Restaurant style onion bhajis at home!
Are you ready to start making the best onion bhajis around? Look no further than this onion bhaji recipe. It gets outstanding results.
These are the onion bhajis that feature in m cookbook 'The Curry Guy' and so many people have tried and loved it. The thing I like most about this onion bhaji recipe is how crispy they get on the exterior while being super soft on and hot in the centre.
If you're counting the calories, you might also like to try my air-fryer onion bhajis and baked onion bhaji recipe.
BE SURE TO check out the step by step photos below and your onion bhajis will be better than anything you can purchase. I promise!
These are real onion bhajis, not a lot of stodge!
So often, you go out and order onions bhajis just to find they are like little balls of gram flour bread without much onion in them. More often than not, it is the ready made meals that have these stodgy onion bhajis in them.
You won't find that with this recipe!
The onions are first salted to extract moisture out of the onions. Then, that liquid is used to make the batter. The batter really just holds them together. What you find inside is almost all onion!
So here you have my famous and authentic restaurant style onion bhaji recipe!
Make the recipe your own:
Feel free to play with the recipe some. If you like them spicier, add chilli powder or more fresh chillies. Want to try different spices...? Why not?
If it sounds good, it probably will be.
Just in case you aren't familiar with panch phoran - it is Indian five spice. You can purchase it at most Asian shops or you could make it yourself if you have the ingredients on hand.
Just take equal measures of fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, black mustard seeds, onion seeds and cumin seeds.
Give the mixture a good mix and you have panch phoran. Add as much or as little as you like. Play with the recipe and have fun!
If you like cooking by photos, I have step by step pics below.
The written recipe is at the bottom of this page.
You will find many spicy and delicious recipes on my blog. Here are some you've got to try!
- Curry house style base sauce - Make a curry just like those at the best curry houses using this sauce.
- Lamb Bhuna from Scratch - This one is from my book 'The Curry Guy One Pot'
- One Pot Chicken Dhansak - from my book 'The Curry Guy One Pot
- Asian Honey Glazed Baked Salmon
- Sri Lankan Black Chicken Curry
- Peruvian Chicken - Pollo a la Brasa
- Korean Braised Beef Stew
- Dal Makhani - An Indian restaurant favourite!
- Tonkotsu Broth - When only the best will do. This one takes some time but it is just like you find at the best ramen restaurants!
- Tonkotsu Ramen - Use that homemade tonkotsu broth in this ramen!
- The Best Butter Chicken - Try it and you'll agree.
- Authentic Saag Recipe - This is so good
- Thai Beef Green Curry - Authentic recipe with homemade curry paste
- Air Fryer Chicken Biryani
- Cajun Mac and Cheese - The creamiest mac on the planet!
- One Pot Chicken Vindaloo
- Chicken 65 - One of my favourites. You might also like to try this air fryer chicken 65.
- One Pot Chicken Chilli Garlic Curry
- Homemade Sriracha Sauce - So much better than any sriracha you can purchase!
- Tandoori Chicken Tikka - Homemade is alway best and this recipe gets restaurant quality results.
Have you tried this recipe for onion bhajis?
If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.
If you are not already doing so, please follow The Curry Guy on Instagram and Facebook for all our latest recipes.
How To Make British Indian Restaurant (BIR) Style Onion Bhajis
Make the best onion bhajis with this crispy and delicious recipe. Step-by-step photos included for perfect results every time.
Ingredients
- 3 white onions slightly larger than tennis balls
- Oil for deep frying
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 3 green chillies - pounded to a paste
- 1 tablespoon panch poran*
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 4 tbsp rice flour
- 140g (approx) sifted gram flour
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
- Cut the onions in half and then finely slice them. Mix the salt into them and set aside for an hour or so.
- After an hour the onions will be limp and moist. Add the remaining ingredients to the onions, being careful not to add to much gram flour. You should easily be able to pick up a ball of the onion mixture.
- Divide the mixture in to small bhajis.
- Heat some oil for deep frying to 160c (320f).
- When this heat is reached, cook the bhajis in batches until they turn light brown. Transfer to a plate while you cook the remaining bhajis. At this stage, you are not cooking the bhajis through. You just want to get them started.
- Turn the heat up until your oil reaches 180c ((356f)
- Add the bhajis in batches and cook for a further couple of minutes until they are crispy and deep brown in colour.
- Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain excess oil and serve hot.
- If not serving immediately, place in a warm (not hot) oven.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 105Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 347mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 3g
Mark says
Fantastic Dan!! I am going to try this ....
... but not yet. I am going to treat myself soon to a blow out day of eating (whatever I want), but I am not ready for these just yet as it will blow the diet in one go.
Will post again when I do get around to cooking and eating!
MArk
Dan Toombs says
Great Mark.
My diet is starting tomorrow.
Dan
Rosamond says
I always start a new diet 'tomorrow' 🙂
Mina Joshi says
These look great. As an Indian cook - I am impressed that you use all the authentic spices like asafoetida and ajwain for the bhajias. I use similar spices but never use egg as I am a vegetarian.
Dan Toombs says
Thank you Mina.
You have inspired me to try my recipe without egg. Thanks for stopping by.
Dan
Kim Bee says
I have to admit I have never done curry but this makes me want to try. Looks really fantastic.
Dan Toombs says
Thank you Kim.
I hope you get a chance to try the recipe. I really like it. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Paul says
I WILL be trying this recipe, they look great.
Sanchita says
We call it Pakoda but we don't use egg in this mix but we use it another type of pakoda and have it with chai (Indian Tea) 🙂 BTW homemade lime pickle..very impressive 🙂
Dan Toombs says
Thank you very much for stopping by Sanchita.
I would love to try your recipe. Is it like mine but without the egg? I am always looking for new recipes.
I've just been looking at your blog again. Can't wait to try some of your other recipes.
Dan
Rob says
Hi Dan
In your "method" you mention baking powder, but in the ingedients you don't list it - how much to put in?
I'll make it anyway, with my guess....! Sounds great!
Cheers, Rob
Marion Horscroft says
I made these last week and they were great. Perhaps a bit salty so I may rinse the onions before cooking them next time (although my guests said they were perfect!)
Dan Toombs says
I've been experimenting with this recipe for years. Sometimes it is a bit salty. Other times it's perfect. Try not to rinse the onions. Instead, just use a little more salt. The idea of the salt is to get as much moisture out of the onions as possible. Thanks.
Mamay Jane says
Looks so delicious!
I'm hungry 😉
Dan Toombs says
Thank you. I hope you get to try the recipe soon. I love it. 🙂
Lesley says
Wow, I'm salivating!!! Just back from hols and need to lose a couple of pounds.....but what the heck, I can start the plan again the day after trying this delicious sounding recipe out. 😉
Dan Toombs says
Thanks Lesley. I hope you find it worth the calories! I love this recipe. 🙂
Paul says
Hi Dan, Going to try these in next few days, my last efforts left alot to be desired, but recipe never said to soften onions. How much Baking powder do you put in? its not listed in your ingredients....
Charlotte Hounslow says
Hi Dan, will be trying these today as i have a curry party to go to toinght and i want to take these! It's nice to find a recipe which uses the traditional gram flour. will pass on your recipe to my father who makes a fantastic sri lanken curry. Kind Regards, Charlotte Hounslow
Dan Toombs says
Thank you very much Charlotte. Hope you enjoy the bhajis. That's my favourite recipe for them.
Enjoy.
Dan
Rosamond says
Well i never use sr flour,mango powder or egg in mine. In fact i have never heard of that before. I will certainly give them a go . Sounds interesting 🙂 and its nice to have a change. P.s. have you ever tried panch puran in your bhajis or pakora? If not , try one time and see what you think.
Sharon says
Hi ive just taken your tikka masala curry to make tonight. I am going to try to do your onion bahjees another time. What i would like to know please is how to make the mint sauce like they do in the restaurant to go with bahjees.
Thank you
Sharon
brian says
Dan,
The onion bhaji recipe as given in your book includes baking powder but fails to specify the quantity. Can you enlighten me please?
Dan Toombs says
Sorry about that. About a teaspoon will do just fine. I'll have to fix that.
Thanks
Dan
Kevin says
Hi Dan
You say your recipe takes 4 hours to prepare, how come it takes that long? As I see it, it should only take around 10 to 15 minutes to prepare. Do you have to let the "golf balls" to stand? I'm somewhat confused on the amount of time.
Cheers
b.t.w Great website
Dilip says
Make potato bhajias using the very same paste. The potato's must be very thinly sliced. Place thinly sliced potato's in the paste and fry 5 or 6 slices at a time.
bristol plasterer says
This sounds lovely and really tasty. Thank you for sharing this.
Simon
Jon Griffithz says
Wow made these from recipe in your ebook they are the real deal. Thanks I now live in Portugal you gave me the taste I remember from the indian snack shops in the UK.
Dan Toombs says
Really good to hear Jon. Thank you.
Dan
Rajam Anand says
Hi Dan
I like your recipes and I am going to try your onion Bhajis. Wondering whether to add panch poran as whole or powdered.
Thanks
Rajam
Dan Toombs says
Hi Rajam
I use the panch poran whole. It adds a lot to the texture. Thanks.
Dan
Dory says
Hi Dan,
Just finished baking, and tasting of course, your recipe. My first Bhaji's ever and I like them a lot. They're very tastefull. Thank you very much for this recipe!
Kind regards,
Dory
Dan Toombs says
Hi Dory
I'm really glad you liked the recipe. Thank you.
Dan
Simon says
This is great. I followed slimming world style of making them but substituted their spices with yours. 100% better and still SW!
Simon says
PS, hope you don't mind!
Dan Toombs says
Love it! Thanks Simon.
Dan
Kim says
Hi Dan
Preparing to try this recipes in next couple of days. Managed to get the PP and Asafoetida but where I live I can't get hold of fresh coriander. All I have is the powdered stuff. Would that be ok to use and could you recommend how much I should add? thanks
I am also wondering if I can use hot pepper paste which is locally available but is red rather than using fresh chillies?
Dan Toombs says
Hi Kim
Coriander powder is made from the seeds of the coriander plant and tastes completely different to the leaves. That said, a teaspoon or so wouldn't hurt. Just omit the coriander leaves and the bhajis will still be fine.
Thanks,
Dan
Tom says
Dan, great to see you at Newcastle today. We really enjoyed your demo.
Looking forward to recreating some recipes over the coming weeks. Thankyou for being so inspiring and making it look really achievable.
Dan Toombs says
Hi Tom
Thank you very much. It really means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy the book and look forward to seeing some pics if you post any. 🙂
Dan
Tom Chadwick says
Great recipe. I bought your new book this week and this is the first thing I tried. Had them last night with a cucumber and mint raita and it all worked out well. Looking forward to trying more.
Dan Toombs says
Great to hear Tom. Thank you very much. I hope you enjoy cooking from my book. Much appreciated.
Dan
Joanne says
Hi Dan, I recently tried an Indian fusion recipe which was bhaji based but they used butternut squash - would this work with your recipe? Will it cook the same - have you tried this recipe with vegetables other than onion? Thanks for your time 🙂
Dan Toombs says
Hi Joanne
That sounds interesting. I've never tried it with squash but have used the same recipe with many other vegetables. Vegetable pakora! Love it.
Dan
Scott says
Hi Dan,
Tried these twice now following the recipe. While I love the flavor I cant seem to get the onions to bind together when cooking they just sort of fall apart. Any ideas?
Dan Toombs says
Hi Scott
That sounds to me like you need to add a drop more water. With enough moisture, they should stay together.
Thanks,
Dan
Alexandria says
Hi Dan, have made these before but would like to know if they can be frozen? How to reheat? Many thanks Alex
Dan Toombs says
Hi Alexandra
They can be. I recommend just browning them in the oil first so that they are about 90% cooked through. Then cool and freeze them. Let defrost and then fry once more until cooked through.
Thanks,
Dan
Alexandria says
Thanks Dan 😊
Tracy says
Hi made them tonight the out side looked lovely the inside how ever wasn’t did exactly as the recipe not sure what I did wrong
Dan Toombs says
Hi
I am sorry the recipe did not work well for you. If you join my Facebook group Curry Chit Chaat there is a lot of help and information from other members on my onion bhaji recipe which you might find helpful.
Thanks
Dan
Rosie says
Finally a bhaji that I am happy to put my name to!! These are absolutely delicious. Many thanks for sharing this.
Dan Toombs says
Great to hear, thank you so much for letting me know.
Dan
Dave says
Can the onion bhajis be frozen
Dan Toombs says
Yes, you should be able to freeze them before cooking. I think that should work.
Thanks
Dan
Denise says
Just made this recipe.. I did add extra 5 spice and chili.. these came out delicious... Really tasty.
Dan Toombs says
Great to hear, thank you for letting me know.
Dan
Mandy says
Hi Dan
Thanks for this recipe. Gonna try it today
Can the onion bhajis be frozen?
Mandy
Dan Toombs says
Hope they turned out well. Yes, the onion bhajis freeze quite well I believe.
Thanks
Dan
Des says
I have tried your onion bhaji recipe but for the air fryer. They turned out very good and tasted amazing. I did not use a lot of gram flour, maybe 5 tablespoons, the batter looked more thick that yours? Could I use a drp of water to thin it out?
Dan Toombs says
As long as you enjoyed them I would stick to what worked for you but of course add more water if you want the batter to be thinner.
Thanks
Dan
Kevin Worth says
These are next up.on my list as we have an air fryer on the way
Dan Toombs says
Great to hear Kevin! Thank you.
Oli says
Awesome recipe as always! So lucky to have had these made by the main man himself!!
Dan Toombs says
Cheers Oli. 🙂
Jane Willis says
They look delicious and really crispy
Dan Toombs says
Thank you, they are very good.
Dan
Maya Russell says
They look delicious and authentic!
Dan Toombs says
Thank you, it is a very popular recipe.
Dan
Dan Blake says
Have made these a few times and is my all time favourite bhaji recipe. I do add a good pinch of my very hot Goan chilli powder 🙂
Dan Toombs says
Excellent! Sounds good with the extra hot chilli powder.
Thanks
Dan
Gail says
Hello 👋 is it possible to freeze this recipe at all 🤞thanks Gail
Dan Toombs says
Yes, freeze them and let them defrost before heating them in the oven or re-frying.
Thanks
Dan
Stretch says
I make these on a regular basis.. the whole family love them.. I also make keema rolls with filo pastry with your lamb keema recipe. Stunning, cheers.
Dan Toombs says
Thanks very much for letting me know, I’m glad you all enjoy the recipe.
Dan
Mike says
Thanks for this Dan!
Tried several other recipes for these which were never quite right. Always too runny or too much batter.
The salting of the onions and using the extracted water foe the batter is crucial to this recipe and what makes it work so well. Just adjust the seasoning to suit your spice preference.
I like mine spicy but the rest of the family not so much! 🤣
Great with some homemade pickle and raita!
Dan Toombs says
Really good to hear, thanks very much.
Dan
Pauline says
Hi there - can I first fry in advance of second? Preparing an Indian feast and need to cook in advance! Please say yes! It’s a great recipe.
Dan Toombs says
Yes, that will work well
Thanks
Dan