Rava vada recipe with video – Karnataka style Instant rava vada made with semolina. These vadas turn out crisp from outside and soft from inside. Rava vada are not so common on the Hotel or restaurant menus, but can be found in some udupi restauarnts served as rave vada. These crisp fried snack are really quick to make any time and are best served with some chutney.

To make rava vada we don’t need to grind or blend any ingredients. Basic ingredients like yogurt/curd, onions, curry leaves, chilies, coriander leaves, cumin and ginger are used to make the batter.
These rava vada go well with any chutney. Coconut chutney , Tomato chutney, pudina chutney & peanut chutney pair very well.
How to make rava vada or suji vada
1. Below are the ingredients needed to make the recipe. Rava, Curd or yogurt, green chilies, onions, grated ginger, chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves, hing, jeera,salt and soda.
2. Add 1 cup rava/ suji and half cup yogurt to a mixing bowl.

3. Add 2 tbsp water. Do not add more.

4. Mix it well. The mixture must not be soggy. Allow to soak for 10 to 15 mins. While the suji rests, chop the onions, green chilies, curry & coriander leaves. The dough must be moist, if it is dry sprinkle some water.

5. Add soda, salt, ginger, cumin and hing.

6. Add onions, green chilies and curry leaves.

7. Mix up everything. Then beat the dough very well with your hand for 30 seconds to 1 minute. This aerates the dough. The dough must be thick, sticky and well binded at this stage otherwise it will not hold shape. It should have enough moisture else they will turn hard.

8. Add oil to a hot pan and begin to heat it for deep frying on a medium flame.

9. Grease a foil or cling wrap. You can also use damp cloth or banana leaf. Divide the dough into 10 to 12 parts and place them on the foil. Grease your fingers and flatten them. Make a whole in the center. Do not make them too thick.

10. When the oil turns hot enough (medium), transfer the vada to your greased fingers.

11. Drop the vada by shaking off your fingers gently. Repeat dropping one after the other to the hot oil.

12. Keep stirring until golden and fry well on a medium high flame until golden. Do not fry them in low heat, they will turn hard. A very high flame will also not cook them well.

Serve crispy rava vada hot or warm with a chutney.

Tips to make rava vada
- Do not skip soda & yogurt in the recipe. As both these ingredients react with each other and aerates the dough.
- The key to making these rava vadas crisp and not hard lies in making the batter correctly. The batter has to be thick and should be able to spread easily. It means it must have enough moisture in it.
- Do not make them too thick they have to be thin enough to prevent turning hard.
- Beating the rava vada dough for some time will make the dough light & will prevent the vadas from turning hard.

For more vada recipes, you can check
Sabudana vada
Medu vada
Masala vada
Cabbage vada
Dal vada
Rava vada recipe

Rava vada recipe | How to make instant rava vada | Suji vada recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- 1 cup rava or semolina
- ½ cup yogurt or curd
- 2 tbsp water or more as needed
- ¼ cup onions finely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon ginger grated
- 2 sprigs coriander leaves finely chopped
- 1 sprig curry leaves finely chopped
- 2 green chilies
- ½ tsp cumin or jeera
- ¼ tsp soda-bi-carbonate or cooking soda
Instructions
Preparation
- Mix together yogurt and water in a bowl. Add rava and soak it for 10 minutes. The dough must bind well if it is dry you can sprinkle some water.
- While the rava soaks, chop onions, chilies, curry leaves and coriander leaves. Grate ginger.
- After 10 mins, add onions, chilies, leaves, cumin, salt and ginger to the soaked rava and make a dough. Beat the batter very well for 30 seconds to a minute with your hand in clock wise direction. This helps to make the rava vada fluffy. Lastly add soda and mix it gently.
- The dough must bind well and must be sticky and easily spreadable. If it is dry you can sprinkle some water. If the dough is too stiff then they will turn hard.
Making rava vada
- Heat oil in a deep fry pan. Grease a foil or cling wrap. Divide the dough to 12 portions and make balls. Place them on the foil. Flatten and make a whole in the center.
- When the oil is just hot enough, test by adding a bit of the dough to the hot oil. The dough has to rise without browning. This is the right temperature.
- Grease your fingers, transfer the vada to your fingers. Then gently shake off the fingers. Rava vada will drop in the oil. Do not disturb them for a while until they turn firm.
- Fry until the rava vadas on a medium high flame by stirring often. Drain them on a kitchen tissue when they turn crisp & golden. Fry all the vadas in batches similarly. Serve rava vada with chutney.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes

Rajveer says
Good recipes….easy to follow and understand…great fan
Marwa says
Im a huge fan of your page. Literally, im able to serve good food to my family because of you. Even though there r loads of recipes blogs, channelss and pages out there, what sets you out is the precision with which you do it, and the fact that it speaks to everyone out there. The step by step pictures, the dos and donts, the written recipe- all are very useful and helpful.
As i expected, even this rava vada was great:).
Thank you so much for all your efforts and love.
swasthi says
Hello Marwa
You are welcome! So glad to know the recipes are useful. Thank you so much!
🙂
Rachel says
Hi sis
I tried your recipe and it turned out so delicious. Thank you.
swasthi says
Hi Rachel
You are welcome! Glad they turned out good. Thank you
Mani says
Hi
I was wondering if it can pre Prepped and stored in the fridge , and at what stage ?
swasthi says
Hi Mani,
Not sure if it works. I haven’t tried it.
Suchi says
Hi nice recipe, can u please tell if fine or coarse semolina to be used? Thanks
swasthi says
Hi Suchi,
I use the fine rava used for upma and halwa.
Kavita says
Good recipe, i will also try
swasthi says
Thank you!
Shwetha GS says
I tried your rava vada, it came really well… I loved it, I’ll try other recipes too and share my experience
swasthi says
Thanks Shwetha!
Glad you liked them!
Lily patel says
Very good looks yummy I must try your rave WADA thank you so much
Su says
Hii swasthii.. Which soda did u used here? Is it baking soda??
swasthi says
Hi Su,
yes it is baking soda – soda bicarbonate
Deepa says
Sooji vadas are awesome 👌..thanks for sharing such a easy and quick recipe..
swasthi says
Welcome Deepa
Thanks for the comment.
🙂
Kavitha says
Hi Swasthi
The search text box which was previously available is missing from quite sometime, can that be incorporated on your webpage, or else searching a particular recipe has become time taking and tedious.
Thank you
swasthi says
Hi Kavitha
Are you asking for the search box that was available down after the post / side bar.? Sorry for the inconvenience. I will fix it based on your reply. Thanks a lot
Kavitha says
Yes, the one that was available below the post, after the comments section
swasthi says
Okay i will put it back soon. Thanks a lot for your feedback.
🙂
Kavitha says
Thank you Swasthi for doing the needful. I rely on your website for many cuisines which needs a lot of searching. My work got easier now, thanks once again.
prabakaran says
this all recipe very nice
swasthi says
Thanks
nidhi jain says
Rava vadas are looking crisp and delicious. Nice Recipe.
swasthi says
Thank you
themad says
Yum I love these vadas. I did not know they were made in Karnataka.
swasthi says
Thank you