Pesarattu is a nutritious and protein-rich South Indian crepe made with green mung beans. Unlike traditional dosa, Pesarattu batter requires no fermentation, making it a quick and convenient option. Naturally vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free, this wholesome dish is perfect for breakfast or an evening snack. Enjoy it with chutney or the classic upma filling for an authentic experience!
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What Is Pesarattu
Pesarattu is a protein-rich, green gram (moong or mung bean) dosa from South Indian cuisine, particularly Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In Telugu, pesara means green gram, and attu means dosa. Soaking whole mung beans enhances its unique flavor, color, and texture, making Pesarattu distinct from regular dosa.
Unlike traditional dosa, Pesarattu batter requires no fermentation and can be made instantly. However, if desired, it can be fermented for 4–6 hours, depending on room temperature, with warmer climates speeding up the process. Try this quick, protein-packed South Indian Pesarattu Dosa recipe for a wholesome and flavorful meal.
While Adai is also a lentil-based dish, it is thicker, whereas pesarattu is thin like Dosa. These vegan Indian crepes closely resembles Moong Dal Chilla (made with yellow split mung dal) and Eggless Tomato Omelet. Mung bean crepes are naturally gluten-free and made without flour, milk, or eggs, unlike European Buckwheat Crepes.
Difference Between Pesarattu And Dosa
Pesarattu and dosa are like cousins—similar yet distinct! While both are South Indian crepes, they differ in key aspects. Dosa batter is made by wet grinding soaked urad dal and parboiled rice, with no added spices, and requires fermentation for at least 6–8 hours.
In contrast, pesarattu is made from whole mung (green gram) with added spices but requires no fermentation, resulting in a unique taste, texture, and vibrant green color. Dosa often includes fenugreek in the batter and is commonly stuffed with spiced mashed potatoes (masala dosa), whereas pesarattu skips fenugreek and is traditionally served with upma (upma pesarattu).
Why Make It
- No fermentation required – Can be made instantly
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free – Suitable for various dietary needs
- Wholesome and nutritious – Rich in plant-based protein and fiber
- Made with just 6 basic ingredients – Simple and fuss-free
- Light yet filling – Keeps you energized for hours
- Savory, Crispy and flavorful – A delicious alternative to regular dosa
- Versatile – Can be served for breakfast, a snack, or even a light meal
- Perfect for meal prep – Batter can be stored for quick meals
Ingredients needed 🧾
Andhra special Pesarattu crepes are made primarily with dry green mung beans (superfood), which also work great in Dal Fry. You can find them in Indian grocery stores, or on Amazon. I also make Dal Fry with these mung beans and they taste great.
Raw rice is optional but helps achieve a crispy texture—any variety like white, brown, basmati, or red rice can be used in this Pesarattu recipe, or even grains like quinoa or teff as a substitute. For a softer texture, simply skip the rice. Rice flour can also be used instead when making moong dal dosa.
Other ingredients - The batter is flavored with ginger, green chilies, cumin seeds, and cilantro. While ginger and cumin aid digestion and enhance taste, green chilies add subtle heat, and cilantro brings freshness to these mung lentil crepes.
How to make it 🔪
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- Soak whole green gram and rice in water for at least 4 hours or overnight—this step is essential, so don’t skip it.
- Drain the soaked moong dal and rice completely.
- Transfer them to a blender jar.
- Add ginger, green chilies, and cumin seeds for flavor.
- Add water and cilantro to the blender jar.
- Blend to achieve a smooth, non-grainy batter. The consistency should be slightly thicker than dosa batter.
- Transfer the smooth batter to a bowl, add salt, and mix well. Adjust with water if needed for a thick pouring consistency.
- Heat a tawa and pour a ladleful of batter, spreading it thin like a dosa or pancake over low flame. Cook for a minute until the edges lift and turn slightly brown, drizzle oil or vegan ghee, flip, and cook for another 30-45 seconds. Repeat for more.
Serving suggestions 🍽
Best side dish for Pesarattu dosai is molagapodi, mango pickle, green chutney, tomato chutney, or coconut chutney. It also goes well with Mango Thokku, Onion Thokku, or Tomato Thokku as well. Traditionally, this Andhra-style green gram dosa is served with Allam chutney, a flavorful ginger-based chutney. You can also enjoy these mung lentil crepes as a gluten-free flatbread, pairing it with stir-fries, curries, or even using it as a wrap. Make Green Moong Dosa recipe for breakfast, snack, lunch, or dinner. You can also pack Green dosa in lunchboxes.
To make whole mung bean crepes even more wholesome, stuff it with grated paneer or tofu spiced mildly with red chili powder, salt, cilantro, and cumin powder. Alternatively, you can make Pesarattu Masala Dosa stuff it with a spiced potato or sweet potato mixture, similar to the filling in Masala Dosa.
Top recipe tips 💭
Soak half a teaspoon of methi seeds along with the mung beans to aid digestion. For variation, you can use moong dal sprouts or split yellow moong dal instead of whole green moong dal. Adding 1-2 tablespoons of soaked chana dal to the batter can also enhance the texture. If the Pesarattu batter is too runny or the tawa is too hot, the color of these whole mung bean pancakes may turn brownish, so be mindful of that while cooking.
FAQs 📖
MLA Pesarattu is a popular variation where the pesarattu is either stuffed with upma or served alongside it. It gets its unique name from the MLA Quarters restaurant in Hyderabad, where it gained popularity. This dish is also commonly referred to as Upma Pesarattu.
Onion Pesarattu: Add fonely chopped onions to the batter or sprinkle them on top after spreading the batter like a dosa.
Spinach Pesarattu: Mix chopped spinach or spinach puree into the batter for a nutritious twist.
Tomato Pesarattu: Add chopped tomatoes to the batter for a tangy flavor.
Store the leftover homemade Pesarattu batter in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 4-5 days. The batter may ferment slightly but will still taste great. You can also freeze the batter; thaw it overnight in the fridge and adjust the consistency with a little water if needed before making Andhra Pesarattu dosa. Leftover batter can also be repurposed to make delicious Paniyaram or Waffles.
If you skip rice altogether, this no-fermentation dosa will not be as crisp. Rice flour can be used as a substitute for regular rice. Alternatively, quinoa can be used instead of rice, similar to my Quinoa Dosa recipe, to maintain a similar texture.
The Pesarattu batter should be slightly thicker than dosa batter. If it’s too thick, you won’t be able to spread it on the tawa—blend it again with a little water to achieve the desired consistency. If the batter turns too runny, you can add rice flour to thicken it.
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Recipe 📖
Authentic Pesarattu Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup green moong dal
- ½ cup rice
- 1 inch ginger
- 3-4 green chillies
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 cup cilantro
- 2 cups water
- salt
- oil
Instructions
- Soak green moong dal and rice in water for at least 4 hours or overnight—this step is essential, so don’t skip it.
- Drain the soaked moong dal and rice completely.
- Transfer them to a blender jar.
- Add ginger, green chilies, and cumin seeds for flavor.
- Add water and cilantro to the blender jar.
- Blend to achieve a smooth, non-grainy batter. The consistency should be slightly thicker than dosa batter.
- Transfer the batter to a bowl, add salt, and mix well. Adjust with water if needed for a thick pouring consistency.
- Heat a tawa and pour a ladleful of batter, spreading it thin like a dosa or pancake over low flame. Cook for a minute until the edges lift and turn slightly brown, drizzle oil or vegan ghee, flip, and cook for another 30-45 seconds. Repeat for more.
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We'll email this recipe to you, so that you can look at it later!
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