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Vegetable pakora is made with a variety of vegetables along with ginger, garlic, coriander leaves and others. These are mixed with other aromatic spices and gram flour or besan. The pakoras are then fried in hot cooking oil to perfection. The process to make vegetable pakoras or Indian vegetable fritters at home is quite simple as you will find in my recipe.

Table of Contents

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Vegetable pakora is every easy to make at home.

Serve these pakoras hot along with a green chutney, sweet and tangy tamarind chutney, a simple yogurt dip, plain tomato ketchup, freshly sliced onions along with lemon wedges, tangy mustard sauce, or pickled vegetables.
Vegetable pakoras typically render a spicy and savory taste.
Vegetable pakora are similar in taste as mixed vegetable pakoras, spinach and onion pakoras, potato pakoras, plain onion pakoras, cauliflower pakoras, mushroom pakoras, or spinach and corn pakoras.

The Ingredients:

To make the batter for the pakoras:

1 piece carrot (medium size)

2 pieces potatoes (medium size, 1 grated, 1 finely chopped)
1 piece brinjal (medium size, cut into small pieces)
2 pieces cauliflower florets (broken into very small pieces)

6 leaves spinach (cut into small pieces)
1 piece onion (large size, chopped into fine pieces)
3 pieces green chilies (cut into small pieces)

1 tsp ginger and garlic paste
2 tbsp coriander
250 gm gram flour (2 small cups)

Salt – As per taste
½ tsp dry red chili powder
½ tsp coriander powder

1 tsp chat masala powder
¼ tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
2 tbsp rice flour

Water – As required
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tbsp cooking oil (hot)

For frying the pakoras:

Cooking oil – As required

For garnishing the pakoras:

Chat masala powder – 2 pinches

This recipe was actually a part of a cultural festival at my school. While visiting different stalls aimlessly, one of the volunteers in a specific stall was handing out tiny samples of these vegetable pakoras along with the recipe cards. I took one out of sheer politeness.

However, weeks later I tried it in a rainy evening and simply fell in love with it. There was something special about how the ingredients came together—so different from what I grew up with. Now, I make it to remember that day, and every time it brings me a little closer to a culture I respect deeply.

How to Make Vegetable Pakora? (Step by Step Guide with Images)

Step 1: Take 1 piece of fresh carrot and 1 piece of potato of medium size. Peel them, grate them, and keep them in a bowl.

Step 2: Now, the other piece of potato, 1 medium-sized brinjal, 2 florets of cauliflower, 5 to 6 leaves of fresh spinach, 1 large piece of onion, and 3 pieces of fresh green chilies. Cut them all into very small pieces and add to the bowl.

(Pro tip: You can add all of these vegetables or change the variety according to your preference).

Step 3: Follow it with 2 tbsp of finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and regular table salt to taste. Mix them all very nicely and keep them aside for about 5 to 10 minutes.

(Pro tip: Adding salt at this stage is better because it will be easy to mix it. It will not only help the vegetables to become soft but will also help them release water in these 5 to 10 minutes).

Step 4: Now, take a deep-bottom wok, pour an adequate amount of cooking oil in it, and heat it on a high flame to fry the pakoras.

(Pro tip: Heating oil at this stage is important because you will have it ready to fry when you are done preparing the batter. Also, you will need hot oil to prepare the batter for the pakoras).

Step 5: Now, to make the batter, put 2 cups or 250 gm of gram flour (besan) to the chopped vegetables in the bowl. Also, add ½ tsp of dry red chili powder to it.

Step 6: Follow it with ½ tsp of coriander powder and ¼ tsp of carom seeds (ajwain).

Step 7: Then, add 1 tsp of chaat masala powder.

(Pro tip: You can use dry mango powder (amchur) or fresh lemon juice to it as well in place of chaat masala powder if you do not have it at home).

Step 8: Now, add 2 tbsp of rice flour to the ingredients in the bowl. This will make the pakoras crispy. Finally, add 1 tsp of ginger and garlic paste.

Step 9: Mix them all nicely. Add water gradually as needed while mixing. Do not add too much water at once because you will not be able to take it back. Check the consistency of the mixture and the batter. It must be soft and the gram flour should mix nicely with all the vegetables.

(Pro tip: It is best to use your hand while mixing the ingredients. This will help in mashing the vegetables as much as possible while mixing).

Step 10: Now, add 2 tbsp of hot cooking oil from the wok to the mixture. Also, add ¼ tsp of baking soda to the mixture.

(Pro tip: Adding hot oil will make the pakoras crispy from the outside but keep it soft on the inside. And adding the baking soda will make them softer and fluffier).

Step 11: Mix the oil and baking soda nicely for at least two to three minutes with your hand, whisking it in between. Check the consistency. It should be free-flowing.

Step 12: Now, take 2 to 3 pieces of vegetables at a time to keep the size of the pakoras small, and deep fry them in hot oil up to 95%. Since these will be fluffy and swollen, taking larger amounts is not recommended. Also, do not fry everything at once. It is better to cook them in a few batches for even frying.

(Pro tip: Keep changing the flame from medium to high so that the oil has a constant medium temperature. This will ensure that the raw vegetables cook nicely and all the pakoras together change their color evenly. If it is cool, the pakoras will be oily. If it is hot, it will burn).

Step 13: Keep an eye on when all the pakoras become light golden in color. Take them out from the hot oil and keep them in a strainer or a container with holes in it.

(Pro tip: Keep the pakoras in the strainer for about 5 minutes. Half of the remaining 5% of the cooking process will happen in the strainer itself. At the same time, it will also help in removing the excess oil from the pakoras.

Step 14: Now, it is time to flash fry the pakoras. Ensure that the oil is very hot and the flame is on high. Then, take all the pakoras in a bowl or a plate and put them into the hot oil carefully from one particular side of the wok to prevent the hot oil from splashing. Fry them for about 15 to 20 seconds only. This will complete the cooking process, making the pakoras crispy from the outside and their color beautiful and perfect.

Step 15: Now, take the pakoras out in a bowl, sprinkle one to two pinches of chaat masala powder, shake them to mix the masala nicely with all the pieces of pakoras to add to their flavor, and put them on a piece of tissue paper so that it absorbs the excess oil.

Step 16: Finally, serve the pakoras hot on a plate along with green chutney used for chaats and tomato ketchup to enjoy your homemade, spicy, tasty, and flavorful vegetable pakoras, with or without your evening tea.