appam recipe with step by step photos – these tasty lacy soft hoppers also known as appam or palappam are a popular kerala breakfast. gluten-free and vegan. they are served along with the vegetable stew. two more popular breakfast recipes from kerala are puttu and idiyappam.Â
appam is one of our favorite breakfast combination and once in a month i make appams on weekends. the preparation is like making a dosa batter and needs some prep work beforehand.
this appam recipe is made with yeast. i have also posted the recipe of no yeast appam. traditionally appams are fermented with toddy which is a local alcoholic drink made from from palm flower or coconut flower. toddy is also known as “kallu” both in tamil and malayalam. in hindi its called as “tadi”.
since toddy is not available everywhere easily, dry active yeast works as a good substitute. this does not mean that you cannot make appams without yeast. appams can be made without yeast too and i will be adding this version also in some days. the appam made with toddy tastes differently than the appams made with yeast.
to make these appams, i have added fresh grated coconut while grinding the batter instead of coconut milk. you can use coconut milk instead of grated coconut (about 1 cup thick coconut milk would suffice). i have added the yeast directly while grinding, as the grinder gets warmed up while grinding the batter. but you can proof the yeast first and then add it to the batter later.
appams are served with vegetable stew, kadala curry (chickpea curry), potato stew, vegetable korma, coconut chutney or sweetened milk.
i also make sweet coconut milk that goes very well with appam. the coconut milk is sweetened with jaggery and flavored with cardamom powder. just take required amount of thick coconut milk. add powdered jaggery as required along with a bit of cardamom powder. stir very well till the jaggery is dissolved and serve this sweet coconut milk with the appam.
how to make appam
1. soak 2 cups regular rice and 1 cup parboiled rice in water for 4 to 5 hours.
2. drain and then add them to the grinder. also add 1 to 1.5 cups grated coconut, a fistful of cooked rice/poha, ½ tsp dry active yeast, 1 tsp salt and 2 tbsp sugar. you can also proof the yeast separately and then add (check recipe notes below). since i was grinding in a mixer-grinder, the jar gets warmed up while grinding and thus i added yeast at this stage. thus helping in leavening of the batter.
3. add the required amount of water and grind all the ingredients…
4. to a smooth flowing batter…..
5. pour the batter in a large bowl or pan. cover and keep aside for fermenting for 8 to 11 hours, depending on the temperature conditions. i kept for almost 12 hours. the batter will rise and double up the next day.
6.  this is how a well-fermented batter appears…..
7. heat a kadai with handles or an appam pan. smear some oil on the kadai. if using non stick kadai, then skip smearing the oil. here i have used a kadai to make the appams. but the appam pan or appachatti works best as you get soft fluffy texture in the center and crisp texture towards the circumference. spread a ladle full of the batter. turn and tilt the pan in circles so as to spread the batter. you can also drizzle a few drops of oil if you prefer.
8. cover the pan and let the appam cook till the base becomes nicely light golden.
9. remove and serve the appam hot or warm. make all the appam with the batter in a similar way.
10. appams goes very well with vegetable stew and sweetened coconut milk. i served with both of them. it can also be served with veg korma or potato stew.
more tasty recipes
appam
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups regular rice (sona masoori, basmati, kolam or any variety)
- 1 cup parboiled rice or boiled rice or idli rice
- a fistful of poha (aval or parched rice) or cooked rice
- 1 or 1.5 cups grated coconut Or 1 cup thick coconut milk * check notes
- ½ teaspoon dry active yeast
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt or add as required
- water or as required for grinding
- oil as required
INSTRUCTIONS
- rinse both the rice varieties together for a couple of times.
- soak both the regular rice, parboiled rice in water for 4 to 5 hours.
- drain and then add them to the grinder. also add the grated coconut, cooked rice or poha/aval, dry active yeast, salt and sugar.
- you can also proof the yeast separately and then add. just take about 2 to 3 tbsp warm water. add a pinch of sugar and dissolve it. then add the yeast and stir. let this solution sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 mins till it becomes bubbly and frothy. * check notes
- add required amount of water and grind all the ingredients to a smooth flowing batter
- pour the batter in a large bowl or pan. cover and keep aside for fermenting for 8 to 12 hours, depending on the temperature conditions.
- the batter will rise and increase in volume the next day.
- heat a kadai or an appam pan with handles. smear some oil on the kadai. if using non stick kadai, then skip smearing the oil.
- spread a ladle full of the batter. turn and tilt the pan so as to spread the batter.
- cover the pan and let the appam cook. the base would become nicely light golden.
- make all appam this way.
- serve the appam hot or warm with vegetable stew or sweetened coconut milk.
NOTES
* if using a yeast proofed solution, then add it to the batter once its ground finely. stir and mix very well.
* if the batter become too thin, then add some rice flour to it.
Just awesome
Excellent I must say, I tried this recipe and appams came up really nice and soft. Thanks a lot
thank you for this lovely feedback and the rating on appam recipe. glad to know. most welcome.
Can we use rice flour instead of rice? We can soak it for longer time maybe and add yeast at some stage.
with rice flour, the texture will be different. but you can experiment and try. yeast can be added later too.
Hi Dassana
When u use coconut while grinding and then keeping it outside in room temparature for fermentation, is there any chance that the batter may get bad?
hi sree, the batter does not get bad. the ground coconut along with the rice gets fermented. since the coconut is finely ground and mixed with rice, it does not get spoiled. hope this helps.
Hi Dassana,
You say boiled rice or parboiled rice or Idli rice; is the Idli rice boiled? Also, what’s the difference between cooked and boiled/parboiled?
I haven’t tried making Appams but I gave you 4 stars because I’m an optimist!! Thanks
yes the idli rice is parboiled. cooked rice is raw rice which has been cooked completely and the one we serve with any dal or curry. parboiled rice or boiled rice are rice grains which are partially boiled in the husks. then they are dried and husked. thanks for the rating and i am sure you will love the appam recipe.
Tried the recipe, my first ever try with an appam batter. Turned out perfectly well & everyone enjoyed it thoroughly. Thanks for this wonderful and easy to make recipe.
thank you jubi for sharing this review on appam recipe. glad to know. welcome and happy cooking.
Hi mam,
I tried appam and stew it turn out awesome. Only thing my appam didn’t get that brown color. Instead of yeast what will the option.
thanks. appam does not have a brown color. only the edges will be slightly browned. you can check this appam recipe made without yeast – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/appam-recipe-no-yeast-appam/
Hello Dassana –
I have tried a few recipes from your site and I must say – your recipes are failproof!!! Excellent instructions and wonderful pictures too. Thank you for creating this site with so many wonderful (both homely and exotic) recipes that we can follow to much praise from our families:) My 5 year old son especially has been a fan of your Mysore Pak and Kaju Katli since he was maybe 3 years old, and they continue to be favorites of his – so this feedback has been long in coming!!
I wanted to ask about appam recipe – does this recipe make for only 5 or 6 appams? So if i need about 15-20 appams i would need to triple this recipe?
Thanks again Dassana
SP
thank you SP. glad to read your positive reviews. the appam recipe does not make 5 or 6 appams. by 5 to 6 servings i meant that the recipe serves 5 to 6 people. this appam recipe will easily yield 15 to 20 appams.
Substitute for yeast
you can try this no yeast appam recipe – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/appam-recipe-no-yeast-appam/
Hello,
I wanted to know after fermentation can we add salt right away and keep it in the fridge or should we should add salt right beforehand we make it ?
if you live in a warm or hot climate, then add salt before to avoid over fermentation. if you live in a cool or cold place, then add salt once the batter is fermented.
Wen I make lace appam it breaks ..y does this happen..pls reply.thanku
could be that the batter is thin. thats why the appams must be breaking. when grinding you can reduce the amount of water than what you add.
one more thing..this time, i made appam as per yr recipe…but got sticky sort of…not soft …
sory to trouble u again…wat cud be the reason….fermentaion was good….
stickiness could be due over fermentation. appam batter if fermented properly won’t be sticky. no problem elizabeth, if any issues happen when making a recipe, you can always let me know.
Followed the recipe exactly and had wonderful appams! Always find your recipes very helpful.
Thanks Daksha. Glad to know this.
I liked the way the measurements change with number of servings. How many Appams in a Serving ?
Thanks Mary. It will be 2 to 3 appams per serving. It depends upon the size of appam you make.
Hi dassana
I dont have parboiled rice .
Can i use regular sonamasoori rice in place of paraboiled rice and
Will that be like 3 cups of rice totally???
chandana, you can use regular rice. yes than that would be 3 cups regular rice.
Hi dassana
What will the shelf life of batter if we keep it in fridge after every usage?
Will it stay for 3-4 days?
it will stay best for 1 to 2 days. more days will make the batter sour.
Hello Dasana!
Can I used normal basmati rice instead of parboiled rice? Would it make any difference Int be appams?
you can use use any short grained variety of regular rice. is using basmati rice, the use tukda basmati rice. that said, you can also use regular basmati rice. some change in the texture will be there if you use regular basmati rice.
other than coconut milk what we can add with dosa batter
you can add some curd.
Hi
Can i stack the appam one on top of the other? Planning to take them on a trip. Will it stick to each other? If so, how can I avoid it?
TIA
they will stick to each other. one way is by keeping banana leaves in between the appams. the other way is by keeping butter paper or parchment paper between them.