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    Home » Snacks / Appetizers » Thayir Vadai | Dahi Vada

    Thayir Vadai | Dahi Vada

    Published on Sep 24, 2016 by Srividhya · Modified on Jan 9, 2026 · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Overhead shot of the delicious Thayir Vadai or Dahi Vada served in a set of white bowls on a wooden surface

    Thayir Vadai or Dahi Vada is a popular South Indian style tiffin recipe prepared by soaking crispy lentil vadai or vada in a spicy yogurt mix.

    Overhead shot of the delicious Thayir Vadai or Dahi Vada served in a set of white bowls on a wooden surface

    Thayir Vadai or Dahi Vada

    If it was sambar vadai yesterday, obviously it has to be thayir vadai today. :-) Yet another popular South Indian tiffin recipe – prepared by soaking the crispy lentil vadai or vada in spicy yogurt mix. Unlike sambar vadai, this is super simple to prepare. Once you have the vadai ready, this can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes.

    As I already posted my Dahi Bonda recipe with chutneys, today I am presenting the traditional south Indian style thayir vadai. For thayir vadai, we usually don’t add onions. So as I mentioned yesterday, I divide the batter into two and for the thayir vadai, I add chopped ginger and few broken curry leaves and fry them in usual way. Peppercorns can be added too, but I usually skip them.

    Closeup of the healthy Thayir Vadai or Dahi Vada in a bowl on top of the black towel decorated with flowers

    The yogurt mix is also easy to prepare. All you need to do is beat the yogurt, add the tempering, salt, and sugar. That’s it.

    I don’t add green chilies in my tempering and also I add sugar so that I can serve vaandu too. I do sprinkle paprika generously on our plates.

    Thayir Vadai or Dahi Vada Recipe

    Ingredients:

    • Vadai prepared as mentioned below – 6 to 8 or as required
    • Yogurt – 1.5 cups (I used greek yogurt) + ½ cup of water
    • Paprika to drizzle on top of the vadas – as required
    • Boondhi – about 1 tbsp for each plate
    • Salt – ½ tsp
    • Sugar – ½ tsp (optional)
    • Oil – 2 tsps
    • Mustard Seeds – 2 tsps
    • Hing – 1 tsp
    • Curry leaves – 5 to 6 leaves
    • Chopped Cilantro – to garnish
    • Hot water – 2 cups

    Steps:

    Preparing Vadas for Thayir Vadai:

    Preparing vadas for Thayir Vadai:

    For thayir vadai, we usually don’t add onions. I soaked 1 cup of urad dal and ground it along with 2 chilies and divided the batter into two portions. To one, I added onion and used it for sambar vadai and to the other, I added 1 tbsp of chopped ginger and a few curry leaves broken into small pieces. I mixed them well and prepared the vadas in a regular way. You can find the detailed vadai recipe in this post.

    Six ready vadas on a white tray

    Preparing the yogurt mix:

    • Beat the yogurt along with ½ cup of water. I beat the yogurt in my blender. You need a semi-thick yogurt mix.
    • Now add the sugar and salt and mix well.
    • Heat a tadka pan and add oil.
    • Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and hing.
    • As they start to splutter add the curry leaves. (I broke into small pieces)
    • Add this tempering to the yogurt and mix well.

    Yogurt mix with added tempering in a white bowl

    Assembling Thayir Vadai:

    Three image collage showing assembling Thayir Vadai

    • Add the hot water to the prepared vadas and soak them nicely for about 15 minutes.
    • Now take these vadas to the serving plate and add the prepared yogurt mix to each plate. Make sure the vadas are soaked nicely.
    • Now drizzle the boondi and paprika.
    • Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.

    Garnishing Thayir Vadai or Dahi Vada with chopped cilantro and serving in a long white plate

    That’s it. Yummy thayir vadai is ready.

    Notes:

    • Sugar is optional in thayir vadai.
    • The water that you pour on the vadai should be piping hot so that the vada soaks well.
    • Green chilies can be added to the tempering.
    • Adjust the salt as per your preference.

    Enjoying Thayir Vadai or Dahi Vada? You will love these, too:

    • Sambar Vadai
    • Aval Vadai | Poha Vada | Flattened Rice Fritters
    • Paruppu Vadai Without Onion
    • Dahi Sev Puri

    Have you made this recipe?

    If you’ve made this Thayir Vadai or Dahi Vada recipe, please share your photos with me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter – I will be delighted to see your results!

    📖 Recipe

    Overhead shot of the delicious Thayir Vadai or Dahi Vada served in a set of white bowls on a wooden surface
    Pin Recipe Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Thayir Vadai | Dahi Vada

    Thayir Vadai or Dahi Vada is a popular South Indian style tiffin recipe prepared by soaking crispy lentil vadai or vada in a spicy yogurt mix.
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time15 minutes mins
    Vada Preparation Time8 hours hrs
    Total Time8 hours hrs 25 minutes mins
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: Indian
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 242kcal
    Author: Srividhya G

    Ingredients

    • 8 Vadai prepared as mentioned below or as required
    • 1.5 cups Yogurt I used greek yogurt + ½ cup of water
    • 1 tbsp Paprika to drizzle on top of the vadas as required
    • 1 tbsp Boondhi approximately, for each plate
    • ½ tsp Salt
    • ½ tsp Sugar optional
    • 2 tsps Oil
    • 2 tsps Mustard Seeds
    • 1 tsp Hing
    • 5 Curry leaves or as required
    • Cilantro chopped to garnish
    • 2 cups Hot water

    Instructions

    • Preparing Vadas for Thayir Vadai:
      For thayir vadai, we usually don’t add onions. I soaked 1 cup of urad dal and grinded it along with 2 chillies and divided the batter into two portions. To one I added onion and used for sambar vadai and to the other I added 1 tbsp of chopped ginger and few curry leaves broken into small pieces. I mixed them well and prepared the vadas in a regular way. You can find the detailed vadai recipe in this post.
    • Preparing the yogurt mix:
      Beat the yogurt along with ½ cup of water. I beat the yogurt in my blender. You need semi-thick yogurt mix.
    • Now add the sugar and salt and mix well.
    • Heat a tadka pan and add oil.
    • Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and hing.
    • As they start to splutter add the curry leaves. (I broke into small pieces)
    • Add this tempering to the yogurt and mix well.
    • Assembling Thayir Vadai:
      Add the hot water to the prepared vadas and soak them nicely for about 15 minutes.
    • Now take these vadas to the serving plate and add the prepared yogurt mix to each plate. Make sure the vadas are soaked nicely.
    • Now drizzle the boondi and paprika.
    • Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.
    • That’s it. Yummy thayir vadai is ready.

    Notes

    • Sugar is optional in thayir vadai.
    • The water that you pour on the vadai should be piping hot, so that the vada soaks well.
    • Green chillies can be added to the tempering.
    • Adjust the salt as per your preference.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 912IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
    For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel
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    Filed Under: Chaats, Snacks / Appetizers Tagged With: Blogging Marathon, Chaats, curd vadai, dahi vada, dahi vada recipe, homemade thayir vadai recipe, how to prepare thayir vadai, south indian, south indian style, south indian style thayir vadai, thayir vadai, thayir vadai recipe, yogurt vada

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      October 27, 2016 at 5:59 am

      Oh Wow! Love the clicks and they are making it even more tempting.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 27, 2016 at 9:02 am

        :-) Thanks Sandhya.

        Reply
    2. themadscientistskitchen says

      October 24, 2016 at 8:48 am

      Yummy love thayir vada or masur amobodi. Wish I can have some now.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 24, 2016 at 9:57 pm

        Thanks. :-) I wish I could send some.

        Reply
    3. Sowmya:) says

      October 14, 2016 at 5:56 am

      Thayir vada looks delicious! Wish I could just grab it off the screen

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 14, 2016 at 8:25 am

        :-) Thanks Sowmya

        Reply
    4. cookingwithsapana says

      October 14, 2016 at 2:46 am

      South Indian thayir vada looks so tempting.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 14, 2016 at 8:36 am

        Thanks Sapana.

        Reply
    5. Pavani says

      October 10, 2016 at 7:31 pm

      What an inviting dish. Love your presentation.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 10, 2016 at 8:06 pm

        Thanks a lot Pavani. :-)

        Reply
    6. Smruti | Herbivore Cucina says

      October 10, 2016 at 5:28 pm

      Dahi Vada looks like the most popular dish for this Carnival! So many of us posted it! I loved your version!!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 10, 2016 at 8:21 pm

        oh yeah very true. Thanks Smruti.

        Reply
    7. Nalini says

      October 05, 2016 at 9:42 am

      Yummy looking Thayir vadai, looks gorgeous..

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 05, 2016 at 9:52 am

        Thanks a lot Nalini.

        Reply
    8. Suma Gandlur says

      October 01, 2016 at 5:15 pm

      Wow Vidya, you are on a roll dishing out all these yummy street food one after another. Those are some yummy and tempting dahi vada.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 01, 2016 at 10:07 pm

        Thanks :-)

        Reply
    9. Vaishali Sabnani says

      September 27, 2016 at 10:17 pm

      I have always loved these yogurt dunked dumplings, specially with that tempering..the clicks are tempting me to pick that bowl.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 28, 2016 at 8:18 am

        :-) Thankooooo

        Reply
    10. Harini-Jaya R says

      September 27, 2016 at 6:51 pm

      Excellent looking dahi vadas. The boondi on top makes it even more appealing.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 28, 2016 at 8:15 am

        Thank you so much Harini.

        Reply
    11. Ritu Tangri says

      September 25, 2016 at 10:17 am

      I’m going to pick that big bowl myself….thode se mera kya bnega??

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 25, 2016 at 5:46 pm

        :-) Thanks Ritu.

        Reply
    12. Kalyani says

      September 25, 2016 at 8:17 am

      Read the recipe thrice coz I was drooling over the pics :)) I love thayr Vada and make one version the same way, the other version has a aruchavitta coconut – ginger – chilli masala paste in the curd :) we love both versions, ESP with the boondi on top ! Yummmy

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 25, 2016 at 5:47 pm

        Thanks a lot for the second version kalyani. That does sound super interesting. Sounds like out thengai araicha pachadi. yummy

        Reply
    13. Bikramjit says

      September 24, 2016 at 10:18 pm

      Another yummy dish..

      Thank you…

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 25, 2016 at 5:48 pm

        Thanks :-)

        Reply
    14. Gayathri Kumar says

      September 24, 2016 at 9:13 pm

      I love this south Indian thayir vadai, which is topped with crispy kara boondi. Looks so yum..

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 25, 2016 at 5:52 pm

        Thanks a lot Gayathri.

        Reply
    15. usha says

      September 24, 2016 at 7:56 pm

      We usually don’t add peppercorns to Vada and I don’t like them either. Whenever we eat out, I weed out all the peppercorns. Dahi Vada looks yum and can have it anytime.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 25, 2016 at 5:53 pm

        yup for the very same reason, I skip them. ;-) Thanks Usha.

        Reply
    16. Veg Indian Cooking says

      September 24, 2016 at 7:11 pm

      Drooling pics!! Lovely presentation. Looking super delicious! ..

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 25, 2016 at 5:58 pm

        Thanks a lot Deepa.

        Reply
    17. Priya Suresh says

      September 24, 2016 at 12:21 pm

      Please adopt me, cant take my eyes from those catchy thayir vadais, lipsmacking here Vidhya.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 25, 2016 at 5:59 pm

        he he.. sure ;-)

        Reply
    18. beena.stephy says

      September 24, 2016 at 9:55 am

      Vada looks very yummy

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 25, 2016 at 6:14 pm

        Thanks Beena.

        Reply
    19. Anu Yalo says

      September 24, 2016 at 6:34 am

      Looks yum!!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 25, 2016 at 6:13 pm

        Thanks Anu.

        Reply
    20. Me Otherwise says

      September 24, 2016 at 6:08 am

      Just what I would love to eat today… yummy…..

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        September 25, 2016 at 6:12 pm

        :-) Thankoooo

        Reply
    Newer Comments »
    5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    Hello all, I am Srividhya, the person behind this blog. I firmly believe that the mouth is the way to the heart. My blog is all about vegetarian and vegan food with unique and exciting recipes from all over the world. From traditional, authentic recipes to fusion and eggless bakes, you can find it all here! Read more →

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