Idli recipe, Learn to make soft idli batter with rice or rava. Soft idli can be made in 2 ways, one is using rice and the other using idli rava. I am sharing both the methods in this post. Making idli using rava is a breeze, we don’t need to grind the rice to make the batter. The texture of the idly made using rava also turn out very soft and nice. Idly rava is also called as rice rava in some parts of India.
What is idli?
Idli is a soft & fluffy steamed cake made of fermented rice & lentil batter. These are one of the healthiest protein packed Breakfasts from South Indian cuisine. Idli are easily digestible as the rice & lentils known as DAL are soaked, ground, fermented & then prepared by steaming the batter. These are served with a chutney and or with a tiffin sambar.
Is idli healthy?
Idli is considered to be the healthiest food due to the unique method of preparation which enhances the bioavailability of the nutrients in urad dal and rice. Soaking the lentils, blending to batter and fermenting enhances the nutrients and they are still preserved as idli are steam cooked for a short time.
This is what makes idly suitable to all including babies to people on diet and even to the aged, who generally have poor digestion.
What is idli made of?
Idli is made of urad dal or skinned black gram and rice. Urad dal is high in protein and calcium. It is absorbed by the body better in the form of idly as it is made from soaked & fermented batter.
How to make healthy idli?
Restaurants or Hotels use a ratio of almost 1:4 (dal : rava or rice, as rice is cheaper for them). So I suppose we must favor more dal as it is high in protein and less rice or rava specially for home cooking. Since the cost doesn’t matter for home cooked foods as long as they are healthy and nutritious.
This idli recipe does not need too much of rice or rava, yet you can make super white, soft, light and fluffy idlis every time.
When it comes to fermenting, dal contributes more towards the fermentation rather than the rice. So using lesser rava or rice too you can make super soft idly.
My idli recipe doesn’t call for using cooked rice. So it is the same traditional recipe which has been followed for generations in South India – to soak the grains, blend, and then ferment the batter. Lastly steam cook for health benefits.
How is idli batter made?
There are 2 ways idli batter can be made
1. The first method uses idli rava which is made of a special kind of parboiled rice. This method is very popular in the south Indian states where the idli rava is available. Making idlis using this method is super quick as the rice need not be ground.
2. The second method is a traditional one which uses idli rice or parboiled rice. However they can be made with most kinds of rice including sona masuri, ponni or parmal rice.
How is idli batter ground?
Traditionally idli batter was ground in a stone mortar pestle to make the urad dal batter very light and fluffy. This light fluffy batter is the key to soft, fluffy and pillowy idlis.
In the current days, it is made either in a wet grinder or blender. Wet grinder works as good as a stone mortar in grinding the urad dal to a smooth and fluffy texture. If it is made in wet grinder then ingredients like poha or methi seeds can be skipped.
Most people prefer making batter in a blender as it is easy to handle. If the batter is made in blender then poha or methi seeds will be helpful to make fluffy idlis.
Blender vs wet ginder for batter
As per my experience both yield the same results if good quality dal is used & blended following the correct method. I do have a wet grinder & blender.
I use the wet grinder only when I have guests home from India. During other times I use the regular blender. Making idli batter in wet grinder is good for larger families – like 5 or more. Otherwise it is quite easy to manage with a blender.
4 Important factors to making soft idli batter
(Based on my experience), no matter whether you use a wet grinder or a blender.
1. Age of the dal used for idli recipe: Urad dal from the current year’s harvest is best suitable to make soft idli. But how do we identify? The current year’s yield will be white in color with no pale yellow shades on it.
While the yield from the previous years, will be pale yellow in color. Or sometimes pale yellow spots on the dal. Using the new dal will surely result in good fermentation.
This gives you super soft idly provided you take care of the other 3 factors. For those who are not accessible to fresh stock, other ingredients like fenugreek seeds or poha are used to aid the fermentation.
2. Non-iodized salt for idli recipe: always use enough non iodized salt, avoid iodized salts since it do not favor the fermentation process.
3. Temperature to ferment batter for soft idli recipe: Cold climates do not favor fermentation process. So keep your batter in a warm place. If you live in cold countries, use a preheated oven for fermenting it. Or turn on the light in the oven.
You can also use the fermentation or yogurt making option in your oven, electric cooker or Instant pot.
4. Lastly consistency of soft idli batter (the amount of water to use): For good fermentation, the batter must be of the right consistency. If you make it runny or thin, it will not rise. But the fermentation will be ok, though not perfect. The result will be wet and flat idly.
But again, if your batter is too thick batter, it will not ferment. I understand this as “the organisms need enough moisture for a healthy cultivation”. So blending it to a right consistency is important. So the soft idli batter must be of a thick but pouring consistency.
Can you refrigerate idli batter?
Yes. It can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days. After grinding, it must be transferred to separate containers. Then fermented separately. Next refrigerated after fermentation without disturbing it.
I usually make the idli batter good enough for 2 days. Then transfer it to 2 different containers and ferment them separately.
Use up one the next morning and refrigerate the other as it is without stirring it. For the second day, I use a glass or ceramic bowl. Plastic or steel containers may make it sour. My idli turns out soft with no sour smell even on the subsequent days.
On the third day, I am left with some batter that is not enough for all of us. So I mix up ragi flour in luke warm water and add it to the left over batter. I allow it to rest for 30 mins out of the fridge. Even these turn out good.
What to serve with idli?
Idly is mostly eaten with a variety of chutneys & a variety of sambar. Here are some popular chutneys that are served
Tomato chutney
Coconut chutney
Pudina chutney
Ginger chutney
We also eat Idli for a meal sometimes, most often it is for dinner. Then I prepare some kind of sambar along with some mini idlis for my kids. Here are some sambar options you may like to check.
Idli sambar or tiffin sambar
Vegetable sambar
Drumstick sambar
You may like other South Indian recipes,
Dosa
Masala dosa
Upma
Uttapam
Paniyaram
Step-by-step photos
Preparation
1. Wash and soak dal for about 6 hours. If using fenugreek seeds, soak them with dal. Wash rice or rava and soak it separately. If using rava, nicely squeeze the rava and wash to get rid of the unwanted stuff. If using poha soak it for 30 mins before blending.
Blending
2. After 6 hours, drain off the water from the dal and add it to the blender along with salt. If you live in a hot place, then skip adding salt now and add it after fermentation, just before making idli. Add 3/4 cup cold water & blend it to smooth. Using cold water prevents the blender or grinder from turning hot. If the batter turns up hot, idli may turn hard.
3. Pour 2 to 4 tbsps more water if needed and blend till you get frothy thick smooth batter. Do not make it very runny.
4. Transfer this batter to a large pot or bowl.
5. If using rice refer method 2 with detailed step by step photos below. A short description is here as well. Add rice and water to the blender and grind coarsely. Pour it to the batter and mix well. Follow from step 6.
If using idly rava: Squeeze off the water by taking rava in between your palms and with pressure try to remove excess water. Transfer this to a plate. Squeeze again any excess water.
6. Next transfer it to the batter. If you are some one who do not like the slight coarse texture of rava, then you can also blend it well. Then add to the urad batter.
Fermenting idli batter
7. Mix well with your hands. Keep it aside for fermenting in a warm place for 6 to 12 hours, depending on the climate. It may take up to 18 to 20 hours too sometimes. Do not use air tight jars or containers for fermentation.
8. After fermentation. This time when i made this i had to ferment for about 18 hours as the climate was windy and cold.
9. Gently mix the batter, very lightly to make uniform. Sometimes it may be thick at some places and thin in other places. So to get a uniform consistency. I prefer to stir gently only a couple of times. It may shrink when we do this.
How to make soft idli recipe
10. Bring water to boil in a steamer or pressure cooker without weight on a medium high flame. Grease the idly plates. If needed sprinkle little water. The batter should be of thick pouring consistency. Pour it in the molds.
11. When the water begins to bubble up rapidly, place the idly stand in the steamer. Steam it for 10 minutes. Remember you need to be a bit tricky to adjust the flame. If the flame is very high, the water may bounce to the idly plates. If it is to low, they may not get steamed enough. So the flame should be on a medium high. Off the stove after 10 minutes. Leave it for 2 minutes. Remove the plates from the steamer and allow them to cool for 2 to 3 minutes.
12. Loosen the idli from the plates with the help of a spoon and then remove them to a plate. Add some ghee and serve with coriander coconut chutney or peanut chutney.
You can also find a collection of 33 South Indian Style chutney recipes.
method 2 – Using rice
The step by step photos shown below were made with half cup urad dal and 1 cup rice with 2 tbsp poha using recipe 1
1. Blend soaked dal,salt and poha adding water as needed until thick and frothy.
2. Grind rice until smooth or coarse to suit your liking. Add water as needed. Batter must be neither too thick nor too thin.
3. Next transfer to a pot. Set aside until fermented. The time it takes depends on the climate. I doubled the recipe 1 and made this. So I had to transfer the idli batter to 2 bowls.
4. After 14 hours, the batter fermented, doubled in volume and had a bubbly texture. Give a gentle stir only twice.
5. Lastly I greased the plates and poured the it in the plates. Steamed for exactly 6 to 7 minutes in the bubbling steamer. Since i made mini idli steamed for just 6 to 7 minutes else they has to be steamed for 10 minutes. Mini idli go well with idli sambar.
Recipe
Soft idli recipe
Idli recipe | How to make idli batter recipe
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Recipe 1
- ½ cup urad dal or skinned black gram
- 1 cup idli rice (or 1 cup + 2 tbsp idli rava)
- 2 tablespoon thick poha Or ½ tsp fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
- ½ teaspoon Non-iodized salt (rock salt or pink salt)
- ¾ to 1 cup chilled water (for grinding dal)
- ½ cup water (for grinding rice)
Recipe 2
- ½ cup urad dal
- 1½ cups idli rice
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
- 2 tablespoons thick poha (flattened rice) (substitute with ¼ tsp methi)
- ¾ to 1 cup chilled water (for grinding dal)
- ¾ cup water (for grinding rice)
How to make the recipe
Preparation for idli recipe
- Add urad dal & methi seeds to a bowl. Add rice or idli rava to another bowl.
- Wash them very well separately until water runs clear. Soak them separately in lot of water for at least 6 hrs.
- Rinse and soak poha with ¼ cup water for about 30 mins before blending.
How to make idli batter
- After 6 hours, drain the water from both the bowls.
- Add dal, methi, soaked poha, salt & ¾ cup water to a blender jar or a wet grinder. You may need another 2 to 4 tbsps water while blending.
- If you live in a hot climate then skip adding salt now and add it just before making idli otherwise the batter turns sour. You will have to experiment with salt to know what works well for you.
- Blend all of them till thick, smooth, bubbly & frothy. The idli batter should not turn hot or even warm as it makes dense idli.
- Transfer urad dal batter to a large bowl.
- A. If using rice : Add rice to the blender with water (mentioned in the ingredients). Grind to a little coarse batter (semolina texture). Pour this to the dal batter. Mix both of them well with your clean hands. The batter must be thick yet of pouring consistency. B. If using idli rava : Drain off the water thoroughly from the rava. Squeeze excess water from the rava with the help of both your palms. Rava must not look soggy. It must absolutely have no water in it, else the batter will become runny.
- Transfer this to the urad dal batter and mix well.
- Now mix everything well. Use your hand to mix as it helps to ferment faster and better. If needed can add little water, if the batter is too thick.
Fermenting idli batter
- Set the batter aside in a warm place for at least 8 to 14 hrs. The batter ferments and rises well to double the quantity. Sometimes it may take up to 18 hours depending on the weather and temperature.
- If you live in a cold country, keep it in the oven with the light bulb on. Or preheat the oven to 170 F or 80 C for 10 mins. Wait for 5 mins and then keep the batter inside.
- A well fermented batter will yield good soft idli. The batter must rise and look fluffy but not turn sour. You will need to experiment to know the fermentation time.
How to make idli
- On a high flame, bring water to a boil in an idly steamer or a pressure cooker. If using instant pot, pour 1½ cups water to your inner pot. Press the saute button and bring the water to a rolling boil.
- Meanwhile grease your idly plates lightly. Mix the idli batter gently 1 to 2 times only. Do not over do as the aerated batter will turn flat. Fill the molds with batter.
- When the water begins to bubble and steam up, place the stand in the steamer. Cover and steam for exactly 10 mins on a high flame. If using Instant pot, when the water begins to boil, press CANCEL button. Keep the idli stand in the IP. Cover with the lid & position the steam release handle to venting . Then press STEAM button. Use an external timer to monitor & steam for 10 to 12 mins.
- Once done turn off and wait for 2 mins. Remove the idly stand. Set aside to cool down for 2 to 3 mins. When cooled, the idli must not be wet on top.
- With the help of a spoon remove the idlis to a plate. Serve idli with a chutney or sambar.
NUTRITION (estimation only)
Notes
Notes for soft idli recipe
- Do not use air tight jars for fermenting.
- Use stainless steel or ceramic containers for fermenting.
- Avoid plastic jars. Never let your batter warm up while grinding, as it will make the idly harder.
- If using wet grinder, you can use 1½ cups rice for recipe one.
- For Recipe two you can use 2 cups rice.
- Use more water proportionately.
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.
Chhavi says
Hi Swasthi,
Thank you for the blog and sharing your recipes with the world.
I am here to talk specifically about idli. Irrespective of any idli batter ( home made or store bought or gits or mtr) , my idlis have always come dense, sticky. May be my consistency and steaming method was a lil off.
With multiple tries, finally today my idli has come out better ( non sticky and light) but not perfect or as white as yours.
I have used rice, dal, methi seeds.
Couple of questions and I know expert like you can easily answer these:
1. Why my idlis are not as white as yours and they have a creamy tinge to them?
2. I feel they are a bit empty from inside I mean seems like they are missing some texture or substance to them. Don’t know why? Any ideas?
3. Should I ferment them in glass containers? I have fermented in steel patila and it’s in fridge now. Should I transfer it to some other container?
Thank you so much for all you do
swasthi says
Hi Chhavi,
I am sorry for the late reply.
1. Try rinsing the soaked dal well a few times before blending. I always rinse them well 2 to 3 times. This is what makes the idlis white. The second reason could be too much methi seeds. I always use methi seeds in combination with poha so I can cut down a portion of methi seeds.
2. Empty from inside or no texture or sometimes flat idlis – is due to over fermentation. Mix the fermented batter 2 to 3 times if it rose a lot and aerated. I always gently mix the fermented batter twice then fill the moulds. If this tip doesn’t work out then try with a different brand of idli rice or with raw sona masuri rice.
3. It’s fine to keep in steel container if you are using it off within 48 hours. Sometimes batter rises and continues to ferment even in the fridge if kept in steel containers. So I prefer the glass or ceramic ones. This again depends on how loaded your refrigerator is and the weather conditions.
Hope these help.
🙂
Mrs. Ghosh says
I have tried the idli recipe and it turned out very good. It was very very soft & spongy. I had taken the quantity exactly what you had given in the recipe. Those who really wants to learn how to make soft idli, should follow your recipe. Thank you.
swasthi says
Mrs. Ghosh
You are welcome!
Thanks for leaving a comment
🙂
Rom says
Hi Swasthi, those idlis in the picture look fabulous. Like blobs of white snow.
I have a question for you. I tried making idlis using the skinned whole urad dal. They came out ok but I am not really thrilled. Then I tried split urad dal with husk. The idlis came out just satisfactory but not fantastic even though, they tasted much much better than those I made with skinned urad dal. Now I am experimenting with skinned whole urad dal. I wasted 100 gallons of water literally, still not able to remove all the skins completely. But the dal looked real white and fresh like you indicated in your procedure above. The urad dal (skinned split and whole) we get here in US is not really very fresh. The de-husked dal is terrible and it tastes bitter. I think the merchants here get the dal from India or from Africa. By the time they hit the stores here, they are yellow in color and stale. Anyway to make the long story short, I am wondering if you know of any compact mill/tool that would split urad dal in half. If you remember back in the old days people used to use grinding stones (Tiragali) to split dals. I am hoping there might be something like this but more compact and table top model. Once the dal is split, it is lot easier to remove the skin after soaking. I googled if there is anything available, but no luck. I thought may be you know of anything like this. If you do, please let me know. There are table top “mills” for making flours from wheat, rye, rice etc. I wonder if something similar exists out there. Thanks for your time.
swasthi says
Hello Rom garu
Thank you! Yes it’s a pain.I don’t think there is any table top machine of that kind. Next time try with little poha, idlis will turn out fluffy even if the dal is yellow & aged. Sorry that I couldn’t share the pepper rasam since my mom said she too doesn’t know the traditional one. She makes the same rasam with more pepper which I already shared on the blog.
🙂
Rom says
Swasthi, thanks for your response. I am surprised that no one has come up with such a devise to split dals and beans like the one I am talking about. They have wet grinder and I don’t think it is that difficult to create something similar to split dry dals. Yes it is a pain and I have to spend lots of time to remove the husk. Actually, removing the husk from split soaked urad dal is not that bad compared to whole urad dal. However, I found quite a difference in the taste of idlis when made with skinned vs split urad dal (after removing most of the skin). I will try your suggestion about using poha. Thanks
Courtney says
I made rice idlis a few times with the first recipe. They came out fantastic. I want to know the difference between the two. Also can I use the same batter from recipe 1 to make dosa? pls advice
swasthi says
Hi,
Glad to know. Yes you can use both recipes to make dosas. But the first recipe will make softer dosas. The second one will make crisp dosas. But dosa batter is not fermented so much like idli batter. You can separate half of the batter and ferment it lesser to make dosas. Hope this helps
Courtney says
Yes this helps. But what is the difference between the recipe 1 and 2 ? Taste?
swasthi says
Yes it’s the taste. More rice, more taste of rice in the idlis. I matched both the recipes 1 & 2, still there is a slight difference in the texture. The first one is more light.
Geetu says
Thanks! Is it ok to double this recipe or will that effect the fermentation process? Delicious recipe!
swasthi says
Welcome Geetu
Yes you can double. Transfer the batter to 2 to 3 different bowls as needed and ferment.
Neena says
Thanks for such valuable tips! Next time I will follow each and every step!
Never knew the batter should not warm up during grinding and not to beat it after it has risen…
swasthi says
Welcome Neena
Saithan singh says
Thank you so much for the idli batter recipe!!! It was my first time followed your guidelines and superb results!!! Delicious idli made by me!!! Thank you once again my friend
swasthi says
You are welcome!
Glad to know!
Thank you
Sreelakshmi Bhat says
Hi, I am a huge fan of your recipes… From idli to paneer making,I just follow your recipes blindly.. I wanna tell you that though I make idlis since 4 years, never was as soft n tasty as yours… But your recipe helped me to make softer idlis… Thanks alot
swasthi says
Hello Sreelakshmi
Glad to know. Thank you!
🙂
Savita says
Thanks so much for such detailed recipes. I only have access to basmati rice, does that work for making idli
swasthi says
Hi Savita
You can use.
Dolina says
Hi Swasthi,
Thank you for the recipe. I was wondering about the measure. You mentioned 1 cup of rice for blender and 1 1/2 cup for wet grind for the same recipe. Could you explain the difference.
Thanks!
swasthi says
Welcome Dolina,
Yes the measurements for blender and wet grinder vary. A blender cannot make the urad dal batter as fluffy and airy as the wet grinder. So the batter made in blender requires lesser rice or rava.
urad dal batter made in wet grinder turns so fluffy, light and increases 3 to 4 times in volume. So it needs more rice. You can always use more rice even for the blender but the texture & taste is very much different. Hope this helps.
DOLINA says
Thanks Kindly!
Ranjeet says
I tried making the idlis the way it has been mentioned above and it turned out very well. To make the idlis more nutritious, can I use 1 part of urad dal and 1 part of idli rawa? Please reply to my doubt.
swasthi says
Hi,
Glad to know! Yes you can.
Shanthini Jayanthan says
Hello Swasthi
Tried your idli recipe with 1 cup split white urid (like to make with more protein ) and 1 cup idli rava. Added 1 tsp methi. Soaked everything yesterday and ground and fermented in the IP for 14 hours yogurt setting. Added salt only before making. Came out very well and we love the fermented taste. Thank you for giving us a detailed recipe.
swasthi says
Hello Shanthini
Glad to know they turned out good. Thank you!
Gabriel says
Excellent Information
swasthi says
Thank you
Roopa says
Hello Swasthi,
I am Thankful for easy detailed recipe. .
I have question as I used udad dal, idli rava and methi seeds. Can I use Poha also with that?
I think my better was thick so it did not raise like your picture . Next time I will
Do better.
swasthi says
Hi Roopa,
Keep the batter longer. Do not make idlis with partially fermented batter. Rising time/ Fermentation time depends on the weather/ temperature and most times it is the dal itself. If it is too old, the batter will not rise. It can take even 18 to 20 hours in the oven or Instant pot. I never make idli without poha. It makes a lot of difference. Try it.
archana says
The ready made idli rava that we can buy is what i use . .how can it be washed . it wilk drain away
swasthi says
Hi Archana,
Pour water and wait for 30 to 60 seconds. All the rava will settle down in the bowl. Drain off the water slowly. Only a small portion will drain away. That’s the reason I have mentioned 2 tbsps more in the recipe.
Nisha says
Hi mam
Can I use basmati rice?
swasthi says
Hi Nisha
You can try with basmati rice
Vatsala abhilash says
Hi mam…, can we use both poha and fenugreek seeds…, does it make any different in batter….,
swasthi says
Hi Vatsala,
Yes you can try.
Vatsala abhilash says
Hi… For the very first time I prepared idli using idli rava…, I used both fenugreek seeds and poha…, the idli came out perfect…, it’s soft and it didn’t break while removing from plates…
Thank u for wonderful recipe…, 😊
swasthi says
You are welcome Vatsala
Glad you liked them.
Lorraine Abraham says
Hi Swasthi – when fermenting do I cover the bowl with a cloth or a lid/plate?
swasthi says
Hi Lorraine Abraham,
Cover with a lid.
Anamika says
Hii dear whenever I cook I make sure i do watch your recipe as it come out great and tasty. Your cooking photos helps me a lot. Thanks for adding it. Yours big cooking fan ❤❤❤❤
swasthi says
Hi Anamika
You are welcome. So glad to know! Thank you so much for following the blog.
🙂
mj says
same here:) .. great blogs
swasthi says
Thank you!