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    Home » Appetizer Recipes

    Baked Pakora (Onion Bhaji)

    Published: Mar 30, 2021 by Richa 42 Comments

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

    These Baked Pakora are every bit as crispy and delicious as restaurant-style Onion bhajis just baked instead of fried! Make them as an appetizer for an Indian dinner or as a party or TV snack.

    overhead shot of baked onion pakora served with ketchup as a dipping sauce

    These Crispy Baked Onion Pakora (Onion Bhaji) are an easy alternative to the widely loved Indian fried onion snack and taste just as delicious as any restaurant-style bhaji! They’re just how we like them – crispy and packed with Indian spices and that addictive sweetness and umami from the onions! No greasy fingers afterwards and your tummy will also be less rumbly.

    a platter with onion pakora served with a small side dish of ketchup

    More veggie snacks and appetizers  from the blog

    • Zucchini Carrot Chickpea Fritters
    • Baked Broccoli Pakora
    • Apple Fritters
    • Baked Dal Samosa.
    • Cajun Chickpea fries 
    • Garlic Fries 

    Print Recipe
    5 from 14 votes

    Baked Onion Pakora/ bhajji

    These Baked Pakora are every bit as crispy and delicious as restaurant-style Onion bhajis just baked instead of fried! Make them as an appetizer for an Indian dinner or as a party or TV snack.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time18 mins
    Resting10 mins
    Total Time43 mins
    Course: Appetizer, Snack
    Cuisine: Indian
    Keyword: baked onion bhaji, Baked pakoras, healthy pakora recipe
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 80kcal
    Author: Vegan Richa

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups (320 g) thinly sliced onion red onion works best, separated out so that they don't clump together
    • 1/3 cup (40 g) chickpea flour , plus 1 tbsp if needed, if using besan, you will need 2-3 tbsp more
    • 2 tablespoons rice flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
    • 1-2 green chilies finely chopped
    • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
    • 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne or Indian red chili powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • Generous pinch baking soda
    • 1 tablespoon oil
    • 2 to 3 tablespoons water

    Instructions

    • Add onions to a large bowl and separate.
    • Add in all the spices, salt, chickpea flour and rice flour and baking soda .
    • Sprinkle in the oil and mix in.
    • Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. The onion will leak some moisture and that will help you determine how much moisture you need.
    • Add in water, just a little bit at a time so that you get a pasty pakora mix. It's not going to be a bowl of batter, it's going to be like onion rings with the onions covered with a layer of batter. If you like more coverage, add in 1-2 tbsp more chickpea flour and a sprinkle in water.
    • Take spoonfuls of this mixture and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. You want to make small to medium sized pakoras and not too huge so that there aren’t too many thick clumps of onion. Then bake at 400 degrees F (205 C) for 20 to 25 minutes. You want to keep an eye on them and check after about 17-18 minutes to see that they're baking ok and not burning. Move the sheet around at that time that you check and then continue to bake. You can also brush some oil on the pakoras after the 18 minute mark.
    • Once the pakoras are cooked, let them cool for a few minutes. You can serve onion bhaji with ketchup, vegan cucumber raita, mint chutney  coconut chutney, tamarind chutney 

    Video

    Notes

    Add chopped up curry leaves for variation 

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Baked Onion Pakora/ bhajji
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 80 Calories from Fat 27
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 3g5%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Sodium 227mg10%
    Potassium 143mg4%
    Carbohydrates 12g4%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 3g3%
    Protein 2g4%
    Vitamin A 29IU1%
    Vitamin C 5mg6%
    Calcium 16mg2%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Ingredients

    • onion – slice them thinly and use red onion for the best flavor.
    • a mix of chickpea flour and rice flour makes these extra crisp
    • minced ginger along with green chilies,  turmeric, and red chili powder for that authentic Indian taste.
    • salt – super important.
    • baking soda for lightening up the batter
    • oil – we need a bit of fat for flavor and better texture but these are way lower in fat than the fried version.

    Tips:

    • You can make these adding some spiralized carrots but I do not recommend any juicy vegetables for the baked kind. Those do better fried.
    • When prepping the onion, make sure you separated out so that they don’t clump together. I like cutting them with a mandoline but a spiralizer would probably work really well too.
    • If you want, you can add some chopped curry leaves or ground cumin to the batter.
    • To keep them nice and crisp, let them cool on a wire rack. This doesn’t let the fritters collect the steam and keeps them crisp and fresh for long.
    • You could sprinkle them with a bit of chaat masala just before serving to enhance the taste.

    ingredients needed for making baked pakora

    How to Baked Onion Pakoras in the oven:

    onion slices are being mixed with chickpea and rice flour for making onion bhaji

    Add onions to a large bowl and separate. Add in all the spices and salt and chickpea flour and rice flour and baking soda.

    onions being mixed with flours and spices for making pakora

    Sprinkle in the oil and mix in. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. The onion will leak some moisture and that will help you determine how much moisture you need.

    spiced onion bhaji batter in a small bowl with a spoon


    Add in water, just a little bit at a time so that you get a pasty pakora mix. It’s not going to be a batter, it’s going to be like onion rings with the onions covered with a layer of batter.

    onion pakora batter being placed on baking sheet

    Take spoonfuls of this mixture and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet while. You want to make small to medium-sized pakoras and not too huge so that you don’t have too many thick clumps of onion.

    freshly baked onion pakora on a baking sheet

    Then bake at 400 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes. You want to keep an eye on it after about 17-18 minutes to see that they’re baking ok and not burning. Move the sheet around at the time that you check and then continue to bake. You can also brush some oil on the pakoras after the 18-minute mark. Once the pakoras are cooked, let them cool for a few minutes.

    baked vegan onion bhaji arranged on a white platter with a small dish of ketchup in the middle

    What to serve with Onion Pakora?

    You can serve onion bhaji with vegan cucumber raita, mint chutney or coriander chutney, coconut chutney, tamarind chutney or a simple avocado dip. Are they also delicious with ketchup? You betcha!

     

     

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    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you Love the Recipe, Please consider rating it using stars in comments! It helps readers and helps more people find the recipe online! I love hearing from you all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Erna

      January 04, 2022 at 9:36 am

      5 stars
      These are so easy and so delicious! Thank you.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        January 04, 2022 at 10:30 am

        great to hear, thank you Erna

        Reply
    2. Quinn C

      November 28, 2021 at 10:12 am

      5 stars
      These turned out delicious (and I forgot the baking soda). I was worried they wouldn’t hold together when I put them on the baking sheet, but they came out of the oven in-tact! I added some ribbons of carrots to the mix and served with a cilantro-mint chutney. I could only find a fava bean/chickpea flour blend but it seemed to work. I’ll definitely make these again: easy, flavorful, and a healthy alternative to fried pakoras.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        November 29, 2021 at 6:24 am

        sounds like a nice chutney

        Reply
    3. Juhi

      November 08, 2021 at 11:12 am

      is one serving one pakoda?

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        November 08, 2021 at 11:21 am

        depends on the exact size that you make them into – but approx 1.5 pakoda = 1 serving

        Reply
    4. Manmohan Malani

      July 10, 2021 at 7:05 am

      5 stars
      This was great!

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        July 10, 2021 at 9:55 am

        Excellent

        Reply
    5. Emily

      June 23, 2021 at 11:02 am

      Can these be made ahead of time and frozen before baking?

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        June 25, 2021 at 3:29 pm

        it’s not advisable – when the batter thaws it will probaly run off and not stick

        Reply
    6. Samyukta

      May 27, 2021 at 12:45 pm

      Is it possible to prepare the batter in the morning and leave on counter, and pop into oven for guests expected to show up at chai time? What’s the optimal time between popping into oven and serving for crispness?

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        June 01, 2021 at 12:35 pm

        I would store it in the fridge and bring out of fridge 20 min before baking – and since they’re baked, not fried, they should be served immediately for the most crispy.

        Reply
    7. Jacquie

      April 30, 2021 at 10:04 am

      5 stars
      These were amazing!

      Reply
      • Richa

        April 30, 2021 at 10:18 am

        Yay

        Reply
    8. Hoglets

      April 14, 2021 at 5:41 am

      5 stars
      We have made these on 2 consecutive days, such a big hit!! First day we used red onions, added garlic powder and baked in the oven. Second day had to use white onions as we had used all the red! Omitted the oil and cooked these in my air fryer. Both methods and onions worked beautifully. Thank you for sharing Richa.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        April 16, 2021 at 4:23 pm

        excellent – thank you!

        Reply
    9. Jenny

      April 09, 2021 at 9:01 pm

      Could Almond Flour be used to make this low-carb

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        April 12, 2021 at 7:50 pm

        instead of both the rice & chickpea flours?

        Reply
    10. Anne

      April 04, 2021 at 4:02 pm

      5 stars
      Fantastic and easy, another winner

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        April 06, 2021 at 11:53 am

        thank you Anne

        Reply
    11. Liane

      April 03, 2021 at 3:32 am

      5 stars
      Definitely going to give this a try. Do you think that leaving the oil out would make a big difference? Or maybe cutting it in half?

      Reply
      • Richa

        April 03, 2021 at 11:14 am

        It will be dry. If you are accustomed to baking without then it might be ok for you. For me it feels too dry without oil

        Reply
    12. Vrinda

      April 02, 2021 at 12:39 pm

      Oooh, can’t wait to make them. Is rice flour a must? I usually don’t have that and nor do I have semolina flour. Can I use more of chickpea flour or add besan?

      Reply
      • Richa

        April 02, 2021 at 4:54 pm

        Yes use more chickpea flour

        Reply
    13. Suee33

      April 01, 2021 at 7:03 pm

      5 stars
      I just got this recipe in an email, I made it tonight. First it was very fast to put together and bake. I used white SWEET onions, my favorite in all things.
      This is a great recipe and very healthy, being baked rather than fried.
      I am keeping this recipe and will make it often.
      Thanks

      Reply
    14. Lori

      April 01, 2021 at 8:24 am

      5 stars
      This may seem like a basic question but having grown up with very bland food I struggle with recipes that just say green chilis. Could you give examples of the exact types of chilis you might use? ie: Jalapeno? I can’t wait to make these.

      Thanks!!!

      Reply
      • Richa

        April 02, 2021 at 4:38 am

        Serrano , Thai chilies or jalapeño

        Reply
    15. R F Rotwang

      March 31, 2021 at 11:47 am

      5 stars
      Can these be served at room temperature? I am looking for a dinner appetizer that can wait for guests to arrive.

      Reply
      • Richa

        April 02, 2021 at 4:39 am

        They won’t stay crisp. That’s the problem with baked version.

        Reply
    16. Aruna

      March 30, 2021 at 9:37 pm

      5 stars
      Sounds awesome and so easy to make!

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        March 31, 2021 at 10:49 am

        thanks for popping in ♡ let me know how it turns out for you

        Reply
    17. Girija Dube

      March 30, 2021 at 1:23 pm

      Richa,

      Thank you for this recipe. I can’t wait to try!
      I have made pakoras but have fried instead of baking them. So, this version is healthier . Have you made this recipe with other vegetables such as eggplants , potatoes and cauliflower?

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        March 31, 2021 at 10:48 am

        excellent – i haven’t tried those ones yet – go for it – may need to cook longer or remove excess moisture from eggplant or potatoe…before cooking

        Reply
    18. sylvia w

      March 30, 2021 at 12:23 pm

      5 stars
      who needs american onion rings when these look so delicious and easy, not to mention healthy! as soon as i have full use of both hands – typing with one finger is hard enough, not trying slicing onions just yet – i am going to make this! i always wondered what pakora was, now i can’t wait to make them 😉

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 30, 2021 at 6:17 pm

        🙂

        Reply
    19. Marina Sanchez

      March 30, 2021 at 7:55 am

      Hello, do you think these onions can be prepared in air-fryer?
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        March 31, 2021 at 10:47 am

        Absolutely they would be perfect in an air fryer

        Reply
    20. Vivian

      March 30, 2021 at 7:45 am

      Is there another flour to sub for rice flour? Have all kinds just not that one. Thanks for your response.

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 30, 2021 at 8:24 am

        You can use semolina flour

        Reply
    21. Maureen Koplow

      March 30, 2021 at 6:08 am

      I can’t wait to try this! But I’m on a very low sodium diet, and I usually omit salt from all my cooking. Why is 1/2 tsp salt very important? Can I at least cut the amount in half?

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 30, 2021 at 8:25 am

        If you generally eat less then yes you can easily reduce it. Salt is a taste preference and you can adjust it in all recipes to preference

        Reply
        • Maureen Koplow

          March 30, 2021 at 9:16 am

          Thank you for answering so quickly! I’ll leave out all the salt. Can’t wait to make this!

          Reply

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