Cinnamon Free Vegan Onion Rava Dosa
Crispy, lacy, and deeply savory, this South Indian street-food classic is built entirely from pantry staples — semolina, rice flour, and a handful of aromatics — with zero warm spices in sight. That makes it a natural fit for anyone navigating a sensitivity to cinnamon, since traditional dosa recipes rarely call for it and this one keeps things clean and straightforward from start to finish. The magic here is all in the pour: a very thin, almost watery batter hit with cumin seeds, fresh ginger, green chilies, and finely chopped onion creates those signature lacy holes as it hits a screaming-hot pan. You don't spread it, you don't fuss with it — you just let the heat do its work until the edges curl gold and the surface goes dry and set. A drizzle of oil around the rim seals the deal, giving you a shatteringly crisp crepe that's genuinely hard to stop eating. Serve it straight off the pan with coconut chutney or sambar, because rava dosa waits for no one.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the batter
- 1 cup fine semolina (rava / sooji)
- ½ cup rice flour
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups water, plus more as needed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 green chilies, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For cooking
- 3–4 tbsp neutral oil (such as canola or sunflower oil), for cooking
For serving
- coconut chutney, for serving (optional)
- sambar, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the semolina, rice flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and 2 1/2 cups water until smooth and lump-free. The batter should be very thin and pourable — thinner than pancake batter, closer to the consistency of heavy cream. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes so the semolina hydrates fully.
- 2
After resting, stir in the chopped onion, green chilies, ginger, cumin seeds, cilantro, and black pepper. If the batter has thickened as the semolina absorbs water, whisk in additional water, a few tablespoons at a time, until it returns to a thin, pourable consistency. The batter should flow freely off the ladle.
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