Top 10 Types Of Dosa ( With Easy Recipe)

India is known for many incredible things for eons, starting from architectural beauty to cultures, traditions, and food. With a history dating back to the 5th Century AD, on the temple streets of Udupi, Karnataka, the world-famous Dosa as we all call it took birth. There are a few arguments with Dosa being originally from Tamil Nadu as it was mentioned in literary texts in 1054AD, but there is enough evidence to show that it first originated in Karnataka and moved on to other states.

What Is Dosa?

Dosa is, to describe it very simply, a thin pancake that is made from fermented black lentils and rice. Some people also describe it as a crispy, crepe-like street food in India.

Today, dosa is a very popular breakfast option all over the world but mainly in South India as it provides a wholesome and filling experience when you consume it. Dosa has evolved into various forms and types over the years and today we have over 129 types of dosas being consumed and the varieties only keep increasing as time passes.

Some of the main types of dosa are

• Classic Plain Dosa
• Rava Dosa
• Neer Dosa
• Oats dosa
• Dal dosa
• Tapioca pearls (Sabudana) Dosa
• Finger millet (Ragi) Dosa
• Green gram (Moong dal) Dosa
• Wheat (Atta) dosa
• Cheese dosa

Here are some of the most famous types of dosas that are loved worldwide:

Classic Plain Dosa

The first-ever dosa that is known to man is the classic plain dosa that originated back in the 5th century. It is prevalent even today is it is one of the easiest dosas to make with a few ingredients. It is also a very healthy option as it is fermented for 7-8 hours before cooking. Fermented foods are rich in probiotics which help in great digestion.

How to make it?

1. Pulses (Urad dal) and rice should be soaked in water for about 4 hours
2. Separate just the urad dal and grind it by adding water as needed until you achieve the desired smooth consistency
3. After that, grind the rice separately until it forms a smooth paste
4. Mix both ingredients well until you achieve a batter-like consistency and let it sit at room temperature for about 8 hours before you make it. This ferments the batter that is good for smooth, crispy, and fluffy dosa.

Rava Dosa

Another quick and easy dosa with a twist by adding a few veggies and leaves to give it an instant tangy taste. Rava is nothing but semolina, also called sooji in India. Here unlike rice, rava is mainly used to make the dosa, hence giving it the name Rava dosa.

How to make it?

1. The first step is making the dosa batter and you repeat the same steps mentioned in plain dosa by grinding rice and dal separately, grinding them together until a smooth batter-like consistency is formed, and letting it sit to ferment for about 8 hours.
2. This step is where it becomes a unique rava dosa. Add chopped chilies, onions, ginger, curry leaves, coriander, parsley, carrots, etc to the batter and mix until it is well combined.
3. Add water if the batter becomes too thick after adding all the ingredients bringing it back to a runny batter consistency
4. Leave it for about half an hour before you make the dosa.

Neer Dosa

Originally from Karnataka, “neer” means water in Kannada and as the name suggests, this is a very quick and easy-to-make dosa and the best part is it does not require hours of fermentation. It was first made as a comforting dish along with fish curry, which it goes the best with. Neer dosa is specially made to accompany meat-based curries as a light meal that goes well with them.

How to make it?

1. Grind dal and rice like before until you get batter consistency (after soaking them for about 5 hours)
2. As there is no need to ferment the batter for neer dosa, let it rest for half an hour, and then go ahead and make your neer dosas and serve it with any meat-based curry or a simple chutney

Oats dosa

Everyone loves and prefers oatmeal in the morning mainly because it provides that much-needed fiber and protein to our bodies. Fiber is known to keep us full for a long period of time and hence oatmeals are preferred as a quick morning snack that will keep you good and full for the better part of the day. Adding oats to the dosa means that you get all your daily vitamins with the dosa along with the much-needed fiber from oats. How cool is that? Oats dosa is also fairly simple to make as it also doesn’t require fermentation.

How to make it?

1. The first step is to grind old-fashioned rolled oats until you get a smooth powder-like consistency. You can also use store-bought oat flour here instead.
2. Like all the steps in previous dosas, soak rice and dak for 4 hours and grind them
3. Add the ground mixture along with oats powder and a little yogurt with a little water and mix them well until it forms a batter.
4. You can add onions, chilies, pepper, parsley, coriander, etc to add a tangy twist to it.
5. Let the whole batter sit for half an hour before you heat the pan and cook your oat dosa.

Dal dosa

If you want a protein-packed breakfast that is also very South Indian, then dal dosa is your best option as it combines all dal that is high in protein which will help you check off your daily dose of protein requirements. The best part is this is an instant dosa mix that does not require an overnight fermentation process. So all in all the best option as well as an easy one.

How to make it?

1. Rince masoor dal, moong dal, chickpeas, and arhar dal 3 times first and soak them overnight. Do not mix all of them and there might be water consistency variation. So it is good if you can soak them in different pots for 8 hours or overnight.
2. After 8 hours or preferably the next morning, rinse the soaked dals again, and in a blender add chilies (chopped), onions (chopped), a pinch of aesofiteda, and a coin or two of ginger and grind them first and continue doing it by adding one soaked dal mixture at a time until you get a smooth batter consistency.
3. Add water if the batter is too thick to bring it back to its runny form.
4. You can also add rice, and semolina along with a pinch of salt which when well combined will help the dosa hold itself together
5. Let the batter rest for half an hour before you make your protein-packed dosa preferably with coconut or tomato chutney.

Tapioca pearls (Sabudana) Dosa

The benefits of tapioca pearls or sabudana have been known for a long time as they help is much-needed weight gain, and muscle gain, restore digestive function, and help in our daily dose of calcium as it is rich in various minerals. Another advantage of consuming sabudana is that it has zero cholesterol and is rich in fiber. Adding it dosas means that it not only gives us all the benefits mentioned above, but it also doesn’t impart a strong taste which is also a great thing. Sabudana dosas go great with sambar and coconut chutney.

How to make it?

1. Soak tapioca pearls, rice, dal, and a handful of fenugreek seeds overnight.
2. The next morning grind all the soaked ingredients separately
3. After grinding, combine all of them and mix well until you get a smooth consistency by adding water if and when required.
4. Let the batter sit for half an hour before you make the dosa.
5. You can also add onions and coriander if there is time.

Finger millet (Ragi) Dosa

Originating again in Karnataka, ragi dosa is a quick and easy dish that can be made instantly and is also a rich source of calcium and probiotics. This dosa is crispy and tasty and goes well with sambar and tomato chutney. This dosa batter can also be stored in the fridge which makes it another great option.

How to make it?

1. Soak beaten rice (poha in Hindi) and regular rice for about 4 hours along with a dal and fenugreek seeds separately
2. After they are well soaked, gride poha and rice first and then grind the other two mixtures until they form a smooth consistency.
3. Mix both mixtures and add water as needed
4. Add finger millet flour into the mixture and mix well
5. Let the batter sit overnight at room temperature or for about 8 hours before you cook it.

Green gram (Moong dal) Dosa

One of the most nutrition-rich and protein-packed options for vegetarians or anyone out there is moong dad or green gram. With the highest number of antioxidants in it popularly known as flavinoids, moong dal contributes to a great extent to increasing heart health by cleansing blood vessels and reducing inflammation in the body. It is also rich in Vit B which is known to keep your heart rate in check at all times. Green gram dosas have also been popular for a long time because of how easy it is to make and it also does not require any fermentation.

How to make it?

1. Soak green gram in water for a good 7 hours or preferably overnight along with rice
2. Add ginger, parsley, coriander, chilies, onions, or any other veggie you prefer along with the drained green gram with a pinch of salt to taste.
3. Grind the combined mixture until you achieve a smooth texture after which you will add the rice and grind it again until it is well combined
4. Let it sit for half an hour before you cook it.

Wheat (Atta) dosa

As the name suggests wheat dosa consists mainly of wheat and this is an instant easy-to-make dish as well. Wheat dosas are known to keep you full for a long time and go well with any chutney or even leftover curries. But as wheat contains gluten anyone that is on a gluten-free diet or intolerant to it must stay away from wheat dosas but can try out other mentioned varieties.

How to make it?

1. Here all you have to do is substitute rice with wheat by mixing it with onions, chilies, coriander, aesofiteda powder, and a coin of ginger with a handful of curry leaves
2. Grind them together with enough water until you get a batter-like but a little more runny than usual consistency. But not too runny as you will not be able to make the dosa.
3. Let it sit for about an hour before you make your dosas.

Cheese dosa

Cheese is a staple favorite for most people and we always find a way to add cheese to all our dishes the best part is there is a recipe to make cheese dosas as well. Cheese is a rich source of calcium and vitamin B12 that helps in brain and bone health and making cheese dosa is very simple and can be tweaked to your liking.

How to make it?

1. Making cheese dosa is very easy as you will need a normal plain dosa batter, to begin with, which you can make by grinding overnight soaked rice and dal along with the desired amount of water and salt until you get a smooth batter.
2. While making the dosa, you can chop onions, chilies, garlic, coriander, etc, and add them along with the dosa and sprinkle some grated cheese on top of it while it is cooking in a pan.
3. This step will help the cheese to melt into the dosa by making it creamy and giving it a rich taste that is filling.
4. You can also add some additional seasonings if you are not a fan of just plain cheese.
5. This can be served with any spicy chutney or curries.

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Why should we eat dosa?

There are many benefits to eating dosas and here are some of the main ones –

1. High in protein

For all vegetarians who need their daily dose of protein, dosa is always there to help you curb your protein requirements to an extent. Consuming dosa for breakfast a few times a week will help you check off those protein requirements for your body.

2. Zero gluten

Gluten is found in wheat-based meals and it is known to contribute highly to inflammation and acne when consumed too much. Dosa will be of great help here as it contains no wheat = no gluten. Anyone who is on a gluten-free diet or is intolerant to it can safely consume dosas.

3. Rich source of Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an essential vitamin that is required for our bodies and it is very helpful in protecting the skin barrier against the sun, healing acne, and making the skin glow. Dosas contain essential doses of vitamin c which also helps in the healthy maintenance of blood vessels.

4. Simple to digest

As dosas do not contain any heavy ingredients, they are very easy to digest as they are rich in probiotics. Probiotics are known to help in the smooth digestion of food and dosas naturally containing it just make it all better.

5. Rich in Iron and Calcium

Iron and calcium are the most important minerals in our body. Iron contributes to the production of red blood cells and calcium is essential in maintaining the strength of our bones. Dosa is rich in both iron and calcium which also contributes to healthy weight maintenance.

Dosa – My Opinion

Dosas have evolved rapidly over time and it has become so popular that you can find dosa joints in almost all major cities in the world. With simple ingredients that are always available and with easy-to-make options, dosas are a quick fix to your hunger cravings as well. The fact that you can make it at home and store the batter for a few days calls for a special shoutout as we are all hunting for quick meals thanks to our busy schedules. Please comment down below and let us know if you tried any of the above-mentioned dosas or which one is your personal favorite.

Mark Turner

Mark Turner is a food lover who likes to travel the world and find food that he never tasted before. With all the tasting he did all over he can write some amazing content related to food and cooking. You can read more about Mark Turner here.