There is no soaking, blending or waiting needed for this three-ingredient, instant Masala Dosa. Serve this crispy south Indian style crepe with a savory stuffing of potato masala at breakfast or for any meal.
One of my favorite breakfast recipes is a classic south Indian dosa. I love these crispy, flaky, healthy crepes of lentil-and-rice goodness with a passion, and I've shared with you many dosa recipes, including a classic, fermented south Indian dosa, adai, sorghum dosa, quinoa dosa and brown rice dosa.
A dosa combines lentils and proteins, which makes it the perfectly balanced combination of proteins, nutrients and deliciousness! It's good eats for any foodie who also wants to lead a healthy lifestyle. And a dosa is perfect for a tasty Indian breakfast or lunch.
But making a classic dosa does require some planning ahead, and when I haven't had time to do that, I fall back upon my absolutely yummy and also healthy instant dosa recipe. It needs just three ingredients and you can make it with a mix of flours to make it even healthier.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Whole wheat flour. You can use all purpose flour.
- Besan. Besan is an Indian style lentil flour made with black chickpeas. Don't substitute more coarsely ground garbanzo bean flour in this recipe as you won't get the same results.
- Baking soda. Since this is not a fermented dosa batter, a tiny amount of baking soda is needed to add some lightness to the dosa.
How to make instant masala dosa
Place the whole wheat flour, rice flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Whisk to mix.
Add enough water to make a runny batter, the consistency of a crepe batter.
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Heat a cast-iron skillet or a non-stick skillet. Ladle out about ⅓rd cup batter in the center of the skillet and using the rounded bottom of a ladle spread the batter quickly in an outward, circular movement. (Watch my video on making dosa to see exactly how this is done). You can sprinkle some oil at the edges, if you want to, or spray the edges of the dosa with cooking spray (do so carefully by lowering the flame if using a gas stove). Once the top is dry, carefully remove the dosa to a plate using a thin spatula. Stuff with a few tablespoons of potato masala and serve immediately.
Variations
- Add a teaspoon of cumin and ½ teaspoon of cayenne or red pepper flakes for more flavor.
- Substitute the whole wheat flour with barley flour, quinoa flour or sorghum flour.
- Blend 1 cup spinach with ½ cup water and use it instead of water to make the batter. Add more water as necessary to make a runny batter. You can also use other greens or cilantro.
Tweaks for special diets
- Gluten-free. I already have a gluten-free instant dosa recipe on the blog. That one uses brown rice flour instead of wheat, but you can also use other gluten-free flours, or a mix, including quinoa flour, sorghum flour and water chestnut (singoda) flour. Or just use a gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Low-carb: A dosa has complex carbs that are good for you. But if you are watching carbs, use quinoa flour instead of rice flour.
Serve
Serve with a stuffing of potato masala. Or serve plain, with onion chutney or coconut chutney. A south Indian sambar is a classic pairing with dosa, or you can just dip the dosa into an Indian pickle, like lime pickle or carrot pickle.
Storage
I don't recommend storing the cooked dosa because it will get tougher upon standing and won't taste as good. You can, however, store the batter in the fridge for up to two days and make the dosa just before serving.
More South Indian recipes
Recipe card
Instant Masala Dosa
Equipment
- Cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet
Ingredients
For the dosa:
- 1 cup besan (chickpea flour)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to your taste)
- 1 recipe potato masala (see notes for recipe link)
Instructions
- Place the whole wheat flour, rice flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Whisk to mix. Add enough water to make a runny batter, the consistency of a crepe batter.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or a non-stick skillet. Ladle out ⅓rd cup batter in the center of the skillet and using the rounded bottom of a ladle spread the batter quickly in an outward, circular movement. (Watch my video on making dosa to see exactly how this is done). You can sprinkle some oil at the edges, if you want to, or spray the edges of the dosa with cooking spray (do so carefully by lowering the flame if using a gas stove).
- Once the top is dry, carefully remove the dosa to a plate using a thin spatula. Place a few tablespoons of potato sabzi in the center of the dosa and fold the dosa over. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Potato masala recipe for stuffing.
- Nutrition info is only for instant dosa.
Nutrition Information
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Catherine
I need more practice making these but the mixture and flavour was great. I served with your potato masala and it worked really well.
Vaishali
Awesome! So happy you liked the masala dosa. Practice will make it easier--you will get a better feel for the thickness of the batter and also be able to move more swiftly to spread out the dosa on the griddle. Have you watched my dosa video? That should help demystify it a bit.
Lana
Second time making these dosas. First time the batter was not runny enough, and the dosas turned out somewhat thick.
Second time I added up to 1-1/4 cups of water. I also added 2 tablespoons of rava.
The dosas came out nice and crispy and tasted great.
Sam
Is it possible to use wheat flour instead of whole wheat flour?
Vaishali
Yes, I assume you mean all purpose flour? That's fine.
Sam
Hi,
Do I need to use both chickpea and besan to make this recipe dosa or do I use either one?
Vaishali
Just one — they are the same thing.
Kay
Wow, this recipe is fantastic! I made a filling of potatoes and broccoli roasted in curry powder and turmeric. First my two teenage boys and husband each wolfed one down, then they slowed down for seconds so they could really enjoy them. I tripled the dosa recipe, thank goodness, and I had trouble getting the batter thin enough. But even the ones that were too think we're absolutely delicious. Today, I will be heating up the leftovers for my breakfast! These dosa are going to be a staple at my house. Thank you!