Rava Dhokla is a steamed savory cake made with semolina flour, yogurt, ginger, and Indian spices. This delicious Gujarati snack is soft, light, and fluffy. Pair Rava dhokla with a hot cup of masala chai.
★★★★★
"Perfect recipe! My husband who doesn't care for dhokla says this is the best ever! It came out perfectly. Thanks for the steaming hack, Nisha. Spot on recipe as always 😊"
- Priya
Growing up in a Punjabi household, my mom introduced us to various foods all over India. Besides Punjabi food, she often made Sindhi cuisine, South Indian food, Maharashtrian food, and Gujarati food.
One such recipe was Instant Rava Dhokla - a widely popular Gujarati snack. Dhokla is one of my mom's specialties and everyone in our home loves it so much. Her version may not be fully authentic, but it's so delicious.
Jump to:
- What is Rava Dhokla / Suji Dhokla?
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Step by Step Instructions - How to make Rava Dhokla Recipe
- Serving Suggestions
- Cooking Method - Instant Pot vs. Stovetop
- How To Make Dhokla Without A Dhokla Steamer Set
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Indian Snack Recipes!
- Recipe Card
What is Rava Dhokla / Suji Dhokla?
Rava / Suji is semolina and dhokla is a steamed savory cake. This delicious Gujarati dish can be enjoyed as an appetizer, snack, or breakfast. I personally love Rava Dhokla for a snack or breakfast with some masala chai.
There are 2 popular kinds of dhokla - Rava Dhokla and Khaman Dhokla. Rava Dhokla also known as Khatta Dhokla is typically white in color as it's made with semolina flour.
For this recipe, my mom adds turmeric powder which makes this dhokla yellow. There are certain parts of Gujarat where Rava Dhokla is white and yellow in other parts. On the other hand, Khaman Dhokla is always yellow and made with besan also known as gram flour/chickpea flour. Khaman Dhokla is also known as "Besan Dhokla."
This Instant Rava Dhokla recipe is made stovetop and is super easy to make.
Dhokla... To Add Turmeric or Not?
The ongoing Dhokla Debate! My mom adds turmeric to Dhokla, and since we are not Gujarati, perhaps this recipe isn't as authentic.
In any case, after speaking to my Gujarati friends and followers on Instagram, I recently learned that Rava Dhokla doesn't usually doesn't consist of turmeric, and it's specifically referred to as "white" dhokla.
After doing a poll on Instastories, I also learned that those from a certain part of Gujarat do add turmeric to dhokla while in other parts of Gujarat, they don't.
Since this recipe is originally from my mom, I wanted to make it exactly how she makes it and carry on with our family tradition. Personally, I like the flavor and color. So feel free to omit turmeric in this recipe if you wish.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Soft & Fluffy
- Light & Moist
- Makes a Delicious Tea Time Snack
- A Healthy-ish Breakfast
- Perfect with Masala Chai
- My Mom's Recipe she's been making since I was a kid
Ingredients
Rava/Suji/Semolina Flour: You will need rava or suji for this recipe which you can easily find at the Indian grocery store. Both fine and coarse rava will work in this recipe.
Yogurt: You'll need plain yogurt for this recipe - reduced-fat or whole-milk yogurt both work. I don't recommend using fat-free yogurt or Greek Yogurt.
Ginger: Grate the ginger for the best results.
Powdered Spices: Turmeric Powder, Salt, and Asafoetida (Hing)
Whole Spices: Mustard Seeds and White Sesame Seeds.
Curry Leaves/Curry Pata: You'll need fresh curry leaves for the tadka.
ENO Fruit Salt: This helps the batter rise and keeps the dhokla soft & spongy.
Oil: Use any flavorless oil, my preference is Avocado Oil.
Green Chilies: You will need slit green chilies for the batter. You can also add chopped green chilies to the batter for a spicier dhokla.
Water: You'll need water for the batter.
Fresh Cilantro: You will need chopped coriander leaves for this recipe as a final garnish.
Step by Step Instructions - How to make Rava Dhokla Recipe
Prep
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine rava/suji, yogurt, freshly grated ginger, turmeric, green chilies (optional), avocado oil, and salt.
2. Add water to the bowl.
3. Mix the batter well. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes.
4. Brush oil all over the 9" cake pan and on the sides.
5. In the meantime, take a wok, and add 3 cups of water along with the Instant Pot Trivet.
6. Cover with a lid and turn on the stove on medium heat until the water boils. This will take roughly 5-8 minutes. Then turn off the stove until you're ready to steam the dhokla.
7. Once 15 minutes are up, add ENO (fruit salt) to the batter. Mix well, but DO NOT OVER MIX. Your dhokla batter is ready. The consistency of the batter should be light and flowy.
Steam the Dhokla
1. Transfer the batter to the greased pan.
2. Sprinkle red chili powder on top.
3. Place the cake pan over the steaming hot water and trivet.
4. Cover with a lid. Steam for 20 minutes on medium heat.
5. After 20 minutes, using a butter knife, check if the knife comes out clean. If It does, your dhokla is ready. Remove the pan from the wok and set aside.
Prepare the Tadka
1. Heat up a little pot (tadka pot) on medium heat. Once hot, add oil and let it heat up.
2. Now add the asafoetida (hing), mustard seeds, sesame seeds, and green chilies. Saute for about 20 seconds.
3. Add curry leaves and cover with a lid since it will splutter.
4. At this point, add a ¼ cup of water to the tadka and swirl around.
MOM'S TIP: Adding water to the tadka adds moisture to the dhokla, but we also minimize having to use extra oil.
5. Evenly pour the tadka over the dhokla.
6. Using a sharp knife, cut the dhokla into diamond shapes. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro (optional). Serve with chutney.
Serving Suggestions
✔️ Rava Dhokla is best when served with cilantro chutney or any green chutney (mint chutney).
✔️ You can also serve Rava Dhokla with Ching's Red Chili Sauce or Maggi's Sweet Chili Sauce. I also love Dhokla with Trader Joe's Crunchy Jalapeno Lime & Onion.
Cooking Method - Instant Pot vs. Stovetop
Due to the convenience of an Instant Pot, I decided to give my mom's dhokla recipe a try in the Instant Pot. The result was moist, but the texture wasn't as fluffy and spongy.
✔️ After weeks of testing, I concurred the results are far better using the stovetop method.
How To Make Dhokla Without A Dhokla Steamer Set
Since I don't have the Dhokla Steamer set for the stovetop, I sort of used my imagination and expertise and created my own Steamer situation. Here's how.
HOW TO SET UP A DHOKLA STEAMER?
Take a wok - I use Calphalon. Place the Instant Pot Trivet inside. Then use a 9" round cake pan with the dhokla batter and place it over the trivet. Cover with the wok lid and steam. This technique works amazingly well!
Frequently Asked Questions
No. This recipe is not vegan as it contains yogurt.
No. This recipe is not gluten-free as it is made with suji or semolina flour.
Absolutely, yes! Just realize you will end up with white dhokla.
See the section above on "How To Make Dhokla Without A Dhokla Steamer Set?"
Absolutely. Personally, I love the green chilies in the batter, however for my husband and son, I omit the green chilies. For the tadka, I do add split green chilies which adds a nice flavor without much spice.
After testing this recipe both ways, multiple times, I concluded you will have better results using the stovetop method.
More Indian Snack Recipes!
- Aloo Poha
- Rava Upma | Upma Recipe
- Kadak Masala Chai
- Zucchini Carrot Besan Puda
- Baked Aloo Chaat Tostadas
- Golgappa / Gol Gappe
- Masala Corn Spinach Toastie
Tried this recipe? If so, please leave a comment & rate this recipe. That would mean so much to me. If you’re on Instagram, please tag me so I can see your creations. I'm happy to share and mention you. Thank you!
Recipe Card
Rava Dhokla / Suji Dhokla
VegetarianEquipment
Ingredients
for dhokla
- 1 ¼ cups rava/suji/semolina
- 1 ¼ cups full-fat yogurt or low-fat
- ½ tablespoon avocado oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 1-2 pinches turmeric
- ¾ cup water
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ENO
for tempering
- 1 ½ tablespoon oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida
- 2 green chilies sliced in half
- 1 ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
- 12 curry leaves
- ¼ cup water
for garnish
- to taste fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
Prep
- In a large mixing bowl, combine rava/suji, yogurt, freshly grated ginger, turmeric, green chilies (optional), avocado oil, and salt.
- Add water to the bowl.
- Mix the batter well. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes.
- Brush oil all over the 9" cake pan and on the sides.
- In the meantime, take a wok, and add 3 cups of water along with the Instant Pot Trivet.
- Cover with a lid and turn on the stove on medium heat until the water boils. This will take roughly 5-8 minutes. Then turn off the stove until you're ready to steam the dhokla.
- Once 15 minutes are up, add ENO (fruit salt) to the batter. Mix well, but DO NOT OVER MIX. Your dhokla batter is ready. The consistency of the batter should be light and flowy.
Steam the Dhokla
- Transfer the batter to the greased pan.
- Sprinkle red chili powder on top.
- Place the cake pan over the steaming hot water and trivet.
- Cover with a lid. Steam for 20 minutes on medium heat.
- After 20 minutes, using a butter knife, check if the knife comes out clean. If It does, your dhokla is ready. Remove the pan from the wok and set aside.
Prepare the Tadka
- Heat up a little pot (tadka pot) on medium heat. Once hot, add oil and let it heat up.
- Now add the asafoetida (hing), mustard seeds, sesame seeds, and green chilies. Saute for about 20 seconds.
- Add curry leaves and cover with a lid since it will splutter.
- At this point, add a ¼ cup of water to the tadka and swirl around.
- Mom's Tip: Adding water to the tadka adds moisture, but we also minimize having to use extra oil.
- Evenly pour the tadka over the dhokla.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the dhokla into diamond shapes. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro (optional). Serve with chutney.
Notes
- For the Batter: Make sure the batter rests for 15 minutes before adding ENO.
Ami says
Very easy to make and absolutely delicious! A must try recipe!
Pri P says
Tried this recipe over the holidays and loved it.. even my 3 year old enjoyed the dhokla 🙂 made it exactly as written but just added chopped spinach to the batter and it was yummy!
Pooja says
Simple recipe, yet so delicious! Instructions were very easy to follow along. I really couldn’t believe how easy it was. I will be making this often!
farzeen vasaigara says
Absolutely delicious! Extremely easy and simple to make ! Must try for dhokla lovers !
Beverly says
Turned out soooo amazing Nisha!! Thank you for sharing such a easy recipe. I also made your coriander green chutney and added a bit of mint to it and it was such a perfect combo!! I had never tried adding the water to the tadka and was surprised how it all came together!
Aishwarya says
So good! Kid friendly. My kids loved it 😍
honeywhatscooking says
Thanks so much Aishwarya.
Mira says
Love, love this recipe for its simplicity and how easy it is to whip up. My kiddo loves this for breakfast and we enjoy it with some chai ofcourse. I’m a Gujarati and I love me some dhokla and this instant dhokla recipe hits the spot when you’re craving for dhokla without all the additional work. Highly recommend trying this recipe.
honeywhatscooking says
Thanks for your sweet comment, Mira. Made my day!
Samidha says
The recipe is so easy to follow and the dhokla came out so good. Loved and approved by the daughter and husband, The best dhokla I’ve tried so far 🥰
honeywhatscooking says
That means so much to me. Thank you! So happy to hear. xoxo
Hina says
I love this rava Dhokla 👌 and also all family members want again & again 👍👌
honeywhatscooking says
Thanks so much Hina. xoxo
Rimi Chatterjee Guleria says
Superb recipe my guests loved it ♥️🥰👌🏼 Thank you Nisha and to your mom for the delicious recipe😘😘😘
Ridhi says
These are the best rava dokla. I have them on a weekly rotation and cannot get enough. They may even be better than my mom!
Munzi says
One word: PERFECT!
It took me a few attempts to get the texture right - that is not the author's fault. I kept adding more yoghurt cos I used Elite brand double roasted rava (suji).
Even for double roasted rava, stick to her measurement and it will be perfect.
I do not use asafoetida so I avoided it. Must be better if I do. But I am not a fan.
If she says 20 minutes, just do not keep opening the lid every 5 mins like me. Just sit down and watch an episode of a series.