My recipe for Indian restaurant style paratha with countless crispy layers that splinter as you tear into the soft center. Use it to scoop up a spicy Indian curry or dal.
Table of Contents
What is paratha?
A paratha is a coiled Indian bread with multiple crispy layers. Think puff pastry transformed into a softer, flavorful flatbread. Within India it features in both north Indian and south Indian cuisine. The north Indian lachha paratha (meaning coiled paratha) or khasta paratha (crispy paratha) is made with whole wheat flour. The south Indian paratha, called "parotta", is made with refined flour.
A paratha is unleavened, like roti, and it is not stuffed, like an aloo paratha or a gobi paratha is. But what makes it just as beloved and decadent are its delicious, flaky layers and rich, buttery flavor.
This is not a difficult flatbread to make, it's just a matter of rolling and folding the dough a few times to create all those layers. If you've made puff pastry before - or watched it being made - the process is very similar, but quicker.
My recipe will guide you, step by step, through getting those perfect layers without using any ghee, which, of course, is not vegan. You will need just three ingredients, including vegan butter. The recipe goes from start to finish in under an hour even if you are newer to the process.
Just like with naan, there is a learning curve to making paratha. This is Desi's favorite bread (perhaps alongside poori) and he urged me to try my hand at making it because he had happy memories of eating it at restaurants in Madras where it was always served alongside spicy curries. But it took me a few tries before I could get the perfect paratha I was looking for. Even those early mistakes tasted quite delicious, however, and I am proof that with practice and patience anyone can master these.
I love this recipe! It was very easy to follow, and the result is delicious. I make these every few weeks to eat with butter chicken. The parathas turn out very tasty and flaky. They hold up well and don't fall apart when you are eating them. My boyfriend and I used to order Indian take away regularly, but he prefers these parathas to the ones we ordered. - Sam
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Recipe card
Paratha recipe
Equipment
- Rolling pin
- Cast iron griddle or non-stick griddle
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter (melted)
Instructions
- Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Drizzle the oil over the flour.
- Mix the oil in quickly so drops of the oil are dispersed throughout the flour.
- Trickle in water, a bit at a time, and knead until a smooth, supple dough forms. Place in the bowl, cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
- Turn out the rested dough on a floured surface and dust a rolling pin with flour.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle about 14 inches long and 12 inches wide. Brush with melted butter all over and sprinkle a bit of flour.
- Working along the shorter edge, lift the dough and fold it over itself, then repeat for the other side, creating three distinct layers.
- Brush the folded dough with butter, sprinkle flour.
- Fold over into thirds again.
- Roll out the folded dough, again to a rectangle about 14 inches long and 13 inches wide. Brush with butter all the way to the edges and sprinkle flour.
- Starting on the short side, roll the dough into a tight cylinder.
- Cut the cylinder into 12 equal pieces.
- Flour the surface very lightly, if needed, and roll out a paratha about five inches in diameter.
- Heat a non-stick griddle or cast-iron griddle over medium high heat. Place the paratha on it and let it cook until it begins to bubble.
- Flip over and brush with a bit of vegan butter. Once the underside has golden-brown spots, flip again and cook the other side. Brush some butter again if you wish.
- As soon as the paratha comes off the stove wrap it in a kitchen towel. Once all the parathas have been cooked, pick them up, still in the towel, and crush them between your palms. This step helps separate the layers and makes the parathas softer. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information
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Frequently asked questions about paratha
You cannot make paratha without butter or oil because the fat helps separate those layers. Without the oil the different layers would just squish together and you'd get a plain roti, even if you went to the trouble of rolling, flouring and folding the dough.
This will change depending on where you live and what the weather is like. On a dry winter's day, I need about a cup and a quarter of water for two cups of flour. On a humid day you will likely need less. You might also need more water if you live at a high altitude. Add the water a little at a time as you knead until you get a supple dough.
All-purpose flour makes flakier parathas. You can swap it out for durum whole wheat flour or atta. The paratha won't be as crispy, but it will be delicious. Or go with a mix of half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour.
Parathas taste amazing with spicy Indian curries like vegan butter chicken, chana masala and Chettinad mushroom masala. You can also serve the paratha with a dal, like vegan dal makhani or this spicy urad dal. Serve a sabzi on the side, like baingan bharta or bhindi masala. On the side serve vegan yogurt or vegan raita and an Indian lime pickle.
Store the cooked paratha in the fridge for up to four days. Freeze in a freezer-safe bag or air-tight container for up to four months. Reheat on a hot griddle until warmed through and soft again.
Calvin
Hi Vaishali - how much water do you typically add to get the right dough consistency? Many thanks - Calvin
Vaishali
Hi Calvin, it really varies by weather where I am. On a dry day I might need almost two cups, on a humid day much less, maybe a cup and a quarter? I hesitate to give an exact amount because there are so many variables because of the weather and the humidity in your home. Just add a little bit of water at a time to get a very smooth, supple dough.
Jenna
Does the paratha dough require kneading? If so, for how long? thank you in advance for the help.
Vaishali
Knead until smooth, no more than 5 minutes.
Radhika
Hi Vaishali, I had saved your mushroom peas korma (with coconut milk, poppy seeds, green chilis etc) a few years ago. I used to make it all the time, and now tried to dig it up but the link leads to me this page. Any chance you still have that recipe? It was the best mushroom side I've ever made!
Vaishali
Hi Radhika, I removed it because it didn't look like it was getting any interest, but I'll probably repost it soon. Happy you enjoyed it. Here's the recipe meanwhile.
MUSHROOM AND PEAS KORMA RECIPE:
1 8-oz package of crimini mushrooms (can use button or even shiitake), sliced
1 cup frozen green peas
1 large onion, finely diced
2 ½-inch sticks of cinnamon
2 cardamom cloves, seeds powdered
2 cloves
For the masala, grind together:
3 green chillies
1-inch piece ginger
¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp coriander seeds, powdered
1 tsp poppy seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds (saunf), powdered
½ cup coconut milk
In a saucepan, heat the oil
Add the cinnamon, cloves and powdered cardamom and stir for a few seconds until fragrant.
Add the onions and saute until brown spots appear.
Add the mushrooms and stir until they soften, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the ground masala and stir well. Cook for about 3 minutes before adding ½ to 1 cup of water, depending on how runny you want your gravy to be.
Add the peas and salt.
Cook until the peas and mushrooms are tender, about five more minutes.
Check salt. Garnish, if desired, with coriander.
Sam
I love this recipe! It was very easy to follow, and the result is delicious. I make these every few weeks to eat with butter chicken. The parathas turn out very tasty and flaky. They hold up well and don't fall apart when you are eating them. My boyfriend and I used to order Indian take away regularly, but he prefers these parathas to the ones we ordered. So now he prefers if I make this recipe and we make our own butter chicken and rice. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Vaishali
Hi Sam, that's lovely to hear. My husband Desi loves these parathas too--they are often on our menu. Thanks for sharing.
ANWAAR
WHAT IF I MAKE CHAPATI FROM DOUGH FOR PARATH FROM YOUR RECEPE AND STORE IT IN REFEGERATOR OVER NIGHT AND MAKE PARATHA IN THE MORNING WITH THE DOUGH CAN IT BE POSSIBLE TO MAKE THE GHEE PARATHA AND FEEL THE TASTE OF IT.PLEASE REPLY TO IT.