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    Home » Recipes » Idli Recipes

    Idli Recipe | Making Soft Idlis at Home

    Published: Aug 17, 2016 · Modified: Apr 25, 2021 by Ramya · 24 Comments

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    Make pillowy soft Idli at home with this fail-proof Idli recipe. Tips and tricks to make best idlis at home using your mixie/grinder.

    How to make Soft Idlis at Home

    Idli, a steamed cake can be considered the heart and soul of any South Indian. Idli is one of the most popular breakfast item, not just in South India but in the rest of the country too. Did you know that idli is THE safest and healthiest breakfast that is? Idli batter is made of rice and urad dal (dehusked black lentils), which is then fermented overnight and steamed in the morning for breakfast. Rice is a rich source of carbs and the urad dal is rich in proteins. Not just that, idlis are steam cooked with zero oil. Together they make idli one of the greatest foods to break the fast. It is considered so safe that idli is one of the few meals that is certified to be given to babies who start solids too. Enough about the goodness of idlis, let me move on to making them great at home.

    Idli

    For someone who has never had/seen idlis, it might be hard to imagine this stuff. Don’t worry – just think of softest, fluffiest, lightest clouds being presented to you in a plate. That’s idli for you. Depending on how good the batter is made, idlis turn out super soft and airy light. But making such batter is no mean task, if you don’t know how. During the initial days of my marriage, my Amma gave me a set of measurements for making good idlis and then, my MIL also gave me a set of measurements – both totally different! No, it is not a joke. Probably every household in South India would have their own recipe for making idli, although the ingredients are the same. Over the years, I started coming up with my own and everytime the idlis turn out just perfect. Like my mom or MIL, I don’t have a lot of time so my recipe uses a quick shortcut, but guarantees softest idlis. The traditionalists might not agree with this method but all I care about is, it works perfectly for me.

    Easy Idli Batter recipe

    The key to get the soft idlis is to use a wet grinder to make the batter. Again, every house in South India would have a wet grinder, just for making the idli-dosa batter. Of course, a mixer-grinder (mixie) can be used to make the batter but the result would not be the same. There is only one reason to it – the urad dal on grinding should double up in volume and that happens only with a wet grinder – which takes a longer time to grinder, thereby keeping the batter cool. In a mixie, the batter gets heated up quite fast and thus, urad dal doesn’t turn out quite airy. One trick that can be used is to not grind the batter all at once but in installments with ice cold water. This is a great workaround if you don’t have a wet grinder.

    Idli Sambar Chutney

    Fermenting the batter until it is double the initial quantity is yet another key step in getting soft fluffy idlis. I usually leave my batter in a warm place in my kitchen overnight and by morning, it would have doubled up. I then store it in the fridge for upto a week – quite handy for the busy mornings. With coconut chutney and sambar, this simple meal can be heavenly 🙂

    Soft Idli Recipe

    How to make Idli | Making Soft Idlis at Home

    📖 Recipe

    Idli

    Idli Recipe | Making Soft Idlis at Home

    Ramya
    Pillowy Soft Idli Recipe!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 7 hours hrs
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
    Course Breakfast
    Cuisine South Indian
    Servings 18 Idlis

    MEASUREMENT

    1 cup = 250ml, 1 tablespoon = 15ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 cups Idli Rice Parboiled Rice
    • 1 cup Whole Urad Dal
    • 1 cup Thick Poha/Flattened Rice
    • Water as needed
    • Salt as needed
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    Prep Work –

    • In a large pot, add idli rice and the urad dal. Wash 2-3 times thoroughly until the water is no longer turbid/starchy. Add thick poha and pour water to cover the ingredients. Soak the rice and dal for 6 hours at the least.
    • In a wet grinder, add the soaked rice and dal and grind into a smooth batter. Use the water used to soak the rice and dal. Unless required, don’t add extra water. The batter should be thick. If using a mixie/mixer grinder, grind the batter in batches with ice cold water. It is important to not let the batter heat up by running the mixer continuously.
    • Remove the batter onto a large container and add salt required (I usually add a teaspoon of fine salt). Using your hand, mix the batter well. Keep it in a warm place for another 8 hours/leave it overnight untouched. The batter should be doubled up in quantity. Beat it down and store it in the fridge until required. The batter should be not too thick and also not too runny.

    How I made –

    • Add 2 cups of water in the idli steamer/cooker pot (I use an old school Hindalium Idli steamer) and let it come to a boil on high flame.
    • Take fermented idli batter and if required, add some water. The batter should be thick and pourable but not too runny. Fill the idli mould with the prepared idli batter and set the idli plates on the steamer.
    • Steam the idlis for 10-12 minutes on medium flame. When the idli steamer opened, idlis should have risen up and look cooked. Switch off the heat and let the idlis stay in the steamer for another 5-mins. Remove the idli plates and sprinkle some cold water all over the idlis. Wait for another 5 mins and gently remove the idlis from the mould.
    • Serve hot with coconut chutney, sambar and idli podi.
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    Idli

    Detailed step-wise picture recipe of making Idli  | Making Soft Idlis at Home

    Prep Work

    1. In a large pot, add idli rice and the urad dal. Wash 2-3 times thoroughly until the water is no longer turbid/starchy. Add thick poha and pour water to cover the ingredients. Soak the rice and dal for 6 hours at the least.

    2. In a wet grinder, add the soaked rice and dal and grind into a smooth batter. Use the water used to soak the rice and dal. Unless required, don’t add extra water. The batter should be thick. If using a mixie/mixer grinder, grind the batter in batches with ice cold water. It is important to not let the batter heat up by running the mixer continuously.

    3. Remove the batter onto a large container and add salt required (I usually add a teaspoon of fine salt). Using your hand, mix the batter well. Keep it in a warm place for another 8 hours/leave it overnight untouched. The batter should be doubled up in quantity. Beat it down and store it in the fridge until required. The batter should be not too thick and also not too runny.

    To make Idli

    1. Add 2 cups of water in the idli steamer/cooker pot (I use an old school Hindalium Idli steamer) and let it come to a boil on high flame.

    2. Take fermented idli batter and if required, add some water. The batter should be thick and pourable but not too runny. Fill the idli mould with the prepared idli batter and set the idli plates on the steamer.

    3. Steam the idlis for 10-12 minutes on medium flame. When the idli steamer opened, idlis should have risen up and look cooked. Switch off the heat and let the idlis stay in the steamer for another 5-mins. Remove the idli plates and sprinkle some cold water all over the idlis. Wait for another 5 mins and gently remove the idlis from the mould.

    4. Serve hot with coconut chutney, sambar and idli podi.

    Idli

    Recipe Notes

    • For best results, good quality idli rice has to be used. If idli rice is not available, any variant of parboiled rice can be used.
    • The quality of urad dal is very important to get soft idlis. If the urad dal is not good, it doesn’t yield as much batter and the idlis can be hard.
    • The traditional method of making the idli batter is to soak the rice and urad dal separately. First urad dal is ground until airy, frothy and double in volume. Next the rice is ground until smooth. Add salt and mix both these batters using hand. My method is not traditional but saves a lot of time.
    • If you don’t have a wet grinder, use the mixie/mixer-grinder but don’t grind all the batter at once, continuously. This heats up the batter and the idlis don’t turn out good. Use ice cold water to sprinkle whenever required and grind batter in installments.
    • Adding thick flattened rice gives softness to the idlis and is not to be skipped especially since we are grinding the rice and dal together.
    • Mixing the batter with bare hand helps in fermentation. The perfect fermentation also depends on the climate and the temperature. Put the batter in a warm place for atleast 8 hrs.
    • While the batter is set up for fermentation, use a large air tight container as the batter rises up and doubles in volume. If the batter in the container is more than half full, be ready to be welcome with overflown batter 🙂
    • Traditionally, my mom uses rock salt but I go with fine salt.
    • The consistency of the batter is important in getting the idli right. It should be neither too thick nor runny.
    • The same batter can be used to make dosa as well, but my dosa batter recipe is slightly different.

    I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂

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      5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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    1. Cook with Smile..

      August 17, 2016 at 10:37 am

      I agree with you, as you said every household have their own measurements...mine too... your idli looks picture perfect?

      Reply
      • chcooks

        August 17, 2016 at 1:46 pm

        Thanks much dear 🙂

        Reply
    2. Osyth

      August 17, 2016 at 3:16 pm

      I have never seen these but I REALLY like the idea. I'll definitely try them (using your measurements of course ?)

      Reply
      • chcooks

        August 17, 2016 at 3:41 pm

        hahaha thats very sweet of you Osyth 🙂 Hope you can find the idli moulds 🙂

        Reply
        • Osyth

          August 18, 2016 at 8:10 am

          Where there's a will there's a way ?

          Reply
          • chcooks

            August 29, 2016 at 5:57 pm

            🙂 🙂

            Reply
    3. Nish Kitchen

      August 18, 2016 at 7:35 pm

      Perfectly fluffy idlis! And my favourite way to start the day.

      Reply
      • chcooks

        August 29, 2016 at 5:57 pm

        Thanks dear!

        Reply
    4. sri

      July 05, 2017 at 10:12 pm

      Please check your photos in the "How I made" section. Seems to be some mix up.....

      Reply
      • chcooks

        July 06, 2017 at 4:11 pm

        Thanks so much for letting me know. There was some mess-up and most of the how to pictures got mixed up. I have corrected it now, thanks again.

        Reply
    5. Shubha

      September 23, 2017 at 4:23 pm

      Nice recipe. Thanks for sharing. I used to think that grinding rice and uraddal is the most important step in idli. But your recipe says it doesn't make any difference. Hope it is as good as the traditional method though it does save time.

      Reply
      • chcooks

        September 28, 2017 at 1:52 pm

        Yes - it saves a lot of time. I have been doing this for years!

        Reply
    6. Agness of Run Agness Run

      November 05, 2017 at 3:31 pm

      I've never imagined that I will be able to prepare idilis at home. This is an awesome recipe which I can't wait to try!

      Reply
    7. Sravya

      July 07, 2018 at 11:13 am

      Hi, is it split urad dal or round urad dal that you use for idly?

      Reply
      • chcooks

        July 07, 2018 at 11:43 am

        It is whole urad dal.

        Reply

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    Ramya-CookingFromHeart

    Hi! I am Ramya, the face and voice behind Cooking from Heart 🙂 I was born in Andhra Pradesh, brought up in Chennai and currently living in Bangalore. My food is an amalgamation of the different exposures I have had in my life. More about me →


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