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South Indian · Indian

Masala dosa

Vegetarian

ಮಸಾಲೆ ದೋಸೆ · masale dose

Thin, crisp crêpes made from a fermented rice and urad dal batter, folded around a soft, turmeric-yellow potato and onion filling tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Masala dosa is a South Indian main course, ready in about 17 hours 30 minutes and made with long-grain white rice, black gram (urad dal) and potato. It serves 4 and is rated advanced to cook.

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Top view of masala dosa with chutneys and sambar on a black background. Perfect for food photography.
Photo: Jack Baghel / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
30 min
Cook
1 h
Total
17 h 30 min
Serves
4
Level
Advanced
Calories
657

Includes about 6 hours soaking and 10 hours fermenting the batter (mostly overnight); hands-on time is about 1½ hours.

Ingredients

4 servings (8 dosas)

For the batter

For cooking the dosas

For the potato filling

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Soak the rice in one bowl and the urad (opens in a new tab) dal with the fenugreek (opens in a new tab) seeds in another, each covered generously with water, for about 6 hours.

    • 5 min

  2. Step 2

    Drain. Grind the urad (opens in a new tab) dal with a little of the fresh water to a very smooth, fluffy paste, then grind the rice with most of the remaining water to a fine, slightly gritty batter. Mix both with the salt by hand in a large bowl.

  3. Step 3

    Cover loosely and leave in a warm place for 8–12 hours, until the batter has risen, is bubbly and smells pleasantly sour.

      In a cold kitchen, put it in the oven with only the light on.

    • Step 4

      For the filling, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the mustard seeds (opens in a new tab) and let them pop, then add the curry leaves (opens in a new tab), onion (opens in a new tab), green chilli (opens in a new tab) and ginger. Cook until the onion is soft. Add the turmeric (opens in a new tab), potatoes (opens in a new tab), salt and water and stir until it comes together; finish with coriander.

      Onions frying golden in a pan
      How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

    • Step 5

      Heat a griddle or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and wipe with a little oil. Pour a ladle of batter in the centre and quickly spread it outwards in a spiral with the back of the ladle into a thin circle.

      A flatbread cooking on a hot griddle
      How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels

    • Step 6

      Drizzle a little oil around the edge and cook until the underside is golden and crisp and the edges lift. Spoon some filling onto one half, fold over and serve straight away. Repeat with the remaining batter.

      • 40 min
      • medium-high heat

    About this dish

    Origin
    Karnataka (South India), Karnataka, India · Commonly attributedDosa is ancient across South India; the masala dosa filling is most often credited to Karnataka, particularly Udupi-style cooking.Also popular in Sri Lanka, Singapore, MalaysiaMore food from India
    Dish
    Breakfast · Brunch · Dinner · Main courses · Street food
    Cooking method
    Fermented, Pan-fried, Sautéed, Blended
    Taste
    savoury, tangy, aromatic / warmly spiced, spicy (chilli heat)
    Diet
    Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
    All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Make-ahead · Street food
    Cook more with
    Long-grain white rice · Black gram (urad dal) · Potato · Fenugreek · Mustard seeds · Curry leaves
    Techniques
    Pan-frying · Sautéing · Wet grinding · Emulsification · Fermentation

    Allergens

    • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    657 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 459 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 10%
    • Carbohydrate 65%
    • Fat 25%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy657 kcal143 kcal
    Protein15.8 g3.4 g
    Carbohydrate107.6 g23.4 g
    Net carbohydrate97.5 g21.2 g
    Sugars——
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre10 g2.2 g
    Fat18.4 g4 g
    Saturated fat1.5 g0.3 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
    Sodium1048 mg228 mg
    Salt equivalent2.6 g0.6 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    1088 mg
    Calcium
    104 mg
    Iron
    7 mg
    Magnesium
    134 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    2 µg
    Vitamin C
    41 mg
    Vitamin D
    0 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    380 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: coriander leaves.
    • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • If the dosas stick, the pan is not hot enough or needs re-seasoning; a sprinkle of water that sizzles away instantly means it's ready.
    • Thin the batter with a little water if it won't spread thinly.

    Common mistakes

    • Spreading batter on a pan that's too hot — it sets before it can be spread. Sprinkle water on the pan and wipe to cool it slightly between dosas.

    Serve with

    • Serve with coconut chutney and sambar.

    Food safety

    • Ferment the batter covered at warm room temperature (25–32 °C), then refrigerate.
    • Discard batter that smells rotten (not just sour) or shows pink, orange or fuzzy mould.

    Storage

    • Fermented batter keeps 3–4 days refrigerated and gets more sour. The filling keeps 2 days.

    Reheating

    • Dosas are best cooked to order; reheat only the filling.

    Variations

    • Mysore masala dosa (India): The inside of the dosa is spread with a spicy red chilli-garlic chutney before filling.
    • Plain dosa: Serve the crêpe without the potato filling.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    Structure

    For the batter

    Used in steps 1, 2, 4

    Baker’s notes

    Customise in Bread & Bakery

    Timeline and readiness cues

    1. Mix and knead · about 1 h 15 min

      Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

    2. First rise (bulk) · about 10 h

      Bubbly on top, risen and smelling pleasantly sour.

    3. Rest · about 6 h

      Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

    4. Bake · about 40 min

      Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

    5. Start to finish: about 17 h 55 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

    If something goes wrong

    • Pale crust

      Likely causes

      • Oven too cool
      • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
      • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

      What to do

      • Check the oven with a thermometer
      • Brush with egg wash or milk
      • Shorten the fermentation
    • Burnt bottom

      Likely causes

      • Tray too close to the heat
      • Dark tray absorbs more heat
      • Too much sugar in the dough

      What to do

      • Bake on the middle shelf
      • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
      • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
    • Tough or chewy flatbread

      Likely causes

      • Dough too stiff
      • Not rested
      • Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan

      What to do

      • Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
      • Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
      • Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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