Instant Dhokla (Easy Microwave Dhokla Recipe)

This instant microwave dhokla is delicious, nutritious, fluffy and flavorful. This quick, easy and tasty vegetarian snack recipe is ideal when paired with Indian mint sauce (dhokla chutney)!

Enjoy this popular street food with our easy sweet potato and nectarine chaat and easy and quick spicy peanuts.

Growing up, dhokla was always one of my favorite snacks, especially when served with a generous drizzle of dhokla chutney! The fluffy texture, the vibrant flavor, the tempering on top – and that irresistible mouth-watering combination with Indian mint sauce, green chutney or tamarind chutney!

If you’ve tried dhokla before, you know exactly what I mean!

But if you haven’t yet tasted this popular Gujarati snack, or you’re on the fence about it, then you’re in for a treat! I’m so excited to share this delicious spongy snack with you!

This is my go-to easy and quick dhokla recipe (no steaming required) – made effortlessly in the microwave (how convenient is that?!).

It’s a recipe everyone loves – truly a crowd-pleaser. Great for a snack at tea time or as an appetizer or side dish! Once you try it, you'll be hooked!

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works
• What is Dhokla?
• Types of dhokla
• Notes on Recipe Ingredients 
• Variations and Substitutions
• Is Dhokla healthy?
• Equipment
• How to make Besan Dhokla (step-by-step)
• How to Make Tempering for Dhokla
• Tips for the Best Dhokla
• BONUS - Time Saving Tips
• How to serve
• Recipe FAQs
• Suggested Indian Recipes
• Suggested Fresh Drinks
• Dhokla (Best Besan Dhokla Recipe in Microwave)

Why This Recipe Works

• Authentic and delicious: Fluffy dhokla packed with delicious flavor, resembling restaurant-style dhokla.
• So quick and easy to make: spongy dhokla made in under 20 minutes.
• No hassle: no steaming required and no need to soak ingredients. Plus you don't need a pressure cooker or instant pot to make this dhokla.
• Affordable and healthy recipe: Uses simple ingredients like gram flour, semolina, and spices - and the best part... no added sugar.
• Tips, tricks and shortcuts – this post also contains tips, tricks and shortcuts to make the process even easier.

What is Dhokla?

• Dhokla is a savory traditional vegetarian dish as part of the Indian cuisine (specifically from the Gujarati cuisine).
• Dhokla is traditionally made with a fermented batter which is steamed to a consistency resembling a spongy cake.
• You can prepare this dish with a number of ingredients including gram flour (besan), semolina, rice, pulses and/or yogurt (depending on the type of dhokla).
• Many traditional dhokla recipes involve soaking rice or dal overnight to make the fermented batter however you can also make dhokla instantly.
• Steamed dhokla is chopped into pieces and seasoned with a tempering mixture (consisting of sautéed mustard seeds, green chillies, curry leaves and/or coriander).
• This is an instant khaman dhokla (microwave khaman dhokla) recipe and requires no soaking of ingredients.

Types of dhokla

There are many different types of dhokla including:

• Khaman dhokla (or Gujarati khaman dhokla): made from gram flour, spices and herbs.
• Rava dhokla: made from semolina/rava, spices and herbs.
• Khatta dhokla: made from rice, black gram, yogurt, spices and herbs.

Notes on Recipe Ingredients 

• Gram flour/besan: the main ingredient in this dish. This is the flour made with brown chickpeas or chana dal/split brown chickpeas. (This is not the same as chickpea flour).
• Semolina: also known as “rava”, "sooji" or “suji” is a pale-yellow flour, made from “durum” wheat. This recipe uses coarse semolina. Coarse semolina has a slightly grittier texture compared with fine semolina which is softer. Depending on your preference you can use either coarse or fine semolina for this recipe. 
• Turmeric powder: this gives the dhokla with a yellow colour and distinctive flavor.
• Asafoetida (hing): a spice to enhance the flavor, you just need a pinch.
• Ginger: for flavor.
• Fresh coriander (or cilantro): used in the batter and tempering. Cilantro/coriander leaves add a refreshing taste.
• Green chillies: used in the batter and tempering for spice.
• Oil: you can use olive oil (or a neutral oil). Oil is added in the batter and tempering.
• Salt and lemon juice: to enhance the flavor. Lemon juice also reacts with the Eno salt to give a frothy batter.
• Water: this is added to the batter before adding the Eno salt.
• Eno (fruit salt): Use unflavoured Eno fruit salt. Eno is a leavening agent which reacts with the citric acid from the lemon juice to release carbon dioxide, creating a frothy bubbling mixture in the batter which helps the dhokla rise and gives this dish its fluffiness and spongy texture once cooked. 
• Spices for tempering: including mustards seeds, cumin seeds, white sesame seeds and curry leaves (kadi patha) are sautéed in oil for an authentic taste in this dish.

Note: this recipe does not use any rice flour.

Variations and Substitutions

• Spice: for more spice, you can add another 1-2 chopped green chilies, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and ½ teaspoon chilli powder. 
• Substitutions: You can substitute Eno fruit salt with baking soda (1 teaspoon Eno = ¾ teaspoon baking soda/bicarbonate of soda plus ¼ teaspoon extra lemon juice in the batter). Add at the same point you would add the Eno fruit salt. For best results, I would recommend using Eno fruit salt. 

Is Dhokla healthy?

Dhokla is made using gram flour and semolina, which are rich in nutrients.

• Gram flour: gram flour contains nutrients including protein, fibre, folate, iron and magnesium. 
• Semolina: semolina is rich in nutrients including protein, fibre and B vitamins.
• Turmeric: turmeric has many health benefits including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties as well as the potential to help prevent heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. 
• Asafoetida (hing): a pinch is used in this recipe. In Ayurvedic medicine, asafoetida (hing) has many benefits including aiding in digestion.
• Ginger: also aids in digestion and has anti-inflammatory properties.

Equipment

• To cook the dhokla you will need a microwave safe dish (approx. 15cm x 20cm) you can use a slightly smaller dish (this will increase the height of the dhokla once cooked) or a larger dish (which will make the height of the dhokla smaller once cooked). You do not need to cover the dish whilst cooking in the microwave. 
• You will also need a microwave oven to cook the dhokla. This recipe is made using a high-powered microwave (1000W) and takes approximately 4 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave and size of your microwave dish you may need to cook it between 3-5 minutes. Simply use a skewer to check if the dhokla is cooked, the skewer should come out clean when cooked. 
• To make the tempering mixture you will also need a small non-stick frying pan to make the tempering mixture.

How to make Besan Dhokla (step-by-step)

Preparation for batter 

1. Sift the gram flour into a bowl. Using a sieve, sift the gram flour into a large mixing bowl (this helps to ensure batter is smooth with no lumps or air bubbles).
2. Add the semolina. Sift in the semolina (2 tbsp) using the sieve. 
3. Add dry ingredients into the bowl. Add the chopped coriander, chillies, ginger, turmeric, asafoetida (hing) and salt into the bowl. 
4. Add the oil and lemon juice. Add the oil and lemon juice into the bowl. 

Making the gram flour batter/dhokla batter

5. Add water into the bowl.
6. Stir together. Using a whisk, stir to combine all ingredients together.
7. Allow mixture to rest for 10 minutes. Cover and set aside.
8. Add Eno (fruit salt). After 10 minutes, add eno and mix gently until the prepared batter becomes light and frothy. 

Cook the batter

9. Check batter consistency. Batter should be medium consistency and frothy (like image 9)
10. Grease dish with oil. Using a brush, grease a microwave safe dish with oil.
11. Pour batter into dish and cook. Carefully pour the batter into the dish and microwave for 3-4 minutes, use a skewer to check if cooked (it should come out clean).
12. Cut into squares. Once cooked in the microwave, using a knife cut the dhokla squares and make the tempering (to pour on top of the dhokla).

How to Make Tempering for Dhokla

1. Heat mustard seeds, cumin seeds and sesame seeds in oil in a small pan. Start by heating oil, add the mustard seeds and stir intermittently, after 30 seconds (or once they are crackling), add the cumin seeds and sesame seeds and continue to stir and allow to fry in the oil for another 20-25 seconds (avoid browning the sesame seeds). 
2. Add curry leaves and asafoetida (hing). Add the curry leaves and stir for another 10-15 seconds (be careful when adding curry leaves as they will splutter so stand at a distance from the pan whilst stirring). Add the asafoetida (hing) and stir again for another few seconds.
3. Add the coriander, green chillies and salt. Add the chopped coriander and sliced chillies and allow to fry in the pan for 2-3 minutes, add salt and mix again. The curry leaves should look crispy and the coriander and chillies should look soft and sautéed in the tempering spices.
4. Add water and lemon juice. Add the water and lemon juice and stir for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and pour this tempering mixture evenly on the dhokla. Use a spoon to evenly spread this across the surface of the dhokla. Serve with mint chutney and enjoy!

Tips for the Best Dhokla

• Sift the gram flour and semolina: this ensures a smooth batter is made without air bubbles or lumps of flour
• Whisk the batter thoroughly before adding the Eno fruit salt: this helps make sure the batter is smooth and all ingredients are properly mixed and also adds air to the batter which helps make the dhokla fluffy. 
• Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes before adding Eno salt: this helps the gram flour absorb the water and helps the batter set before adding the Eno fruit salt. It is also important to not leave the batter out for a long time once you add the Eno fruit salt – it should be cooked straight away or the dhokla will not be spongy or fluffy.
• Avoid overmixing after adding the Eno fruit salt: it is important to gently mix the Eno fruit salt into the batter without overmixing to ensure the batter stays light and airy which helps ensure the dhokla rises properly and is fluffy.  
• Make sure the Eno fruit salt is active: make sure the Eno fruit salt is in date (not expired) and is active (it should fizz in water). 
• Use the precise quantities of ingredients: it is important to use the exact amount of Eno salt (this is a leavening agent) and too much will give an aftertaste. Too much turmeric in combination with the leavening agent will also cause the dhokla to appear pink/red. It is also important to add enough water to ensure the dhokla is not dry or crumbly.

BONUS - Time Saving Tips

1. Grease dish while resting the batter: While allowing the batter to rest for 10 minutes, I recommend lightly greasing a microwave safe dish so it is ready to use once you add the Eno fruit salt to the batter. 
2. Make tempering while dhokla cooking in microwave: I also prefer to make the tempering whilst the dhokla is cooking in the microwave – this saves a few minutes – so the tempering is ready as soon as the dhokla is made – just remember to cut the dhokla into squares before pouring the tempering mixture. 

How to serve

• Dhokla can be served as a snack or an appetizer, served best with fresh mint chutney or Indian mint sauce (dhokla chutney) (or coriander chutney without onion and garlic) and masala chai!
• To turn this into a feast, serve this dhokla with a range of Punjabi or Gujarati foods including our crispy palak pakora (spinach and onion pakora), easy paneer manchurian, aloo papdi chaat and samosas!

Recipe FAQs

Suggested Indian Recipes

Suggested Fresh Drinks