Soft on the inside, crispy on the outside Dosa Waffles are ready in under 20 minutes using leftover dosa batter! Serve these vegan, gluten-free savory waffles with coconut chutney, sambar, and masala aloo for the perfect special brunch spread.
Dosa Waffles are something I first had for brunch at INDAY in Flatiron in Manhattan back in June 2016 and I've thought about it ever since. It was topped with sambar, coconut chutney, cilantro, and pumpkin seeds.
Since then, I've thought it was a genius brunch dish! Let's say you have leftover dosa batter, you're hosting a brunch, or your kiddos have their friends / cousins sleeping over. Then, you have an easy way to pump out vegan, gluten-free dosas that are fun and fresh and ready in under 20 minutes! No technique required with getting the perfect, thin crepe-like texture.
Instead, you'll end up with a fluffy savory Indian waffle that's crispy on the outside. It'll hold all of your favorite toppings in its crevices! Sneak in veggies for your kids and they'll never know. It's great to-go or for a sit-down brunch with family and friends.
Either way, you'll have your loved ones looking forward to the next time you make dosa in a waffle maker.
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Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
All you really need for this recipe is leftover dosa batter! With the batter itself, you can make savoury waffles or even make it plain and top them with strawberries and Nutella.
- Dosa Batter - Dosa batter is made by blending lentils and rice, and then fermenting it. If you don't have dosa batter, you'll want to set aside substantial time to soak and ferment the batter beforehand. You can use a highly rated recipe like this Dosa Batter by Swasthi of Indian Healthy Recipes, purchase readymade batter at an Indian grocer, or use a dosa mix where you just add water.
- Vegetables and mix-ins - I recommend red onion, cilantro, green chilis, and even cheese. Feel free to hide any other vegetables from your kids like shredded tomatoes or diced tomatoes.
- Spices - Just salt and pepper work great but red chili powder, chaat masala, mustard seeds, or cumin seeds would make it even tastier.
How to Make Dosa Waffles
Start by plugging in and preheating your waffle maker according to equipment instructions.
Pro tip: My Oster waffle maker is on a medium to maximum setting so that it's hot enough to get a crispy exterior but cooks the inside.
While the waffle maker is preheating, finely dice the green chilis and red onion. Prep any other additional vegetables. Add them to a mixing bowl or pitcher fill with the dosa batter and mix well.
Once the waffle maker has preheated, spray both the bottom and top with nonstick oil spray. Then, ladle about ½ cup of dosa batter and spread it to all the edges.
Pro tip: Don't overfill the the waffle maker with the batter! It doesn't need to be overstuffed to the point that it's leaking over edges. The batter should just fill up any empty spaces because it'll puff up while it cooks.
Close the waffle maker until it notifies you that the cooking is done. Check the waffle for doneness and that the exterior is crispy. Give it a few extra minutes if needed. Use a small spatula or chopsticks to remove the waffle.
Repeat the process with each waffle, making sure to spray the waffle maker with oil in between each one.
What to Serve Dosa with
Serve the dosa waffle hot and fresh the same way you would actual dosa! A must is coconut chutney, especially great to make fresh but it also comes pre-made in bottles at an Indian grocer. I'd also recommend the classics like sambar, aloo masala, and cilantro-mint chutney for topping.
It would also be perfect with a hot cup of masala chai and a sweet treat like pumpkin halwa to finish off.
Since dosa waffles are great for an at home brunch, you can also serve them some of these suggestions:
- Fried or poached eggs
- Avocado or guacamole
- Watermelon radish
- Roasted tomatoes on the vine
You can also wrap these up and take them on the go for an office lunch or a road trip.
Tips and Tricks
There aren't a lot of ways to go wrong with this recipe but here are some tips!
- Do not overfill. Don't overfill your waffle maker past it's capacity! You'll have batter dripping out the sides and you won't have fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside waffles.
- Use a cooling rack. Avoid stacking the waffles as they're finished. Let them cool on a cooling rack or serve them while they're hot and crispy. Stacking them causes them to steam, so you'll end up with really soft waffles.
- Do not use batter if spoiled. You'll know when the dosa batter has spoiled when it smells sour or mold has grown on it. Since the batter is fermented, this can be hard to tell but if you've had dosa before then you'll know what it should smell like.
Storage Instructions
Since dosa batter is fully vegan, they hold up really well in the refrigerator or freezer. Refrigerate the dosa waffles for up to two weeks. When ready to consume, bake them in the oven on a sheet pan for 10-15 minutes at 425°F until they're warmed through and crispy on the outside or pop them in a toaster.
Freeze dosa waffles for up to two months. If they're frozen, allow them to thaw at room temperature and then bake them per instructions above or pop them in a toaster.
More South Indian Recipes to try
Recipe
Dosa Waffles
Equipment
- Waffle Maker 8-inch circular
Ingredients
- 25 oz dosa batter
- ½ small red onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1-2 green chilis, finely diced
- curry leaves or cilantro, chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- coconut chutney, masala aloo, sambar, for accompaniments
- cilantro, watermelon radish, avocado, curry leaves, for garnish and serving
Instructions
- Finely dice the red onion and green chilis. Chop the the cilantro or curry leaves.
- Mix the red onion, mustard seeds, green chilis, and cilantro or curry leaves, and salt and pepper with the dosa batter in a mixing bowl.
- Preheat the 8-inch waffle maker according to equipment instruction. Once hot, spray the waffle maker with nonstick oil.
- Add ~1 ladle (or ½ cup or 4 fl oz) of batter to the waffle maker. Adjust the amount according to your waffle maker's capacity. Do not overfill. Spread the batter to the edges, adding more as necessary.
- Close the waffle maker and cook until the waffle maker indicates that it's done. The waffle should be puffy and the outside will be crispy.
- Transfer the waffle to a cooling rack in a single layer. Repeat with the rest of the batter, being sure to spray the waffle maker with the nonstick oil between each cook.
- Serve ½ - 1 dosa waffle with masala aloo sabzi and coconut chutney.
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