Crispy Baked Onion Pakodas (Fritters) | Baked Kanda Bhaji
on Jun 16, 2016, Updated Jun 20, 2025
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These Crispy Baked Onion Pakodas (Fritters) are a healthier alternative to Kanda Bhaji, a popular Indian monsoon snack. They’re super crispy and are addictive, just like their deep-fried counterparts.
You are going to LOVE these Baked Onion Pakodas or fritters or bhajiyas (or whatever you like to call them). Unlike traditional fritters that are deep fried, we bake these in the oven using just a fraction of oil. Which means you and I can safely stuff our faces with them without feeling any guilt 😍
These baked kanda bhajis are almost like the real deal–same super crispy texture and perfect brown color, except they take slightly longer to cook. A plate of these baked onion fritters with your fav dip, some pipping hot masala chai, and rain–the vibe is set!
Jump to section: Baked Onion Pakodas
Ingredients For Baked Onion Pakodas
- Onion: thinly sliced red onions. The sharp, pungent flavor of these onions work really well. But feel free to use whatever variety you have available
- Chickpea flour: to make the batter for coating
- Rice flour: helps make the onion pakodas super light and crispy
- Spices: green chillies and red chilli powder for heat and spice
- Oil: any neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point, such as peanut, canola, vegetable, sunflower, etc.
- Salt: For seasoning
- Water: to balance the consistency of the batter
Frequently Asked Questions
The secret to crispy baked pakodas is in two things – 1. make sure to slice the onions super thin and massage them to release as much as moisture as possible. 2. Always add a little rice flour along with chickpea flour when making the batter to make the pakodas really crispy.
This could be because the onions still have some amount of moisture. Make sure to massage the onions properly and press them to remove any excess moisture before coating them with batter.
Technically you can because air fryers are just smaller countertop ovens. However, air fryer don’t cook stuff coated in batter very well. Which is why I wouldn’t really recommend that.
Richa’s Top Tips
- Use thinly sliced veggies. I actually spiralized (Buy a spiralizer here) my onions so that I get them super duper thin. That way they cook faster and crisp up real nice.
- Use a mixture of besan (chickpea flour) and rice flour. The chickpea flour binds nicely and the rice flour adds extra crispness.
- Be patient. The baked version doesn’t cook as quickly and takes about 22 minutes in the oven. But trust me, it’s all worth it.
- You can use other veggies too make pakodas as well. However, this baked method won’t juicy veggies like tomatoes. But I can totally see myself making some capsicum, corn, chilli pakodas in the future.
- Once you take the pakodas out of the oven, allow them to cool down on a wire rack instead of a dish. This prevents the pakodas from collecting steam and helps them stay fresh and crisp for a little longer.
Storage Tips
- These onion pakodas are best served hot and fresh of the stove to retain their crispiness
- You can store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days in a clean and dry air tight container
- Reheat in the oven for up to 10 minutes or until fully cooked through
Customisation Ideas for Baked Kanda Bhaji
- You can add other veggies like carrots, spinach, or corn for more texture, flavor, and nutrition.
- Feel free to add chopped curry leaves or roasted cumin powder to the batter for added flavor.
- Top it up with some chaat masala right before serving for a boost of flavor.
Serve Onion Pakoda With
- A steaming cup of chai, ketchup and rains–trust me, it’s a whole vibe
- Green coriander chutney or imli (tamarind) chutney–the OG Indian pakoda dips
- The creaminess of boiled egg mayo or garlicky yogurt party dip work so well with the crispiness of the pakodas
- Take it a notch higher by adding these to kadhi to make Punjabi kadhi pakoda
This is the kind of dish you’ll want to eat straight from the oven try, dunked into your favorite dip. They’re crunchy, flavorful, and SO satisfying. So if it’s raining where you are, then consider that your cue to whip up a batch, because you won’t regret it!
If you end up trying these out, tag @my_foodstory on Instagram and share your delicious pictures with me.
Crispy Baked Onion Pakodas (Fritters)
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 3 Onions, large , spiralized or sliced thinly
- 1/2 cup Chickpea Flour, Besan
- 1/4 cup Rice Flour
- 2 tablespoons Oil, + Extra for brushing
- 2 Green Chillies, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli, Powder
- 1/2 cup Water, +1 tablespoon
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 200C. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or greased parchment paper.
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl till there are no lumps. The batter might be slightly runny which is okay. It should just about coat the onions.
- Take a tablespoonful of onion batter at a time, shaking off any dripping batter and place them on the sheet at equal distance.
- Bake in the oven for 22 minutes till cooked through and the top is golden brown. Half way through, at about 15 minutes, brush the pakodas with oil and continue baking.
- Serve immediately with ketchup and coriander chutney. Storing these onion pakodas for later makes them soggy so eat immediately. Which is not a problem if you like to stuff your face like me.
Notes
- Use thinly sliced veggies. I actually spiralized (Buy a spiralizer here) my onions so that I get them super duper thin. That ways they cook faster and crisp up real nice.
- Use a mixture of besan (chickpea flour) and rice flour. The chickpea flour binds nicely and the rice flour adds extra crispness.
- This takes about 22 minutes in the oven at 200C. The time may vary depending on the capacity of your oven.
Wow! Such an amazing recipe for crispy onion pakodasss. Rn I’m literally hungry and this is making me more. Thanks to the author for sharing this yummm blog with us.
This is happening out on the deck this weekend. Cool weather, hot masala chai, and crispy bhajia!
Sounds fantastic