Air Fryer Papdi is SO crispy and crunchy and made without deep frying and all that extra oil — trust me, you won’t be able to tell the difference! This is that festive recipe that you’ve just got to try!
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 (so common right?) to turn into papdi chaat.
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.
Quick Walk Through: Air Fryer Papdi
Looking for more Chaat recipes? Try my Pani Puri (Golgappa/ Puchka) Recipe, Bread Chaat and Easy Aloo Chaat!
Ingredients You'll Need
Here's everything you need for this recipe -
- 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
How to make Air Fryer Papdi
Here's a quick step by step showing you how to make air fried papdi:
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.
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.
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.
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 To Make The Best Air Fryer Papdi
- 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
- Don't roll these thinner than ⅙th of an inch or they'll cook too fast and might burn. I actually prefer to keep them to ¼th of an inch thickness
- Prick the rolled papdis with a fork so they don’t puff too much when air frying and remain crisp.
- If using just atta or maida individually, add more water when kneading for the atta dough and less for the maida dough.
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.
Watch the Recipe Video
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Air Fryer Papdi
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Atta whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup Maida all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ tablespoon Sooji semolina
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Nigella Seeds kalonji
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ cup Oil
- ½ 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
- 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
- Don't roll them too thin and stick to the instructions or these can burn easily in the air fryer
- Prick the rolled papdis with a fork so they don’t puff too much when air frying and remain crisp.
- If using just atta or maida individually, add more water when kneading for the atta dough and less for the maida dough.
Dheeraj says
Nice blog videos.