Carrot Oats Dosa is a wholesome twist on the classic South Indian crepes! Made with fiber-rich oats, protein-packed lentils and cottage cheese, brown rice, spices, and carrots, this instant dosa needs no fermentation and comes together quickly—perfect for busy mornings. Naturally gluten-free and easily made vegan, this healthy oats dosa is a great way to sneak in veggies while enjoying a delicious and filling breakfast or snack.
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What is Oats Dosa
Dosa, a type of Indian crepe, is one of the most loved breakfast dishes besides Idli across India. Traditionally made with a fermented batter of rice and lentils, the process involves soaking the grains, grinding them, and allowing the mixture to ferment overnight—delicious but time-consuming.
This Instant Oats Dosa, however, is a quick and nutritious twist on the classic! Made without any fermentation, it’s ready in minutes and packed with the goodness of oats and carrots. The texture is light and crepe-like—soft in the center, crispy on the edges—and perfect for breakfast, lunch, or even a snack.
Oats are one of the healthiest whole grains, rich in fiber, protein, and essential nutrients. Combining them with grated carrot makes this dish colorful, tasty, and even kid-approved. If you're looking to make savory Indian recipes with oats, this healthy vegan oats dosa and Oats Upma are a great place to start. Plus, it's made using simple pantry staples and comes together effortlessly!
If you enjoy dosa, there are plenty of delicious variations you can try on the blog! Some popular ones include - Potato Dosa, Quinoa Dosa, Wheat Flour Dosa, Buckwheat Crepes, Onion Rava Dosa, Adai, Pesarattu, and the classic Masala Dosa. Each version offers a unique twist while keeping the essence of this beloved South Indian dish alive. You might also enjoy dosa-style recipes like Scallion Pancakes, Moong Dal Chilla, and Tomato Omelet are similar to dosa but equally nourishing—both are equally nourishing, and make excellent additions to your breakfast or snack rotation.
Why make this
- ✅ Instant & Easy – No soaking, no grinding, and absolutely no fermentation required!
- 🥄 Minimal Effort – Comes together quickly using pantry staples.
- 🌱 Vegetarian – Wholesome, and naturally gluten-free.
- 🥕 Nutritious – A tasty way to sneak oats and carrots into your diet.
- 🍽️ Anytime Meal – Perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even an evening snack!
Ingredients needed 🧾
Here’s what goes into making this healthy and flavorful Carrot Oats Dosa:
🍚 Rice – You can use any variety of rice. I’ve used brown rice for added fiber and nutrition, but white rice works too.
🌾 Oats – Both old-fashioned oats or rolled oats work well in this recipe. Avoid instant oats.
🥕 Carrots – I recommend using organic carrots. Choose ones that aren’t overly sweet for the best balance of flavor.
🌿 Lentils – A mix of urad dal and masoor dal (red lentils) gives structure and protein to the batter.
🧀 Cottage Cheese – A surprise addition! I’ve used low-fat cottage cheese for an extra boost of protein. It blends in seamlessly and doesn’t affect the taste. You can skip it to keep the recipe fully vegan.
🌶️ Asafoetida, ginger and dried red chilies – These add warmth and flavor. You can substitute dried red chilies with green chilies if you prefer.
🧈 Vegan ghee (or oil) and a good dosa tawa are essential to get those golden, crispy crepes just right!
How to make it 🔪
Soak brown rice, oats, masoor dal, and urad dal in a bowl for 30 minutes. Chef tip - Soak them in separate bowls and grind if your blender is not powerful enough.
Wash, peel and chop the carrots.
Strain the water.
Transfer the rice, lentils, and oats to a blender jar.
Add the dried red chilies, ginger, salt, and GF asafoetida to it.
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Then add cottage cheese.
Next, add the chopped carrots.
Blitz to a smooth batter. Gradually add ½ to ¾ cup of water if needed to help blend. Do not add them all at once. Grind in batches if needed. The batter should be smooth and not grainy when you touch it.
Transfer to a bowl. The consistency of the batter is very important. it should neither be too thick or too thin. We are looking at pancake batter consistency here. There is no need to ferment the batter.
Heat a dosa pan, pour a ladle full of batter, and shape it like a pancake. While pouring the batter over the pan, the flame should on medium, then increase the flame to cook it. Apply oil or vegan ghee on all sides and cook both sides evenly. Be careful to not let it burn.
Make as many as you need as store the remaining batter in the fridge. They taste amazing with some Indian chutney on the side.
Serving suggestions 🍽
These savory Indian crepes taste amazing when served with traditional sides like Molagapudi (gunpowder chutney), coconut chutney, tomato chutney, or a bowl of comforting sambhar. To make the meal more filling, add a flavorful potato stuffing similar to what's used in Masala Dosa.
The addition of carrots makes this dosa a nutritious and colorful option for breakfast, snack, or even a light meal. It also packs well in lunchboxes, making it great for kids and adults alike. And with its bright color and crispy edges, Carrot Oats Dosa looks especially beautiful when served as part of a festive spring or Easter spread.
Top recipe tips 💭
You can also choose to finely grate the carrots and stir them directly into the batter instead of blending—but note that this may slightly affect the dosa’s vibrant color. Making dosa does take a bit of practice, so it’s best to start with small dosas and cook them on low to medium heat until you get the hang of it. To boost the protein content, you can even sprinkle some hemp hearts into the batter—they blend in easily and add a mild nutty flavor without changing the texture.
FAQs 📖
If you have a mini pancake pan, you can use that to make mini dosas or coin dosas. Kids love it! You can also make waffles using this batter similar to Dosa Waffles. To make veg uttapam, use a small pancake pan, spread the oats dosa batter thick. Then top it with minced veggies of your choice and cook.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of rice flour to the batter. That will make it crispy. Alternatively, while grinding the batter, you can also add ¼ cup of shredded coconut. It will help in making the dosa soft. Carrot Oats Dosa is crispy when consumed immediately. If it stays out for sometime, it will become soft. So if you like crispy dosas, consume them straight out off the tawa.
This is the dosa pan I use. However, dosas made in a cast iron pan also taste amazing.
Keep the batter inside the fridge with a tight lid and store for a week. It also freezes well for up to 2 months. Just transfer it to the fridge a day before use.
Take out the batter from the fridge 30 minutes before so that it comes to room temperature and then start making dosas!
If the batter is too thick, gradually add some water to get the desired consistency. If the oats dosa batter is too thin, add some rice flour gradually to thicken it.
For a protein boost, you can replace cottage cheese with grated paneer, regular yogurt, or Greek yogurt. To keep it fully plant-based, skip the dairy or use a good-quality vegan plain yogurt instead.
Want to switch up the veggies? Try spinach, beets, butternut squash, or even make it plain for a simple oats dosa. You can also toss in some leafy greens for extra nutrition.
More South Indian Recipes
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Recipe 📖
Oats Dosa With Carrots
Equipment
- Dosa pan
Ingredients
- 2 carrots
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ⅓ cup masoor dal (red lentils)
- ½ cup urad dal
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
- 4-5 dried red chilies
- 1 inch ginger
- 8 oz low-fat cottage cheese
- Salt
- Oil as required
Instructions
- Soak brown rice, oats, masoor dal, and urad dal in a bowl for 30 minutes. Chef tip - Soak them in separate bowls and grind if your blender is not powerful enough.
- Wash, peel and chop the carrots.
- Strain the water.
- Transfer the rice, lentils, and oats to a blender jar.
- Add the dried red chilies, ginger, salt, and GF asafoetida to it.
- Then add cottage cheese.
- Next, add the chopped carrots.
- Blitz to a smooth batter. Gradually add ½ to ¾ cup of water if needed to help blend. Do not add them all at once. Grind in batches if needed. The batter should be smooth and not grainy when you touch it.
- Transfer to a bowl. The consistency of the batter is very important. it should neither be too thick or too thin. We are looking at pancake batter consistency here. There is no need to ferment the batter.
- Heat a dosa pan, pour a ladle full of batter, and shape it like a pancake. While pouring the batter over the pan, the flame should on medium, then increase the flame to cook it. Apply oil or vegan ghee on all sides and cook both sides evenly. Be careful to not let it burn.
- Make as many as you need as store the remaining batter in the fridge. They taste amazing with some Indian chutney on the side.
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We'll email this recipe to you, so that you can look at it later!
Notes
Nutrition
Tara says
I love the color from the carrots! They look amazing. Definitely perfect for breakfast with how easily they come together. Yum!
Priya says
Yes, they are super simple to make. Thank you.