This vegan Savory Dosa Waffles recipe is a great way to use dosa batter. This homemade waffle batter is loaded with veggies and is delicious! It's the perfect breakfast or snack recipe that can be made in just 20 minutes!
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Making a dosa is indeed a skill
Yes, it is! But before I get on to that, if you are totally new to Dosa, then do read my Dosa Batter post first. It talks about what is Dosa and everything you need to make it right.
But just to quickly give you an insight, Dosa is an Indian crepe that's prepared with fermented rice and lentil batter. And yes, they are very delicious!
The fermented dosa batter is gut-friendly with natural probiotics. It’s full of complex carbs and plant protein. Plus they taste great and have a cult following worldwide!
Making dosa does require a certain skill that comes with practice. Plus you need to make them one-by-one.
This makes it a little difficult on busy days or if you have many mouths to feed. I seem to have found a solution to this!
Hashtags resemble a waffle
I had my first waffle 7 years ago! Yes, I had never had waffles in India. Then when I got a waffle maker
, I began making them even more regularly because KR loves them.
Waffles are usually sweet but if you know me, I always prefer savory over sweet. So, I started experimenting with vegan waffles too and ended up making Mashed Potato Hummus Waffles and Dosa Waffles.
I loved the idea of converting dosas to vegan savory waffles and I always end up making one batch of dosa waffles whenever I have dosa batter handy!
Why make this
Making dosa in a waffle maker is a game-changer! This recipe is also a great way to use leftover (sour) idli/dosa/uttapam batter and present them differently.
Plus it takes out the hassle of making the perfect round dosa on a skillet!
- Time saver - This is a no-brainer. In the time spent to make one dosa, you can get 4
- A fun twist to the regular dosa without compromising on the taste, especially for kids
- This waffle recipe is naturally vegan and gluten-free (it contains no milk or eggs)
- Quick and easy breakfast/snack recipe especially for large families
- Great way to sneak in veggies
- Consumes less oil compared to dosa
In fact, I would say try converting any batter to waffles and enjoy! It's so much more fun to serve them this way! It's such a refreshing change to the regular way of serving dosa or uttapam! It's soft on the inside yet crispy on the outside and the veggies give it a nice crunch. Overall, it is an extremely satisfying meal.
Ingredients needed 🧾
Dosa Batter - Use freshly made or leftover Dosa/uttapam Batter or even Idli Batter for this recipe.
Veggies - I love this recipe because you can customize it. Add whatever veggies you have or like. I have used onions, tomatoes, corn, green peas, spinach, and bell peppers.
Spices - Green chilies, paprika, ginger paste, and Pav Bhaji Masala. Adding Pav Bhaji masala gives these dosa waffles a different flavor. Do try it. You can also add curry leaves.
Besides all these ingredients, you will also need a waffle maker for this recipe. I use Cuisinart Waffle Iron and love it.
How to make it 🔪
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- The first step in this recipe is to prepare the dosa/uttapam batter, for which you can use either fresh or leftover batter. Transfer the batter to a mixing bowl.
- Add chopped onions, tomatoes, and corn.
- Then add the greens like chopped bell pepper, spinach, green peas, and cilantro.
- Next, add the ginger paste, minced green chilies, paprika, and pav bhaji masala.
- Mix it all. Add salt as required. Be mindful of the fact that the dosa batter already contains salt. The mixture should have the consistency of pancake batter. This homemade waffle batter should neither be too thick nor too runny. Avoid adding excess water.
- Heat a waffle maker
as per instructions. Smear it with cooking oil spray. Pour a spoonful of batter into each mold of the waffle maker and cook it as per instructions. You can select your desired level of browning and cook it accordingly. It should take about 3-4 minutes.
. Pour a spoonful of batter into each mold of the waffle maker and cook it as per instructions. You can select your desired level of browning and cook it accordingly. It should take about 3-4 minutes. 
Serving suggestions 🍽
Carefully take them out once they are done. These savory vegan waffles taste the best when served warm and fresh. These can be served for breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner(ever heard of dinner waffles?), and even packed in lunchboxes. They are very versatile.
Serve some Cucumber Salad with Buttermilk on the side to make it a complete meal. You can also serve it with mashed potatoes. You can also cut them into waffle sticks and serve as a finger-food snack! In fact, you can also set up an Indian waffle bar for your next house party, family brunch, or as part of the feast/holiday menu!
Set it up with an array of chutneys, salads, roasted veggies, sour cream, and mashed potatoes. Sounds yum right?
What to serve with these dosa waffles
Chutneys are the most popular option. I have a variety of chutney recipes on the blog that you can check out and try.
- Andhra Style Peanut & Tomato Chutney
- Coriander Mint Chutney
- Tomato Almond Chutney
- Lettuce Chutney
- Coconut Chutney - Most Popular
Sambhar and Mulagapudi (my favorite accompaniment) are 2 other popular choices. Kids love to eat these masala waffles with tomato ketchup and mayo. Some unconventional toppings for dosa waffles are sauteed veggies, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.
Top recipe tips 💭
For this vegan savory waffles recipe, you can either use freshly made dosa/idli/uttapam batter, leftover batter, or store-bought batter. You can prepare this dosa waffles recipe with just plain dosa/uttapam batter. There's no need to add anything to it. But adding veggies and spices just makes it more appetizing and more nourishing. Pav Bhaji Masala adds a nice flavor to the dosa. Skip if not available though. Mix some vegan cheddar cheese into the batter to make dairy-free cheese waffles!
FAQs 📖
This homemade waffle batter stays good in the fridge for 4-5 days if stored properly in an airtight container. You can also freeze the batter for up to 2 months.
The frozen batter should be thawed 24 hours in the refrigerator before use. I would suggest adding fresh veggies to the frozen homemade waffle batter whenever you want to make it.
If you have some leftover waffles, store them in the fridge and just reheat them before serving them again. You can also freeze them if need be.
The colder the homemade waffle batter, the crisper the dosas in the waffle maker. No need to get the batter to room temperature. You can use the batter straight out of the fridge.
Plus, a thinner batter generally results in a crisper waffle. Using oil instead of butter helps in the crispiness too.
If the waffles don't get crispy enough in the waffle maker, then place them on a rack set on a baking sheet and bake in a 250F oven for another 5-10 minutes, until crisp.
Alternatively, you can melt a small amount of flavored butter in a frying pan. Then place the waffle in the pan and lightly toast it on both sides.
Your waffle will be evenly coated, warm, and a little crispier. Be careful to not burn the butter/waffle.
You can totally use a sandwich maker. However, you can use this batter to make mini or regular pancakes on a skillet instead of waffles.
Here are some savory breakfast ideas using leftover Idli/Dosa batter. Try Curry Leaves Paniyaram, Sweet Potato Masala Dosa, Pink Uttapams, and Chettinad Kuzhi Paniyaram.
Use a damp cloth to wipe it clean. To remove stubborn, baked-on batter drips, pour a few drops of cooking oil onto it. Let it sit for a few minutes to soften, then wipe it away with a damp cloth.
You can also use a wet, soapy dishcloth and wipe down the inside of the waffle maker.
More dosa recipe
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Recipe 📖
Vegan Savory Dosa/Uttapam Waffles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups dosa batter
- 1 onion
- 2 tomatoes
- ¼ cup corn
- 1 bell pepper
- ¼ cup green peas
- ⅓ cup cilantro
- ½ cup spianch
- 2-3 green chillies
- 2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala
- ½ tablespoon paprika or chilly powder
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- Salt
- Cooking oil spray
Instructions
- The first step in this recipe is to prepare the dosa/uttapam batter, for which you can use either fresh or leftover batter. Transfer the batter to a mixing bowl.
- Add chopped onions, tomatoes, and corn.
- Then add the greens like chopped bell pepper, spinach, green peas, and cilantro.
- Next, add the ginger paste, minced green chilies, paprika, and pav bhaji masala.
- Mix it all together. Add salt as required. Be mindful of the fact that the dosa batter already contains salt.
- The mixture should have the consistency of pancake batter. This homemade waffle batter should neither be too thick nor too runny. Avoid adding excess water.
- Heat a waffle maker as per instructions. Smear it with cooking oil spray. Pour a spoonful of batter into each mold of the waffle maker and cook it as per instructions.
- You can select your desired level of browning and cook it accordingly. It should take about 3-4 minutes.
- Carefully take them out once they are done. These savory vegan waffles taste the best when served warm and fresh.
Want to save this recipe?
We'll email this recipe to you, so that you can look at it later!
Erik OBanion says
What are the green and red sauces that are pictured?
Priya says
It's ketchup and green chutney
Nirja says
Delicious and genius! Going to try it out now, will let you know how it turned out.
Priya says
Thank you so much. Yes please do let me know.
Swiggy Coupons says
Looks Delicious. It make my taste buds active.
Priya says
Thank you so much. Do try it out.