Hara Bhara Kabab Recipe (Pan-fried & Baked)
Hara Bhara Kabab is a North Indian vegetarian appetizer made from a spiced mixture of spinach, green peas and potatoes, shaped into patties and shallow-fried until crispy and golden. Packed with aromatic spices, these nutritious and flavorful kababs are served hot with Mint Chutney and often enjoyed as a snack or party starter.
About Hara Bhara Kabab Recipe
Hara Bhara Kabab is a very popular snack of North Indian fried patties made with spinach, peas and potatoes. This word means a kabab full of greens.
Here the green colored veggies are spinach and green peas. These are nutritious since they have the best of both spinach and green peas.
True to its name Hara bhara kabab boosts of green health. Made from spinach, peas, potatoes, it is satisfying, healthy, delicious and tastes great with any chutney dip or sauce.
My recipe is easy to make and suitable for both vegans and vegetarians alike. Bonus, it is gluten-free as well. I share making these kababs in two ways – pan-fried and baked version.
I have seen these patties listed in the starter section of the menu in many North Indian restaurants. A couple of times we have it outside and they were okay.
Usually I make them when I have some extra spinach left after making Palak Paneer or Sarson ka Saag.
They are usually pan fried. You can even bake them or air fry them. Follow the steps mentioned below to bake them.
How to Bake
1. Preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 180 degrees celsius. use both the top and bottom heating rods of the oven while preheating as well as baking.
3. Brush some oil on top of each kabab.
2. Place kababs in a tray that has been sprayed or greased with some oil.
4. Place the kebabs on a tray or wired rack in the center of the oven.
5. Bake the patties at 180 degrees celsius for 20 to 25 minutes or till the kabab gets browned from the top. You can even change the sides after 10 to 15 minutes of baking. Better to bake both sides of these green patties.
How to make Hara Bhara Kabab
Cook Potatoes & Peas
1. Rinse well and take 2 medium-large potatoes (200 to 215 grams) in a 2 litre stovetop pressure cooker. Add 2 cups water.
I have cooked both potatoes and green peas in a pressure cooker. You can even steam them in a pan or electric cooker/Instant Pot or boil them in a pot.
2. Place a steel bowl containing ½ cup green peas (fresh or frozen) on top of the potatoes. Do not add any water in the bowl containing green peas.
3. Cover the pressure cooker. Pressure cook on medium heat for 10 minutes or 6 to 7 whistles.
4. When the pressure settles on its own in the cooker, then only open the lid. The potatoes would have cooked and become fork tender. The green peas also will be steamed well and softened.
5. Remove the bowl with the help of tongs and place the peas in the strainer – so that all the water is drained.
6. Remove the potatoes with a spoon or tongs in a bowl or plate. Let them become warm. Then peel them. Cover and keep aside. Ensure that there is no water in the potatoes.
Blanch Spinach
7. Rinse 2 cups spinach leaves (100 grams spinach) in water very well. Place them in a colander so that the extra water gets drained.
You can use only the leaves and not stems if you prefer. Stems add some crunch in the kabab. Since stems give a nice crunch thus I add them. If you prefer the crunch, you can use the stems. But use only tender stems.
Note: It is best to use organic spinach or home grown spinach if possible. The spinach available in the market usually has a lot of pesticides. To remove some of the pesticides, soak the spinach in a bowl containing water, baking soda and vinegar for about 4 minutes.
Later using a strainer or colander rinse the spinach leaves very well in clean water a couple of times. Drain all the water from the strainer and keep the leaves aside.
8. Boil 1.5 to 2 cups water with some salt (optional).
9. When the water comes to a rolling boil, then switch off the flame. Add the spinach leaves and immerse them in the hot water for 2 minutes. This step is blanching the spinach leaves.
10. After 2 minutes remove the leaves with the help of pasta tongs and place them in a bowl of cold water for 1 minute. This is done so that the spinach retains their greenness.
11. After 1 minute, remove the spinach leaves in a colander. Drain the water very well. Squeeze the blanched leaves lightly between your palms if there is extra water.
12. Place the spinach on a chopping board. Do squeeze spinach lightly and then place on chopping board.
13. Then chop the spinach finely and keep aside. Instead of finely chopping, spinach can also be pureed – but then you will need to add some more roasted besan which is the binding ingredient used in this recipe.
Moreover with a spinach puree there is a high possibility of the mixture becoming sticky.
More Prep
14. Take 1 green chilli and 1 to 1.5 inches ginger (peeled and chopped) in a mortar-pestle.
15. Crush to a paste. Paste can be semi-fine or fine.
16. Take 4 tablespoons gram flour (besan) in a pan or kadai. Swap gram flour with chickpea flour.
17. Keep flame to a low and roast besan stirring often.
18. Roast besan till you get a nutty fragrance and the besan changes its color.
19. Keep roasted besan aside.
Make Kabab Mixture
18: In a mixing bowl add the finely chopped spinach and steamed green peas.
19. Grate the boiled potatoes over it.
20. Add the roasted gram flour.
21. Then add the ginger-chilli paste and the spice powders – 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder, 1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder) and ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder. Also add salt as per taste.
TIP: If you don’t have dry mango powder, then you can replace it with ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
22. First lightly mix with a spoon.
23. Then with a potato masher, mash the kabab mixture.
24. Mix again and bring the entire mixture together.
25. Take a small or medium or large sized portion of the kabab mixture and shape into a small or medium or large sized patties. Your hands will be sticky if there was moisture in the spinach. In this case, apply some oil to your palms when shaping the hara bhara kabab.
26. Place a halved cashew in the centre of each kabab and lightly press it. So that it sticks on the kabab. This step is optional and can be skipped.
Pan-Fry Hara Bhara Kabab
27. Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in tawa or pan. Spread the oil all over the tawa with a spoon. When the oil becomes medium-hot, place the kabab. if you are using a large tawa or griddle then you can fry all the kababs in 2 to 3 tablespoons oil.
I fried in two batches. So fried the first batch in 2 tablespoons oil and then fried the second batch in 1 tablespoon oil.
Use any neutral oil for frying. You can also pan fry these patties in ghee (clarified butter) for a richer flavor and taste.
29. When one side is golden, turn over gently each patty with a spatula.
30. When the second side is golden, then flip again gently.
31. Turn over and fry once or twice for an even crispness and uniform golden color.
32. Place them on kitchen paper towels. The recipe yields 8 large hara bhara kabab and 10 medium sized hara bhara kabab. This recipe can be halved or doubled or tripled as well.
32. Serve hara bhara kabab hot or warm with mint chutney or coriander chutney or tomato ketchup or sweet tamarind chutney or any chutney of your choice.
Serving Suggestions
To go with these tasty green patties you can make any chutney – be it mint chutney or coriander chutney or any green chutney and even tomato ketchup or sweet tamarind chutney. Hara bhara kabab is also a tasty gluten-free, vegan and a vegetarian snack for all those who like kababs.
This is an easy finger food that can be served as a brunch or also as a starter. One which is light and not heavy. It can also be stuffed in sandwiches, wraps or burgers. Great way to disguise the spinach, so that kids can have it too.
Expert Tips
- The spice powders namely chaat masala and amchur powder can be adjusted as per your taste preferences.
- For a spicy kabab, increase the number of green chillies. Or you can add some red chilli powder (or cayenne pepper or paprika).
- If you don’t have chaat masala, then just add garam masala powder but reduce the quantity to ½ teaspoon garam masala powder. For a slight tang, also add ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
- For binding instead of gram flour (besan), corn flour or corn starch and all-purpose flour (maida) can also be used. You can even use bread crumbs.
- Do not shallow fry or deep fry this kabab as they are light in texture and can break in oil while frying.
- If the kabab breaks while pan-frying, then it means there is more moisture in the kabab and the binding ingredient is not enough. Thus add some more of the roasted gram flour in the kabab mixture.
More tasty snacks recipes
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Hara Bhara Kabab Recipe (Pan-fried & Baked)
Ingredients
for blanching spinach
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves or 100 grams
- 1.5 to 2 cups water for blanching
- 1 to 1.5 cups cold water
for cooking potatoes and green peas
- 2 medium large potatoes or 200 to 215 grams
- ½ cup green peas or 150 grams , fresh or frozen
- 2 cups water for pressure cooking
other ingredients
- 4 tablespoons besan (gram flour) or add as required
- 1 green chilli
- 1 to 1.5 inches ginger – roughly chopped, adjust as per your spice requirements
- 1 teaspoon Chaat Masala Powder
- 1 teaspoon amchur powder (dry mango powder)
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
- salt as required
- 8 cashew halves – optional
- 2 to 3 tablespoons oil for pan frying the kabab, add as required
Instructions
Blanching spinach
- Boil water and then switch off the flame. Keep rinsed spinach in hot water for 2 minutes. Remove with a help of tongs and keep the leaves in cold water for 1 minute.
- Again remove the leaves from the cold water using tongs and place in a colander. Drain the water very well. Squeeze lightly if there is extra water.
- Finely chop the spinach and keep aside.
Other preparations
- Roast besan (gram flour) in a small pan till it becomes aromatic and changes its color. Don’t over roast or darken the gram flour.
- Steam or boil the potatoes and peas in a pressure cooker or pan (pressure cooker details mentioned above in the step wise pics).
- Crush chopped ginger and green chillies in a mortar-pestle to a paste.
Making hara bhara kabab
- In a bowl take the chopped spinach. Grate the boiled potatoes in the bowl. Add the peas and green-chili paste.
- Mash the kabab mixture with a potato masher or with a wooden spoon.
- Add all the dry spice powders, roasted gram flour and salt. Mix the kabab mixture very well.
- Shape into round patties. Press a cashew halve on each patty.
- Heat oil in a pan or skillet. Pan fry the kabab till crisp and golden turning over as needed. Once done then place them on kitchen paper towels.
- Serve hara bhara kabab hot with coriander chutney or mint chutney or tomato ketchup.
Video
Nutrition
This Hara Bhara Kabab recipe from the blog archives was first published on Jan 2013. It has been updated on December 2024.
I have tried your recipes…They are very good… Thank you.
Very good and simple recipes
thanks kavita.
I made these spinach kababs and they were delicious and like the ones served in Restaurant. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Welcome Divya. Glad to know that you liked hara bhara kabab
Hi,
I find your recipes very easy to follow and they all taste great. I have tried quite a few of your recipes and not a single one has come out bad. The photo by photo instructions are really handy.
Thanks you and please continue to keep adding recipes. I had the app installed but unfortunately it stopped working. Would be great if the app was up and running again.
thank shuchi and glad to read your comment. we deleted the app last year and thus it is not working. right now we do not plan to add the app, but maybe in the future.
Hi
Thanks for the recipe.
Can I bake it in the oven ?
Noam
yes noam, you can bake hara bhara kababs in the oven.
Thank you for the recipe. Family and friends liked it. ????
Welcome Jeremy
Hi Dassana,
I love hara bhara kebabs; but as always, they are much more affordably made at home. I was, however, looking for a potato substitute in this dish. Do you think cauliflower would work? Any other suggestions?
Thanks
kate, potatoes help in binding. with cauliflower, you will need to add some binding agent like breadcrumbs or bread slices soaked in water and then squeezed. so you can add cauliflower. also you can add carrots, beetroot. instead of potatoes, you can use yam or sweet potatoes for binding.
Try using boiled chickpeas..Kabuli chana. I made patties with boiled chana instead of potatoes and it works very well. Also it makes the recipe more nutritious.
Thanks Rashminder
Hi mam
May I keep this Pattie in freezer for 7-8 days and deep fry it whenever required
Manvi, in that case you have to freeze them.
This looks like a great recipe, I am planning to make it for 8-10 people; app. 15-16, but I am not clear on the quantity. When you say 4 servings, it means the yield is 4 kababs or not?
Thanks!
thanks aditi. when i say 4 servings it means 2 to 3 kababs per one serving. so the total yield of the recipe is not 4 kababs. with this recipe you will get about 10 to 12 kababs.
if making for 8 to 10 people, then double the quantity of the recipe.
Thanks a lot for clearing my doubts! 🙂
Welcome Aditi
Just amazing… I love the way you explain with the help of pictures, it helps a lot. I keep on making new dishes with the help of ur blogs… Thank you so much.
Welcome Rahi. Thanks for your positive feedback on recipes.
Hi Dassana,
I tried this recipe . It came out good thanks for recipe… Didn’t know that the besan added would add a good taste to the kabab.. nd also instead of just mixing the green peas , I grinded green peas, palak,green chilli nd ginger together and bonded with bolied potatoes..
Deepthi, glad to know this. thanks for sharing your variation.
Your all recipes are just amazing……my que is…in snacks recipes we always deep fry….can we bake that…
thanks. of course you can bake or air fry many snacks.
Can i deep fry it? Or is there any option to bake it?actually i want to use my use my new air fryer.
Monalisa, you can use air fryer.
Came out very well . Nice and simplified recipe
Came out very well and my children loved it.
thanks archana. glad to know your kids liked the kababs.
Pretty good but it’s sort of like a cutlet that is made out of punjabi somosa filling lol.
in punjabi samosa filling, there is no spinach added. also the spices used in the punjabi samosa filling is a different one.
Nice recipe!!!
thanks kruti 🙂
All is so good recipe,iwill try it
thank you masoomahraza 🙂 surely try and let us know how it was?
Hara bhara kabab was absolutely yummy! A super hit!
thankyou suchitra 🙂
Omg!!!!!!!!!!!!
This site is just ❤️
Just love all ur recipes
I’m just 15 n I learnt to cook with ur help n my parents just loved it…
Thank you !!!
pleased to know thus vindhya 🙂 glad you could learn recipes from our food blog thankyou for your kind and encouraging words.
I tried it yesterday for my son.it was awesome.thanks for the lovely receipe.Very healthy.
glad your son liked the kabab aastha 🙂 thankyou for your kind words.
Superb and well explained recipe… will try it out tomorrow on the eve of christmas. I also write my own food blog…
surely try sonal and let us know how it was?
I tried it today and it turned out good. Its my hubby’s favourite. Thanks a ton for easy n quick recipes. Your recipes r the first I refer always.
glad to know rekha you liked the hara bhara kabab and fr your honest words 🙂 and you are always welcome.
Hi,
Can I omit the peas and increase the potatoes ?
Thanks
yes you can.
Dear Dassana and Amit,
What a labour of love this site is:) I have no words to express what joy and pleasure just browsing here gives me! It’s amazing to see the kind of work you put in here. Heart warming. Beautiful. Deeply appreciate your detailed explanations. Thank you thank you thank you 🙂
we are quite pleased to know this shubhi and thankyou so much for your kind, positive and honest words. god bless you 🙂
Hi Dassana,
I live in U.S. & struggled with cooking even basic dishes. Most of the websites made it sound like nuclear science ? I came across your website and Oh My God!! Thank you soo much! The family enjoys it so much. You make it look so simple and the food turns out awesome!
One question reg this recipe – Is there any substitute for gram flour?
welcome hiral. glad to know that recipes are helping you in cooking. you can add corn starch.
I tried this recipe today and it turned out to be perfect! Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with the right mix of flavors. I also added mint leaves to it and the flavor got enhanced.. Everyone loved this dish.. Love your recipes 🙂
thanks supriya for sharing positive feedback. nice to know this.
Hi Dasanna nd Amit, this recipe came out very well i also added sweet potato it was very tasty nd my family liked it..
thanks ashwini for sharing positive feedback and for your variation.
very nicely explained
thanks meena
Superb n simple sd recipe. Hubby loved it. Thanks dear
welcome kavitha
Can I use raw banana instead of potatoes?
kanan, you can try. it should work and taste good also.
I prefer shallow fried hara bhara kabab to the deep fried one. Can eat without guilt of eating gorging on deep fried sruff.
padama, i agree it is better for health.
Very nicely explained
thanks urvi
Hi,
can ‘hara bhara kabab’ be made with frozen spinach?
if yes, how much qty to be taken?
pooja, you can try. take the same quantity.
hi, i tried this recipe, it was awesome.
thanks pratima
This is an awesome vegetarian item. Very useful on veg days of mine.
thanks anusia
dis site is asume I have most of d dishes nd they r asume vtj simple language
thanks manali.
Sounds interesting I am going to try it today thank you
thanks varsha. do give the feedback if possible.
Hello Amit,
As per your recipe i made hara bhara kabab.i tried this for 1st time.but i made this for 2 people.Every other ingredients i took was perfect except i cudnt understand how much besan to take?Due to this my kababs were having a raw smell of besan.As u said i. Roasted besan in a handi.but just for 2 people i took a little less than half bowl of it.i made small 6 kababs of it.i wud like to know how much besan should i take for 2-4 people and what else went wrong?
Please reply.
as you mention, the besan you took is much in quantity for 2 people. just about 1 to 1.5 tbsp of besan would have worked. if you roast the besan well, then there is no raw aroma of it. just roast till its color changes and you get the aroma.
Hi, nice recipe..♡ but can I add paneer In this kabab inplace of green peas? Please reply quickly as I am planning to make this today.i was browsing for some kind of a recipe where I can hide the palak, as my husband hates all green vegetables and this is a perfect recipe for me.
you can add paneer. grate the paneer and add it.
can we use groundnut powder in this kabab? N garlic?
tashu, yes you can use. but will give a different taste.
Hi,
The recipe is awesome. So nutritious snack. Thanx a lot
welcome pushpa
fantastic recipe
Lovely! Didn’t follow the recipe to the t but it turned out awesome! Thanks for sharing, Dasanna. Want to try your wholewheat batura soon 🙂 I love your blog!
thanks a lot smita. do try the bhatura recipe.
very nice kababs.
Hi Dasanna,
I tried this today and taste was awesome…. still its drooling in my mouth… ooo you are awesome and i should give all the credit to you only for making my hara bara kabab looks the same like yours.. Thanks a lott….:)
thanks vasundhara. still have to reply to the pizza email 🙂
Delicious! Hey did you leave triberr?
no laura. i haven’t logged into triberr since ages. it confuses me to no end.
those kababs look delicious! want!
They are such a nice and easy dish, and will rock any party!
I like that it’s not deep fry and it would make a great party treat as well!
I love this kebab. Such healthy and delicious dish to snack. I replace potatoes with finely grated cauliflower. That makes it even more nutritious. I loved your pictures. I “pinned” one of them 🙂
Healthy and perfect tea time snacks, I prepare these almost similar but do not add ginger chili paste, will add this when I next makes these :)!
love these kebabs…looks yumm
What a coincidence I am making kababs too…but with mutton…the holiday hangover of Hyderabad is still fresh :)…I will definitely give this one a try….with all the peas and palak and besan it sure is super healthy.
These look so good! I am salivating looking at this 🙂 My husband will be a happy man if I make this.
Hi can this be made a day ahead and pan fried when required.
Thanks
Welcome Soniya. Yes you can make it a day ahead.