Air Fryer Pakora

Air fryer pakora - a healthier version of traditional Indian pakora made in the air fryer and with the Mazola Heart Healthy Corn Oil. Presenting my version of the baked, vegetable air-fried pakora recipe.

4.73 from 37 votes

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Air fryer pakora, Air fryer recipe, Baked pakora, instant pot kadhi pakora, no-fry pakora, oil-free pakora, pakora, Spicy pakora

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 8

Total Time: 18

Servings:

Calories: 39kcal

Author: Sophie

Cost: $5

Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup Besan Gram flour
3 tablespoon Rice Flour
1 ½ teaspoon Chilli Powder or Paprika
A pinch of Hing or Asafoetida
2 teaspoon Salt
½ cup Cabbage sliced into thin long strips
½ Onion finely chopped
¼ cup fresh Cilantro chopped
2 tsps. finely chopped Green Chillies
2 tablespoon Mazola Corn Oil
Ketchup and Chutney to serve

Instructions

Method of Making Air-Fryer Pakora:
Mix besan with rice flour in a large mixing bowl.
In another bowl, take all the veggies and add spices and salt. Set aside for five minutes to allow vegetables to lose some water.
Now add 2 tablespoon of Mazola Corn oil and mix well. Add besan-rice flour mixture and give a good mix. Set aside for a few minutes.
After 5-6 minutes, mix the batter/dough again and add a tablespoon of water at a time or more as needed to make a batter of dough-like consistency. Remember that the consistency of the batter should be thick, not liquidy.
Preheat the air fryer at 355F for 5 minutes.
Now line the air fryer tray with an aluminum foil and grease it with cooking oil spray.
Take a small spoon and scoop out an equal amount of mixture onto it.
Air fry at 355F for 12 minutes while turning the pakoras halfway between cooking and then air fry again for 4 minutes at 325 F. Depending on the air fryer, pakoras may take 10-20 minutes to cook through and crispy. Once the pakoras are evenly brown and crispy, they are done.
Serve hot with chutney or ketchup.

Instant Pot CrispLid

Preheat the instant pot CrispLid at 355F for 5 minutes.
Line the basket with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Add pakora dough balls onto the greased CrispLid Basket, and set the temperature for 6 minutes at 355F. After 6 minutes, turn them and cook for another 6 minutes or until desired crispness.
Serve hot with chutney.

Baking:

Preheat the oven at 350F for 5-6 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease it well.
Use a tablespoon to make pakora dough balls and flatten them on the baking sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes and turn and then bake again for another 4-5 minutes till the edges are brown.
Some ovens may take long for making the pakoras super crispy. Keep an eye on them after 8 minutes to see if any signs of overcooking.
Once baked, allow them to cool down a bit before serving. Usually, the baked version becomes crispier a few minutes after the baking.
Serve hot with chutney.

Video

Notes

Never add more than 2 tablespoon of oil to the batter. Or else, the pakoras will be crumbly after cooking.
Do not add more water to the batter. It will be a mess while cooking in the air fryer.
Do not use veggies like tomatoes, zucchini or water-based vegetables in pakora.
Other vegetables that work well in this recipe are cauliflowers, potatoes, and spinach.

Nutrition