Gluten-Free Onion Bhaji — Indian Restaurant Style

Thin slices of sweet onions spiced with crushed ajwain, earthy turmeric, fruity chillis, and coriander, mixed with a nutty, gluten free chickpea flour, then fried until golden brown and crispy. Nothing compares to these gluten free onion bhaji — not even restaurants.

I know I’ve had tooooo many bad experiences with onion bhajis: too greasy, too bland, completely raw on the inside. Unfortunately, onion bhaji from takeaways or restaurants is more often than not a complete letdown. However, when cooked correctly — like this recipe — they’re so good you’ll keep returning for more.  

My recipe will teach you how to make perfect onion bhaji every single time. You’ll want to finish the whole batch and cook more — every single time.

Sprinkled with chaat masala and dunked in a gorgeous fresh green chutney, takeaway-style yoghurt mint sauce, or traditional raita to finish: There’s nothing better. Except maybe putting them in a burger, to make my famous onion bhaji burgers …

But anyway, get ready to make the best onion bhaji of your life, at half the cost of takeaways.

❓What is Onion Bhaji?

If you’re not familiar with Indian food, you may not know what onion bhaji is. These delicious street food snacks can be best described as onion fritters. Finely sliced onions are mixed with spices, chickpea flour, and herbs to make a thick mixture. This batter is then roughly shaped into fritters, which are either deep-fried, air-fried, or baked into onion bhaji.

Onion bhaji is the British name, popularised by BIR (British Indian Restaurant) curry houses. In India, these delectable treats are called kanda bhaje, kanda bhajiya, onion pakora, or pyaaz pakoda depending on the state within India. Whatever you call them, they are scrumptious!

Onion Bhaji are Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free & Nut Free

The fact that this onion bhaji recipe is vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free makes them the perfect starter/snack for almost everyone; they’re suitable for people with a wide range of dietary requirements and allergies.

Although onion bhajis bought from a restaurant or takeaway may include eggs – thereby making them not suitable for vegans – my recipe is completely whole-food plant-based. It only requires chickpea flour, spices, fresh herbs, and of course onions!

A lot of recipes on the web opt for plain flour (all-purpose flour/maida) instead of chickpea flour (gram flour/besan). I highly suggest following this recipe and using chickpea flour. Not only is this the authentic choice, but it also contributes a deliciously nutty flavour to the bhajis and makes them completely gluten-free. You can source chickpea flour in your local Asian supermarket or buy it online.

Tips to make the best Onion Bhaji

• Finely slice the onions. Having large chunks of onions will make it harder to shape your onion bhaji, and prevent the mixture from sticking together quite so well. You can use red, white, or brown onions.
• Use chickpea flour, not plain flour. Chickpea flour will give your onion bhaji a nutty flavor and a light texture. Plain flour often makes onion bhaji stodgy and heavy, which should be avoided.
• Mix the onions and spices before adding water. Mixing the onions with spices before adding water has multiple purposes: it ensures that the spices coat the onions evenly, it marinates them, and most importantly it draws out excess moisture from the onions. This is important because we need as little moisture as possible for really crispy onion bhajis.
• Let the mixture rest for 5-10 minutes. After you mix your onions, spices, and flour together you should let the mixture rest for 5-10 minutes before adding water. You can use this time to heat your oil for deep frying or preheat your oven. The resting time is vital to allow the salt enough time to draw moisture from the onions.
• Make small Onion Bhajis! Although the ones that we get from takeaway or restaurants tend to be rather large, home-style onion bhajis are considerably smaller. This has multiple benefits. First, make certain that the onions, batter, and spices on the inside of the onion bhaji will be thoroughly cooked. Second, it means that you will have to use less oil when frying the onion bhaji. Win-win!
• No baking powder or soda. You’ll see this ingredient used a lot in recipes. There is absolutely no need – these will be light and crispy without it.

Can you Air Fry or Bake Onion Bhaji?

Okay – let me put a disclaimer. There truly is nothing quite like deep-fried onion bhajii. The crispiness is just out of this world without being greasy (if cooked correctly!). However, if you want a good compromise between great flavour and healthiness, then air frying might be the way to go.

To air-fry onion bhaji, preheat your air fryer to 200 C for 10 minutes. Once hot, brush the air fryer basket with oil and carefully ladle small dollops of your onion bhaji mixture into the basket. Be careful to space them out well, so none are touching. Brush the top of the bhajis with oil and air fry for 5 minutes. Rotate the bhaji, brush with oil again, and air fry for another 5 minutes. Check the doneness and cook for a few minutes extra if necessary. Serve hot.

To bake onion bhaji, preheat your oven to 200 C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and brush a little oil over it. Carefully dollop small portions of your bhaji mixture onto the parchment paper and bake for 25 minutes. Check halfway to brush a little oil on top if needed, and cover if getting too browned.

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