Rava Dhokla | Suji ka Dhokla

ByDassana Amit Updated on
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Rava dhokla or Suji ka Dhokla is a soft, fluffy, steamed savory cake made from rava (suji or semolina or cream of wheat) together with herbs, spices, white sesame seeds and topped with coconut and coriander leaves. For the leavening of the batter, fruit salt (eno) is used. Usually, this recipe is made with curd (yogurt) but here I share a tasty vegan recipe made with lemon juice.

About This Rava Dhokla

This recipe I learned when I was working in a school. The teacher colleagues were discussing on how to make this recipe of rava dhokla. When they were talking, my mind was registering all the details of this dish.

When I went home, I told my mom the whole method and she made it the very next day. It was hit in our home and till today mom makes rava dhokla often. The recipe which we would make used curd (yogurt) or buttermilk.

rava dhokla served in a steel plate

But this suji ka dhokla recipe is made with lemon juice and water. This combination of lemon juice and water works like a charm. You will not notice any difference in the taste of the rava dhokla made with yogurt and this one.

closeup shot of rava dhokla served in a steel plate

This is an easy, quick and delicious dhokla variety and does not require fermentation. I have steamed the suji dhokla in an electric cooker.

A dhokla steamer or even a stovetop pressure cooker or Instant pot or a saucepan also works well for steaming. You can also make it in a microwave.

I suggest using eno or fruit salt to make the batter airy and light. I don’t add baking soda as a leavening ingredient, since I don’t like the soapy odour of it. However, if you cannot get eno or fruit salt, then use baking soda instead.

This is a quick tasty snack option and goes best with coriander chutney or papaya sambharo or mint-coriander chutney or mint chutney or any green chutney of your choice.

How to make Rava Dhokla

Make Batter

1. In a mixing bowl take the below-mentioned ingredients and mix them thoroughly with a spoon.

  • 1 cup rava/semolina (use fine variety of suji and not the coarser variety)
  • ginger-chili paste (½ inch ginger + 1 green chili – crushed and made into a paste in a mortar-pestle)
  • 1 tablespoon or 1.25 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • salt as required
  • ½ cup water or as required.

Don’t add the fruit salt (eno) at this step. Keep aside for 15 to 20 minutes. The batter has to be slightly thicker than the Idli Batter.

NOTE 1: Don’t make the batter thin or very thick. As this will change the texture of the suji dhokla.

NOTE 2: Keep in mind that depending on the texture of your rava, you may need to add more water.

mix all suji dhokla ingredients in a bowl

2. While the batter is resting and before you add eno to the batter, prepare your pans for steaming. First grease a steaming shallow pan with oil and set aside.

Next in a pot or a saucepan take 2 cups of water. Place a small trivet in the saucepan inside the water. Bring this water to a gentle boil on medium heat.

Then add 1 teaspoon eno or fruit salt. The addition of eno helps in leavening the batter and gives a soft fluffy texture to the suji dhokla.

eno added to mixed ingredients

3. Stir briskly and be quick to mix. Make sure the fruit salt is distributed evenly in the batter. However, don’t overdo the mixing as you don’t want the air bubbles to escape from the batter.

mix all ingredients again with a spoon to make suji dhokla batter

4. Quickly pour the batter into the prepared greased pan. So before you make the batter grease a steaming pan very well with oil as I have mentioned above.

batter added in the greased pan

Steam Suji Dhokla

5. Spread the batter in the pan with a spoon. Then shake the pan to even out the batter. Place the pan on the trivet on the saucepan.

You can steam the rava dhokla mixture using a stovetop pressure cooker, an electric rice cooker or the Instant Pot.

pan with suji dhokla batter in the steamer

6. Cover the saucepan or pan or steamer with a lid and steam for approx 15 to 20 minutes. I used an electric steamer and steamed it for exactly 20 minutes.

Check with a toothpick to see the doneness and if the toothpick comes out clean and there is no sticky batter on it, then the rava dhokla is steamed well. Remove and allow to cool for 5 to 6 minutes.

steamed suji ka dhokla

Make Tempering

7. Here you have 2 options. You can add the tempering mixture directly to the steamed pan containing the rava dhokla.

Or unmould the rava dhokla carefully on a serving plate and then slice and temper the slices. You can use any of the methods.

To prepare tempering for dhokla, heat oil in a small pan. You can use peanut oil or any neutral-flavored oil.

for tempering heat oil in a small pan

8. First add the mustard seeds. Let them crackle.

mustard seeds added to oil

9. Then add cumin seeds and allow them to splutter. Then add the asafoetida (hing), white sesame seeds and curry leaves and fry for some seconds.

Switch off the heat. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to the tempering. Be careful as the oil is hot and adding water would create a splurge. So add the water carefully and from a safe distance.

cumin asafoetida sesame seeds and curry leaves added

10. Pour the tempering mixture evenly over the sooji dhokla.

tempering mixture added to rava dhokla in the pan

11. Top with some chopped coriander leaves or freshly grated coconut. Slice and serve warm or cool with a side chutney like green chutney or mint chutney or papapa chutney.

It makes for a light and tasty evening snack. It can also be packed as a snack in a tiffin box for kids.

suji ka dhokla topped with coriander leaves and fresh coconut

Step by Step Photo Guide Above

rava dhokla slices in a steel square plate.

Rava Dhokla | Suji ka Dhokla

Author: Dassana Amit
4.98 from 36 votes
Rava dhokla is a soft, fluffy, steamed savory cake made from rava (suji or semolina or cream of wheat) together with herbs, spices, white sesame seeds and topped with coconut and coriander leaves
Print Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings4
CourseSnacks
DietVegan, Vegetarian
CuisineGujarati

Ingredients

Main ingredients

  • 1 cup rava or suji or semolina or cream of wheat – use finer variety
  • ½ inch ginger + 1 green chili – crushed and made into a paste in a mortar-pestle
  • ½ cup water or add as required
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • ½ teaspoon sugar or add as per taste
  • 1 pinch turmeric powder
  • 1 to 1.25 tablespoons lemon juice – from 1 medium sized lemon
  • 1 teaspoon eno (fruit salt) or baking soda
  • salt as required

For tempering

  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • 8 to 10 curry leaves
  • 1 pinch of asafoetida (hing)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons water
  • ½ tablespoon oil

For garnish

  • 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh grated coconut – optional

Instructions

Making batter

  • Mix all the ingredients mentioned under the list 'Main ingredients' except for the fruit salt.
  • The batter has to be slightly thicker than the idli batter. The batter should not be thin or very thick.
  • Keep aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile add 2 cups water in a steamer pan or saucepan. Also place a small trivet inside the water before you begin to heat it. Let the water come to a gentle boil on medium heat.
  • Grease a pan with oil.
  • Add the eno to the batter and stir briskly. Don't overdo the mixing as you don't want the air bubbles to escape.
  • Quickly pour the batter in the prepared greased pan.
  • Spread evenly and shake the pan to even out the batter.

Steaming rava dhokla

  • Keep the pan with the batter in the steamer or sauce pan on top of the trivet.
  • Cover the steamer or sauce pan with a lid and steam for about 15 to 20 minutes on medium heat.
  • I used an electric steamer and steamed for exact 20 minutes.
  • Check with a toothpick to see the doneness and if the toothpick comes out clean without any batter particles sticking to it, then the suji dhokla is steamed well.
  • Remove and allow to cool for 5 to 6 minutes.
  • You can temper directly or unmould the rava dhokla carefully in a serving plate and then slice and then temper it.

Making tempering

  • Heat oil in a small pan. First add the mustard seeds. Let them crackle first.
  • Then add cumin seeds and allow to crackle them.
  • Add the asafoetida (hing), white sesame seeds and curry leaves and fry for some seconds.
  • Switch off the heat. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water in the tempering.
  • Be careful as the oil is hot and adding water would create a splurge. So add the water carefully and from a safe distance.
  • Pour the tempering mixture evenly over the rava dhokla.
  • Top with some chopped coriander leaves or freshly grated coconut.
  • Slice and serve suji ka dhokla warm or cool with an accompanying chutney of your choice like mint chutney or green chutney or cilantro chutney. It can also be packed in lunch box as a snack.

Notes

  • Use the fine variety of suji or rava and not the coarser variety.
  • The batter is slightly thicker than the idli batter. But don’t make it very thick as this will make the sooji dhokla have a dense or chewy texture. Also don’t make it very thin.
  • Instead of eno you can use baking soda. But 1 teaspoon of baking soda would give a lot of its soapy odour in the dish. So I would suggest adding ½ teaspoon of baking soda. Note that this much amount also will give some soapy odour. So according to your preferences, you can even add ¼ to ⅓ teaspoon of baking soda.
  • The recipe can be scaled to make a bigger batch for gettogether or parties.

Nutrition

Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 775mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 93IU | Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): 1mg | Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 1mg | Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 29mg | Vitamin B6: 1mg | Vitamin C: 42mg | Vitamin E: 1mg | Vitamin K: 1µg | Calcium: 328mg | Vitamin B9 (Folate): 290µg | Iron: 15mg | Magnesium: 26mg | Phosphorus: 120mg | Zinc: 1mg

Rava Dhokla recipe from the blog archives was first published on September 2013.

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Dassana Amit

I am Dassana Amit, a vegetarian chef and baker with decades of experience, professionally trained in Indian and continental cooking and baking. I’m also a certified pastry chef, trained at Le Cordon Bleu in plant-based patisserie. For over 16 years, I’ve shared trusted, strictly vegetarian recipes with step-by-step photos, expert tips, and practical guidance. Bringing together tradition, technique, and a love for honest, soulful vegetarian cooking.

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96 Comments

  1. Hi
    What is the size of the pan you have used to steam the dhoklas please.
    It isn’t mentioned
    Thanks

    Reply

  2. Hi, just wanted to say your recipes are really good. Thank you so much for sharing them. May I please ask for a picture of your steamer. Thanks in advance.

    Reply

    1. Thanks Bhavika. This is the Panasonic electric rice cooker, which also had separate pans for steaming vegetables, dhokla steaming pan and an idli steaming mould. I checked on amazon and this particular piece is not available. If you plan to buy, then buy a rice cooker having a steel pot and not non-stick or else you can buy the Instant Pot.

      Reply

  5. I tried the recipe today with a small twist . Instead of making them plain dhoklas I made them into Sandwiche Dhoklas with sauce as I didn’t have green chutney . My family loved them . You should have seen them relishing the Dhoklas . My mom couldn’t that they were. Suji Dhoklas​ . Thank you for your wonderful recipe . ALL the best for you future projects n endeavours​5 stars

    Reply

  9. Hi..
    Today i made this rava dhokla. Bt it ultimately got the texture of upma. I made it in microwave. Before using the rava i roasted it. N instead of lemon juice used yogurt. I cn u tell me y it became dry.

    Reply

    1. its got too much cooked in the microwave. when cooking in microwave, care has to be taken. if the food gets overdone, then the texture becomes dry, hard or dense.

      Reply

  10. Hi Dassana,
    This one is the first recipe which did not turn out well. My eno was active still it turned hard. By seeing your quantity of dhokla in pictures, I feel you used just 1 cup semolina. As I think 1tsp eno is good for 1 cup suji. Can you please advise..

    Reply

    1. bhavana, i have used 2 cups only. you might be feeling this due to the camera position and focus. the first pic is taken from a distance. the hardness can also be due to less water or too much steaming. depending on the type of rava (fine to coarser) the water proportions will change. 1 teaspoon eno is enough for 2 cups of rava. too much of eno or baking soda gives a typical smell in the final dish and therefore i do not add more. i hope this helps.

      Reply

  11. Hey!

    I tried this recipe and it came out pretty good. I used roasted rava as I didn’t have plain rava. How does the choice of rava make a difference?

    I am huge huge fan of your recipes. While making rava dhokla, I was checking out your idli recipe and have soaked the rice and dal.
    And cooked palak aloo for lunch which came out excellent.

    God bless you 🙂

    Reply

  13. Dear Dassana,
    The Dhokla turned out to be soft, fluffy and delicious and got over within 5 mins. Thanks a ton for sharing your talent with everyone. God bless u ??5 stars

    Reply

  14. Dear Dassana,
    I would like to know if semolina has been roasted before making the batter.
    Thanks in advance for your help!

    Reply

      1. Dear Dassana, I made this Dhokla today and it turned out soft,fluffy and delicious. Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us. God bless u ??.

        Reply

  17. Hi …
    Tnx for ua simple and easy recipes. Can u plz tell whether baking soda should be added and kept for some time?

    Reply

    1. no. after adding baking soda, quickly stir and make the dhokla. if you keep for some more time, the the batter looses its aeration and does not become soft or fluffy while steaming.

      Reply

  18. Ma’am , gud eve, I tried rava dhokla and followed all your instructions but it didn’t turn out the same. I jus don’t know what went wrong, I used eno fruit salt with lemon flavour

    Reply

    1. what happened. they were not soft and became hard? if this is the case then it could be the shelf life or freshness of eno. moreover as soon as you add eno, the batter has to be mixed quickly and kept for steaming. if the batter is kept outside even for some minutes, the dhokla will not be soft.

      Reply

  19. I’m in love with your blog. Its just perfect. I’m planning to prepare this for a light dinner tonight. M sure it will be great like your other recipes…….5 stars

    Reply

  20. Hi Dassana, which sooji is recommended for rava dhokla ? fine or coarse .Or either would do. Will coarse sooji be equally effective as the fine one ?

    Reply

  21. used citric acid instead of lemon juice..
    tastes very good..
    thanks for sharing the recipe…
    can i add besan to it?

    Reply

  24. Hi…. Dr… On daily basis I read ur recipes… though I had never tried it.. but today I want to make rava dhokla. I’m not having microwave or oven. Just want to know when we have to put the pan in pressure cooker for steaming the batter do we need water too in the cooker ?

    Reply

    1. thanks samridhi. yes you need water in the cooker. the water should just touch the 1/2 to 1 inch of the pan from the bottom. remove the whistle of the pressure cooker while steaming. in case the water dries up in the cooker then add some more water and continue to steam.

      Reply

  26. Thanks for the lovely recipes..made the khaman dhoklas in microwave..turned out great..thanks..xxx

    Reply

  27. Dear Dassana i like your website very much your recepies are explained in very simple and easy way thanks for sharing .

    Reply

  30. Hi Dassana,
    Hope you are doing good 🙂
    It’s always a joy to read and try out your recipes. Good work. Keep it up.
    I want to know if I have to use yoghurt instead if lemon juice how much should I use.
    Regards,
    Sue.

    Reply

  31. Hi,
    I never heard of adding water when tempering dhokla with rai, jeera, til etc. Could you please explain me the reason for that ? Thank you.

    Reply

  32. Hi Dasanna, My dhoklas turned a little hard. I used baking soda as Eno is not available here easily (Germany). I steamed it in pressure cooker for 18-20 mins and the toothpick test was perfect. I guess the water content or the soda went wrong.

    Reply

    1. you have pinpointed the issue. either water content or soda is the culprit. but even over steaming can be an issue. i think 12 to 15 minutes should be fine in the pressure cooker. the baking soda must not be active.

      Reply

  34. hi,
    culd u plz tell me, hw to make besan dhokla and tantana dhokla which is being found in haldiram and Bikaner.
    thnks

    Reply

    1. besan dhokla is already posted on the blog. i don’t know what is tantana dhokla. will have to check it out. however, i don’t have any haldiram or bikaner shops here.

      Reply

  37. and also sorry forgot to ask ….can i use normal or coarse semolina or does it have to b the fine version?
    thanks again

    Reply

  38. Hi Dassana, thanks for this recipe. just wanted to ask if i could also add some leftover rice to this recipe as i had some in the fridge. cant wait to try this!!

    Reply

    1. what did you add. eno or baking soda. it should not become hard. so something wrong with the eno or soda or the batter did not have enough moisture.

      Reply

  41. dassana.. i am in trouble.. ur rava dhokla reminded me of kesaris.. and now i want to have them…. i will stick to the khaman dhokla for trail… navin is not a rava fan eithr.. he loves suji halwa but everything else he says no.. picky eater u know.. !!!:)

    Reply

  43. I tried this recipe yesterday and everybody in my home loved it. Thanks a lot Dassana.
    I just love your blog. ..

    Reply

  46. ohhhhhhhhhh yumm lovely dhoklas loving the way u have got it perfect.Is it some kind of special steamer dassana??? loving it what is it called.

    Reply

  47. I should try this recipe with wheat rava ! believe it works 🙂 this is tempting me to the core !

    Reply

      1. Please send a recipe for jalebi also because I have full faith in you if it is your recipe then in is bound to be perfect.
        Sudha
        L

        Reply

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