Moong Dal Dosa
Updated: July 4, 2022, By Swasthi
Moong Dal Dosa are South Indian crepes made with skinned split moong lentils and spices. These protein packed delicious Dosa variety are easy and quick to make. Moong dal does not require long soaking and the ground batter does not need fermentation like the traditional Dosa batter, so making these is a breeze. These instant moong dal dosa make for a healthy and filling meal. Serve them with your favorite Chutney, pickle or vegetable kurma.
Coconut chutney, tomato chutney, coconut pudina chutney, tomato pickle, mango pickle are some of our favorite choices to serve with these.
Moong Dal Dosa
These instant version of Moong Dal Dosa are inspired from the traditional Andhra Pesarattu that uses whole green gram aka mung beans and spices. But this instant version is made with skinned and split lentils so they really don’t require a long soak.
Every time the laziness kicks in I resort to these as I don’t need to plan or prepare ahead. Rinse lentils, soak for 10 mins, grind, spread the batter and cook. Tada! Crispy, flavorful, healthy and delicious breakfast is ready.
Over the past 2 years, these dosas are more often on our menu, not only for the ease of making but also because they are healthy. They are gluten-free and vegan (if you cook them in oil).
I first shared this recipe almost 10 years ago with low spice levels to make it kids’ friendly. Over the years, nothing changed in this recipe except for the spice levels which makes them more flavorful and tasty.
Sometimes I add chopped onions, grated carrots, green chilies and coriander leaves for the topping. This time I have not used. I have the details in the pro tips section.
More Instant dosa recipes
Oats dosa
Instant wheat dosa
Ragi dosa
Chana dosa
Photo Guide
How to Make Moong Dal Dosa (Stepwise Photos)
I made 2x recipe so you will see double the ingredients.
Preparation
1. Add 1 cup moong dal to a large bowl and rinse them well at least thrice. Drain the water completely.
2. Pour fresh water and soak for 15 to 20 mins. If your lentils are old, you may use warm water to soak.
3. Drain the water and rinse them well.
4. Add them to a blender/ grinder along with ¾ inch peeled ginger, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 green chili, ¾ to 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 dried red chilies (optional) and 1 cup water. Note that if you soak the lentils longer, you will need lesser water. You may start with half cup water.
5. Grind to a smooth batter. Scrape the sides and blend again to get it thick yet of pouring & spreading consistency. I had to add another 4 tablespoons water to bring to the consistency.
6. The consistency has to be similar to that of dosa batter. Here is a picture of the same.
Make Moong Dal Dosa
7. If using a cast iron pan, heat it well. Drizzle few drops of oil and spread it with a cut onion or kitchen tissues. Let the pan become very hot, then sprinkle some water. The water should sizzle, meaning the pan is hot enough. Wipe off the water with tissues. Reduce the heat to low. If using non-stick pan, heat it well until hot. The pan has to be hot but not too hot.
8. Stir the batter in the bowl and pour a laddle full of batter in the center of the pan. It is important for the pan to be medium hot and not very hot else you won’t be able to spread the batter.
9. Spread it to a thin round dosa with the base of the laddle.
10. Drizzle little ghee around the edges of moong dal dosa and let it fry on a medium high flame until golden and crisp. When the dosa is cooked, you will see the sides leave the pan on their own.
11. Turn the dosa to the other side and toast for a min or 2.
12. Turn it back and fry on a low heat for a minute so it turns crispy. Fold it with a spatula and remove to serving plate. To make the next dosa, your pan should be medium hot and not very hot else the batter with get stuck and won’t let you spread. So it is important to cook the previous dosa on a low heat the last 1 to 2 mins.
Serve moong dal dosa hot with Ginger chutney, Ginger pickle or Coconut chutney.
Pro Tips
- Soaking the dal just for 15 to 30 mins is the key to make great crispy moong dal dosas. You can also make cone moong dal dosas with this recipe.
- Over soaking makes them softer. Incase you prefer to soak them longer use 2 to 3 tablespoons of rice while soaking.
- If you soak the lentils longer, use less water to grind.
- Ginger and green chilies are the flavor enhancers so do not skip them. Ginger also aids in digestion. Since the lentils are not soaked for longer it is highly recommended to use ginger.
- Ghee enhances the flavor and taste of the dosas. If you are a vegan then you can also use oil. Sometimes we use coconut oil.
- To make the onions stuffing from (my previous recipe). Heat a pan with a tsp of oil and fry 2 chopped onions and 2 chopped green chilies on a high flame till they turn slightly golden & begin to release a sweet aroma. The onions should remain crunchy. This takes around 2 to 3 mins. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Top your dosa with these onions after spreading the batter.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Moong Dal Dosa
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse moong dal thrice and drain the water. Soak them for 15 to 20 mins. If your lentils are too old, use warm water.
- Drain the water and rinse the lentils well. Add them to a grinder jar along with salt, ginger, green chilies, red chilies, cumin and 1 cup water. If you soak the lentils longer, use less water.
- Grind to a smooth thick, pouring and spreadable consistency. If the batter is too thick, pour more water and blend. I use up ¼ cup more water. (check stepwise photos in the post for consistency)
How to Make Moong Dal Dosa
- If using cast iron pan, heat it well. Once hot drizzle a few drops of oil and spread it well with a cut onion or a kitchen tissue (careful! hot pan). Let the pan become smoking hot, then sprinkle little water and turn down the heat to low. To use a non-stick you just need to heat the pan until medium hot and not smoking hot.
- Pour a ladle full of batter to the center of the pan. Spread the batter in circular pattern to make a thin moong dal dosa.
- Sprinkle little ghee towards the edges. Let cook on a medium high heat until golden. When it is cooked you will see the edges come off the pan on their own.
- Turn the moong dal dosa to the other side and cook for a minute or 2. Turn them back and cook on a low heat for a minute until crispy. Fold the dosa and remove to a serving plate.
- To make the next dosa, make sure your pan is not too hot but it should be medium hot. If it is too hot, the batter clumps up in the center and won't let you spread it. So it is essential to reduce the heat during the last 2 mins while you are cooking the previous dosa.
- Serve moong dal dosa hot with your favorite chutney.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Moong Dal Dosa recipe first published in September 2012. Updated and republished in July 2022.
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Awesome idea! My husband also loved it
Superb dosa i prepared today it’s yummy
Happy to know Shilpa. Thank you!
Love these moong dosa with a sprinkle of onions & coriander leaves (from your tips section). Thank you
Glad you like them Taruna.
Can we keep left over batter in fridge
Yes, you can. Bring it close to room temperature before making the dosa
I have never made dosa before, mostly because I forget to plan ahead, so I decided to give this recipe a try. So yummy! And your tips for maintaining the heat and oil levels for frying the dosa were perfect and made it so easy even for a beginner. Now I think I’ll have to try making fermented dosa as well. Thanks!
Glad you like them Stef. Thank you
Excellent recipes and a practical guide to a novice like me
Glad to know!
Thanks for leaving a comment
Would soaking for 30 mins also work for split moong dal? The one which still has the green skin and is not the whole moong.
Thanks in advance!!
Hi Arthi
it should work
Hi Swasthi,
Is it ok if I soak the lentils overnight? Want to try it for my toddler, thought overnight soaking would help with digestion .
Thanks!
Hi Sindhu,
I guess soaking overnight will make them soft. Add little rice when you soak the lentils to keep them slightly crisp.
Many thanks to you, Swasthi! This is a perfect recipe when one doesn’t want to eat rice and/or don’t always have the overnight prep time with all other dosa recipes.
Followed this recipe to the letter. Omitted the added chili and onion. Absolutely fabulous! God bless! My best wishes to you and your family.
Welcome Ranjan,
Glad to know! Thank you so much
Wow, simple and tasty. Thanks for the great recipe.
Welcome Deepa
Hi Swasthi,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and appreciate your work. I love your site and the way of explanation , it’s really nice. People who doesn’t know cooking can easily cook and do wonders by following your explanation. Whenever I wanna try something new I do only one thing.. just go to your site follow the instructions and present it like a pro.
This moongdal dosa is really amazing. I’m extremely delighted after the success of this recipe in my kitchen.
My family enjoyed it.
I would love to appreciate your work.
May you prosper ,reach heights and turn many into good cooks.
Congratulations and keep going.
Hello Blessy David,
So glad to know the recipes have been useful. Thank you so much for the kind words and good wishes.
🙂
Thankyou so much for recipe…it come out really well…
Welcome Dr.Pragati
I love your recipes but cannot print them. How do I print them? I downloaded the Print thing for my browser, which I did not want to do but it still doesn’t work. Also cannot copy and paste from your website. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for the yummy food.
Hi Judy,
Thanks you. Print is available , can you check on a different device / browser. If you have enabled any ad blocker on the browser, disable and check it. No additional software is required to print. You can uninstall downloaded software.
Hi Swasthi,
Thanks for the wonderful recipe! When could I add the shredded carrots?
Thanks!
Hi Hiral,
Add the grated carrots to the onions once they are done. Saute for a minute. Do not grate them very fine.
I made pessarattu in the past but tried moong dal dosas today and dosas were very crispy. It was delicious with stuffing. Thanks for the recipe!!
Welcome Deepa
Glad you like them!
Made it. Tasted great and absolutely easy to make. Thanks for sharing
Hi Bhairavi,
You are welcome! Glad you liked it! Thank you!
I tried these moong dal dosas. So easy and quick to make for dinner too. I have a bit of batter left can I keep in the fridge and use tomorrow. Later should I bring it to room temperature to use.
Hi Rani,
Yes you can keep it in the fridge. But I am not sure if they turn out good the next day. Add little rice flour and mix it. Yes it is good to bring to room temperature.
Worth 5 stars rating . Worth trying recipe
Thank you very much
Thanks swathi.by mistake soaked moong daal and found your moong dosa .never had such a yummy dosa . Enjoyed every bite. Thanks a ton fr sharing such a great recipe . I must share such a best blog to people
Welcome Hannah,
Thank you so much for trying and comment too. Glad you liked the moong dal dosa.
🙂
Loved this instant dosa. I added a liitle urad dal too for more flavour.
How long will the batter last in the fridge?
Hi Sk
Thanks for trying. You can keep it for a day or 2. Bring it to room temperature before making the dosa.
hi
I m preethi . I have tried many items from ur blog. Most of them came out well. Thanks a lot for creating me an interest in cooking. Thanks for sharing and keep going.
Welcome Preethi
Glad to know the recipes are useful. Thanks for trying