Who knew that Air Fryer Onion Bhaji would taste just as good as the original deep-fried version! With this easy recipe, you can make perfect onion bhajis in the air fryer – healthier and less mess! This delicious Indian appetizer is vegan and gluten-free.
Serve with Indian Mint Sauce and Tamarind Sauce for an Indian restaurant/takeaway style meal.
- Ingredients for Air Fryer Onion Bhaji
- Method
- Serving Suggestions
- Storage
- More Easy Air Fryer Indian Recipes
Onion bhajis are an Indian appetizer made by deep-frying onion slices that are coated in a spiced batter. The batter is typically made from chickpea flour and a medley of Indian spices.
Sometimes, onion bhaji are made with plain flour although this is not the authentic recipe.
The battered onion mixture is then deep-fried until crispy and golden brown. Onion Bhaji are served as an appetizer or snack and are accompanied by onion bhaji dipping sauces.
Onion Bhajis are particularly popular in British Indian restaurants and takeaways.
They’re also known around the world as Indian Onion Fritters, Onion Bajji , Onion Pakoda, Kanda bhajiya or Pyaz ke Pakode.
Air fryers can be used to cook a wide range of foods, making them a versatile kitchen appliance. You can use an air fryer to cook other appetizers such as Air Fryer Breaded Mushrooms or Air Fryer Sliced Potatoes .
Ingredients for Air Fryer Onion Bhaji
Onions – I have used white onions but you can also use red onion too or use half of both.
Gram flour – aka besan flour or chickpea flour is the main ingredient for the batter
Rice flour – a small amount of rice flour makes these onion bhajis super crispy. This is a technique I use in my Maru Bhajiya recipe (crispy potato bhajiya)
Optional – plain flour – not that plain flour air fryer onion bhaji are not gluten-free
Spices – red chilli powder, turmeric powder, ground coriander, cumin seeds and garam masala
Green chilies – optional but I do recommend you use it for an authentic taste.
Ginger-garlic paste – fresh, frozen or bottled works fine.
Bi-carbonate of soda – added just before air frying
Coriander – fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
Oil – I like to use a cooking oil spray for ease but you can use any flavourless oil.
Optional
Chaat masala or lemon juice or amchoor powder
Method
Firstly, prepare your onions.
Using a sharp knife, slice onions thinly.
In a large bowl, add the onions with coriander, chillies, red chilli powder, turmeric, ground coriander, cumin seeds, salt and garam masala.
Mix well using a spoon or your fingers.
Let the onions sit for 2-3 minutes. Then add gram flour and rice flour.
Combine the onions and flour together using a spoon or fingers.
Now add very little water (just a tablespoon each time) and make a very thick batter or paste.
The consistency should be like a thick wall paper paste rather than a pancake batter.
Add soda and combine really well with the mixture. Leave it aside.
Whislt you are preparing the baaji mixture, preheat the air fryer.
Preheat the air fryer at 171C or 340C for 3 minutes.
Spray cooking oil in the basket, then spoon the mixture using a fork. Keep the space in between and do not overcrowd the basket.
Once again spray the cooking oil on the uncooked onion bhaji.
Air fry them on 171C/340F for 8 minutes.
Halway through the time remove the basket for the air fryer unit, turn the bhajis using a kitchen tong and spray little cooking oil.
Air fry them until fully cooked and light golden brown.
Serving Suggestions
Air Fryer Onion Bhajis are best served as a starter alongside a basket of homemade poppadoms and dips such as these Poppadom dips .
To create a full Indian takeaway style meal, go for Paneer Jalfrezi , takeaway style pilau rice and garlic and coriander naan .
Peshwari Naan is my personal favourite!
Finish up with Mango Lassi or Masala Chai .
Storage
Air Fryer Onion Bhaji are best eaten immediately after cooking to enjoy them at their crispiest.
However, you can store the onion bhaji in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 2 days.
To reheat onion bhaji in the air fryer – air fry for 5 minutes at 180C.
You can also place them in the oven to revive them or in the microwave.
I do not recommend freezing onion bhaji as they will loose their texture however you can do so.
More Easy Air Fryer Indian Recipes
Air Fryer Banana Chips (plantain chips)
Masala Mogo Chips (yucca/cassava)
Mogo Chips 65
Air Fryer Punjabi Samosa Puffs
Tandoori Paneer Tarte au Soleil
Rose and Pistachio Puff Pastry Cream Cones
Air fryer Frozen Samosas
Indian Masala Chips
Sutarfeni
Funfetti Air Fryer Nankhatai
Dry Fruit Masala Kachori
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Air Fryer Onion Bhaji
Equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Knife or mandoline
- 1 Chopping board
Ingredients
- 2 medium onion or 1 large
- 1 cup gram flour fine variety
- ¼ cup rice flour
- 2 small green chili optional ( chopped)
- 2 tablespoon coriander cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 tesspoon salt or per taste
- ⅛ teaspoon bi carbonate of soda or big pinch
- 1 tablespoon oil spray
Spice Powders
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
Optional
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala or lemon juice or amchoor powder
Instructions
- First peel 2 medium onion then cut into lengthwise.
- In a big mixing bowl add chopped onion along with 2 small green chili , 2 tablespoon coriander , 1 teaspoon ginger paste , 1 teaspoon garlic paste , 1 teaspoon red chili powder , 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder , 1 teaspoon ground coriander , 1 teaspoon cumin seeds , 1/4 teaspoon garam masala and 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala (if using)
- Mix well using a spoon or your fingers.
- Season with 1 tesspoon salt , mix well.
- Let the onions sweat for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add gram flour and rice flour, mix well.
- Make thick batter by adding just a 2-3 tablespoons of water. ( do not add all the water same time) The mixture should be like a thick wall paper paste and not pancake batter.
- Give it a good mix.
- Preheat your air fryer on 171C or 340F for 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile add 1/8 teaspoon bi carbonate of soda into the onion pakora mixture and mix very well.
- Spray oil in air fryer basket.
- Now using a fork take small amount (about 1 tablespoon) onion mixture, and drop it in to the oiled air fryer basket.
- Keep some space between the pakora mixture.
- Push the air fryer basket in the air fryer unit.
- Air fryer onion bhaji for 8 minutes on 171C/340F.
- Half way turn the bhajis using a kitchen tong, spray some oil again and air fry onion bhajis until done or light golden brown.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Air Fryer Onion Bhaji
Equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Knife or mandoline
- 1 Chopping board
Ingredients
- 2 medium onion or 1 large
- 1 cup gram flour fine variety
- ¼ cup rice flour
- 2 small green chili optional ( chopped)
- 2 tablespoon coriander cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 tesspoon salt or per taste
- ⅛ teaspoon bi carbonate of soda or big pinch
- 1 tablespoon oil spray
Spice Powders
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
Optional
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala or lemon juice or amchoor powder
Instructions
- First peel 2 medium onion then cut into lengthwise.
- In a big mixing bowl add chopped onion along with 2 small green chili , 2 tablespoon coriander , 1 teaspoon ginger paste , 1 teaspoon garlic paste , 1 teaspoon red chili powder , 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder , 1 teaspoon ground coriander , 1 teaspoon cumin seeds , 1/4 teaspoon garam masala and 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala (if using)
- Mix well using a spoon or your fingers.
- Season with 1 tesspoon salt , mix well.
- Let the onions sweat for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add gram flour and rice flour, mix well.
- Make thick batter by adding just a 2-3 tablespoons of water. ( do not add all the water same time) The mixture should be like a thick wall paper paste and not pancake batter.
- Give it a good mix.
- Preheat your air fryer on 171C or 340F for 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile add 1/8 teaspoon bi carbonate of soda into the onion pakora mixture and mix very well.
- Spray oil in air fryer basket.
- Now using a fork take small amount (about 1 tablespoon) onion mixture, and drop it in to the oiled air fryer basket.
- Keep some space between the pakora mixture.
- Push the air fryer basket in the air fryer unit.
- Air fryer onion bhaji for 8 minutes on 171C/340F.
- Half way turn the bhajis using a kitchen tong, spray some oil again and air fry onion bhajis until done or light golden brown.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
This is the best Onion Bhaji recipe ! Like it makes ridiculously good onion bhajis ! These Indian Onion Fritters are a delicious side dish or appetizer, perfect for curry night! This easy recipe is vegan, gluten-free and tastes like your local takeaway but better!
Serve with this trio of Poppadom Dips for curry night!
- What are Onion Bhajis?
- Onion Bhaji Ingredients
- How to make Crispy Onion Bhaji
- Pro Tips
- Serving Suggestions
- Storage
- Other Easy Indian Recipes
Onion Bhajis are so easy to make at home from scratch and taste delicious! The prep only takes a couple of minutes and the ingredients are fairly simple . Onion Pakodas make a great accompaniment to an Indian meal or to enjoy as a snack.
You can also make Air Fryer Onion Bhajis that are so easy to make!
What are Onion Bhajis?
Onion bhajis, also known as onion pakora , are a popular snack or appetizer in Indian cuisine.
In India, these crispy bhajis are a popular street food and are known as onion bajji , pyaz ke pakode or kanda bhajia in North India.
In India, Onion Bhajis are typically made on a rainy day with masala chai or karak tea .
These crispy onion fritters are made by mixing sliced onions with a batter made from chickpea flour (also known as gram flour) and Indian spices, such as ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, and chilli powder.
The mixture is then formed into small balls or patties and deep-fried until golden brown and crispy.
Onion bhajis are typically served hot and accompanied by chutney or raita.
They are often found in Indian takeaway and restaurants, as well as being made at home as a tasty snack.
Other pakora recipes we love are Bread Pakora and Maru Bhajiya (Crispy Potato Bhajia) .
Onion Bhaji Ingredients
Main ingredients are listed here, full ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card
Onions – I have used a large onion cut into round onion slices. You can also use red onions. The key to perfect onion bhajis like the takeaways is to slice the onions finely. This gives them more chance to cook in the hot oil.
Chickpea flour – is made from brown chickpeas and is also known as gram flour or besan flour and is a must for Indian pakora recipes. These days it is easily available in supermarkets however, if you really struggle to get hold of it then go for plain flour or all-purpose flour.
Rice flour – this is optional but a small amount of rice flour makes the batter super crispy! Alternatively use corn flour/cornstarch.
Ginger, garlic and green chillies – all of these ingredients are optional but definitely worth using.
Spices : red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, ground coriander and cumin seeds.
Bicarbonate of soda – you just need a tiny pinch. Only add this just before frying the pakoras.
Oil – to deep fry. I recommend that you use either vegetable, sunflower or canola oil to deep fry the pakoras. This will yield the crispiest onion bhajis – this is a restaurant style onion bhaji secret!!
Optional
Spices: Chaat masala or lemon juice or amchoor powder (dry mango powder)
Fennel seeds
Coriander seeds
Crushed black pepper
How to make Crispy Onion Bhaji
Prepare your onions. Peel the skin and slice using a sharp knife or mandoline slicer into half rounds. Cut the onion in half then slice lengthways.
In a large bowl, add sliced onions, cumin seeds, green chilies, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander and salt. Mix well.
Let this sit for a few minutes then add in the chickpea flour and rice flour. Pour little water at a time until you get a thick batter consistency.
Important Tip : Add the bicarbonate of soda just before frying and mix the batter really well.
Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Ensure you add enough oil to be able to deep fry the bhajis.
Instead of a frying pan you can also use a deep fat fryer.
Check the temperature of the oil by dropping in a small amount of the batter. If it sizzles and rises to the top, the oil temperature is correct. If it immediately becomes dark brown, the oil is too hot. In this case, reduce the heat and wait a minute. You can also use a cooking thermometer.
Take a small portion of the onion mixture using a fork and drop it in the hot oil. Work in small batches and fry until the bhajis turn golden brown on all sides.
You can poke the bhajis with a sharp knife whilst they are frying to create little holes. The oil will penetrate better and make the bhaji extra crispy.
Remove the bhajis from the oil using a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with kitchen paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
Alternatively use a wire rack or baking sheet.
Repeat the process with the remaining onion mixture, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
Enjoy your delicious onion bhaji homemade with an onion bhaji sauce such as mint cilantro chutney, tomato ketchup or mango chutney.
Pro Tips
The batter should actually be more of a thick paste. A loose, runny batter will not work. If this happens, add more besan and more onion to the mixture.
Add the bicarbonate of soda just prior to frying the onion bhaji. It is so important to mix the mixture really well to distribute the soda around. If you do not do this, the batches will not be equal in colour or in texture.
Use a fork rather than a spoon to drop onion bhaji into the oil. A fork keeps the shape of the bhaji better than a spoon.
Use vegetable oil or sunflower oil for super crispy onion bhaji.
Whilst frying the bhajis, poke little holes into the centre with a sharp knife to help onion bhaji cook from the inside (see the video for instructions)
Want your bhajis to be the crispiest ever ? Double fry them. Once cooked and cooled, add them back into the hot oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Onion bhajis are typically served with various condiments that complement their spicy and savory flavors. Here are some popular onion bhaji dipping sauce options:
Mint chutney ( green chutney ): A tangy and refreshing condiment made with fresh mint, cilantro, green chili, lemon juice, and spices.
Date and Tamarind chutney : A sweet and sour sauce made from tamarind pulp, dates, jaggery or sugar, and spices.
Tamarind Sauce : A tangy and sweet sauce made from tamarind pulp, spices and sweetner.
Indian Mint Sauce : A cooling yogurt dip for onion bhaji .
Mango chutney : A sweet and spicy condiment made with ripe mangoes, vinegar, sugar, and spices.
Tomato chutney: A tangy and spicy sauce made with tomatoes, garlic, ginger, chili, and spices.
Pickles: Various pickles such as mango pickle or lime pickle, add a tangy and spicy flavor that goes well with onion bhajis.
You can serve onion bhajis with any combination of these condiments based on your personal preferences.
Serve Onion Bhajis as a side for your favorite Indian curries such as Brinjal Bhaji , Bombay Potatoes or Chana Saag .
Turn leftovers into Onion Bhaji Burgers. Simply stuff a burger bun or naan with leftover onion bhaji, loads of salad and sauce!
Storage
Onion Bhajis are best served immediately to enjoy them at their crispiest.
Store leftover bhajis in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.
You can reheat onion bhaji in the air fryer at 200C/400F for 5 minutes or in the oven for the same time
You can freeze onion bhajis by placing in freezer bags or freezer safe containers for up to 3 months. Reheat directly from frozen in the air fryer or oven until piping hot.
Other Easy Indian Recipes
Indian Chickpea Salad
Kachumber Salad
Indian Onion Salad
Masala Poppadom
Sweet Lassi
Indian Vegetable Curry
Paneer Jalfrezi
Onion Bhaji
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Knife
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Pan/kadai
- 1 Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 2 medium onion or 1 large
- 1 cup gram flour fine variety
- ¼ cup rice flour
- 1 big green chili chopped
- 2 tablespoon coriander cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Big pinch soda
- 2 cup oil
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
Optional
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala or lemon juice or amchoor powder
Instructions
- Peel 2 medium onion then cut into lengthwise. 2 medium
- In a big mixing bowl add chopped onion along with 2 small green chili, 2 tablespoon coriander, 1 teaspoon ginger paste, 1 teaspoon garlic paste, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1/4 teaspoon garam masala, salt and 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala (if using) 1 big green chili, 2 tablespoon coriander, 1 teaspoon ginger paste, 1 teaspoon garlic paste, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- Combine well using a spoon, spatula or your fingers.
- Leave the onions for 2-3 minutes.
- Add gram flour and rice flour, mix well. 1 cup gram flour, ¼ cup rice flour
- Make thick batter by adding just a 2-3 tablespoons of water. ( do not add all the water same time) The mixture should be like a thick wall paper paste and not pancake batter.
- Give it a good mix.
- Heat oil in a pan or kadai 2 cup oil
- Add soda and mix it again. Big pinch soda
- Check the temperature of the oil by dropping in a small amount of the batter. If it sizzles and rises to the top, the oil temperature is correct. If it immediately becomes dark brown, the oil is too hot. In this case, reduce the heat and wait a minute. You can also use a cooking thermometer.
- Take a small portion of the onion mixture using a fork and drop it in the hot oil. Work in small batches and fry until the bhajis turn golden brown on all sides.
- You can poke the bhajis with a sharp knife whilst they are frying to create little holes. The oil will penetrate better and make the bhaji extra crispy.
- Remove the bhajis from the oil using a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with kitchen paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
- Repeat the process with the remaining onion mixture, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First time published in February 25th, 2012.
