We all have those days when we’re too lazy to grab something special for a snack. That’s why it’s so useful to have some recipes on hand that can easily be made right in the comfort of your own home!
Indian cuisine is one of the most popular in the world. It has everything from appetizers to desserts, so it’s no wonder why so many people love it. If you’re looking for quick and easy snacks to make at home, then look no further!
Here are the top 20 best Indian snacks that are both delicious and easy to make:
Samosa
Let’s start with a classic! Samosas are savory triangular pastries usually filled with potatoes, peas, and spices. You can serve it as an appetizer, or you can even enjoy it as a meal.
How do you prepare it? Well, it’s actually quite simple. First, you mix the potatoes, peas, and spices together. Then you roll out the dough into triangles and stuff them with the filling. Fry up your samosas in hot oil until golden brown, and enjoy!
Pakora
Pakoras are thin slices of vegetables that are coated in a Bhajjipowder mixture and then deep-fried. Although extremely popular as a street snack in India, they are also great to serve at parties or family gatherings.
To prepare Pakoras, mix together your favorite vegetables with a batter made up of besan (chickpea flour), rice flour, and spices. Heat up some oil in a deep-frying pan and then drop tablespoons of the mixture into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, drain on paper towels to remove excess oil, and serve!
Shakarpara
Shakarpara is a type of sweet snack made with all-purpose flour, ghee (clarified butter), and sugar. They are cut into diamond or square shapes before being deep-fried in hot oil.
To prepare them, you need to seek together all-purpose flour, ghee, and sugar with a little water until you have a thick dough. Roll out the dough and cut it into desired shapes.
Then, heat up some oil in a pan and drop the shapes into the hot oil. Again, keep them in the pan until they turn golden. Don’t forget to put a napkin under the pan to soak up any excess oil, and you’re ready to enjoy!
Namak Para
Namak para is a savory snack made with all-purpose flour, ghee, carom seeds (ajwain), and salt. Basically, it’s Sjakapara without sugar, so if you don’t have a sweet tooth, this is the Indian snack for you!
To make them, combine all-purpose flour, ghee, carom seeds, and salt in a bowl. Knead the dough with a little water until it’s nice and soft. Now roll out the dough into thin sheets and cut into desired shapes (diamonds or squares).
If you want to make a healthy version of the snack, you can air fry it for about 12 to 15 minutes at 160°C. Otherwise, you can deep-fry the Namak Para in oil of your choosing for a couple of minutes.
Poha Chivda
For those who like rice, Poha Chivda is an absolute must-try! It’s a snack made of flattened rice, nuts, and spices that can be enjoyed both as an appetizer or as a light meal.
Making Poha Chivda isn’t complicated. First, you need to soak some flattened rice in hot water for 10 minutes. Next, in a pan, heat up some oil and add the soaked rice. Fry for about three minutes, and if you want, add some nuts of your choice (cashews, peanuts, almonds). Add some spices as well, such as red chili powder, garam masala, and turmeric powder.
Fry all together until the nuts are lightly crunchy. Let it cool down, and you’ve got yourself a delicious snack!
Chakli
Chakli is one of India’s most popular snacks, and it’s also very easy to make. Chaklis are basically deep-fried spirals made of chickpea or rice flour batter. You can prepare them in different shapes, such as circles, squares, or triangles.
Here’s what you need to prepare Chakli. Begin by mixing together some chickpea flour, rice flour (or both), a bit of oil, and water to make a thick batter. Heat up some oil in a deep-frying pan, and with the help of your fingers, drop tablespoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil.
Spend a couple of minutes frying them and they’re ready to serve. Just be careful not to burn them!
Tandoori Aloo Tikka
Tandoori Aloo Tikka is a spicy snack made of potatoes marinated in yogurt and spices. It’s usually served as an appetizer at parties or gatherings but can also be enjoyed as a light meal.
To prepare this dish, you need to boil some potatoes until fork-tender. Next, peel them and cut them into cubes or strips. In a separate bowl, mix together yogurt, ginger garlic paste, garam masala, red chili powder, turmeric powder, chaat masala (optional), and salt according to taste.
Now add the boiled potatoes to the marinade and stir to combine. Heat up some oil in a pan, and fry the potatoes until they’re fried on all sides. Serve hot with chutney or ketchup of your choice!
Khaman
Here we have another Indian snack made from split chickpeas (chana dal). It’s usually served with coriander and tamarind chutney but it can also be enjoyed as a light meal. To make Khaman, you need to soak some split chickpeas in water overnight.
The next day, grind the soaked chickpeas with a bit of water until they form a thick paste. Take a pan and heat up some oil. Now add the ground chickpea paste and fry it on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Allow the mixture to cool down before adding a few spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, and salt according to taste.
Shape the mixture into small discs or squares with your hands (or a cookie cutter), and deep-fry them for a few minutes, and you’re done!
Vada Pav
Looking for a replacement for boring finger foods on your dinner table? Here’s a great option! Vada Pav is an Indian street food made of deep-fried potato patties served in a bun. It’s one of India’s most popular snacks and perfect for when you’re craving something savory and delicious.
To prepare this snack, mash some boiled potatoes into a paste. Now make small round patties with the mixture and shallow fry them until they’re golden brown on both sides. Cut open buns, spread some chutneys (mint or tamarind) inside, place the vadas in between, and top with sev (crunchy noodles). Serve hot, and enjoy!
Khandvi
Khandvi is a delicious and easy-to-make snack perfect for any occasion! It’s made of besan (gram flour) and yogurt. All you need to do is mix together some gram flour, curd, oil, and water in a bowl until it forms a smooth paste.
Now heat up the mixture on low flame while stirring continuously for about 10 minutes. When done, grease your palms with oil and spread out the batter into thin layers on a greased plate or tray.
Cut them into small strips and roll them up. Top with spices like red chili powder, garam masala, chaat masala (optional), grated coconut (optional), chopped coriander leaves, and sesame seeds if desired.
Handvo
Handvo is a savory cake made of rice and lentils. It’s crispy from the outside and soft on the inside, making it perfect for snacks or even light meals. To prepare Handvo, you must soak some rice and split pigeon peas in water for about 6 hours or overnight.
Now drain out the water and grind them together into a paste. Heat some oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida powder (thing), curry leaves, chopped green chilies, and turmeric powder. Once they splutter, add the ground mixture and salt according to taste.
Kala Chana Chaat
Lovers of savory snacks, this one’s for you! Kala Chana Chaat is a simple yet delicious snack that can be prepared in just minutes with minimal ingredients. All you need to do is soak some black chickpeas overnight and pressure cook them until they’re soft.
Transfer the cooked chickpeas into a bowl and mix it with chopped onion, tomato, coriander leaves, green chilies, red chili powder, garam masala powder (optional), lemon juice, and salt according to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature as an appetizer before meals or enjoy alone as a snack!
Idli
In India, Idli is a popular snack, especially for breakfast. It’s made of rice and black gram that are soaked overnight and then ground into a paste. Once the paste is ready, steam the mixture in small round molds and you’re done!
Idlis taste best when served with sambar (lentil-based stew) or coconut chutney. Add some grated fresh coconut to your idli batter for extra flavor before steaming it. 14. Tandoori Gobi
If you’re looking for something different yet delicious, try tandoori gobi! This dish consists of cauliflower florets marinated in yogurt and spices like red chili powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, and ginger-garlic paste.
For best results, preheat the oven to 200°C and bake the marinated florets for about 20 minutes. Serve hot with some cilantro chutney, mint chutney, or any dip of your choice!
Sabudana Vada
Sabudana, also known as sago, is a popular Indian snack. It’s made by deep-frying balls of mashed potatoes and soaked Sabudana in oil. Sabudana patties can be served as a snack or a side dish for meals.
First, take some boiled potatoes and mash them with a fork or masher. Take some peanuts and roast them while grinding them into a powder. Now add mashed potatoes, roasted peanuts, soaked Sabudana, chopped green chilies and curry leaves in a bowl and mix everything together.
Shape the mixture into small patties and put them in a pan with oil to deep fry until they become golden brown. Serve hot with some sweet and tangy chutney or just plain yogurt!
Rava Dhokla
Dhoklas are a popular snack among Indians and Rava Dhokla is one of the most preferred variants of it. This dish calls for semolina, yogurt, and a few spices.
Start by mixing together the semolina and yogurt in a bowl until they form a smooth paste. Then, you need to add ingredients like ginger-garlic paste, green chilies, curry leaves, cumin seeds, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt.
Now pour the mixture into a greased cake tin and steam it for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. Once done, cut the Dhokla into squares or diamonds and serve with some coriander chutney or tamarind sauce.
Sev Puri
Sev Puri is a popular chaat item that is enjoyed by many Indians. It consists of a crispy savory base made from puris (deep-fried flatbread) and topped with mashed potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cilantro leaves, sev (fried chickpea noodles), and chutneys.
To make this delicious snack, first you need to prepare the puri base by deep-frying some small pooris in hot oil until they become crisp. Once done, top them with mashed potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cilantro leaves, sev, and your favorite chutney.
Finally, serve the Sev Puri with some fresh lemon juice or sprinkle of chat masala for extra flavor!
Paneer Puff
Paneer puffs are a delightful snack that can be enjoyed any time of day. This dish consists of puff pastry filled with a mixture of mashed paneer (Indian cottage cheese), onions, green chilies, ginger-garlic paste, and spices.
To prepare the puffs, first you need to mix together all of the filling ingredients. Then take some puff pastry dough and cut out small circles with a cookie cutter or glass. Fill each circle with the prepared paneer mixture and fold them into half-moon shapes.
Finally, deep fry the puffs until they become golden brown and serve with some sweet and spicy chutney.
Frankie
Frankies are a popular street food snack found in many parts of India. However, you can still prepare these at home in no time. This dish consists of a wrap made from wheat flour or chapati dough filled with a variety of vegetables and paneer.
To make your own Frankie, first you need to mix together some whole wheat flour, salt, ghee, and water to form a dough. Roll out the dough into thin circles and cook it on a tawa (griddle pan) until lightly browned.
Once done, fill the roti with a mixture of vegetables, paneer, and spices. Roll up the roti into a wrap and enjoy your homemade Frankie!
Dahi Papdi Chaat
Last but certainly not least, let’s not forget the popular Dahi Papdi Chaat. This dish consists of crispy fried papdi layered with potatoes, chickpeas, yogurt, and a variety of chutneys.
Prepare the papdi by deep-frying some small puris until they become golden and crisp. Then, layer the papdis with potatoes, chickpeas, yogurt, and your favorite chutneys.
Finally, top the Dahi Papdi Chaat with sev (fried chickpea noodles) and some fresh cilantro leaves for added flavor.
