Onion Bhajis
These slimming-friendly Onion Bhajis have the same flavours as those from the Indian takeaway, but are perfect for anyone calorie counting or following a diet plan such as Weight Watchers.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories59
- Carbs9g
- Protein3g
- Fat2g
- Saturates0.4g
- Sugars3g
Your dishes
You’re amazing, look at the Onion Bhajis dishes you’ve made…
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!
Bet you thought Onion Bhajis were off the menu on a slimming diet? Absolutely not!
A delicious side to any Indian curry, or served as part of a buffet banquet, these Onion Bhajis will blow your mind! Serve with a cooling mint and yogurt sauce for dipping.
Made with only a handful of wholesome ingredients, you can be sure there are no nasty surprises and only good, honest fakeaway food. You can either bake these on a baking tray, or press into a muffin tin for a more defined shape. Whichever method you choose, the only problem you’ll have is bickering over who gets the last one!
What diets are these Onion Bhajis suitable for?
This recipe is suitable if you’re gluten free without making any substitutions!
You could also enjoy these Onion Bhajis if you’re dairy free.
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make these Onion Bhajis?
You don’t need anything unusual to make this recipe – it’s really easy and simple to make.
The onion in this recipe should be sliced very thinly. If it’s not you may find that the Onion Bhajis tend to fall apart and not really hold their shape.
Hints & Tips
Below we added some of our communities most common hints and tips. We hope you find them useful.
Be sure to follow the product safety instructions carefully if using a mandolin, to avoid injury.
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‘Brilliant recipe that can be adapted for gluten free with no substitutions. They're a great side dish for any curry or even a snack.’
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You can use either a baking sheet or a muffin tin for this recipe. A good non-stick baking tray like this one from Amazon is a kitchen essential!
How many calories are in these Onion Bhajis?
There are 59 calories in each of our slimming friendly Onion Bhajis. This means it falls into our Everyday Light recipe category.
This recipe is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Peel and cut the red onions into thin slices. Peel and cut the sweet potato into manageable chunks, and grate using a mandolin or a normal cheese grater. Be sure to follow product safety instructions carefully if using a mandolin, to avoid injury.
Step 2
Put the onions and sweet potato into a large bowl, then add the two beaten eggs, salt and pepper and the spices
Step 3
Mix the mixture thoroughly.
Step 4
Then either:
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and spray liberally with low calorie cooking spray. Roll the mixture into rough balls. Place onto the baking tray so they’re not touching each other. Once arranged, spray again with low calorie cooking spray.
Or: Spray a 12 hole muffin tray with a decent amount of low calorie cooking spray, then divide the mixture equally between all 12 moulds. Press them down firmly and spray the top with more low calorie cooking spray.
Step 5
Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on how big you’ve made the bhajis.
Step 6
About half way through, turn them over using a spatula and spray again with low calorie cooking spray.
Step 7
If you want them to be crispier, grill them for a few minutes once they’re cooked.
Step 8
Serve and enjoy however you’d like them. Sprinkle with a bit of fresh coriander, salt and pepper, if you like.
What should you should serve with Onion Bhajis?
Any of the following go really well with Onion Bhajis – these all make great accompaniments to a tasty curry!
Whatever accompaniment you choose, don’t forget to account for the extra calories and/or other nutritional values.
How do you know when these Onion Bhajis are cooked?
You should cook these Onion Bhajis until they are crispy and golden. They should be tender in the middle.
This should take approx 30 minutes in the oven.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
How long can you keep Onion Bhajis in the fridge?
Once you’ve made these, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.
If you allow any left overs to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Onion Bhajis in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
Can I freeze these Onion Bhajis?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
How do I reheat these Onion Bhajis?
From chilled: Place on a baking tray and cook in an oven preheated to 170ºC for 10-15 minutes until crispy.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and cook as above.
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Onion Bhajis
These slimming-friendly Onion Bhajis have the same flavours as those from the Indian takeaway, but are perfect for anyone calorie counting or following a diet plan such as Weight Watchers.
-
Prep Time
5 MINS
-
Cook Time
30 MINS
- KCals 59
- Carbs 9G
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Peel and cut the red onions into thin slices. Peel and cut the sweet potato into manageable chunks, and grate using a mandolin or a normal cheese grater. Be sure to follow product safety instructions carefully if using a mandolin, to avoid injury.
- Put the onions and sweet potato into a large bowl, then add the two beaten eggs, salt and pepper and the spices
- Mix the mixture thoroughly
- Then either: Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and spray liberally with low calorie cooking spray. Roll the mixture into rough balls. Place onto the baking tray so they're not touching each other. Once arranged, spray again with low calorie cooking sprayOr spray a 12 hole muffin tray with a decent amount of low calorie cooking spray, then divide the mixture equally between all 12 moulds. Press them down firmly and spray the top with more low calorie cooking spray
- Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on how big you've made the bhajis
- About half way through, turn them over using a spatula and spray again with low calorie cooking spray
- If you want them to be crispier, grill them for a few minutes once they're cooked
- Serve and enjoy however you'd like them. Sprinkle with a bit of fresh coriander, salt and pepper if you like
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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Recipe notes
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103 comments
See what others have to say
Vanessa JamesSunday 3rd December 2023
Can these be made in advance & frozen?
SharonMonday 11th December 2023
Hi Vanessa, yes you can freeze our Onion Bhajis. Recipes that can be frozen have a blue freezer badge at the top of the page.
LottieSaturday 7th October 2023
Can I air fry these?
SharonFriday 13th October 2023
Hi Lottie, we haven’t tried cooking the Onion Bhajis in an air fryer but this should work really well.
Rachel MooreFriday 12th August 2022
Does it have to be RED onions?
SharonMonday 15th August 2022
Hi Rachel, you can use brown onions if you prefer. Red onions have a slightly sweeter flavour than brown onions but brown onions will work just as well. Enjoy the recipe!
CallieFriday 22nd April 2022
Could I substitute the sweet potato with a carrot? I don’t have sweet potatoes in and I’m craving bhajis but not wanting to go to the shop again. Thanks
HollyFriday 22nd April 2022
Hey Callie, we haven’t tested this recipe with carrots but it should work okay, hope that helps!
JANET HILTONFriday 3rd September 2021
can I use a normal potato instead of a sweet potato. My husband hates sweet potatoes Thanks
LisaThursday 9th September 2021
Hi Janet
We’ve not tried using normal potatoes in this recipe. Sweet potatoes are stickier than normal potatoes so you may find the bhajis don’t hold together as well. You might also have to adjust the cooking time as sweet potatoes cook quicker than normal potatoes. Hope this helps.
PongodhallSunday 27th June 2021
This is under vegan but not vegan.
Vegans do not eat eggs.
Would these be alright with say….chia (my favourite) egg replacement
HollyMonday 28th June 2021
Hey, this Onion Bhaji recipe is suitable for dairy free and vegetarian diets but does not appear under our vegan recipe category due to the use of egg. We haven’t tried it using chia instead of the egg to bind the bhajis together but it may work. We also have these Sweet Potato Pakoras which are very similar and vegan friendly. Hope that helps!
Charlotte FieldMonday 26th April 2021
Hi sorry bother you says 1 sweet potato but what size please and eggs they large or medium…?? Thanks in advance love your recipes
HollyWednesday 28th April 2021
Hey Charlotte, this recipe uses medium eggs and the weight of an average sweet potato can range between 200g – 350g hope that helps!
Heather SlaterSunday 25th April 2021
Hi, can you recommend a weight of onion and sweet potato that works well please? I tried this recipe and it worked quite well, but I think I had very big onions and a very big sweet potato, so not enough seasoning or egg to match.
HollyWednesday 28th April 2021
Hey Heather, the weight of an average sweet potato can range between 200g – 350g and a medium onion is approximately 150g hope that helps!
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