How to make Idli Dosa Batter at home - Idli Dosa Batter recipe

Hello friends,

It took a long time for me to learn grinding the Idli Dosa Batter properly :-) The problem was, I never took an effort to stand with my mother to check how she grinds Idli Dosa Batter. I feel that it is easy to prepare any dish just by following mom's instructions in the cookbook. I have prepared so many dishes just by asking over phone. But, I felt that grinding the Idli Dosa Batter requires more effort. Hope the step by step instructions along with the pictures will help you to grind the Idli Dosa Batter perfectly.

Homemade Idli Dosa Batter Recipe:

Idli Dosa Batter

Homemade Idli Dosa Batter Recipe:


Idli Rice/Dosa Rice - 400 g
Whole Urad dal(with no skin) - 100g + 3 tsp
Salt & Water - As required

Optional(To make soft idli and cripsy dosa):

Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
Poha/Aval/Flattened rice - 3 tsp(Helps to get hotel like Dosa)

Increase the measurements accordingly to grind more batter


1. Wash and rinse well the rice and dal separately.

2. Soak the rice with Poha and dal with methi seeds in water for 2.5 to 4 hours as you  wish. Water should cover the rice and dal well. You can use the water used for soaking when you grind the batter. I use a very big vessel to keep the dal since I grind the dal first and I can use the same vessel to keep the fermented batter.

3. I use table top grinder. Start and run the grinder before adding rice or dal. If you add before running, the rice/dal will get stuck and the grinder will stop running. 

4. Add dal in the grinder followed by the water used for soaking. Have a water in a container near the grinder ready for pouring now and then. You should not add more water in the initial stage itself. You have to add little by little then and there. 

5. Switch off the grinder after you grind the dal well. The batter should be nice but not watery. You can see small pores here and there in the batter. Take the batter out of the grinder and keep it in the vessel which we used for soaking. Add required salt and keep aside. It will take around 40 to 45 minutes to get the required consistency.

6. Now, grind the rice in the same way. Batter from the rice should be thicker than the dal batter. It will take around 30 - 40 minutes based on the rice quality.

7. Switch off the grinder and take the rice batter out of the grinder. Mix it with the dal batter and stir it well.

8. After you stir the batter well, keep it aside for fermentation for 10 hours. In summer,
it will take less time. Once the Idli Dosa batter is fermented/raised up well. You can keep it in refridgerator.

You can use Idli Dosa Batter for making Idlis for 2 - 3 days. You can use the Idli Dosa batter for making Dosa for around 1 week. You can add water while making dosa if you need.

Recipes with Idli Dosa Batter:

Soft and Spongy Idli



  1. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe i will try making idli dosa with this technique. Its a great dish for breakfast and for someone like me who is quite conscious about calories while eating , Idli Sambhar is a great dish to have in the morning. However i like Dosa too.