This besan chilla recipe is one of the quickest savoury pancakes in an Indian kitchen: gram flour, water, a handful of chopped vegetables and a few spices, whisked, rested for 10 minutes and cooked on a tawa, with nothing to soak or grind. Six chillas take about 40 minutes from bowl to plate. In Gujarat the same dish is called pudla, and in many Hindi speaking homes it is simply besan ka cheela.
The secret to a good one is a batter that is thinner than you expect and a short rest, which together give a chilla that is soft in the middle with lacy, crisp edges. Once you have the base right, the same method works for suji chilla and oats chilla, both given below with quantities.
40 minServes 3Vegan188 kcal
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Recipe card
Instant Vegetable Besan Chilla
Thin gram flour pancakes studded with onion, tomato, carrot and coriander, cooked on a tawa with very little oil.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Resting the batter
- 10 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
Makes 6 chillas
Batter
- 1 cup besan (gram flour)
- ¼ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)crushed between your palms
- ¼ tsp haldi (turmeric powder)
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- saltabout 3/4 tsp
- hing (asafoetida)
- ¾ cup wateradd gradually
Vegetables
- 1 small onionfinely chopped
- 1 small tomatoseeds removed, finely chopped
- ¼ cup carrotgrated
- 1 green chillifinely chopped
- ½ inch gingergrated
- 3 tbsp coriander leaveschopped
For cooking
- 1 tbsp oil1/2 tsp per chilla
You will need
- Mixing bowl and whisk
- Non-stick or cast iron tawa
- Flat-bottomed ladle and thin spatula
Method
Make a lump-free batter
Sift the besan into a bowl and add ajwain, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and hing. Pour in half the water and whisk hard to a thick, smooth paste first, which breaks up every lump. Then whisk in the rest of the water.
Check the consistency
The batter should be thin and flowing, like buttermilk thickened slightly, and should coat a spoon only lightly. If it sits on the spoon like a paste, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water.
Add vegetables and rest
Stir in the onion, tomato, carrot, green chilli, ginger and coriander. Rest the batter for 10 minutes. The besan hydrates, the vegetables release a little moisture, and the batter usually needs a final spoon of water.
Heat and grease the tawa
Heat the tawa on medium until it is evenly hot, then smear 1/4 tsp oil over it. Hold your palm a few inches above: it should feel clearly hot, not smoking.
Pour and spread
Pour a ladleful of batter in the centre and spread it outward quickly in a spiral with the ladle, keeping it thin, about 6 to 7 inches across. Because of the vegetables, some small gaps are normal.
Cook the first side
Drizzle 1/4 tsp oil over the top and around the edges. Cook for 2 minutes on medium until the edges turn golden and crisp and the top changes from glossy to matte.
Flip and finish
Slide the spatula under from the edge and flip in one quick move. Press lightly and cook 1 to 2 minutes until brown spots appear and the underside no longer looks wet. Serve right away, or stack under a cloth while you cook the rest.
Tips that make the difference
- Remove tomato seeds. The watery pulp makes the batter loose and the chilla tears.
- Ajwain is not just for flavour. It is the traditional partner for besan, and many families add it because they find gram flour sits lighter with it.
- If chillas stick, your tawa is too cool. Raise the heat for a minute, wipe with oil and try again.
- Keep the second and later chillas thin by stirring the batter each time, since the vegetables sink.
- Make it richer by sprinkling grated paneer on the top while the first side cooks.
Storing: Besan chilla is best eaten within 15 minutes, while the edges are crisp. The batter without vegetables keeps in the fridge for a day. Cooked chillas can be refrigerated for a day and reheated on a hot tawa for a minute a side.
Why this besan chilla recipe stays soft
Besan has no gluten, so it does not turn chewy however much you whisk it. What it does do is absorb water slowly. A batter that looks right when you first mix it thickens within ten minutes, and a thick gram flour batter spreads into a heavy, raw tasting pancake. That is why this recipe uses a full three quarters of a cup of water for one cup of flour and lets the batter rest before you check it again.
The other key is the first whisk into a stiff paste. Lumps in besan never dissolve once the batter is thin, and they show up as dry, bitter specks. Working the flour with a little water first removes them in seconds.
Batter consistency and tawa heat
Think of three textures. Dosa batter is too thick for besan chilla. Buttermilk is slightly too thin. The ideal sits between them: when you lift the whisk, the batter runs off in a steady stream and leaves only a thin film behind.
For the tawa, medium heat is your friend. On high heat the outside browns before the middle sets, and on low heat the chilla dries out and sticks. If you use an iron tawa, season it with a few drops of oil and a slice of onion rubbed over the surface before the first chilla. On a non-stick tawa, never heat it empty on high.
Suji chilla recipe (rava cheela)
Suji chilla is softer and slightly chewy, and many children prefer it. For 6 chillas:
- 1 cup fine suji (170 g)
- 1/2 cup plain curd, lightly sour is fine
- About 1/2 cup water, plus more after resting
- The same onion, tomato, carrot, chilli, ginger and coriander as above
- Salt and 1/2 tsp jeera
Whisk suji, curd and water and leave for 15 to 20 minutes so the grains soften. The batter becomes thick, so loosen it with 3 to 4 tbsp water until it pours. Cook exactly like besan chilla, but give it a minute longer on the first side. A suji ka cheela made with curd is the version most people search for; a pinch of baking soda before cooking makes it fluffier, but it is optional.
Oats chilla recipe
Oats chilla is a good way to use rolled oats if plain porridge does not appeal. For 5 to 6 chillas:
- 1 cup rolled or quick oats (90 g), dry roasted 2 minutes and ground to a coarse powder
- 2 tbsp besan, to hold it together
- 1/4 cup curd
- About 1/2 cup water
- Vegetables and spices as in the main recipe
Mix and rest for 10 minutes; oats soak up a lot, so be ready to add water. Spread it a bit thicker than besan chilla and cook on medium low so the centre sets. If you prefer oats in a bowl, try our masala oats.
More chilla variations
- Paneer chilla. The easiest paneer chilla recipe is to scatter 2 tbsp crumbled paneer over each besan chilla as soon as you spread it, then flip. Or fold a paneer filling inside, the way we do on the moong dal chilla page.
- Ragi chilla. For a ragi chilla recipe, replace half the besan with ragi flour and add a little more water. A ragi cheela recipe like this gives a darker and earthier chilla that pairs well with tomato chutney.
- Jowar chilla. This jowar chilla recipe uses 3/4 cup jowar flour with 1/4 cup besan for binding; rest the batter 15 minutes.
- Sprouts chilla. In this sprouts chilla recipe, stir 1/2 cup roughly chopped moong sprouts into the besan batter for crunch.
- Palak chilla. Add 1 cup very finely chopped spinach; reduce the water by 2 tbsp.
- Dal chilla. A dal chilla recipe starts from soaked lentils instead of flour, and our moong dal chilla page covers that method in detail.
Besan chilla recipe in Hindi and regional names
If you were looking for the besan chilla recipe in Hindi, you would call it बेसन का चीला, and the chilla recipe in Hindi uses words you will already know: besan, pyaaz (onion), tamatar (tomato), hari mirch, dhaniya patta (coriander) and ajwain. Besan ka chilla banane ki recipe is exactly the method above. In Gujarat the same pudla recipe is made for a quick breakfast, and in Punjabi and Rajasthani homes it often goes by puda, and a savoury puda recipe there is close to this one. Sweet puda made with wheat flour and jaggery is a different, sweet dish altogether.
Making chilla a fuller breakfast
Two vegetable besan chillas make a light meal on their own. To keep you going until lunch, add a bowl of curd, a glass of buttermilk or a handful of roasted chana. Green chutney, tomato chutney or a spoon of pickle are the usual sides. For more weekday ideas, see the breakfast recipes collection, or try poha on the days you want something lighter still.
Questions cooks ask
Why does my besan chilla stick to the tawa?
Usually the pan is too cool or dry, or the batter is too thin with watery tomato in it. Heat the tawa on medium until it feels clearly hot, grease it, and remove tomato seeds. A seasoned iron tawa improves with every use.
Is besan chilla healthy?
It is made from gram flour and vegetables with very little oil, so it makes a filling breakfast with a fair amount of protein and fibre. One serving of 2 chillas from this recipe gives about 8 g protein and 5 g fibre by our estimate. Add curd or paneer if you want more.
Can I make besan chilla without onion?
Yes. Use grated carrot, lauki, capsicum or finely chopped spinach instead. Squeeze grated lauki well, or the batter turns watery.
How is besan chilla different from moong dal chilla?
Besan chilla uses ready gram flour, so it is instant and slightly denser. Moong dal chilla is made from soaked and ground dal, takes planning, and has a lighter, more delicate texture.
Can I make chilla batter ahead?
Mix the flour, spices and water, cover, and refrigerate for up to a day. Add the vegetables and salt only when you are ready to cook, because salt draws water out of them.
What can I eat with besan chilla?
Green chutney, tomato chutney, curd or a little pickle. Children often like it rolled with a spoon of tomato sauce and grated paneer inside.