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
Lucy WebbThursday 15th October 2020
Onion bhajis are my favourite side for an indian take away but unlike your samosa recipe, these failed to blow me away. They didn’t stick together and didn’t have the desired crunch. They just didn’t work for me. That said, I will try again because they are good to try and bulk out a homemade curry.
HollyFriday 16th October 2020
Hi Lucy, I’m sorry you have had some trouble with the Onion Bhajis recipe. If you have had trouble getting the mixture to stick together you could try the alternative baking method by spraying a 12 hole muffin tray with a decent amount of low calorie cooking spray, then dividing the mixture equally between 12 moulds. Press them down firmly and spray the top with more low calorie cooking spray and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes. I hope that helps with your future attempts!
Jill HeepsSaturday 26th September 2020
Made these with bns instead of sweet potato. I squeezed the moisture out. They were delicious. Then made chicken balti. Omg was as good as any takeaway I’ve ever had. Thank you. 2 recipe books are best investment I ever made. Happy healthy lifestyle 😊
HollyTuesday 29th September 2020
Hey Jill, thanks so much for your message so glad you enjoyed the Onion Bhajis and the Chicken Balti!
MarySaturday 22nd August 2020
I’m not a fan of corriander, is there something that I can swap it with?
LisaMonday 24th August 2020
Hi Mary
You can leave it out or add a little extra garam masala. If you like things hot an spicy, you could even add some chilli powder! Hope this helps.
AngelaTuesday 21st July 2020
Hi. Can you use ordinary potatoes instead of sweet potatoes.
SharonTuesday 21st July 2020
Hi Angela, we haven’t tried making these with ordinary potato, but it should work fine. Hope you enjoy the Bhajis.
Sue BarnesTuesday 23rd June 2020
Would these work with grated carrot instead of sweet potato please?
Holly LevellTuesday 23rd June 2020
Hi Sue, we haven’t tried this recipe using carrot instead of sweet potato however there will more liquid in grated carrot so you may need to remove this first. Try grating the carrot and squeezing it in a tea towel to remove the extra moisture. Let us know how you get on!
AliceWednesday 17th June 2020
Can I prepare these the day before up to the point before they go into the oven?
SharonWednesday 17th June 2020
Hi Alice, you can prepare the onions and sweet potato the day before, and place them in a covered container in the fridge overnight. If you mix in the egg the day before, you may find that the mixture becomes wet and soggy which would result in the bhajis being soggy. Thanks for getting in touch and hope you enjoy this recipe.
AndrewMonday 24th February 2020
Hi, can we freeze them? cheers Andy
HollyWednesday 6th May 2020
Hi Andy, yes you can! Freeze as soon as it is cold enough and don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
SamanthaSunday 16th February 2020
can i freeze these?
HollyWednesday 6th May 2020
Hi Samantha, yes you can! Freeze as soon as it is cold enough and don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
FidelmaThursday 23rd January 2020
Can you ordinary potato instead of sweet potato?
Steve CowderoyTuesday 26th May 2020
Hi Fidelma, yes you can! A ordinary potato works well in this recipe. Hope this helps and let us know how you get on.
SylviaTuesday 21st January 2020
What can you put in instead of Garamond masala please
Steve CowderoyTuesday 12th May 2020
Hi Sylvia, If you don’t have garam masala you could use 1 part cumin to 1/4 part allspice or you could just use curry powder. Hope this help and please let us know what you think.
HayleySunday 5th January 2020
Wow so amazingly tasty goes perfect with cucumber raitia can’t wait to make them again. As per other comments I used 1tbsp of all the spices.
Holly LevellFriday 15th May 2020
HI Hayley, so glad you enjoyed the Onion Bhajis!
CarolineSaturday 4th January 2020
Do you think I could make these in an air fryer?
SharonMonday 1st June 2020
Hi Caroline , we haven’t tried these in an air fryer but they should work well. Let us know how they go!
TracySunday 24th March 2019
Hi, what is the dip?
CateMonday 8th April 2019
You can make a nice dip for these with some fat free natural yogurt, mint and lemon juice. (I also like to add a little pinch of sweetener!) 🙂
TonyThursday 21st March 2019
Could i make the mix the day before and cook the bhajis the next day?
LisaMonday 8th April 2019
Hi Tony
You could prepare the onions and sweet potato the day before. Keep keep covered and in the fridge. I wouldn’t advise mixing the egg in ahead of time though. Eggs are best fresh and you would also run the risk of moisture seeping out of the onions and sweet potato overnight and making your bhajis soggy.
Hope this helps
Anne MillsFriday 8th February 2019
These are fab! Just had them to accompany my homemade, sw friendly, tandoori chicken chunks…. far more satisfying than rice, and probably healthier, too! Thanks, Pinch of Nom……. nom.nom.nom.nom
JoyFriday 25th January 2019
Lovely but needs more spice. I would say a tablespoon of each. I ended up topping with chilli flakes . Served with a cucumber raitia
Lyn DeaneSunday 13th January 2019
My expectations of these were very low when I started to mix the ingredients as they did not hold together. However I put them in a muffin tin and halfway through cooking transferred to a baking sheet. Oh wow!! They are absolutely delicious. I cannot believe something so simple is packed so full of flavour. Made them to go with a curry I’m making for tonight, Pinch of Nom naturally.
AliaWednesday 10th October 2018
Tried this and really enjoyed them. The only bad thing was I ate more than I should lol. Thanks for the recipe.
LisaWednesday 2nd May 2018
hi, could I use carrot instead of sweet potato please ?
danFriday 13th April 2018
can you use celeriac instead of sweet potato. I am doing red days
KateWednesday 21st March 2018
These are AMAZING and so easy to make. Thank you x
LisaSaturday 17th March 2018
Tried these this evening and they were delicious.
JacquelineSaturday 17th February 2018
Hi. What if I don’t have Garam Masala?
AmieMonday 12th February 2018
Can you eat these cold?
Sue GlazierSunday 4th February 2018
Hi. Your instructions say to divide into 12 but on the nutritional info it gives info for it divided by 8. Just want to clarify that the (approx) calories are definitely for that quantity of onion and potato as stated in the ingredients list divided by 8 please?
Claire ASaturday 27th January 2018
Only had a muffin tray in the shape of hearts…my OH thought I was being romantic, not that I had no choice ???? As a big foodie, and a huge fan of an Indian take away I wasn’t sure what he would make of them, but he thoroughly enjoyed them, and said I can make them again! Lol! Thanks guys!
VickySaturday 20th January 2018
What is the dip shown in the last photo?
DanielleThursday 4th January 2018
Would using a regular potato or no potato at all work? a little too sweet for me…
Also going to add chilli powder and a finely chopped chilli next time.
Thank you
CazWednesday 3rd January 2018
Hi all – Tried making these & although the taste was delicious they completely fell apart. Has anyone found an optimum amount of egg to use? I even put the sweet potato in a tea towel like someone else suggested (to dry it all out) but didn’t help. I’m thinking you might actually need more egg to bind it all together??
Really want to nail these as they are so tasty. Thanks!
Theresa BlewittSunday 17th December 2017
Hi , can I make these the night before ?
What do I store them in ?
Thank you
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