Air fryer recipe · Snacks
Crispy Onion Bhaji
Spiced gram-flour onion fritters air-fried into crunchy golden tangles without a drop of frying oil.
- 24 minTotal time
- 190°CAir fryer
- 5Serves
- VegetarianDiet
Nutrition per serving
- 160kcal
- 5.3 gprotein
- 19.0 gcarbs
- 7.0 gfat
- 3.6 gfibre
Per serving, about 5 servings. Figures are estimates from standard ingredient databases, not medical, dietetic, or nutritional advice.
Ingredients
- Onions, thinly sliced2 large
- Gram flour (besan)3/4 cup
- Turmeric1/2 tsp
- Red chilli powder1/2 tsp
- Cumin seeds1 tsp
- Oil for brushing2 tbsp
Method
Draw out moisture
Toss the sliced onions with a good pinch of salt and rest them for 10 minutes. The salt draws out their water, which helps the gram flour cling and coat the onions without you adding much extra liquid.
Make the batter
Sprinkle the gram flour, turmeric, chilli powder and cumin seeds over the onions and mix with your hands. Add water only a teaspoon at a time until a thick, just-coating batter forms. Too much water fries greasy, not crisp.
Shape clusters
Pull off small loose handfuls and shape them into craggy clusters rather than tight balls. Leave plenty of ragged, spiky edges, because those thin bits are what turn deep and crunchy in the air fryer.
Air-fry
Brush the bhaji all over with oil and space them out in the basket, then air fry at 190°C for 14 min, flipping halfway, until deep golden and crunchy. The thin film of oil helps them colour evenly and stay crisp.
