Paratha Recipe

Crispy flaky Paratha served with a curry is the best hearty & comfort meal. This 4 ingredient recipe helps you make basic Parathas at home in the simplest way. Chose the shape you prefer – triangle, square or round. This post also covers details to make ahead, store, freeze and reheat.

About Paratha

Paratha is a type of layered flatbread, staple all over India and South Asian countries. They are basically of 2 kinds – plain and stuffed. While the plain Parathas require just 4 basic ingredients like flour, salt, water and ghee/oil, the stuffed kind require a stuffing made with veggies or lentils, spices & herbs.

Basic plain Parathas come in 3 shapes – square, triangle and round. These are commonly made with whole wheat flour known as atta but you will often find the store bought frozen parathas being made with whole-meal, multigrain flour or only with all-purpose flour.

Some popular street style Parathas such as Mughali paratha and Kerala Malabar Parotta are made essentially with all-purpose flour known as maida. But for the everyday home-style healthier parathas, wheat flour is used because it is not refined and/or bleached like the all-purpose flour.

Making these basic flaky Parathas is easier than you think and they are great with any kind of curry, stew, pickle, chutney, fried eggs/ omelet, jam or with just chai. You may also use them to make wraps/ rolls. Here is what you need:

Whole wheat flour Vs all-purpose flour

Whole wheat flour is made from the whole wheat kernel so it makes the Paratha crisp, nutty, earthy and more flavorful. Whereas all-purpose flour is made from refined wheat grain (without the goodness of bran) so it produces a chewy, softer and lighter Paratha with a neutral flavor.

My Mom always made our Parathas with whole wheat flour (atta) because it’s healthier than all-purpose flour. So this is what I prefer. But if you want you may use organic or unbleached all-purpose flour for a chewy texture. Equal parts whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour works well too, without making your paratha too chewy. I have shown that in my Chicken Kathi Rolls.

Ghee vs Vegetable shortening (Dalda/Crisco)

Traditional households use puree ghee because it has a high smoke point and is great to fry the parathas. Ghee imparts a rich nutty flavor and is considered healthier than vegetable shortening. But you will often find the street shop and frozen parathas being made with vegetable shortening because it’s cheaper. If you can’t eat ghee, use any other cooking oil of choice.

Hot water vs warm water

Hot water denatures the protein in the flour, softens the bran and helps make tender/softer parathas. But if you like them crispy or plan to serve them hot, using warm or room temperature water is good enough. You can also use Indian buttermilk or yogurt whey to make the dough. The flavor of your parathas will be slightly different.

Salt & Sugar

Both are optional but many believe they balance the flavors. I don’t add sugar or salt in ours. If you want you may dissolve 2 tsps fine sugar in water, before using.

These parathas make for a great breakfast with egg bhurji or paneer bhurji. They also go well in the school and office lunch box. Here are some curries that go well with these parathas.
Butter Chickpeas
Paneer butter masala
Dal tadka
Vegetable Jalfrezi
Vegetable curry

Photo Guide

How to make Plain Paratha (Stepwise photos)

1. Add 2½ cups (300 grams) wheat flour, ½ teaspoon salt & 1 tablespoon neutral oil to a mixing bowl (or food processor). Pour ¾ cup water & begin to form a soft non-sticky dough. Add more water as you mix the dough.

If you are using all-purpose flour start with 2/3 cup water.

2. Knead/process until the dough is soft and pliable, for 3 mins. Add a few drops of oil over the dough and spread it all over. Cover and rest for 20 mins to 1 hour.

3. When you are ready to roll, divide the dough to 8 portions. Smoothen and roll them to balls in between your palms. Keep them covered all the time until the end. Add ¼ cup flour to a medium sized bowl & keep aside to roll the parathas.

4. Sprinkle a teaspoon of flour on the rolling board or counter. Place a dough ball & flatten it with your fingers. Coat with flour on both the sides.

6. Roll to a 5 to 6 inch paratha. Apply ⅓ tsp melted ghee/ oil all over.

7. Sprinkle 2 pinches of flour.

Square Parathas

8. Fold the left ⅓ part over the middle ⅓ as seen in the picture.

9. Fold the right ⅓ part over the middle. Apply a few drops of ghee all over the visible part & sprinkle a pinch of flour.

10. Fold the top ⅓ over the middle ⅓ and fold the bottom ⅓ over the middle, to get a square.

11. Sprinkle flour on both the sides lightly.

12. Roll to a 6 to 7 inch square paratha. You can make 4 to 5, before you fry them.

Triangle Parathas

13. Fold the round paratha to half, to make a semicircle. Apply ghee over the semicircle & sprinkle a pinch of flour.

14. Fold it again to get a triangle. Roll this to a triable paratha.

Round layered paratha

15. Spread a dough ball to a oblong roti. You can make it as long and as thin as you want. Spread ghee and sprinkle with flour.

16. Begin to roll from one side to make a long roll or log.

17. Pull it gently holding both the ends to stretch it as much as you can, without breaking. Begin to coil it from one end to the other.

18. Tuck the end to the center. You should get a roll like seen in the image below.

19. Roll this to a 6 to 7 inch round paratha.

Frying Parathas

20. On a medium flame, heat a tawa/ pan until it’s medium hot. Dust off any excess flour from the paratha & transfer to the tawa.

21. Turn it to the other side when you see few bubbles over the paratha (takes me about 40 to 60 seconds). Drizzle with ¼ teaspoon ghee. With a spatula spread the ghee gently all over. When it begins to puff (within a minute), turn it to the other side and drizzle more ghee.

22. Press down gently with a spatula, until it puffs up and light brown spots appear. Press down on the edges to cook well. Remove and stack the parathas in a clean kitchen cloth lined in a casserole or on a wired rack. To fry the next paratha, make sure your pan is hot enough, but not very hot.

23. The same way fry the round parathas.

24. This is how your square parathas will look after frying.

Serve parathas with your favorite curry. Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days. Heat up on a medium hot pan.

Expert Tips

• Water to dough ratio: I use 1 cup warm water to knead 2½ cups (300 g) atta or 2/3 cup + more, if using all-purpose flour. It may vary depending on the kind of flour. If your atta has too much bran, you will need more water. If the dough is dry or crumbly, add a splash of water as you knead. If it is sticky, add a spoon of flour and knead.
• Refrigerate the dough: You can make the dough ahead and refrigerate in an air tight container for 2 days. Bring it close to room temperature by resting on the counter for a few hours, before rolling.
• Rolling: Light-handed, even rolling helps them cook uniformly. Avoid rolling them too thick. They should be thin enough to cook inside but if they are too thin they won’t puff up or end up too crisp like papad.
• Freezing: Rolled parathas can be placed in between parchment papers and frozen. Thaw them only for a while before frying (until the paper loosens)
• Flame/heat: Avoid frying parathas on a low flame. They can turn hard and dry. Frying on a high heat can burn the outer layer and the inside may remain undercooked. So start with medium flame, and adjust the heat from there depending on the kind of stove, size of your burner and thickness of your pan.
• Storage: Store/refrigerate cooked parathas in an air tight container for 2 to 3 days. Cool them down completely before storing. Warm them up on a medium hot pan or in the instant pot (covered properly).

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This post was originally published in Feb 2016. Updated in August 2025.