Khaman Dhokla, a Gujarati traditional dish is a savory snack made out of gram flour. It is steamed (not deep fried) and is typically served during breakfast or dinner. Since it is made out of chickpea flour it is rich in proteins and carbohydrates. Soft, spongy and delicious they also make a great mid-afternoon or tea time snack. 

Years ago I used to buy the readymade Khaman Dhokla mix by Tarla Dalal for making instant dhoklas.  The dhoklas would come out pretty good and had a good flavor and texture. We used to have it as a tea time snack or as a starter when we had guests. But I guess, off late they have stopped making it as I am not able to find them in the grocery shelves anymore. The other brands that I tried do not come close and I was not happy with the results. 

That is why I resorted to finding a good recipe of making Khaman Dhokla from scratch. I tried from couple of sources but this recipe here I liked the best. I made some tweaks of my own, and thise dhokla comes out soft and spongy just as we like it. 

Remember that tadka/seasoning is important and needs to be done the right way. I liked her unique concept of seasoning which is adding the sugar and lemon in the tadka itself. When this is poured over the steamed dhoklas they give it a wonderful sweet, tangy and nutty flavor. 

Recipe Source: Adapted from Archana’s kitchen

 Ingredients:

  • 1 cup gram flour/besan
  • 1/2 cup yogurt/curd/dahi ( I used low fat)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tsp ginger+green chilli paste
  • 2 Tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp Eno fruit salt
  • Salt to taste 

For tempering 

  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds  (optional)
  • 5-6 curry leaves
  • 2-3 dried red chillies
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 3-4 tsp Oil  

Garnish 

  • 1-2 Tbsp grated coconut
  • 1 Tbsp coriander leaves (chopped) 

Method: 

  • In a big bowl, add the besan, salt, oil, eno fruit salt and mix with spoon. Add the yogurt, water and whisk it well. This batter should be little thick.
  • Heat a pressure cooker with enough water in the bottom. Grease dhokla thalis or a round container that fits in the pressure cooker.
  • Note: I use the round steel vessel that is used for cooking rice in the cooker.
  • Transfer the prepared batter to this until it is 2/3 full. Remember after the dhoklas are steamed they will puff up.
  • Steam for 12 – 15 minutes with lid covered (but without the weight/whistle).
  • After 15 minutes, turn off heat and allow it to rest for 5 minutes in the cooker itself with lid opened. Take it out and keep aside. 

Seasoning/ Tadka 

  • Heat oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add the dried red chillies and turn off the heat.
  • Slowly add the water, sugar, salt and lemon juice to the prepared seasoning.
  • Using a small spoon pour it evenly over the steamed and cooled dhokla. Let it rest for a little while.
  • Cut them into desired shapes square or diamond and garnish with coriander leaves and coconut before serving.

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45 Replies to “Instant Besan Dhokla/ Khaman Dhokla Recipe”

  1. Wow, nice recipe. I used to prepare the batter n keep it overnight. This looks pretty simple.. let me give a try sometime 🙂

  2. Very nice recipe, I like your blog and the recipes, have visited many times but never left a message. Many are similar to what I normally do at home.

    I just tried the Dhokla this morning and turned out great, a plateful of dhoklas gone in a few minutes 🙂 and there is demand for making some more later this afternoon.

  3. wow….. looks delicious … hope my 14m old son also likes 2 eat … probably will try today as evening snack … whether i can use idli plates 2 steam d batter?

  4. hi there..

    I am a first tine visitor & i quite liked your recipe.

    I tried this @ home & in the exact manner as you had mentioned.

    But the dhoklas did not become fluffy. I have no clue as what went wrong. do we have to ferment the batter for a few hours or use it instantly?

    Pls let me kno

  5. Hi Reshma, I do not usually set it aside to ferment and keep it in the pressure cooker immediately after adding the fruit salt.
    If you want you can try to ferment it a bit for 2-3 hours (before adding the fruit salt ). See if this helps.

  6. Yummy yummy yummy .. I just now tried ur recipe .. Soooo gud .. Thanks so much .. I love dhokla .. Will surely be making it more often now ..
    Thanks again

  7. Hi there I don’t have any equipment to steam them in Australia can I use microwave ? And how long I have to microwave them on what temperature?

  8. This recipe is truly amazing, the dhoklas turned out so soft and spongy! I have tried this dish a few times with different recipes and it’s the first time that they turned out so great. Thanks for posting this recipe!

  9. I tried making dhokla but never came out well even after fermentation. Top crust became dry after some time. The recipe was similar to yours. I used eating soda instead of eno. I never used eatingsoda as told in the recipe book as the amt of soda told to be used was more and I was afraid to use more soda in the batter due to health reason. Adding water to seasoning & and then pouring over dhokla was new to me. Recently I saw on tv doing this but thought this was some different type of dhokla. Now I ll make dhokla again your style.

  10. Hi, just cover the lid of the cooker the regular way. However make sure you do not out the weight/whistle. The steam should escape from the top of the lid.

  11. Hi,
    Thanks so much for all your recipes.
    Mine turned out red on the inside and I have found of the reason for it was that i used turmeric and baking soda (with lemon juice) as a substitute for Eno. However, I wanted to know if the red dhoklas were still edible 🙂
    I am probably paranoid but I am making it for my in-laws who are visiting us for the first time 🙂
    Thanks,
    Smrithi

  12. Ooopps, sorry to hear that. Actually the substitute for Eno should work though I am not sure why it turned red? Did it become very hard?
    Maybe did you try eating a small piece to check it out? all the best with your viting in-laws, hope it works out.

  13. plz tell me maine besan mai thoda khane ka soda salt swadnusar and haldi mix karke 1/2hour paste karke rakha and 15mim tak gas par rakha par pata nahi wo red colour ka hogaya plz tell me kaise banau dhokla

  14. Hi… Could u please tell how much water is added in thé tempering? It’s not mentioned. Please reply asap.

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