These Lentil protein pancakes made with leftover Indian Dal are power-packed and nutritious! Make them in 15 minutes using just 4 ingredients and serve them for breakfast or as a snack! These savory pancakes are also vegan and gluten-free.
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The Indian Dal
Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day and should not be skipped. A healthy breakfast helps start the day off in the right way! I understand that it is difficult to come up with a new recipe every day which is why weekly menu planning and meal prepping helps. Another thing that helps is to repurpose leftovers to create new meals. This not just saves prep time but also prevents food wastage.
Fun Fact - Lentils are a good source of dietary fiber, protein, and vitamins. Consuming lentils regularly in our day-to-day diet is essential mainly for vegetarians.
Why make this
- Prevents wastage and uses leftover Dal
- Is nut-free, vegan, and gluten-free
- Can be made using just 4 ingredients
- Make it in just 15 minutes
- Can be made instantly and no fermentation is required
Ingredients needed
Indian Dal - As I mentioned before, use any leftover Indian Dal, stew, or soup in this recipe. Some Dal recipes on the blog are Dal Tadka, Sultani Dal, Methi Dal, Shahjahani Dal, Malvani Tikhat Dal, and Moong Sprouts Dal Fry. This recipe also works with any restaurant Dal. So if you have some leftover Dal from your restaurant visit the previous night, you can use that to make these savory pancakes.
Flours - Chickpea flour or besan, and rice flour are what I have used. But you can use whole wheat flour as well if you are not following a gluten-free diet. Rice flour helps make the protein pancakes crispy.
Veggies - Feel free to add any veggies of your choice. I have added only onions as they give a nice crunch. You can also add chopped cilantro to the batter to give it an aromatic flavor.
Other than these ingredients, you will need water, stock, or buttermilk that's added to get the desired batter consistency.
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How to make it
- In a mixing bowl, add leftover dal.
- Add chickpea flour or besan and rice flour.
- Then add the chopped onions. Whisk it all together to make a smooth pancake consistency batter. Add water if the Dal is too thick. If adding cilantro, add at this point.
- Heat a pancake pan and once it's hot, pour a spoonful of batter. Spread it like a pancake and drizzle oil around it. Cook both sides for about 2-3 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Serving suggestions
Serve these savory protein pancakes with green chutney, ketchup, hummus, or yogurt. Stuff it with some sauteed beans, grilled veggies, or crumbled tofu/paneer, and make them into wraps.
Top recipe tips
I didn't add any salt to the batter as I didn't feel the need. Prepare a small-sized pancake and taste, then add salt to the batter if needed. You can also taste the batter to check the seasoning. Since the Indian Dal is fully flavored, we don't need any seasoning in this recipe. The tastier the dal, the tastier these protein pancakes will be. If you want a smoother batter, then transfer the batter to a blender and blitz to make a smooth puree. Use a mini pancake pan or waffle maker if looking for alternate ways of presentation.
Recipe FAQs
You can add grated paneer or vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, etc to the batter or make a light vegetable sauté to serve as a filling inside the pancake. Greens like spinach, baby kale, microgreens, or fenugreek leaves can also be added to the batter.
The batter can be prepared in advance and refrigerated for 3-4 days. You can even freeze the batter for 2 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and then use it. Just ensure you bring the batter to room temperature before making the pancakes. These pancakes can also be made a couple of hours ahead of time. They can be reheated as needed but just remember they will lose their crispiness. If you want them crisp, make them fresh and serve.
More savory pancake recipes
Recipe 📖
Lentil pancakes With Leftover Dal
Equipment
- Pancake Pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup leftover dal
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 cup besan/chickpea flour
- 3 tablespoon rice flour
- Salt
- Cooking oil
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add leftover dal.
- Add chickpea flour/besan and rice flour.
- Add chopped onions.
- Whisk it all together to make a smooth pancake consistency batter. Add water if the batter is too thick.
- Heat a pancake pan and once its hot, pour a spoonful of batter. Spread it like a pancake and drizzle oil around it. Cook both sides for about 3-4 minutes or until golden.
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Notes
- Taste and add salt as required because the leftover dal will also have salt in it.
- Since the Indian Dal is fully flavored with required spices, we don't need many ingredients in this recipe.
- This batter does not require any fermentation and the crepes can be prepared immediately.
- Rice flour helps make the pancakes crispy.
- Chopped onions gives the pancake a nice crunch.
- Add water or buttermilk to the batter to dilute it, if its too thick.
- The batter can be prepared in advance and refrigerated for 3-4 days.
- You can even freeze the batter.
Nutrition
Irina says
I am a crepe person, but I enjoyed these lentil pancakes. A huge bonus is that they are gluten-free!
Priya says
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you
Nart at Cooking with Nart says
I love dal but have never tried lentil pancakes before...these are something new to me and I need to try them!
Priya says
Then this is the right recipe to try first 🙂
Lisa says
This was a great recipe, the rice flour gives such a good texture and the pancakes fry up so well! Ill be making extra dal from now on to make these. I topped them with some cilantro chutney tomatoes and onions. Very delicious!
Priya says
Wow! That sounds like a complete meal! Glad you liked the recipe. Thank you
Love says
All time favourite recipe and I generally eat them as my breakfast
Priya says
Glad you like it. 🙂