Here's an amazing recipe for restaurant-style south Indian Dosa with a fermented, probiotic batter! Learn how to make the dosa with an easy but traditional and very authentic homemade batter. I've included a step-by-step video to make the process more comprehensive and to show you exactly how to get the perfect texture and flavor!

If you love south Indian tiffin foods like Idli and Rava Upma, you likely love dosa, that crispy rice and lentil crepe that arrives at your restaurant table spilling over the sides of a plate.
Dosas are the original health food--they are packed with plant protein and gut-friendly bacteria. They are gentle on the stomach and are always vegan as well as gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free, so you can feed them to just about anyone.
I've got many versions of dosa (called "dosai" in south India and pronounced with a soft "d") on the blog, from a Brown Rice Dosa to an Instant Masala Dosa (and a gluten-free Instant Dosa) to a Quinoa Dosa and a Sorghum or Jowar Dosa. But sharing an authentic dosa recipe with you -- the kind that all of these other versions spun off from, so to say, has been on my to-do list for a while now.
This simple dosa, without a potato stuffing, is also called a Sada Dosa. The recipe was handed down to me by my Tamilian sis-in-law and amazing cook Padmavathy Raghavan, or Paddu, who in turn learned it from her mom, my mother-in-law. It is so good that I, despite my love for tinkering with recipes, have never veered from it. It is my favorite dosa recipe and I hope you will try it and love it as much as we do.
Table of Contents
Why you'll love this homemade dosa recipe
- It's yummy. Dosas are by far the most beloved of a plethora of Tamil crepes, and part of that has to do with their utter simplicity and versatility. They need just a handful of pantry ingredients, can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and they make every meal an occasion. This recipe is delicious and makes perfect-tasting dosas you will fall in love with.
- It's easy. Anyone not used to making a dosa might think this is a difficult process, but I'm here to declare that it absolutely is not. As you will see in the video the process of making a dosa batter is really quite simple and you will succeed if you follow instructions. There are some things you need to pay attention to--the three main ones being the consistency of the batter, the fermentation and how to actually shape the dosa on the hot griddle. Read carefully through this blog post and watch the video to learn how to avoid common pitfalls and you will be flipping dosas in no time at all. But as with everything else keep in mind that practice makes perfect. No one I know made a dosa exactly right the first time they tried it. Laugh at your mistakes, learn from them, and you will definitely get better.
- It's so healthy. I simply can't stress this enough. Like idli, a dosa is gentle on the stomach and can improve your digestion with the probiotic bacteria formed during fermentation. It is made with simple and healthy ingredients like rice, lentils and fenugreek, and you can control the amount of oil you add (or cut it out almost altogether by using a cooking spray).
- It's everyone friendly. Again, I can't stress this enough. Dosas are so delicious they are sure to please everyone and they are a certain kid favorite. My son Jay loves them and will often request them. And they always put a smile on the face of Desi, who grew up eating them. Dosas are naturally gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free.

Ingredients for the making dosa batter
- 2 cups rice. Traditionally Tamilians use short-grain or medium-grain rice or parboiled rice to make dosa. Different varieties of rice result in very minor differences in texture and flavor in a dosa and, to me, that's not worth keeping one more variety of rice in my pantry. So I just use basmati rice -- brown, light brown or white -- which I usually have on hand. You can use any rice you have, including jasmine rice, ponni rice or sona masoori rice, among others. The only rice I probably wouldn't use is the parboiled rice available here in U.S. supermarkets because for some reason the texture I get from dosas made with that rice is never quite right. If you want to use parboiled rice get it from an Indian store.
- ½ cup poha (flattened rice). Some dosa recipes don't use poha, but I find that it makes a huge difference to the texture. Dosas made with poha are softer and silkier. But if you don't have it, you can skip it. You can easily find poha at Indian stores and online. I will leave an affiliate link in the recipe card below.
- ½ cup urad dal (black gram dal). Use the split white urad dal and not the one with the black skin, at least when you are new to making dosas.
- 2 tablespoons chana dal (Bengal gram dal).
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds. Although we use just a small quantity of fenugreek seeds here, they are utterly necessary. Fenugreek seeds, which are prebiotic themselves, help attract friendly bacteria and help the process of fermentation. You won't really taste them in the batter but they will help deepen the flavor with their bitter, maple-syrup-like quality.
- Salt to taste. I rarely add salt to my dosa batter--I don't find it necessary because there is so much rich and delicious flavor here already. You can add salt but if you do stir it in just before you make the dosa and after fermentation because the salt can inhibit the fermentation process.
- Vegetable oil or cooking spray for sprinkling or spraying around the dosa edges to make them crispy. If you are oil-free you can even skip this.
Equipment for making dosa
- A large bowl for soaking the ingredients and fermenting the batter. Make sure that the bowl can hold at least twice the size of the ingredients as the batter could rise when it ferments.
- A high-powered blender. In India you can buy a special mixer grinder to grind dosa and idli batter, but a good blender works just as well.
- A large, flat griddle. A 10-inch griddle is perfectly fine and you will get wonderful dosas. This is also a good size to start with if you are new to dosa making. A large cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet will also do. I use a 14-inch cast iron pizza pan because I can make larger dosas on it, and you can graduate to it, if you like, once you get the hang of it.
- Ladle with rounded bottom, like a soup ladle. This helps shape the dosas perfectly.
- Spatula to remove the dosas from the griddle.

How to make dosa
Soak Ingredients
- Allow the rice and dal and other ingredients to soak for at least 8 hours or overnight. I usually soak them in the morning, blend up the dosa batter in the evening, and leave it to ferment overnight so I can make fresh dosas next morning.
- Some traditionalists soak the rice and dal seperately, grind them separately, and then mix them. To me that just adds unnecessary steps and I prefer to just soak everything together and pay closer attention when I blend so I get the texture right. Rice takes just a little longer to blend than the dal, which is perfect because you want the dal to blend smoothly while the rice remains very slightly gritty. That helps the dosas turn out crispy.
- Always drain out the water you soaked the rice and dal in and add fresh, preferably filtered water when you blend the batter.
Blend the batter
- When you blend the mixture begin with less water and add more if needed. Keep in mind that you can always add more water to the batter if it's too thick but you can't take water out of it. For this recipe I needed just under a cup and a half of water.
- Blend in two batches. My blender could handle all the ingredients at one time but I still blend half the ingredients at a time. This helps me control the water better--for instance, if I added too much water the first time I can add less water to the second batch and make sure my batter is the right consistency. Also if you don't have a high powered blender the quantity of the ingredients could end up overwhelming it.
- Blend in short bursts -- 30 seconds at first and then short bursts of 10 seconds, checking to see if you have reached the right consistency. Again, a high powdered blender works best for this. You will get better at this eventually and the process will become easier, but for crispy dosas you want to make sure that the batter, while smooth overall, should also have a very, very slightly gritty feel when you rub it between your thumb and forefinger. This will result in very crispy dosas.
Ferment the batter
- This is the fun part, and one you will particularly enjoy if you love sourdough bread baking. Place the batter in a large bowl, giving it room to expand, and then place it in a warm spot. In the climate I live in, where winters can be harsh, I place the batter in an oven with the light turned on, or wrapped in a heating pad set to low or medium heat. In summer or in warmer climates you can usually just set the batter on the countertop and it will ferment nicely overnight -- or even sooner! It's a good idea to keep a tray or plate under the bowl just in case the batter overflows. This has happened to me before during summer and it's not fun to see all that lovely batter go to waste. If the batter overflows into a plate you can just stir the batter in the bowl and pour any overflow back into it.
- You can also use an Instant Pot to make easy work of fermenting the dosa batter. See the FAQs below.
- When the batter has fermented it will be very puffy and you will see lots of bubbles when you disturb the surface with a ladle. It may or may not rise much depending on the weather where you are but that's fine and you will have delicious dosas either way. Stir the fermented batter to deflate it because spreading a puffy batter on a griddle can be challenging. Unlike sourdough breads, you are not looking for the bacteria to give you a rise here.
Cook the dosa
- Now comes the funnest part--actually making your dosas. Stir salt into the batter, if you are using it, at this time. Then heat a well-seasoned cast iron griddle or a non-stick griddle over high heat. Don't oil it at this time as you will not be able to spread the dosa batter easily on an oiled griddle.
- Once the griddle is hot enough that water sprinkled on it sizzles and then evaporates completely in five seconds or so you are ready to add the batter to the griddle.
- Pour the batter on the center of the griddle and, working quickly, move out in circles in a spiraling motion, spreading the batter with the bottom of the ladle. This admittedly will take some time and practice to perfect, but you will get better with time. Use a light touch while ensuring your ladle is constantly in contact with the batter. Even if you don't do it exactly right, proceed with the next steps--the dosas will taste delicious still.
- Sprinkle a few drops of oil around the dosa edges. This will help them become crispy. When I am in a no-oil mood I just spray some cooking spray around the edges. If you do this be careful to turn the gas heat to low so you don't spray directly on the flame.
- Once the dosa edges look lacy and golden, and the top has dried out, loosen it gently from the griddle with a flat spatula. Fold the dosa in half and remove to a plate. You don't need to cook the other side, but if you like you can flip the dosa and cook it for a few seconds.
- After the first one or two dosas the griddle could overheat so reduce the temperature to medium or medium high heat and continue making the dosas. If the griddle is too hot you can also cool it by sprinkling a few drops of water on it.
Watch how to make dosa
Recipe FAQ
Dosas do not retain their texture over time and can become rubbery. They are not so easily reheated, so it's a good idea to not make dosas beforehand. Simply store leftover batter in the fridge and make fresh dosas in minutes when the mood strikes.
Dosa batter can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator before making dosas.
Yes! An Instant Pot makes easy work of fermentation. Just place the batter in the IP liner and press the yogurt function. Increase time to 12 hours. Voila, perfectly fermented dosa batter!
Serving suggestions
- A dosa can be served simply with a sambar, which is a south Indian style vegetable dal, and/or a coconut chutney.
- You can add a potato stuffing to the dosa, to make it a masala dosa. Try out the potato sabzi from this poori bhaji recipe, or these Bombay Potatoes. Serve with chutney on the side.
- You can also serve dosa with a karuveppilai podi mixed in a bit of oil, like the one you see in the photos here. This is a powder mix made with curry leaves and spices. You can make it ahead and store it and it goes beautifully with idli and dosa. Let me know in the comments if you'd like the recipe.
More south Indian tiffin recipes you might like


Dosa Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Cast iron griddle (or a non-stick griddle. Use a 10- or 12-inch griddle or skillet)
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice (I used white basmati rice. See notes on what types of rice to use.)
- ½ cup poha (flattened rice)
- ½ cup urad dal (black gram dal)
- 2 tablespoons chana dal (Bengal gram dal)
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
- 1½ cups water (preferably filtered)
- Salt to taste (Not necessary, but you can add it if you like. Add the salt after fermentation as it can inhibit the growth of friendly bacteria).
- Vegetable oil or cooking spray for sprinkling around edges of dosa
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the dosa in a large bowl. Pour enough water to cover by 2-3 inches. Cover and set aside to soak for 8 hours.
- After the ingredients have soaked strain them. Place them in a blender with a cup of water--I like to break this up in batches, so I do half the ingredients at a time with half a cup of water each.
- Blend the batter for 30 seconds, preferably in a high-powered blender, then continue blending in 10-second spurts until you reach the desired consistency. The batter should feel very smooth but you should feel a tiny amount of grittiness from the rice when you rub it between your fingers. This will result in crispy dosas.
- The batter should be thick but pourable. If you find that it's too thick add the remaining half cup of water slowly.
- Return the batter to the bowl and cover it. Now place it in a warm place to ferment for at least 8 hours or overnight. See notes for more guidance on how to do this.
- The fermented batter will be puffy. Stir it a few times to deflate the puffiness so you can shape the dosas more easily.
- Heat a griddle to the point where drops of water sprinkled on it sizzle and evaporate within five seconds. Do not oil the griddle.
- Pour a ladleful of the batter in the center of the griddle. Quickly, moving outward in a spiral fashion, spread the dosa using the bottom of the ladle. A rounded ladle works best for this.
- Sprinkle a few drops of oil around the edges of the dosa. You can also spray cooking spray around the edges but turn down the heat while you do this so you don't get the spray directly on the gas flame.
- Once the dosa edges look lacy and golden-brown and the top has dried out completely loosen the dosa from the griddle gently with a flat spatula and remove to a plate.
- Serve hot.
Video
Recipe notes
- If you don't like the flavor of fermented dosas, you can simply make the dosa soon after mixing the batter.
- Allow the rice and dal and other ingredients to soak for at least 8 hours or overnight. I usually soak them in the morning, blend up the dosa batter in the evening, and leave it to ferment overnight so I can make fresh dosas next morning.
- Some traditionalists soak the rice and dal seperately, blend them separately, and then mix them. To me that just adds unnecessary steps and I prefer to just soak everything together and pay closer attention when I blend so I get the texture right. Rice takes just a little longer to blend than the dal, which is perfect because you want the dal to blend smoothly while the rice remains very slightly gritty. That helps the dosas turn out crispy.
- Always drain out the water you soaked the rice and dal in and add fresh, preferably filtered water when you blend the batter.
- When you blend the batter begin with less water and add more if needed. Keep in mind that you can always add more water to the batter if it's too thick but you can't take water out of it. For this recipe I needed just under a cup of water to blend the soaked ingredients.
- Blend in two batches. My blender could handle all the ingredients at one time but I still blend half the ingredients at a time. This helps me control the water better--for instance, if I added too much water the first time I can add less water to the second batch and make sure my batter is the right consistency. Also if you don't have a high powered blender the quantity of the ingredients could end up overwhelming it.
- Blend in short bursts -- 30 seconds at first and then short bursts of 10 seconds, checking to see if you have reached the right consistency. Again, high powdered blender works best for this. You will get better at this eventually and the process will become easier, but for crispy dosas you want to make sure that the batter, while smooth overall, should also have a very slightly gritty feel when you rub it between your thumb and forefinger. This will result in very crispy dosas.
- To ferment the batter place the batter in a large bowl, giving it room to expand, and then place it in a warm spot. In the climate I live in, where winters can be harsh, I place the batter in an oven with the light turned on, or wrapped in a heating pad set to low or medium heat. In summer or in warmer climates you can usually just set the batter on the countertop and it will ferment nicely overnight -- or even sooner! It's a good idea to keep a tray or plate under the bowl just in case the batter overflows. This has happened to me before during summer and it's not fun to see all that lovely batter go to waste. If the batter overflows into a plate you can just stir the batter in the bowl and pour any overflow back into it.
- When the batter has fermented it will be very puffy and you will see lots of bubbles when you disturb the surface with a ladle. It may or may not rise much depending on the weather where you are but that's fine and you will have delicious dosas either way. Stir the fermented batter to deflate it because spreading a puffy batter on a griddle can be challenging. Unlike sourdough breads, you are not looking for the bacteria to give you a rise here.
- You can stir salt into the batter, if you are using it, just before making the dosas.
- When shaping the dosas use a light touch while ensuring your ladle is constantly in contact with the batter. Even if you don't do it exactly right, proceed with the next steps--the dosas will taste delicious still.
- Always store the dosa batter and not dosas. That's because they will become rubbery and not taste so great at all. Store the dosa batter in the fridge after it has fermented.
- You can also freeze dosa batter in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
denene
karuveppilai podi
yes please
Jessica
Hi, Valshali,
I don't own a griddle. Can the dosas be cooked in a ceramic dutch oven?
Vaishali
Hi Jessica, if it’s wide with short sides it should be okay. A pot that is deep would steam the dosa rather than fry it.
Leni
This recipe was in my mailbox this morning, and after reading this it and watching the video, I went straight to my larder and measured everything out. Can't wait for the next step. I had all the rices mentioned, but I also had short grain rice on hand (used for sushi), which I used. Curious to see how this works out!
Vaishali
Hi Leni, so awesome you are trying it! I haven't made dosa with sushi rice before and it would be interesting to hear how the sticky texture of sushi rice performs in dosa. Let me know how it goes.
Leni
Reporting back... The dosa batter fermented very nicely, and the dosas I made were tender and a bit chewy, and had a good flavor. I am looking forward to trying this recipe with the other rices and quinoa! It was so easy to make and I used a blender.
Vaishali
Hi Leni, awesome to hear of your success--so happy you made them. Thanks for the feedback on the sushi rice. Sounds like the sticky, glutinous quality of the sushi rice created chewier dosas.
Kathleen Saraswati
Amazing! I was doing an internet search on how to make dosa, hoping for a step-by-step approach and video. As I was searching, a notice came on my screen for this recipe! My husband and I make dosa from store-bought batter. I look forward to making my own from this recipe. Such great timing!
Vaishali
Hi Kathleen, what an amazing coincidence! It must've been written in the stars. 🙂 Would love to hear if you try the recipe.
Karyn
I can’t wait to try this version! We love the quinoa dosa, even when the batter gets quite tangy.
Vaishali
Awesome! Let me know how it goes.