Sabudana vada recipe with video & step by step photos. Sabudana vada is a popular crisp fried snack made with tapioca pearls (sago), roasted peanuts, boiled potatoes and herbs. It is a popular Maharashtrian snack that is eaten not only as a tea time snack but also as a fasting or Upvas/ Vrat food. Sabudana khichdi and sabudana kheer are other foods made during Navratri & Ekadashi fastings.
As per the tradition, many hindus fast during Ekadashi & Navratri. Some people consume only milk, some only fruits, while some consume a single meal per day.
Sabudana is one of the most commonly used ingredient during the fasting days. It is considered as an instant energy booster as they are high in carbs.
During the fasting days, many ingredients like lentils, certain spices, garlic and onions are not consumed. So the fasting foods like this sabudana vada are made without using any of these ingredients.
Since sabudana is a pure starch, peanuts are used here to add some nutrition. Potatoes bind all of these together.
This failproof recipe will give you not only delicious but also crisp sabudana vada. The recipe shared here is the Maharashtrian version and is gluten-free as well vegan.
To make good sabudana vada, always soak the sabudana well until they turn soft. You can roast the peanuts ahead, crush them and store in a jar.
This saves some time on the day you prepare these vadas. Make sure your boiled potatoes are just cooked and not mushy otherwise sabudana vada will soak up lot of oil.
Many people prefer to eat these with yogurt or chutney. These are best served hot & also go well with hot tea.
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Medu vada
Batata vada
Vada pav
Dahi vada
Step-by-step photos
Preparation for sabudana vada
1. Add half cup sabudana to a wide bowl and rinse them twice. Drain the water and soak them in half cup water for about 4 to 6 hours. When they are soaked they will be soft and get mashed easily.
2. Once they are soaked, they double in size. Make sure they are soaked well and turned soft else sabudana may burst in oil while frying the vadas.
To check if sabudana is well soaked, take few soaked pearls in between your thumb and forefinger. Press down. They must get mashed well and completely. If it is even little bit hard in the center, then sabudana may burst in oil while frying.
Drain up the water completely. Drain to a colander and set aside. If there is any moisture left in the sabudana the vada will become soggy and will soak up oil.
3. Dry roast 1/4 cup peanuts until golden & aromatic.
4. Cool them completely and make a coarse powder. I removed the skin partially. Just pulse them once in a blender. We want a coarse powder.
5. Boil 2 medium potatoes in whatever way you like. You can boil the whole potatoes in a cooker or cube them and boil in a pot. This time I peeled them and cubed to large pieces (1 heaped cup). Covered them with water and boiled until soft.
To check insert a fork and check, it should easily go in. Do not make them mushy. Drain any excess water or evaporate.
6. Mash them well.
7. To the bowl of sabudana, add ground peanuts, mashed potato, half teaspoon jeera, 1 to 2 chopped green chilies, 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves, 1½ teaspoon lemon juice (optional) and ½ teaspoon powdered rock salt.
8. Mix everything well. If sticky, then just grease your finger lightly. Mixing well helps in binding the dough well and prevents the sabudana vada from breaking while frying.
How to make sabudana vada recipe
9. Make 10 to 12 equal sized balls from the dough.
10. Grease your palm and flatten the balls gently to give the shape of a vada. If they break towards the edges, you can just stick them back. Place them in a plate or foil.
Do not make them too thick or too thin. The vadas will puff up after frying. Very thick vadas don’t cook inside and very thin vadas may break.
11. Heat oil in a pan until oil turns hot enough. Check by dropping a small portion of the dough to the hot oil. The dough must rise and not sink. This is the right temperature.
Next, take 1 tsp of the dough and shape to a small vada or ball and drop in the hot oil. In case the vada doesn’t break then you can go ahead and fry all of them
If the ball disintegrates in the oil, then add 1 tablespoon flour to the mixture and mix well. If you are fasting then add kuttu ka atta otherwise you can add rice flour. This step is optional only to ensure the vadas don’t get disintegrated in oil.
Shape the mixture to vadas. Gently slide 2 to 3 sabudana vadas to hot oil. Let them fry on a medium heat for a few minutes and firm up. Do not touch them or disturb them until they firm up & become golden. Otherwise they may break. Deep fry them in batches of 2 to 3 on a medium heat.
12. When one side of the vada turns firm and golden then flip them to the other side. Fry until golden & crisp on both the sides. Before you fry the next batch, ensure the oil is moderately hot enough again and not very hot.
Serve sabudana vada with green chutney or farali chutney.
Tips for sabudana vada
1. Soaking sabudana : There are different kinds of sabudana available in the market, some soak up well in just 2 hours while some need 5 to 8 hours of soaking time. Adjust the soaking time as needed until the sabudana turns soft, without any hardness inside.
2. Checking sabudana: After the soaking time, press few sabudana pearls in between your thumb and forefinger. They must get mashed easily. Sabudana if not soaked well can burst in oil. So make sure they are soaked well and not hard from inside.
3. Potatoes : Boiled potatoes help in binding the mixture. So boil them with care without making mushy or soggy. Soggy potatoes often break up the sabudana vada while frying due to excess moisture.
4. Peanuts : Crushed peanuts help in absorbing the excess moisture if any. So I prefer to powder it. However you can just crush them coarsely in a mortar pestle if you prefer crunchy peanuts in the sabudana vada.
How to prevent them from breaking
1. Using flour : Earlier I had never used flour to make my sabudana vada. It is only a optional ingredient. But lately I have made them many times with flour and felt they are less greasy and more crisp with little flour added.
If your vadas break then you can fix it by adding 1 to 2 tbsps of flour to absorb excess moisture. If making the vadas on fasting days, then you can add some kuttu ka atta or rajgira flour.
2. Temperature of oil : Sabudana vada can break while frying if the oil is not hot enough. Always check if the oil is moderately hot enough to fry. Also fry on a medium high flame. Frying them on a very high flame will brown them too quickly. Frying on a low flame will make them oily.
Related Recipes
Recipe
Sabudana vada
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- ½ cup sabudana (tapioca pearls, sagu)
- 1 cup potatoes (heaped cup) cubed (2 medium sized)
- ¼ cup peanuts
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 to 2 green chilies chopped
- ⅓ teaspoon rock salt powdered (or regular salt if not fasting)
- 1½ teaspoons lemon juice (optional)
- 1½ to 2 tablespoon flour (optional) kuttu ka atta if fasting
Instructions
Soaking sabudana
- Add ½ cup sabudana to a wide bowl. You can optionally rinse them well twice.
- Then pour ½ cup water and soak sabudana for 4 to 6 hours depending on the kind. You can also soak overnight.
- Some need only 2 hours of soaking while some need at least 5 hours.
- Once they are soaked, take few pearls in between your thumb and forefinger.
- Press down to check if they have softened. The pearls must get mashed well.
- Make sure they are soaked well & softened otherwise unsoaked sabudana may burst in oil.
- You can also bite and check. It should not be hard from inside. If you feel they are hard, soak them for a little longer.
- Drain them completely to a colander and set aside.
Other preparation
- Meanwhile roast peanuts until golden and aromatic. Cool completely.
- Pulse them in a blender only once to get coarsely crushed peanuts. Keep aside.
- Wash and peel potatoes. Boil them just until done and not too mushy or soggy.
- Mash them. If the potatoes are mushy then the vadas may break. So cook them just al dente.
- Mix together sabudana, mashed potato, peanuts, green chili, salt, cumin and coriander leaves. Add lemon juice (optional) and mix well.
- If the dough turns sticky, then just grease your finger lightly.
- Mixing well helps in binding the dough well and prevents the sabudana vada from breaking while frying.
How to make sabudana vada
- Make 10 to 12 balls and then slightly flatten to make the patties or vada.
- Do not make them too thin as they may break. Making then too thick will not cook them from inside.
- Heat oil in a kadai until hot enough on a medium flame.
- Drop a small portion of the dough to check if the oil is hot enough. The dough has to rise without browning quickly.
- Next take 1 tsp of the mixture in your hand and roll it to a small vada.
- Slide it to the hot oil to check if it doesn't disintegrate.
- If the ball breaks, then add 1 tablespoon flour to the mixture and mix it well. Then shape them to vadas.
- Slide the sabudana vada to hot oil one after the other. Do not crowd them all at one time. Slide only 2 to 3 depending on the size of your pan.
- After adding the vadas, let them deep fry on a medium flame for a few minutes. Do not disturb them or touch them as they may break. When they firm up and become slightly golden, flip to the other side. Fry until golden and crisp.
- The vadas will puff well and turn golden & crisp on the outside.
- Drain them to a kitchen tissue or colander. Serve sabudana vada with green chutney.
Video
NUTRITION (estimation only)
Notes
- Avoid overcooking the potatoes. If overcooked they will hold up lot of moisture and make the sabudana vadas soggy.
- Drain the soaked sabudana completely otherwise the excess moisture will make the vadas soggy.
- Fry them only a medium heat otherwise they will brown from outside and remain soggy inside.
- You can double fry them to keep them crisp for a little longer.
- I have felt adding atleast 2 tbsps of flour makes the sabudana vada more crisp and less greasy.
- If you are fasting, then use kuttu ka atta or buckwheat flour. If not fasting then you can use rice flour or corn starch.
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.
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Sheela says
Thanks a lot. Many times I tried making sabudana vada. It spoiled. But after going through this recepi, I was able to make prper vada. Thanks.
swasthi says
Welcome Sheela
Glad to know! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Marina says
Hi Swasthi, do these vada become hollow after frying? Im i doing something wrong..
swasthi says
Hi Marina,
They will puff and become light and not hollow. Too much moisture in the mixture can make them hollow. Overcooked or soggy potatoes can cause this.
Boil them just until fork tender. Do not flatten the vadas a lot. or Try with different kind of potatoes
Hope this helps
Marina says
Thanks a lot Swasthi for taking the time to reply.. Yes you are right.. They were light.. Actually this time i doubled the recipe.. May be i should take old potato.. Because i took care in boiling the potatoes. They were not overcooked..
Thanks once again.. Tske care
swasthi says
Welcome Marina
Yes most times it’s the kind of potatoes.
uzma says
can we freeze the sabudana wada and fry them at a later date.
should we thaw before frying.
swasthi says
I haven’t tried. so not sure
Geeta jain says
It’s ok if we don’t add rock salt
Or can i add kala namak instead
Kalyani Lama says
Tysm. God bless you.
swasthi says
Welcome Kalyani
Thank you!
🙂
Tarannum says
Hello mam. Your all recepies are really very awesome and always follow you. Just now I checked your sabudana vada. Want to try for today iftar can you please advise alternate option of peanut. Waiting for reply
swasthi says
Hi Tarannum,
Thank you! I think the same amount of poha or fried gram (roasted chana dal) should work. Powder them and use.
Tarannum says
Wow thanks for alternate option. Will make and share the feedback shortly
swasthi says
Yes sure
Tarannum says
Hello mam,
I made this vada and it’s turned out very well. My family member liked very much . Thank you very much . Today going to try sooji vada 😊😊😊
swasthi says
Hello!
Glad to know! You are most welcome! Hope you all enjoy the sooji vada too
🙂
Puneet says
Great recipe. This is my second time making them. The first time the soaking of sabudana went wrong; so my vadas were very chewy. This time I soaked equal amount of sabudana and water in a very wide bottom pan. And from there on it was an easy recipe to follow. Thank you.
swasthi says
Hi Puneet
Thank you! Glad they came out good.
Annie says
Swasthi
Should I use rice flour or all purpose ?
Thanks
Annie
swasthi says
Hi Annie,
The recipe works with any millet flour or rice flour. People who fast usually make it with buckwheat flour.
Karthik says
Hi Swathi, I’m excited to try this and I’m wondering if I could prep the mixture a day early and refrigerate?
swasthi says
Hi Karthik,
I haven’t tried it any time by refrigerating. You can try a small batch but add some flour in the morning. It may work.
Cinnamon says
My gosh this was amazing !! It taste better when it cools down. It’s my first time incorporating sago in a savoury dish. And I love adding that buckwheat flour in. The crunchyness is so tasty!! I love it. Thanks for the recipe! My niece got me into these today!
swasthi says
You are welcome!
Glad you liked them.Thank you so much!
Suri says
Hi Swathi,
I always refer to your recipes when ever I want to try something new.
But with Sabudana Vada, I had a problem:
1. My vadas did not puff-up as yours.
2. The outer layer was crunchy but very sticky to our teeth. The inner layer was gooey.
To avoid the stickiness to teeth I had to take out the vadas before they turned golden brown, but then, that nice coloring wouldn’t be there and neither the crunchiness expected from a vada.
What could be the reason for my failure? I followed your recipe exactly. So, please advise.. thank you 🙏
swasthi says
Hi Suri,
If the vadas don’t puff it means – too much moisture in the mixture. Moisture comes from mushy or too soft potatoes. Certain kinds of potatoes are too sticky and absorb too much water while boiling. This is the reason they turned out sticky & gooey. This happened to me as well with organic potatoes. I also try to avoid new potatoes. Only the non-organic and older potatoes work for me. Also some kind of potatoes are best cubed and steamed in a steamer instead of pressure cooking. Just try with different kind of potatoes. I am sure you will get them right. Also try using little flour which will soak up excess moisture. Hope this helps.
Ranjana says
Came out really nice.crispy from outside.i used little rice flour for binding.
swasthi says
Thanks Ranjana
Glad they came out good!
Nivedita Basu Majumdar says
i tried sabudana vada recipe for the first time , it turned out very nice and crispy according to your recipes , thank u didi
swasthi says
Hi Nivedita,
You are welcome! Glad your sabudana vada turned out good. Thank you so much for the comment!
Aparna says
Hi Swathi,
Whenever I like to try new something I look for your recipes. U r recipe’s are easy to make and tasty ..thank you ..keep uploading new…
swasthi says
You are welcome Aparna
Thank you so much! Glad you like them!
Ruchi says
Beautifully explained and well done as always. I followed your recipe without any changes. They turned out too good with the flour. Thank you very much.
swasthi says
You are welcome Ruchi.
Glad they turned out good.Thank you!
Latha Ganesh says
Hi Swasthi. Tried your Sabudana vada recipe. Came out very well. Thank you….. Happy Independence Day…. Cheers…
swasthi says
Hi Latha Ganesh
You are welcome. Thank you so much!
Wishing you all too a very “HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY”
Have a great day!
🙂
Ambrin says
I just love ur recipes. Its so simple and yummy! I gives me interest to much. Thunku so much.
swasthi says
Welcome Ambrin
Glad you like the recipes. Thank you.
🙂
Sumaiya sayyed says
Hi
Thanks for tips
Me zrur try krogi and i hope vada break na ho
swasthi says
Hi
Sumaiya
Welcome. Do try. I am sure your sabudana vada will not break if these tips are followed correctly.