• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Cookilicious logo

  • About
  • Recipes
  • Podcast
  • Collaborate
  • Shop
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Collaborate
  • Podcast
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Snacks » Dahi Vada Recipe

    Published: Oct 27, 2021 · Modified: Oct 27, 2021 by Priya * This post may contain affiliate links.

    Dahi Vada Recipe

    Recipe Print
    a bowl of Dahi Vada along with 3 glasses of Dahi Vada in the background and text at the top and bottom
    4 glasses of Dahi Vada and text at the top
    3 image collage of Dahi Vada with text at the top

    You will love this recipe of Dahi Vada/Dahi Bhalla/Thayir Vadai! This delicious Indian snack is made with yogurt, fried lentil fritters, and sweet and savory toppings.

    Dahi Bhalla is a crowd favorite because it's easy to make and loaded with flavors! Save this recipe of dahi vada for the holiday season!

    Dahi Vada served in a glass
    Packed with flavors!

    Table of Contents

    • Everyone loves Dahi Vada
    • Trending now
    • Why make this
    • Ingredients needed
    • Here's how to make it
    • Serving suggestions
    • Tips, recommendations, and suggestions
    • Ways to fix the batter
    • More topping ideas
    • How to store it
    • How to make it vegan
    • How to bake it
    • Treats served in a jar
    • Indian yogurt recipes
    • Dahi Vada Recipe

    Everyone loves Dahi Vada

    But what is Dahi Vada? Dahi means yogurt and vada mean fritters. This is one of those dishes that's made across India. Only the kind of vadas differ.

    In this dish, the fried vadas or fritters (made from lentils) are dunked in a sweet and spicy yogurt mixture and served. Top it with many fun toppings to make it more appetizing.

    Trending now

    The name and the recipe of dahi vada vary across India. It's called Dahi Vada in Maharashtra, the Dahi Bhalla in north India, Thayir Vadai in south India, and Doi Bora in the east of India.

    There's something about soft vadas soaked in a spiced yogurt sauce! They're sour, sweet, savory, and spicy. That is why everyone loves this snack.

    It is also a popular street food in India. We also like to serve it at weddings, parties, happy occasions, or events. It is also referenced in several Bollywood movies due to its popularity.

    a bowl of Dahi Vada along with 3 glasses of Dahi Vada in the background
    A crowd-favorite!

    Why make this

    My version of the Dahi Bhalla recipe is a mix of many different recipes. While no one really needs a reason to make Dahi Bhalla, here are some that might interest you.

    • Simple recipe with basic pantry ingredients
    • It's a crowd favorite and can easily be made for large groups
    • Can easily make it ahead of time
    • It's a drool-worthy and appetizing snack
    • You can easily make it vegan

    This recipe of dahi vada is fool-proof. I have tried it many times with the same result.

    Ingredients needed

    all the ingredients needed to make Dahi Vada placed on a table with labels on them
    Simple recipe with simple ingredients.

    Lentils - I make it using three types of lentils - urad dal, yellow moong dal, and green gram split moong dal. All these lentils can be easily found at the Indian grocery store or Amazon.

    Yogurt - Use full-fat or light yogurt that's not sour, in this recipe. If using Greek yogurt, thin it down a bit by adding water. Check notes below for vegan options.

    Spices and herbs - cumin powder, coriander powder, chilly powder and cilantro (not shown in ingredients image ) are all you need.

    Other basic ingredients - ginger paste, green chillies, and sugar or powdered sugar help in building the flavor palate of this dish.

    Toppings - green chutney, sweet chutney made from tamarind and dates, and sev make this dahi vada extremely flavorful.

    Baking soda is added to make these fritters fluffy. Besides all these ingredients, you will need oil for frying.

    Here's how to make it

    6 image collage showing how to make the batter for Dahi Vada
    It's all in the batter!

    First we need to make the vadas. Here is how you make the batter.

    • Wash and soak urad dal, yellow moong dal and green gram split moong dal for 8 hours or even overnight.
    • Drain and transfer to a blender jar. Also add broken green chillies.
    • Then add ginger paste, salt, coriander powder and cumin powder.
    • Grind to make a smooth and thick batter by gradually adding cold water. It should not be grainy in texture but smooth.
    • Transfer the batter to a bowl.
    • Add baking soda and hot oil. Whisk the batter till it's light and fluffy to aerate. The vada batter is now ready.
    6 image collage showing how to make Dahi Vada
    Fool-proof recipe!
    • Add oil to a frying pan. Keep the flame on medium. To check if its hot enough, add a small pea-size batter to the oil.
      • If it immediately floats up to the top, that means the oil is very hot, lower the flame. If it sinks to the bottom, then it means oil is not hot enough.
      • The right temperature would be when the ball takes a couple of seconds to float up.
      • Using a small spoon or tablespoon, drop the balls in oil. Fry them on medium flame till they evenly turn golden brown. Keep tossing them in oil to cook evenly.
    • Fry them in batches. Do not overcrowd. Transfer the balls to a bowl of warm (not hot or room temperature) water immediately. It should float.
      • Leave them in water till they become bigger, turn soft and fluff up or leave it for 15-20 minutes.
    • Squeeze out the excess water from them using your palm. Press gently so that they don't loose their shape and break. Transfer to a plate for now.
    • To prepare the Indian styled yogurt mix, in another bowl, add yogurt. Whisk it till smooth and creamy. Add salt and sugar to the bowl.
    • Also add chilly powder, chopped cilantro (not shown in above image) and cumin powder to the bowl.
    • Whisk it all together. You can chill this Indian yogurt mixture till it's time to serve or add the squeezed out vadas to this bowl, mix and chill it in the fridge.
      • Mix the vadas with the yogurt mixture if you plan to serve them in small bowls.
      • Keep them separate if you plan to serve them in shot glasses (like in the pictures).
    4 image collage showing how to assemble Dahi Vada in a glass jar
    Serve it in a glass!
    • To serve in individual glasses or jars, smear the sides of the glasses with sweet chutney and green chutney. Add 1-2 tablespoons of yogurt mixture into the glass.
    • Stuff the glass with 2-3 vadas in each glass.
    • Fill it with the spiced yogurt. Be generous here. Top it with sweet chutney.
    • Sprinkle sev, chilly powder and cumin powder on top. You can also garnish with chopped cilantro.
    4 glasses of Dahi Vada
    Snack in a jar.

    Serving suggestions

    Cover with cling wrap and chill these glasses in the fridge till its time to serve. I would suggest you make this 6-7 hours ahead of serving time and keep it in the fridge.

    When it's time to serve, take the bowl or the glasses out. It tastes best when served chilled. Serve these dahi bhallas after a meal, or as a light snack.

    Make dahi bhalla a part of your menu when hosting guests, parties, potlucks, events, during the holidays like Holi, Diwali, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, or New Years!

    Tips, recommendations, and suggestions

    There are many variations to the thayir vadai batter recipe. You can make them with just urad dal, moong dal, or a mix of urad and yellow moong dal instead of three different lentils.

    Some soak the fried vadas in buttermilk instead of water. You can try that too. Dip the spoon in water and then use it to drop the batter in hot oil when frying. The batter will not slide off easily.

    Ways to fix the batter

    It helps to keep the batter in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. If the batter becomes too thick, gradually add teaspoons of water till you get the desired consistency.

    The vada batter needs to be thick yet flowing consistency. While grinding the lentils, add water gradually. If it becomes too runny, fix it by adding chickpea flour/semolina or rice flour.

    In order to check if the thayir vadai batter consistency is right, add a pea sized ball to a bowl of water. If it floats, it means the batter has aerated well and is good to use.

    If it sinks to the bottom, it means you need to whisk it a bit more. I learned this useful trick from a friend.

    More topping ideas

    You can add boondi, mint leaves, coconut, raisins, ginger juliennes, masala peanuts, chaat masala, or pomegranate arils, or chopped cilantro as toppings. Customize the toppings based on availability.

    How to store it

    Store the vadas and the yogurt mixture separate or together in a bowl. The vadas taste better when they soak in the yogurt longer.

    Fried vadas stay in the fridge for 4-5 days. Soaked vadas stay good in the fridge for 2-3 days. Prepared dahi vadas stays good in the fridge for 3-4 days. The batter stays good in the fridge for 2-3 days.

    You can freeze the fried vadas. It stays good for upto 3 months. Arrange the fried vadas flat on a baking tray, cover them with plastic wrap and freeze.

    Once they are frozen, transfer to a ziptop container. To defrost, transfer to the fridge a night before. Take them out, and let them reach room temperature.

    Then soak them in lukewarm water for 30-40 minutes. Squeeze out the water, assemble and serve. You can also freeze the thayir vadai batter.

    How to make it vegan

    You can easily make this recipe of dahi vada dairy-free! The vadas or fritters are naturally vegan. Use unsweetened dairy-free yogurt made from almond milk, coconut milk or even oat milk.

    How to bake it

    The traditional thayir vadai recipe calls for frying the vadas. However, there are some ways around it. You can shallow fry them in an appe pan using less oil.

    The other alternate method is to bake them. Bake them at 450 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Having tried all these versions, I still prefer the fried dahi vadas.

    Treats served in a jar

    • Chai Cheesecake
    • Mango Cranachan
    • Apple Pistachio Mousse

    Indian yogurt recipes

    • Orange Yogurt Cake
    • Indian Spiced Yogurt Sandwich
    • Himachali Chana Madra
    • Indian Yogurt Salad
    • Beetroot Raita
    • Burani Boondi Raita
    Dahi Vada served in a round bowl
    So good and delicious!

    Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram @cookilicious with the hashtag #cookiliciousveg. I love hearing your feedback! 

    You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST to see more delicious vegetarian and vegan recipes and what I’m getting up to.

    Dahi Vada served in a glass

    Dahi Vada Recipe

    You will love this recipe of Dahi Vada/Dahi Bhalla/Thayir Vadai! This delicious Indian snack is made with yogurt, fried lentil fritters and sweet and savory toppings.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: Indian
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Soaking time: 8 hours
    Servings: 10 glasses
    Calories: 198.27kcal
    Author: Priya Lakshminarayan

    Equipment

    Frying pan

    Ingredients 

    To make the vadas

    • 1/2 cup urad dal
    • 1/3 cup moong dal
    • 1/3 cup green moong dal
    • 3 green chillies
    • 1 tbsp ginger
    • 1 tsp cumin powder
    • 1 tsp coriander powder
    • 1/2 cup water
    • salt
    • 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • 1 tbsp hot oil
    • oil for frying

    To prep the dahi

    • 3 cups yogurt
    • salt
    • 2 tbsp powdered sugar
    • 4 tsp cumin powder
    • 4 tsp chilly powder
    • 1/4 cup cilantro

    For garnish

    • 1/4 cup green chutney
    • 1/4 cup sweet tamarind chutney
    • 1/4 cup sev

    Instructions

    To make the vadas

    • Wash and then soak urad dal, yellow moong dal and green gram split moong dal for 8 hours or even overnight.
    • Drain and transfer to a blender jar. Also add broken green chillies. Then add ginger paste, salt, coriander powder and cumin powder.
    • Grind to make a smooth and thick batter by gradually adding cold water. It should not be grainy in texture but smooth.
    • Transfer the batter to a bowl. Add baking soda and hot oil. Whisk the batter till it's light and fluffy to aerate. The vada batter is now ready.
    • Add oil to a frying pan. Keep the flame on medium. To check if its hot enough, add a small pea-size batter to the oil. If it immediately floats up to the top, that means the oil is very hot, lower the flame. If it sinks to the bottom, then it means oil is not hot enough. The right temperature would be when the ball takes a couple of seconds to float up.
    • Using a small spoon or tablespoon, drop the balls in oil. Fry them on medium flame till they evenly turn golden brown. Keep tossing them in oil to cook evenly. Fry them in batches. Do not overcrowd.
    • Transfer the balls in warm (not hot or room temperature) water immediately. It should float. Leave them in water till they become bigger, turn soft and fluff up or leave it for 15-20 minutes.
    • Squeeze out the excess water from them using your palm. Press gently so that they don't loose their shape and break. Transfer to a plate for now.

    To prep the dahi

    • In another bowl, add yogurt. Whisk it till smooth and creamy. Add salt and sugar to the bowl.
    • Also add chilly powder, chopped cilantro, and cumin powder to the bowl. Whisk it all together. You can chill this Indian yogurt mixture till it's time to serve or add the squeezed out vadas to this bowl, mix and chill it in the fridge.

    To assemble

    • To serve in individual glasses or jars, smear the sides of the glasses with sweet chutney and green chutney.
    • Add 1-2 tablespoons of yogurt mixture into the glass.
    • Stuff the glass with 2-3 vadas in each glass.
    • Fill it with the spiced yogurt. Be generous here. Top it with sweet chutney.
    • Sprinkle sev, chilly powder and cumin powder on top.

    Notes

    There are many variations to the thayir vadai batter recipe. You can make them with just urad dal, moong dal, or a mix of urad and yellow moong dal instead of three different lentils.
    Some soak the fried vadas in buttermilk instead of water. You can try that too. Dip the spoon in water and then use it to drop the batter in hot. It will slide off easily.
    Ways to fix the batter
    It also helps to keep the batter in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. If the batter becomes too thick, gradually add teaspoons of water till you get the desired consistency.
    The vada batter needs to be thick yet flowing consistency. While grinding the lentils, add water gradually. If it becomes too runny, fix it by adding chickpea flour/semolina or rice flour.
    In order to check if the thayir vadai batter consistency is right, add a pea sized ball to a bowl of water. If it floats, it means the batter has aerated well and is good to use.
    If it sinks to the bottom, it means you need to whisk it a bit more. I learned this useful trick from a friend.
    More topping ideas
    You can add boondi, mint leaves, coconut, raisins, ginger juliennes, masala peanuts, chaat masala, chopped cilantro or pomegranate arils, as toppings. Customize the toppings based on availability.
    How to store it
    Store the vadas and the yogurt mixture separate or together in a bowl. The vadas taste better when they soak in the yogurt longer.
    Fried vadas stay in the fridge for 4-5 days. Soaked vadas stay good in the fridge for 2-3 days. Prepared dahi vadas stays good in the fridge for 3-4 days. The batter stays good in the fridge for 2-3 days.
    You can freeze the fried vadas. It stays good for upto 3 months. Arrange the fried vadas flat on a baking tray, cover them with plastic wrap and freeze.
    Once they are frozen, transfer to a ziptop container. To defrost, transfer to the fridge a night before. Take them out, and let them reach room temperature.
    Then soak them in lukewarm water for 30-40 minutes. Squeeze out the water, assemble and serve. You can also freeze the thayir vadai batter.
    How to make it vegan
    You can easily make this recipe of dahi vada dairy-free! The vadas or fritters are naturally vegan. Use unsweetened dairy-free yogurt made from almond milk, coconut milk or even oat milk.
    How to bake it
    The traditional thayir vadai recipe calls for frying the vadas. However, there are some ways around it. You can shallow fry them in an appe pan using less oil.
    The other alternate method is to bake them. Bake them at 450 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Having tried all these versions, I still prefer the fried dahi vadas.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 198.27kcal | Carbohydrates: 29.42g | Protein: 9.58g | Fat: 5.58g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.93g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 9.55mg | Sodium: 344.03mg | Potassium: 276.84mg | Fiber: 6.42g | Sugar: 10.35g | Vitamin A: 2269.52IU | Vitamin C: 4.32mg | Calcium: 135.61mg | Iron: 3.18mg
    Tried this Recipe? Share your creation by tagging me on Instagram @Cookilicious using #cookiliciousveg!
    Love watching recipe videos?Subscribe to my Cookilicious YouTube channel now to get your weekly recipe fix - Youtube

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a star rating below!

    Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. For more information on my Affiliate and Advertising Policy, please click here.  

    « Italian Chili in Instant Pot
    Malai Kulfi With Gulab Jamun »
    9 shares
    GIFT FOR YOU

    Free Vegan Beginner's Guide

    Tips, recipes & secrets to transform your lifestyle.

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Rate the Recipe




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    ABOUT ME

    Every recipe here tells a story that is simple, easy to follow and has a tasty soul. Come join me in my kitchen and let me take you on a gastronomical journey. Vegetarian & vegan cooking is so much fun! Read more...

    Follow Me

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    GIFT FOR YOU

    Free Vegan Beginner's Guide

    Tips, recipes & secrets to transform your lifestyle.

    SEARCH A RECIPE OR INGREDIENT

    Featured On

    Get my Cookbook

    We are on YouTube!

    Summer Fun!

    Vegan Paella served in a pan

    Vegan Paella Recipe

    a hand digging into a bowl of Vegan Beetroot Peanuts Raita with a spoon

    Vegan Beetroot Peanuts Raita

    Vegan Mushroom Spinach Pasta Salad served in a platter with a spoon in it

    Vegan Mushroom Spinach Pasta Salad

    3 Vegan Corn Tostadas served on a wooden platter

    Vegan Corn Tostadas

    one big bowl of Vegan Teff Kheer Porridge with a small bowl of the same on the side

    Vegan Teff Kheer Porridge

    a bowl filled with Veg Hakka Noodles and a fork in it

    Veg Hakka Noodles

    TRENDING NOW

    3 glasses of Thandai Milkshake served next to a bowl of colors and rose buds

    Thandai Milkshake | Dry Fruit Milkshake

    a hand brushing Tomato Cheddar Scones with butter

    Tomato Cheddar Scones

    Dal Tadka served in a brass bucket with a spoon in it

    Dal Tadka in Instant Pot

    Instant Pot Mexican Rice served in a rectangular tray

    Instant Pot Mexican Rice

    Avial served in a bowl with 3 spoons in it

    Avial Recipe | South Indian Mixed Veggie Curry

    a small round kadai filled with Aloo Matar

    Aloo Matar

    Footer

    Stay connected

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • About Priya

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work With Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 Cookilicious

    9 shares
    • 1