Dosa recipe, Learn how to make dosa batter at home. This is a detailed post that will guide you to make dosas of all kinds – soft, crispy, restaurant style, home style and healthy dosas. No matter you are a beginner or an experienced cook the tips & tricks mentioned in this post will help you to master the techniques of making the best South Indian dosa.
If you are new to South Indian cuisine, then read on to know more
What is dosa?
Dosa is a popular South Indian thin crepe that is made of fermented rice and lentil batter. History of dosa says that they were made using only rice but with the passage of time, people started to add urad dal / black lentils to give texture and taste.
Dosas became very popular with the rise of udupi restaurants which serve the best dosa varieties – plain, set and masala dosa.
How can I make dosa at home?
Dosa is made by soaking and blending black gram lentils (urad dal) and rice to a batter. Then the fermented batter is spreaded like a crepe on a hot griddle or tawa.
Is dosa healthy?
Yes Dosa is a healthy protein rich breakfast. Urad dal is high in protein & calcium and makes a great food to start our day.
I consider it to be one of the best health foods that can nourish our body so I try to keep the ratio of urad dal more & rice to minimum or only as needed without compromising the taste and crispness.
Idli and dosas are made regularly at my home for breakfast and sometimes even for dinner. There are so many kinds of dosas one get to find on a tiffin or a fast food center menu.
Dosas can be made with so many different ratios of rice and urad dal. I am sharing 4 recipes here on this post which I follow. You may experiment with any of these dosa recipes to suit your taste or need.
Mixer or a wet grinder – which is better?
I do not use a wet grinder though I have one since I personally do not prefer the cleaning and lifting the stone works. Years ago we used to have frequent guests home from India, So we used to make batter once in a week.
It is a good deal to have and use a wet grinder if you have many people at home to eat idli dosa frequently. For the past 6 years I am happy with my mixer grinder though we are a family of 4 and make dosas at least 3 times a week.
The batter rises very well even when ground in the mixer if it is a good one and doesn’t make your batter warm while grinding.
However I have shared making batter in a wet grinder and also in a mixer. All the ratios shared in dosa recipe post will work even if making batter in a wet grinder.
Which kind of rice is suitable for dosa?
There are many kinds of rice available in the market. All the recipes posted here have been tried with raw rice, idli rice and parboiled rice. But you will get the best results with raw rice. Even a combination of the raw rice & parboiled rice gives good results.
The results with parboiled rice are not the same always. It depends mostly on the weather conditions.
Please note that all parboiled rice are not suitable. Only short grain like ponni or sona masuri have worked out well for me.
So overall you need to experiment to see which rice works well for you.
When to add salt?
When to add salt to dosa batter? while grinding, before fermenting or after fermenting is one of the most common question.
This you will have to experiment and check what works good for you. Since this depends on the climatic conditions and the water used to blend the batter.
In cool places or cold countries, batter takes long hours to ferment without the addition of non-iodized salt. When kept for long hours the batter may turn smelly.
So to avoid the smell it is good to add a non-iodized salt like rock salt or sea salt before fermentation. These salts assist in quick fermentation.
But in hot places and hot season, it is good to add salt just before making the dosas i.e after fermentation else the batter turns sour and smelly.
In India most people add salt after fermentation unless living in cool places like Bangalore.
Taste wise yes there is a difference in adding before and after. So please experiment what works good for you.
Avoid iodized salt by all means if you are adding it before fermentation as it prevents the batter from fermenting.
Recipe 1 – Crispy masala dosa recipe
This recipe yields one of the best tasting brown & crispy dosa. This batter can be used to make masala dosa, crispy plain dosas, uttapam, masala paniyaram and sweet paniyaram. I follow this recipe the most for my regular breakfast.
The masala dosa shown in the first pic is made using this recipe. It can be enjoyed with any Chutney, potato masala or Tiffin sambar.
Typically most proportions yield red to brown color dosa only when made on cast iron tawa, but this dosa recipe yields brown crispy dosas even when made on non stick.
You can find the step by step pictures below along with the link to potato curry recipe and the detailed recipe in the recipe card.
Recipe 2 – Restaurant style crispy masala dosa
If you have ever wondered how dosas made in restaurant or tiffin centers turn out so flavorful, crisp and delicious, then you will have to put in little more effort and try this karnataka restaurant style masala dosa. These are very aromatic and unique.
Recipe 3 – Soft idli & crispy dosa batter recipe. 2-in-1 batter
These ratios yield good crispy as well as soft dosas and can be used to make soft idlis as well. Just mixing the batter matters. A runny batter yields soft dosas. Making with moderately thick batter, but of spreadable consistency yield crispy dosas.
This can also be used to make masala dosa, paniyaram, uttapam and also soft idli. The only difference from the first recipe is the color. These do not turn as red or brown like the other one but will be golden.
If you like to make your idli and dosa batter in one go in the same blender or wet grinder, then this may be for you.
Ingredients
½ cup whole skinned uraddal
1 ½ cups rice for mixie – 2 cups for wet grinder
¼ tsp methi
2 tbsp poha / avalakki
Non iodized Salt as needed
Recipe 4 – Sada dosa recipe
– can also use the batter for idli if the quality of dal is very good.
These ratios yield good crispy as well as soft dosas. Just mixing the batter matters here as well. A runny batter yields soft dosas. Making with moderately thick batter, but of spreadable consistency yield crispy dosas.
This can also be used to make idli, paniyaram, uttapam. This dosa batter recipe needs just 3 ingredients
Ingredients
½ cup whole urad dhal
1 ½ cup rice
Non-iodized or crystal salt as needed
Recipe 5 – Healthy plain dosa recipe
Healthy, high protein and high calcium dosa. These are made in most telugu speaking homes. Great food for all, including folks recovering from illness, kids and babies above 9 months and even for under nourished.
I make this sometimes when the hubby asks for it since he loves the flavor.
These have a unique flavor & taste of urad dal. If you like it, you may not look for any other recipe.
They must be served right out of the pan as they turn lightly crisp, not as crisp as the other recipes I have shared in this post.
I highly recommend this, If you have babies & kids at home (especially underweight kids). Also good for those looking for high calcium foods and even for breastfeeding mothers.
Ingredients
Half cup whole uraddal
1 cup rice
For more dosa recipes, you can also check
Instant Wheat flour dosas
Set dose
Pesarattu
Cheese dosa
Oats dosa
Ragi dose
Jowar dosas
Dosa recipe
Dosa recipe | How to make dosa batter
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients for crispy dosa recipe – 1
- ½ cup Urad dal (or whole skinned black gram)
- 1½ cups Rice (Refer notes)
- 1 tablespoon chana dal (or bengal gram)
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds or methi seeds (optional)
- 2 tablespoon poha or attukulu or beaten rice
- rock salt or non iodized salt or crystal salt as needed
- fresh water as needed (do not use lentil soaked water)
Ingredients for plain dosa recipe – 2
- ½ cup whole urad dal or skinned whole black gram
- 1 ½ cup Rice (refer notes)
- ¼ to 1/3 teaspoon methi seeds or fenugreek seeds (makes dosas golden)
- rock salt or Non-iodized or crystal salt as needed
How to make the recipe
Preparation for dosa batter recipe
- Firstly add urad dal, chana dal & methi seeds to a large bowl.
- Rinse them very well several times and discard the water.
- Soak them together in enough fresh water for 4 hours.
- Next add rice to another bowl and wash a few times.
- Pour fresh water and soak separately in ample water for 4 hours.
- Lastly rinse and soak poha just 30 mins before grinding the dosa batter.
How to make dosa batter
- Drain the water from the dals, methi and poha.
- Add them to a blender jar along with salt.
- You can also skip salt at this stage if you live in a hot region.
- Add it to the batter just before you make dosas.
- Pour water just as needed. Grind to a smooth paste until smooth & bubbly or frothy.
- Transfer this to a large pot if using a mixer.
- If using a wet grinder, you can just keep the urad dal batter in the container if making in small quantity as much mentioned in the recipe.
- Drain the water from rice & add it to the jar and then pour very little water.
- Blend to a thick paste. Add this to the urad dal batter and mix well.
- Check the consistency of the dosa batter.
- It must not be very thick or very thin otherwise the dosa batter will not ferment well.
- Check the salt as well and adjust.
Fermenting dosa batter
- Cover the dosa batter and keep this in a warm place until fermented.
- It may take anywhere from 5 to 16 hours depending on the temperature.
- Next morning gently stir the dosa batter once.
- Add water enough to thin it down to make it of a pouring consistency yet thick.
- If making masala dosa, you will have to make potato masala from the link mentioned in step by step photos (step 15).
How to make dosa
- Grease a dosa pan or tawa with few drops of oil.
- If using a iron tawa, grease tawa with oil and a slice of onion. This prevents the dosas from sticking to the pan.
- Heat it until hot enough. Pour a ladle full of dosa batter on the center of the tawa.
- Spread it evenly in a circular shape to get a dosa.
- Drizzle oil and allow to cook on a medium high heat until red or golden.
- Flip the dosa when the edges begin to rise from the pan.
- Cook on both the sides of the dosa if you desire.
- Repeat making more dosas on the hot tawa.
- You can also rub with the cut onion and the pour the batter.
- Serve dosa with chutney and potato masala.
NUTRITION (estimation only)
Notes
Notes for dosa recipe
- What kind of rice to use?
The taste & texture of the dosa depends on the kind of rice used. Here are my latest updates:
You can use 1½ cups regular rice like sona masuri or ponni.
You can also use 1 cup regular rice and ½ cup parboiled rice or idly rice.
You can also use ¾ cup raw rice and ¾ cup parboiled rice or idly rice.
Experiment with the above proportions and find what works for you the best in terms of taste and texture. - You can skip either poha or methi seeds in the recipe. Use at least one of them.
- During summer you can skip both methi seeds and poha if you live in a hot climate.
If you are a beginner or new to Indian cooking, I highly suggest you to check the supporting step by step photos for best results. Step by step photos with description available below after the recipe card.
Preparation for making dosa batter
1. Add dal, chana dal and methi to a large pot.
2. Add rice to another pot.
3. Wash dals thoroughly a few times and soak in ample water for 4 hours. During cold weather they can be soaked up to 6 hours.
4. Wash rice too a few times until the water runs clear. Soak in enough water for 4 hours.
5. Wash and soak poha for 30 mins before grinding.
How to make dosa batter for crispy dosa recipe
6. Add poha to the grinder jar or container. Drain the water completely from dals and add them along with salt and little water. You can also try skipping salt during summer, add it the next morning when you are about to make dosas. It will still ferment well without salt.
I use salt when I grind the dal otherwise my batter doesn’t ferment well. Using dal soaked water turns my batter very sour, so i do not use.
7. Blend until smooth, frothy and bubbly. If needed add more water. But do not make it thin it must be a thick batter. If making in a mixer like me, then transfer this to a large pot. If using a wet grinder, you can just keep it in the container and continue.
8. Drain rice and add to the jar. Add just little water.
9. Blend to a smooth paste.
10. Add the ground rice and mix well.
How to ferment batter for dosa recipe
11. Cover the pot and ferment it for 5 to 16 hours depending on the climate. During hot summers it may rise in just 4 to 5 hours during winters it may need up to 16 hours.
When I grind more batter, I use 2 ceramic pots to ferment and refrigerate. I divide and distribute the batter to 2 pots. Undisturbed batter stays good in refrigerator for few more days without going sour.
12. When i made this, I had to ferment for 16 hours. Singapore is hot most times, but still it takes very long to ferment the batter in my home. During summers do not allow to ferment too much as it leaves a sour smell & taste.
You can refrigerate when it rises a bit. For a good fermentation 4 things matter the most – quality of dal, non iodized salt, temperature and the consistency of the batter.
You can find the details of these on the soft idli post which i shared before.
How to make dosa
13. Add few drops of oil to a tawa / pan. Rub well with a kitchen tissue or cloth until the oil is absorbed. Make sure there is no excess oil on the pan. You can also use a slice of onion to rub the oil.
If using a cast iron or a iron tawa then you will have to season it the previous night for best results.
Dilute the batter by adding little water as needed to make it of a pourable and spreading consistency. You can sprinkle few drops of water and check if it is ready. It begins to sizzle.
Do not sprinkle water often on a hot non stick tawa that’s going to wear out even the best non stick coating. When the pan is hot enough, pour a ladle full of batter in the center of the pan.
14. Spread it evenly in a circular way to make a thin crepe. Add oil or butter towards the edges.
15. When it turns golden or brown , flip it and cook if you like. Not all dosas require cooking on the other side, if needed you can cook. Since i made the masala dosa, i used this potato masala for filling. It is most commonly served with coconut chutney.
Serve dosas hot with any chutney, curry or even with pickle.
Heenal says
Why can’t we soak urad dal mixture n rice together ? Also , what is the difference if we grind then seperately or together. ?
Mary says
This was so good. Whole family loved it and I have finally a great gluten free option when the rest tuck into naan 🙂
swasthi says
Hi Mary,
Glad you liked the dosas. Thank you so much for the comment!
Cheri says
Thank you ! Perfect – looking so forward to digging in to doing this. Love ALL your recipes!! So glad I found you!
swasthi says
Hi Cheri,
You are welcome! Hope you enjoy the dosas! Thank you!
Cheri Schatz says
I am dedicated to learn how to make Masala Dosa’s at home – I love them ! I want to use a healthier ( less ) oil than some restaurants do – ( not Canola !) so I love this sight you have ! Thank You so much ! I will try the non stick pan method – although I have used a great cast iron tawa I have had for many years.
Question for the mixer are you talking about regular baking mixer ( like for cakes and cookies?) or can I use a magic bullet? I don’t know what a wet grinder is, so a mixer or magic bullet? Does it matter?
Thank You
Cheri in Mission Viejo CA
swasthi says
Hi Cheri,
You are welcome! No it is not the baking mixer. It is just a high speed blender which is capable of blending the lentils well. You can try magic bullet or any other smoothie blender. You can also use vitamix. Using a powerful blender grinds the lentils to fluffy batter. If the lentils are not ground to a fluffy texture, the dosas may not taste good and can turn out dense. Hope this helps.
Dan says
I’ve always loved eating Dosa at restaurants and wanted to try making some at home.
Aside from me buying (and using) black Urid dal not the white one – I followed your recipe and it turned out really well. Had to set my oven to 30 degree to ferment as it’s winter in the UK
Also I made your potato masala which is also delicious
Thanks for sharing your recipes
swasthi says
Hi Dan,
You are welcome. Glad you liked the dosa and the potato masala. Thank you for the comment!
Ayesha Ali says
Hi Swasthi im a big fan of your recipe they are a life saver.
My husband is really fond of indian food and he wishes to have dosas too, we live in pakistan and i have no clue how would i find the same category of rice required for the dosa please help!
Can i use any kind of rice?
swasthi says
Hi Ayesha,
Thank you so much! Actually dosas turn out best with raw rice. You can use any kind of rice that is not boiled or parboiled & preferably short grain rice. Keep trying with different kinds of rice available in your place until your dosas come out the way you like. This takes several trials and just be patient. Feel free to comment back here with any problems you face. I can help you.
🙂
Ayesha Ali says
Thanks dear, I shall try in this week itself.
I am an Indian married to a Pakistani, So basically all my family members and relative expects me to make ‘famous indian food’ for them.
P.S.
Its only you who can save me 😅😁
swasthi says
You are welcome Ayesha!
Glad to know you! Hope the recipes are helpful. My pleasure to help you!
🙂
Berlin says
Hi Swasthi, I’m a avid follower of your recipes..and today I tried the crispy dosa recp 1, and I’m over the moon as the dosa turned out too good. This had made my day.. I followed the exact measurements and instructions.
The many times I did dosas before never turned out this good..
Thank you for sharing your love through your recipes..God bless.
swasthi says
Hi Berlin,
You are welcome. So glad to know your dosas turned out good. Thank you so much!
🙂
Rao says
why do you add channa dal and menthi to dosa recipe
swasthi says
Hi,
Chana dal and methi both add a unique aroma to the dosas, apart from imparting a deep golden color. Sometimes dosas turn tough without the addition of methi. They help to reduce the toughness yet retain the crisp texture.
Nandini says
Thank you. It came out good and tasty.
swasthi says
Welcome Nandini
Leela says
Thank you very much . You’re kind effort with the step by step photos and detailed instructions and tips is really really helpful. You seem to read my thoughts .. You are answering my questions !! That shows that you have the student in mind and are very careful to explain the do and don’ts .
Thank you once again for you kindness in sharing your ‘secrets’ . Hare Krishna
swasthi says
Hare krishna Leela!
You are welcome. Glad the tips and recipe is helpful. Thank you so much!
Jaya Ray says
Hi
My dosas are not coming out crisp..have followed the process and ingredients to the letter..
Dont know what the problem is.. Please help
swasthi says
Hi Jaya,
Please let me know which recipe you have followed or what are the ratios you tried with. I can help you.
Joachim says
Dear Swasthi,
First of all thank you for the recipe and thank you for all the other ones 🙂
This site became my unique source of trust when it comes to Indian cuisine!
Concerning the batter, once fermented and ready to be used, if I want to keep it in the fridge, how long can it last?
I’d love to prepare myself some Dosas for breakfast, but I don’t see myself having more than one… Even though I could hahaha.
Thanks in advance for your answer.
Cheers,
Joachim
swasthi says
Hello Joachim,
You are most welcome. Thank you so much for the trust. Fermented batter can last upto 10 days but again depends on the weather conditions & refrigerator. Keeping beyond that sometimes makes the batter too sour as it continues to ferment. If you intend to keep the batter for longer. Just transfer the unsalted & unfermented batter to smaller containers & store it in the fridge. You can add salt and ferment when ever needed. But it takes a little longer to ferment as it will be cold. Since these are homemade you should be able to eat atleast 2 for breakfast. You can also make them softer by making the batter a bit more runny. Hope this helps.
Deepika says
Hi dear… I read your all dosa recipe and they are very well explained…i live in Australia… I also make dosas but it becomes more crisp… I take 1 cup urad dal split one, 1/4 tsp methi dana some times i also add chana da and 3 cups of sona masori raw rice..but never add poha.. Rest process is same like yours…. In winters i keep the batter in preheated oven… Now i don’t know why my dosas are so crispy… Please suggest i want less crisp and a lil thick dosa.. Thanks
swasthi says
Hi Deepika,
Thank you. The excess starch in the raw rice makes the dosas hard or extremely crisp. So poha makes it slightly softer yet keeping them fairly crisp. If you are not accessible to poha, you can experiment with more methi seeds. I generally use 1 tsp methi for 1 cup dal & 3 cups raw sona rice. Depending on the weather sometimes it just doesn’t work out even with more methi. Other options
1. For 1 cup dal – 2 cups raw rice and 1 cup parboiled rice. The results are good during cold season and not so good during summers.
2.You can also try with 1 cup dal and 2 cups ready rice flour.
Hope this helps.
Deepika Sharma says
Thank you so much for your reply… This time i will add poha and a little more quantity of methi seeds… Can i add some chana daal… Let’s see the results… Thanks once again
swasthi says
Hi Deepika
Yes you can add chana dal. Yes do give a try. Would love to hear back from you on how the dosas turned out.
🙂
Deepika Sharma says
Thank you so much swasthi.. This time my dosa is better… But the authentic taste is still missing… And tips for soft and spongy idli please.
swasthi says
Hi Deepika,
I feel it is the kind of rice that makes the difference. Keep trying with different brands & proportions until you are satisfied with something. Also try using dechlorinated water if you haven’t. I feel the taste is different. You can find all the tips to make soft and spongy idli here.
Deepika Sharma says
Thanks for quick reply… I used the same rice raw sona masori but this time I added poha too.
swasthi says
Okay!
Rasananda Das says
Namaste Swasthi,
Besides enjoying your recipes and the general get-up of your website, I was wondering if you happen to know about a particular nutritional fact that is of concern to me as a doctor: Are you aware that fermented things like idli, dosha, uttapam as well as presumably pickles, have significant amounts of Vitamin B12 that is lacking in most non-fermented vegetarian foods. My question is, you you happen to know any place on the internet where the composition of fermented items like the ones I mentioned are published? Or, can you drect me to some place where there are?
swasthi says
Namaste Dr.Rasananda Das,
Thanks for reading. You can find some details on researchgate.net and Us national library of medicine. I will mail you the details.
Jayeeta says
Hi Swasthi, loved your recipes here. I live in a cold country, please suggest how can I ferment the batter? Also, I have easily available rice powder and urid dal powder, can I use the powder combination, mix with water to use as batter?
swasthi says
Hi Jayeeta,
Thank you. I haven’t tried it anytime but my mom had made them a few times. You can try with 1 cup urad dal flour and 3 cups rice flour. For the fermentation you will have to try with different methods
1. Adding rock salt when you mix the batter.
2. Add half tsp methi seeds powder or 1 cup millet flour or 1/4 cup poha powder while making the batter.
3. Cover and keep inside the oven with the light bulb on until it ferments. Or use fermentation option in your microwave or IP (if you have).
You will need to experiment a lot to know what works in your place. I would say idli dosa batter fermentation needs lot of trials as these are different in each place. Hope this helps.
Shilpa says
Hello Jayeeta,
I live in Pune,in winters when it’s difficult to ferment the batter my mother in law suggested me to leave a clean charcoal piece above the batter….and it always helps 😊
swasthi says
Thanks Shilpa
Just wondering will the charcoal not sink after sometime.
NGH says
Well I have been using Basamati rice for over some 45 years and it works great. The trick in making the Dosa is all fussing you need to do to come out well and delicious I.e. the cleaning, soaking, grinding, fuss over the Tawa spreading oil and wiping it with a wet paper towel and finally adding ghee on the top of the final Dosa
swasthi says
Hi,
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts on basmati rice for dosa. It will surely help the readers here.
Miz says
Hi Swasthi, can you please tell me, in Recipe no 3 ‘ idli + dosa together’, which rice should we use? it is normal rice or parboiled idli rice ? also, can i use basmati instead of normal rice?
swasthi says
Hi Miz,
I use raw rice for this one. Personally we do not like dosa with basmati rice. They do come out good but not tasty I feel.
Vyshnavi says
Please let me know which mixer grinder used in the recipe which is shown in picture? I want to buy one mixer grinder for dosa batter preparation. Suggest me the best company
swasthi says
Hi Vyshnavi,
For dosa batter I use Ultra mixer grinder that comes with 3 jars. It is a heavy duty mixie that does work well. I have been using it for 4 years now. but somehow one of the jar lid broke just after a week of buying it. Currently there is an upgraded model from this brand with better lids. Just check the lids well and if you like go for it. My opinion this works better than many other brands available in India.I have also heard of USHA you can check that. Hope this helps.
Rakhi says
Hi Swasthi,
Thanks for your detailed recipe. Since I started making dosa batter in the wet grinder, my dosa doesn’t turn crispy. I was interested in your recipe 3 where you said 1 & 1/2 cups rice for mixer and 2 cups for wet grinder, just wondering why this difference in quantity? Thanks.
swasthi says
Hi Rakhi,
Wet grinder makes the dal more light, fluffy & airy when compared to the blender or mixer grinder. The quantity of dal batter will also be more in wet grinder. So the texture of dosa will be not be crispy and may have a prominent taste of dal. To balance that we use more rice which makes the dosas crisp. You need to experiment and check what works good for you. I also know a lot of people using 1:5 ratios of dal:rice along with some methi seeds or poha.