This time, I’ve got an easy-peasy South Indian style snack recipe for you, which is not just sumptuous but also quite nutritious – the Sweet Appam. Also known as the Banana Appam or Banana Paniyaram these are sweetish appams made with ripe bananas, rice flour and jaggery. Somewhat similar to the instant Wheat Appam, with the difference being in the type of flour used in both. One obviously is whole wheat flour and the other one is rice flour. Apart from this, the composition is more or less same. Try this one too!
More on Sweet Appam
These Sweet Appam make for an amazingly delicious and healthy sweet snack. I have used overripe bananas to make it, but you can opt to choose just ripe bananas as well.
Also, I have added more number of bananas, than what is usually added in appams. You can easily make these and refrigerate them in airtight boxes, till further consumption.
One distinct feature about Banana Appam is that you need a special type of cookware called then paniyaram chatti or appe pan or Æbleskiver pan to prepare these appams.
But don’t stress, in case you don’t have it or are not being able to get it from the market or online as well. You can even shallow or deep fry these appams. The fried appams are just as good and stay well for a number of days.
To make these Banana Appam, it is best to use slightly coarse rice flour as it gives a better texture and moth feel.
But again, you can even prepare the appam with fine rice flour with a smooth texture in those. Puttu flour can also be used to make these wholesome appams.
Sweet Appam has a soft texture and are crisp, when hot. On storing, the crispiness will go away but the softness is still intact.
You must serve these hot, warm or at room temperature, or pack in your tiffin boxes as a lovely snack. You can refrigerate the remaining appams and consume within a week.
How to make Sweet Appam
Preparation
1. First, chop 100 to 105 grams jaggery. You should be able to get ½ cup chopped jaggery. You can also use jaggery powder, instead of chopped jaggery.
2. Then, add the jaggery in a bowl or pan containing 1.5 cups water.
3. Keep the bowl or pan on low to medium heat and let the solution heat through. Stir, so that the jaggery melts.
4. You only need to melt the jaggery. When the jaggery melts, then filter the syrup and keep aside.
5. Now, chop a small piece of coconut into tiny bits. You will need about ¼ cup chopped coconut. You can even use grated coconut or skip coconut altogether.
Sauté Coconut
6. Heat 2 teaspoons ghee in a pan.
7. Then, add the chopped coconut.
8. Stir often and sauté till the coconut is light golden. Set aside.
Prep Bananas
9. In a pan, peel and chop 3 small to medium bananas. About 250 grams bananas.
10. Mash the bananas very well, with a fork or masher.
11. There should be no chunks in the bananas. You can even puree the bananas in a mixie or blender.
12. Now, add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder, ½ teaspoon ginger powder and ¼ teaspoon cumin powder.
Ginger powder and cumin powder are optional and can be skipped.
13. Mix very well.
Make Batter
14. To the bowl containing the jaggery solution, add 1.5 cups rice flour.
15. Add 2 teaspoons black sesame seeds. You can also use white sesame seeds.
16. Begin to mix very well.
17. Make to a smooth batter without any lumps.
18. Add the spiced mashed bananas to the batter.
19. Add the fried coconut and mix well.
20. Add ½ teaspoon baking soda. Baking soda makes the texture more porous and soft. If you want, you can skip too.
21. Mix very well.
Make Sweet Appam
22. Heat an appe pan and add ½ to 1 teaspoon ghee in each mould. Instead of ghee, you can use coconut oil too.
23. With a spoon, pour the batter till ¾ᵗʰ or more than ¾ᵗʰ in each mould.
24. Keep the heat to low or medium and cook the Banana Appams.
25. With a wooden/bamboo stick or skewer, turn over the appams which have become golden.
26. When the rest of the appams are golden, turn them over too and cook all of them till crisp and golden.
27. Once done, remove and place them in a casserole. In the casserole, they stay warm for some time. Same way prepare the remaining appams.
The recipe makes for 42 appams. You can store them in an air-tight box or container in the refrigerator.
28. Serve Sweet Appam hot, warm or at room temperature.
Expert Tips
- You can substitute the ghee with coconut oil or sunflower oil.
- If you don’t have the ginger powder and cumin powder, skip them. These are optional.
- For the coconut as well, you can use grated coconut too or even skip it. White sesame seeds can be used in place of black sesame seeds.
- Instead of chopped jaggery, you can use jaggery powder. You can also use sugar instead of jaggery.
- I have added baking soda in this recipe as it results in softer and more porous sweet appam. If you want, you can skip it too.
- Once the appams are cooked, you can put them in a casserole. This way, they will stay warm for some time. This recipe yields about 42 appams. To store, you can refrigerate them in airtight boxes.
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Sweet Appam | Banana Appam
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Rice Flour – 240 grams
- ½ cup chopped jaggery – 100 to 105 grams
- 1.5 cups water
- 3 bananas (small to medium-sized), 250 grams bananas – mashed very well or pureed
- ¼ cup chopped coconut – optional
- 2 teaspoons Ghee – for frying the coconut, can also use coconut oil or sunflower oil
- 2 teaspoons black sesame seeds – can also add white sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon green cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder (ground ginger) – optional
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin) – optional
- ½ teaspoon baking soda – optional
- ½ to 1 teaspoon Ghee – to add in each mould or add as required
Instructions
Preparation
- First chop the jaggery. You should be able to get ½ cup chopped jaggery. You can also use jaggery powder, instead of chopped jaggery.
- Then add the jaggery in a bowl or pan containing 1.5 cups water.
- Keep the bowl or pan on low to medium flame and let the solution heat through. Stir so that the jaggery melts.
- You just need to melt the jaggery. When the jaggery melts, then filter the syrup and keep aside.
- Now chop a small piece of coconut in small bits. You will need about ¼ cup chopped coconut. You can even use grated coconut or you can skip coconut altogether.
Making banana appam batter
- Heat 2 teaspoons ghee in a pan. Then add the chopped coconut.
- Stir often and saute them till they are light golden. Keep aside.
- In a pan, peel and chop the bananas. Mash the bananas with a fork or masher very well.
- There should be no chunks in the bananas. You can even puree the bananas in a blender.
- Add green cardamom powder, ginger powder and cumin powder.
- Mix very well. To the bowl containing the jaggery solution, add the rice flour.
- Add black sesame seeds. You can also use white sesame seeds.
- Begin to mix very well. Make a smooth batter without any lumps.
- Add the pureed bananas to the rice flour mixture along with the coconut.
- Add the baking soda. Baking soda makes the texture more porous and soft. If you want you can skip too.
- Mix thoroughly.
Making sweet appam
- Heat the appe pan and add ½ to 1 teaspoon ghee in each mould. Instead of ghee you can use coconut oil too.
- With a spoon, pour the batter till ¾ᵗʰ or more than ¾ᵗʰ of the volume in each mould.
- Keep the heat to low or medium and cook the sweet appams.
- With a wooden/bamboo stick or skewer, turn over the banana appam which have become golden.
- When the rest of the sweet appam are golden, turn them over too and cook all of them till crisp and golden.
- Once done remove and place them in a casserole. In the casserole they stay warm for some time. Same way prepare the remaining ones. You can store them in an air tight box or container in the fridge.
- Serve Sweet Appam hot or warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- You can substitute coconut oil or sunflower oil instead of ghee.
- Ginger powder and cumin powder are optional and can be skipped, if you do not have them.
- The approximate nutrition info is for 1 sweet appam made from this recipe.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Sweet Appam recipe post from the archives, first published on July 2016 has been republished and updated on November 2022.
Hello, I tried two of your recipes and it turned out well. Looking forward to preparing more of your recipes. Thank you????
Welcome Tessy. Glad to know that you liked the recipes.
Recipe was very good! I regularly follow your recipes. Thank you
Hi Dassana, I have made many recipes from your blog and I loved them. Thank you for sharing such awesome recipes in the most simplest manner as possible. Keep up the great work.????????
thanks a lot sharan for this lovely comment????. happy cooking ????
Was worried with 3 ripe bananas, got your recipe and Viola…my 15 months old baby boy and hubby just loved it…all 40 are just gone…thanx a lot…definitely sharing it with my sisters
Welcome Shweta. Glad to know this. Thanks for your positive feedback.
I kindly ask you, can I bake this banana appam?
you can bake them. just add 2 to 3 tablespoons coconut oil in the batter and mix very well. then bake them at 180 degrees celsius till the tops are golden.