scoop. Make sure to spray a small amount of oil on top.
For the bite-sized pieces, you can air fry them at about 300 degrees F for 15 minutes, flipping the sides halfway. If you are using an oven, you can bake them at 400 degrees F for about 30 minutes until golden crispy.
Commonly Asked Questions
Yes, it is vegan and gluten-free. The ingredients are mostly plant-based, and there are no animal products in the recipe.
Yes, you can store the leftover pakoras in an airtight container and refrigerate them. Reheat them in a preheated air fryer for 1-2 minutes or until crispy before serving.
It goes well with pakora sauce, tamarind sauce, yoghurt mint sauce, Raita Dip, mint chutney, and chilli sauce. You can also pair it with a cup of tea or coffee.
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📖 Recipe
Vegetable Pakora
Ingredients
- 1 Onion About 120grams/4.2oz, Cut thin slices
- 1 Carrot About 120grams/4.2oz, Julienned
- 1 Potato About 120grams/4.2oz, Julienned
- 2-3 Green Chilli Cut thin slices
- Oil frying
Batter and Spices
- 60 grams Gram flour Or Chickpea flour, About ½ cup
- 6 tbsp Cornstarch
- 2 tbsp Water Add more water if needed
- 1 tsp Chilli powder Or paprika powder
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 tsp Garam masala
- ½ tsp Cumin powder
- ½ tsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Cut onion and green chilli into thin slices and julienne the carrot and potato. Place the vegetables in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the gram flour, cornstarch, chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder and water. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine everything well by using your hand until it forms a thick sticky batter mixture. ( Add a bit more water if needed. )
- Fill the frying pot with oil about 3” high. Heat the oil to medium heat. (The oil temperature can be checked by adding a small piece of batter in the oil. If it sizzles steadily, the oil is ready.)
- Scoop one heap tablespoon of pakora batter with one spoon and use another spoon to slide it down into the oil.
- Repeat the process with the rest of the batter and fry the pakoras with medium heat until crispy golden brown. ( Fry with batches and do not overcrowd the frying oil. )
- Once they are crispy golden brown, remove from oil and place them over a cooling rack or paper towel. Serve with your favourite dipping sauce.
Notes
- You can add extra vegetables of your choice, shredded or julienned. Courgette/zucchini, eggplant/aubergine, sweetcorn, cabbage, sweet potato, and cauliflower are popular options.
- Fry with high smoke point neutral flavour oil. Vegetable oil, sunflower, canola, etc.
- Do not overcrowd the frying oil to maintain the oil temperature.
- It's important to fry with medium-heat oil to achieve an evenly cooked, crispy golden texture pakoras.
- Use a mesh strainer to remove fried crumbles to keep the oil clear.
- You can reheat the pakoras in the pre-heated air fryer for 1-2 minutes or fry them in the hot oil for 1-2 minutes or until crispy.
- Vegetables should be sliced or cut into strips of the same size.
Jen says
I love love love this recipe! You explained everything in details and thank you so much for always being considerate for new learners like me!
Khin says
Thanks, Jen. Glad that you enjoyed this recipe.