Air Fryer Papdi

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Air Fryer Papdi is the festive recipe you need to try! It’s SO crispy and crunchy, but made without deep frying and all that extra oil — trust me, you won’t be able to tell the difference! 

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Air Fryer papdi served on a plate with chai on the side

We always make Papdi for Diwali in my house – it’s a great snack, gift hamper addition, and perfect to have on hand when impromptu guests visit. It’s also perfect to turn into papdi chaat if you have some tamarind or coriander chutney stocked up in the fridge!  

This year, I knew I wanted some healthy snacks on hand. Enter: Air Fryer Papdi. You get the same crispy, crunchy results but without deep frying. Plus you aren’t spending your time slaving over the hot stove because the air fryer makes these pretty hands free. 

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s everything you need for this recipe –

Picture of all the ingredients for air fryer papdi with text to identify them easily
  • Atta and Maida – we use equal parts in this recipe but you can always do 100% atta or 100% maida
  • Sooji – just a couple tablespoons for additional crispness
  • Oil – don’t reduce the quantity because this is what makes these crisp
  • Nigella (Kalonji) Seeds – this has light onion notes that adds a great flavour to the papdi 
  • Baking Powder – this will ensure that the papdis are light
  • Salt – for taste
  • Water – to knead

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How to make Air Fryer Papdi

Here’s a quick step by step showing you how to make air fried papdi:

Step by step picture collage showing how to make papdi in the air fryer

1. Mix together atta, maida, sooji, salt, nigella seeds, baking powder in a bowl. Add oil.

2. Mix the oil with other ingredients until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. When you take a fistful of mixture, it should hold its shape.

3. Add water little by little.

4. Knead well into a smooth, stiff dough.

Step by step picture collage showing how to make papdi in the air fryer

5. Shape into a round smooth ball.

6. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.

7. Divide the dough into half.

8. Roll out the dough using a rolling pin.

Step by step picture collage showing how to make papdi in the air fryer

9. The thickness should be between ⅙ – ¼ inch.

10. Use a round cookie cutter or your desired shape and cut the papdi out. Repeat till all the dough is used up.

11. Remove the excess dough. Preheat the ir fryer for 3 minutes.

12. Place the papdis in a single layer in the air fryer basket.

Step by step picture collage showing how to make papdi in the air fryer

13. Air fry at 190C for 7-8 minutes, checking after the 5 and then 7-minute mark.

14. Repeat till all the papdis are baked.

Richa’s Top Tips

  1. When adding oil to the dough, rub it into the flour well – the mixture will start to resemble breadcrumbs and this is what makes papdis and mathris flaky
  2. Don’t roll these thinner than 1/6th of an inch or they’ll cook too fast and might burn. I actually prefer to keep them to 1/4th of an inch thickness
  3. Prick the rolled papdis with a fork so they don’t puff too much when air frying and remain crisp. 
  4. If using just atta or maida individually, add more water when kneading for the atta dough and less for the maida dough. 
Close up of air fried papdi

There are so many ways to enjoy these crisp papdis — you can whip up a quick sev puri, dahi papdi chaat, spicy papdi chaat, aloo chaat, bhel puri — the options are literally endless! Or, serve these on their own with a piping hot cup of chai

As always, be sure to tag me in your creations – I love seeing you guys try out these recipes and I’m looking forward to seeing these air fryer papdis make their way to your festive homes. 

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Air Fryer papdi served on a plate with chai on the side
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Air Fryer Papdi

By: Richa
Papdis are an addictive snack and are generally deep-fried. But this air-fried version gives the same extra-crispy result without the extra oil. These are sooo good you'll probably finish them in one sitting!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 30 pieces
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Ingredients 

  • ¾ cup Atta, whole wheat flour
  • ¾ cup Maida, all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ tbsp Sooji, semolina
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • ¼ tsp Nigella Seeds, kalonji
  • ¼ tsp Baking Powder
  • ¼ cup Oil
  • 1/2 cup Water for Kneading, approx

Instructions 

  • Mix together atta, maida, sooji, salt, nigella seeds, baking powder in a bowl. Add oil and mix in a way that the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. When you take a fistful of mixture, it should hold its shape.
  • Add water little by little and knead well into a smooth, stiff dough. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
  • Divide the dough into half and roll out the dough to ⅙ – ¼ inch thickness. Use a round cookie cutter or your desired shape and cut the papdi out. Repeat till all the dough is used up.
  • Preheat the air fryer for 3 minutes.
  • Place the papdis in a single layer in the air fryer basket and air fry at 190C for 7-8 minutes, checking after the 5 and then 7-minute mark. Repeat till all the papdis are baked.

Video

Notes

  1. When adding oil to the dough, rub it into the flour well – the mixture will start to resemble breadcrumbs and this is what makes papdis and mathris flaky
  2. Don’t roll them too thin and stick to the instructions or these can burn easily in the air fryer
  3. Prick the rolled papdis with a fork so they don’t puff too much when air frying and remain crisp.
  4. If using just atta or maida individually, add more water when kneading for the atta dough and less for the maida dough.

Nutrition

Calories: 42kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 43mg, Potassium: 9mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 0.01g, Vitamin A: 0.1IU, Vitamin C: 0.003mg, Calcium: 5mg, Iron: 0.3mg
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