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Gujarati · Indian

Methi thepla

Vegetarian

મેથી થેપલા · methi thepla

Thin, soft spiced flatbreads of wheat and gram flour flavoured with fenugreek, yogurt and chilli. A Gujarati travel and lunchbox staple that keeps for days.

Methi thepla is a Gujarati bread from India, ready in about 55 minutes and made with whole-wheat flour and dried fenugreek leaves. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Thepla with Yoghurt and Pickle
Representative photo. Rocky231293 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
15 min
Total
55 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
312

Ingredients

4 servings (about 10 theplas)

For the dough

For cooking

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the flours, kasuri methi (opens in a new tab), ginger, chilli, spices, sesame (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab), salt, oil and yogurt (opens in a new tab). Add water a little at a time to knead a soft, smooth dough. Rest 15 minutes.

    • 8 min
    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Divide into 10 balls and roll each thinly into a 15–18 cm circle, dusting with flour.

  3. Step 3

    Cook on a hot griddle until small spots appear underneath, flip, brush with a little oil and cook both sides until golden-spotted, about 1½ minutes in total.

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

About this dish

Origin
Gujarat, India · Well documentedMore food from India
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Snack · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method
Pan-fried
Taste
bitter, savoury, spicy (chilli heat), aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · High-fibre
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-fibre · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Portable / lunchbox · Make-ahead · Meal-prep friendly
Cook more with
Whole-wheat flour · Dried fenugreek leaves · Chickpea flour · Yogurt · Fresh ginger · Green chilli
Techniques
Pan-frying · Kneading

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom yogurt
  • Contains: Wheatfrom whole-wheat flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom whole-wheat flour
  • Contains: Sesamefrom sesame 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

312 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 106 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 53%
  • Fat 36%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy312 kcal295 kcal
Protein9.4 g8.9 g
Carbohydrate43 g40.7 g
Net carbohydrate36.2 g34.3 g
Sugars1.9 g1.8 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre6.8 g6.4 g
Fat13 g12.3 g
Saturated fat1.4 g1.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol2 mg2 mg
Sodium452 mg427 mg
Salt equivalent1.1 g1.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
315 mg
Calcium
54 mg
Iron
3.1 mg
Magnesium
92 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
10 µg
Vitamin C
4 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
58 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: sugar.
  • Dried fenugreek leaves: Fenugreek seed (FDC 171324) used as a stand-in for dried leaves; used in pinches.
  • “—” 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

  • Stack cooked theplas in a cloth so they stay soft.

Common mistakes

  • Rolling them thick — theplas should be thin and soft, not like parathas.

Serve with

  • Serve with yogurt, chunda (sweet mango pickle) or masala chai.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container, 1 week refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Warm briefly on a griddle.

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.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 1

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 18 min

    Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.

  2. Rest · about 15 min

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

  3. Bake · about 20 min

    Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.

  4. Start to finish: about 53 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

The dough

The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
IngredientRoleWeightBaker’s %
Whole-wheat flourFlour200 g87%
Chickpea flourFlour30 g13%
YogurtOther liquid60 g26.1%
WaterWater60 g26.1%
Neutral vegetable oilFat14 g5.9%
Fresh gingerOther10 g4.3%
Green chilliOther6 g2.6%
Dried fenugreek leavesOther5 g2.2%
SaltSalt5 g2%
Sesame seedsOther3 g1.3%
TurmericOther2 g0.7%
CuminOther1 g0.5%
Cayenne / chilli powderOther1 g0.4%
Total flour
230 g
Hydration
26.1%
With milk, eggs…
48.3%
Wholegrain
87%

Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

  • Stiff dough (under 55% hydration) — firm, easy to roll; typical of bagels, pretzels and many flatbreads.
  • Milk, eggs and other liquids add about 22 points of extra water, so it handles like a 48% dough.
  • Salt 2% — normal for bread.
  • 87% wholegrain — absorbs more water and gives a denser, nuttier loaf.

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

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