This is a slightly different take on classic gluten free onion bhajis, as I wanted to create a pan fried (rather than deep fried) version I could easily make at home. Plus, these homemade onion bhajis are naturally gluten free (and easily made dairy free/vegan), so they are an easy dish to make for everyone.
After realising how utterly homemade bhajis delicious are, we’ve been making them regularly rather than searching the shops for gluten free onion bhajis. They are extremely cheap to make once you have the ingredients and taste seriously yummy.
These pan fried versions are flat in shape, rather than round, as this helps them to cook through during pan frying. You can even make these ahead of time and then heat them in the oven or the pan again just before serving.
We typically have these onion bhajis as a side dish on curry night, but they make a fab starter too. Serve them with a dollop of mango chutney and minted yoghurt. Or have as a side alongside rice and poppadoms with Indian-style Chicken Curry or Paneer and Green Lentil Curry.
If you want to go all out and create the best gluten free Indian fakeaway ever, you must try my Authentic Gluten Free Naan or Peshwari Naan too!
How Do I Make These Bhajis Dairy Free/Vegan?
It’s really simply, just switch in a plant-based butter in place of the regular butter. Same for making them vegan. I used Our Paula’s Butta and it worked perfectly.
Can I Switch Out the Onion?
Yes you could use coarsely grated carrot or parsnip, for a different spin on bhajis. Not everyone can tolerate onions, so it’s a nice alternative.
Any Other Variations I Can Try?
I made a delicious version with added wild garlic leaves. Simply grab a handle of wild garlic, wash well and then wilt by pouring boiling water over the leaves (in a sieve). The mix the wilted leaves through the bhaji mixture and panfry as usual.
Gluten Free Onion Bhajis Recipe (Makes 8 Bhajis – Serves 4 as a side)
You’ll find the easy method below, plus some photos to help guide you through the recipe. However, feel free to email me any questions or comments you might have. You can contact me at laura@mygfguide.com or message me on Instagram/Facebook @myglutenfreeguide.
Lastly, if you enjoy my onion bhajis recipe, I would be really grateful if you could leave a star rating or review on the recipe card below. Thank you!
Laura xxx
Onion Bhajis (GF)
Golden, crispy onion bhajis. Naturally gluten free and the perfect addition to your curry night.
Ingredients
- 2 large onions (approx 200g)
- 80g gram flour
- 0.5 tsp tumeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp coriander powder
- 1.5 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp garam malasa
- 0.5 tsp chilli powder
- 30g butter, melted
- 80ml water
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Peel then onions then slice them very finely. Place them into a large bowl.
- Sift the gram flour and the spices into the bowl with the onions, then mix with a wooden spoon until the onions are well-coated with the dry mixture.
- Add the melted butter to the bowl and stir through.
- Now finally pour the water (tap water is fine) into the bowl and give everything a really good mix.
- Add the oil to a large frying pan and set over a medium heat. Once warmed, carefully place 4 tbsp of the mixture into the frying pan, each creating a small heap. Use a spatula to gently press the heap down into a patty shape.
- Fry for 5 minutes on a low-medium heat, then flip over and cook for the same amount of time on the other side. The gluten free onion bhajis will crisp up on the outside, while the onions inside start to turn soft and sweet.
- Slide them out of the pan once cooked, onto some kitchen towel (to soak up any excess grease). Then you can either serve straight away or keep them warm in the oven while you cook the second batch and are ready to serve.
If you liked making these gluten free onion bhajis why not try one of my other gluten free recipes:
- Gluten Free Flatbread (a great naan bread substitute…or go whole hog and make my Authentic Gluten Free Naan)
- Coconut Chicken Satay Curry
- Peanut Butter Tahini Noodles
- Mac and Cheese
- Salted Caramel Brownies
Enjoy! x
