Vegan Idlis Recipe: an Indian Dumpling

Jump straight to Vegan Idlis Recipe: An Indian Dumpling

Idli is a soft, steamed dumpling of Indian origin.  We remember our first idli after a cold snow-flurried walk to a tiny restaurant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They were delicate and delicious, dipped in lentil dahl, and oh so cute! We knew we needed to learn how to make idli.

The batter for idli is made from soaked, ground, and fermented urad dal and rice. It’s quite easy and fun to make, especially the part where you mix it with your hands!

When we first started experimenting with idli recipes, we made a few mistakes. First, we tried including greens in the batter. Those turned out gummy. Then I added too much water to the idli batter recipe. This resulted in some fabulous dosa (Indian pancakes), but terrible idli. We tried cooking them in our Instant Pot, but that didn’t turn out well either. We didn’t like them plain, so we experimented with spices. Then we found our sweet spot!

 This idlis recipe is simple, flavorful, and will produce darling little dumplings to happily grace your table. Here are three Indian Dahls they go great with: 

Vegetable Explosion Chana Dahl,  Autumn Lentil Dahl with Beet Greens
Instant Pot Three Lentil Dahl

The batter for idli is traditionally made from Urad dal and short-grain rice. Urad dal is also known as black lentils. It’s in the same family as mung beans and cowpeas. It’s high in protein, fiber, and calcium. We can find it at some grocery stores, but usually order it from our favorite small, family-owned business: Pure Indian Foods. Click on that link and look for Urad White Split. The white urad dal has the black husk peeled off.  

We found an interesting study comparing the vitamin B content and the protein digestibility of idli batter that was fermented for different lengths of time. They found that fermenting the batter for idli for 7 hours produced the highest vitamin B levels. Fermenting the batter for 24-30 hours provided the highest levels of easy to digest proteins.¹ Most importantly, fermentation creates a healthier batter for idli! 

Idli isn’t something you make on a whim. It’s similar to Ethiopian Injera, or fast and easy sourdough bread.  If you want to eat idli on Saturday, start soaking your urad dal and rice on Friday. The dal and rice need to soak in water for 6 hours. After you grind and mix the batter, it needs to rise and ferment for 6-15 hours. It develops a nice sourdough flavor over this time.  

We don’t like to have a lot of kitchen equipment and what we have, we prefer to be multi-purpose. Idlis are an exception because they’re so cute and delicious. Idlis are made in idli dishes. This is a specialty item you need to purchase to make them. We also use silicone liners to make the process easy. Here are the ones we use and like:

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We’re certain we can expand into many flavors and textures of idli. Maybe even little sweet cakes?!

Here is our idlis recipe for people who are new to this delicious dumpling.

1. Soak the dal and rice. Rinse.

2. Blend urad dal and rice separately, mix together with your hands for 2 minutes. Set aside to ferment. 

3. Pour idli into silicone liners and steam to cook. 

Idli with our Vegetable Explosion Chana Dahl.

Jump to Vegan Idlis Recipe: An Indian Dumpling Grocery List

Jump to Vegan Idlis Recipe: An Indian Dumpling Nutritional Analysis

Vegan Idlis Recipe: An Indian Dumpling Recipe

Prep

• Preparing batter takes 15 minutes; soaking and fermenting ingredients take 12-20 hours; cooking idli takes 30 minutes.
• Makes approximately 30 mini idlis and serves 8 people
• Suggested equipment: mini-idli rack, silicone idli liners, a large pot that allows at least 1” around the sides of the idli rack and a couple of inches above it. 

Ingredients

• ½ cup urad dahl
• 2 cups short-grain rice
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp Sambhar or Garam Masala
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 ½ cups water

Instructions

Soak:

1. Get out two large jars or bowls. Place the urad dal and 1 tsp of fenugreek in one and the short-grain rice in another. If you don’t have short-grain rice, use another. We’ve used jasmine rice, Arborio, and sushi rice. They all worked well. We have only used white rice.
2. Place enough water in the containers to keep the dal and rice both covered with water as they expand. Soak 6 hours or more.
3. Drain and rinse the urad dal and rice. Keep them separate.

Blend:  

1. Place urad dal fenugreek mixture and ½ cup of water in the blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Place the rice in the blender, add ½ to ¾ cups of water, and blend until smooth.
3. Place both mixtures in a large bowl or pot that has enough room for the idli batter to double in size. A scientific study shows that the B vitamin is highest when the idli batter has fermented for 7 hours but the proteins are easiest to digest at 25 hours.
4. Mix with your hands for 2 minutes. Your hands provide the naturally occurring microorganisms the batter needs to ferment.

Ferment:

1. Like bread dough, cover, and set in a warm place. Let it ferment for 12 or so hours until it doubles in size. If you leave it at room temperature it may take a few more hours to double. It will be light and fluffy.
2. Using a spatula or large spoon, fold in the curry powder and salt. We chose to use Sambhar Masala curry powder, but you can use any other you like.

How to Make Idli:

1. Take your idli rack apart. You will fill one layer at a time and put the rack back together as you go.
2. Lightly oil your silicone idli liners and place them in the idli rack.
3. Place an inch (2cm) of water in a large pot and bring to a boil.
4. Pour idli batter into the liners, not more than will fill it if the batter was flattened out.
5. When the bottom rack is full, start on the next rack. Fill and layer them until you’re finished. Add the top nut to hold it all together.
6. Place it in the pot of boiling water. Cover and steam for 7-8 minutes for the mini-idli rack. You can test to see if they’re done by removing one, popping it out of the liner, and breaking it open to see if it’s cooked through.
7. Place cooked idli on a rack to cool. They’ll be sticky, so make sure they don’t touch as they cool.

Chef's Notes 

If you want them warm for eating, serve right away or lightly toast or warm the idli in the oven. This will slightly toast the outsides and they won’t stick together. It also makes it easier for storage IF you don’t eat them all at once! When you serve them right after cooking they’re softer and will absorb the soup or dahl more easily.

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Written by Your Vegan Family 

Stacy and Markus live an adventurous vegan lifestyle and write articles about their experiences cooking global vegan cuisine, creating businesses, raising vegan kids, and traveling through more than 65 countries. They earned degrees in molecular biology and acupuncture, consulted over decades for healthcare companies and individuals, created businesses in Asian medicine, eco-tourism, cultural immersion, and taught yoga in myriad venues.

We’ve learned a lot from eating a plant-based diet for 25 years and are eager to share more with you. Learn more on our About Us page.

Vegan Idlis Recipe Grocery List: 

• urad dahl
• short-grain rice
• fenugreek
• Sambhar or Garam Masala
• salt

Vegan Idlis Recipe Nutritional Analysis

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutritional calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. When exact ingredients are not available in this database, the closest substitution is made. 

Percentages are based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet for an adult. 

1. Debasree Ghoshand Parimal Chattopadhyay. Preparation of idli batter, its properties and nutritional improvement during fermentation. J Food Sci Technol. 2011 Oct; 48(5): 610–615. Published online 2010 Nov 16. doi: 10.1007/s13197-010-0148-4

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