Besan dhokla
Preparation Time
10 minutes
Cooking Time
30 minutes
Difficulty Level
moderate
Meal Type
Evening Snack
Serves 6
Key Ingredients
- Besan (chickpea flour)
About This Recipe
Besan dhokla is the steamed Gujarati snack of chickpea flour batter, also called besan na dhokla. The flour matters here: use plain, finely milled besan for the spongy, open texture dhokla is known for.
Every gram flour dhokla recipe stands or falls on the batter, so this one is exact about it. One and a half cups of besan whisked with a cup of water makes a batter thick enough to pour in a slow ribbon; thinner and the dhokla steams dense, thicker and it steams into a block. The fruit salt goes in last, folded through with one light turn of the spoon, and the batter goes straight onto the steam, because the fizz it releases is what lifts the crumb and overmixing beats the fizz out.
Twelve to fifteen minutes of steam sets the dhokla without browning it, and a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean when it is done. The tempering of mustard, sesame, green chillies and curry leaves goes over the cut squares while they are warm, so the oil sinks into the spongy surface. Besan is chickpea flour, and the besan hub explains the flour behind the steamed sponge.
Ingredient List
Serving Size:
1x
2x
3x
For the batter
- Besan (chickpea flour) — 1 1/2 cup
- Water — 1 cup
- Ginger-chilli paste — 1 tsp
- Turmeric Powder — 1/2 tsp
- Salt — 1 tsp
- Sugar — 1 tsp
- Lemon juice — 2 tsp
- Fruit salt — 1 tsp
For the batter and the tempering
- Groundnut oil (1 tbsp for the batter, 1 tbsp for the tempering, a few drops to grease the plate) — 2 tbsp
For the tempering
- Mustard Seeds — 1 tsp
- Sesame seeds (white) — 1 tsp
- Green chillies, slit — 2 piece
- Curry leaves (fresh, or a few dried) — 10 leaves
To finish
- Fresh coriander leaves, chopped — 2 tbsp
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Serving Suggestions
Serve with green chutney and a cup of masala chai, or pack the squares with chutney on the side for a snack box. The dhokla keeps for up to two days in the fridge; warm the pieces for a minute on steam before serving. The besan recipes roundup covers more snacks from the same flour.
Tips for Cooking Besan dhokla
Whisk the batter smooth before anything else goes in; lumps in the mix come out as dense spots in the crumb. Fold in the fruit salt with a single turn and steam at once, without stirring again. Do not lift the steamer lid in the first 10 minutes, or the dhokla drops in the middle. Cut the dhokla only after it has rested, when the crumb has set.
Chef’s Note
Two pieces come to about 165 kcal, with 6.9 g protein and 3.4 g fibre; the besan carries nearly all of it, and the oil is the spoon in the batter plus the tempering. The turmeric, salt, sugar, lemon juice, ginger-chilli paste and the tempering seeds are not part of those numbers.
Per serving (approx.): 165 kcal, protein 6.9 g, carbs 17 g, fat 7.4 g, fibre 3.4 g. Computed from IFCT 2017 / USDA values for the listed quantities. Measures: 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml.
Happy Cooking
!!
ByCOWBERRY
Apr 28, 2026
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