Lighter Air Fryer Onion Bhaji or Bhajia Quick and Easy

My air fryer onion bhaji recipe is a thing of great beauty; it is simply an onion fritter made from a spiced batter, and they taste fantastic.

I like to cook these in an air fryer, as maintaining a clean deep-fat fryer is a chore, but I have instructions for frying too.

The Great Onion Bhaji

My love of Indian food is scarcely hidden here on my site; there is, however, a lack of Indian starters, sides and snacks.

Now that is not because I do not like them, but it is because they are often fried.

It is not the frying that causes me concern; it is having oil in the fryer hanging around all of the time.

Also, the spicing in Indian food means that the oil really is only of future use with similarly spiced food.

As a result, I was always going to follow up my air fryer chicken wings and air fryer arancini with this pakora recipe.

I was already making plans for this air fryer onion bhaji recipe before I hit the "add to cart" button.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Bhajia cooked in an Air Fryer worth it?

Yes... Well, of course, that was going to be the answer, or they would not be here!

Are they as good as a fried pakora? Sadly not; however, that does not mean that they should be discounted.

I have not eaten any form of homemade bhaji for far too long, and the reason is that whole oil hanging around 'thing'.

Cooking them in this way means that I am more likely to cook them, which is a good thing!

Are these onion bhaji spicy?

My version is heavily spiced; however, they are not spicy hot.

I have no idea why, but I have never put chilli in any form into mine. I guess it is a habit; if you wanted, you could shred fresh chilli and add it to the mix.

Alternatively, you could add chilli powder to the batter mix.

Can I use plain flour?

You could, but in my testing, I found that plain flour led to bhajis that were quite "stodgy".

The combination of rice flour and gram flour gave crispy bhaji with just the right amount of batter. If you have too much, the centre of your bhaji will be stodgy and gloopy.

That is not good; you need to have just enough batter to loosely hold together the onions.

Serving Suggestions

I've always known onion bhaji as a starter with an Indian Chutney in a British Indian restaurant. Something like this green tomato chutney would be perfect.

However, I love dipping them in curry! In fact, you will see a take on my pork vindaloo in the background of these pictures.

And yup, I use them in lieu of naan bread, because, well, because I can!

I always add a yoghurt and mint sauce too; essentially, it is my mint raita recipe without the cucumber.

You could also scale these and use them on my magical onion bhaji burger!

Equipment Used

I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Air fryer, I have also given instructions for frying, so you can use a wok or deep-fat fryer.
• Stovetop or microwave to melt the ghee.
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• Mixing bowl.
• A combination of weighing scales, measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.