If you are on a gluten-free diet and thought you cannot enjoy dahi papdi chaat then this recipe is for you. A delicious North Indian street food made easy for sensitive food groups. A successful vegan adaptable Indian chaat!

What is papdi chaat ?

Papdi chaat is a popular North Indian street food recipe mostly eaten as an appetizer or a snack. It is even known as dahi papdi chaat and aloo papri chaat. Papdi is crispy round puri that is layered with potatoes and chickpea followed by chutneys, sev and onions.

It is an explosion of flavors and textures in your mouth. You will feel the crunch from the papdi and the onions. Boiled chopped potatoes, chickpea, and chana or moong sprouts with a lot of masalas forms the second layer. Then the layer is generously slathered with green, tamarind, and garlic chutneys that lend to spice, zing, and tang. Next comes the chilled creamy yogurt on the top which balances the spice and last but not least the crispy besan sev added on the top adds the extra crunch.

It is one of the easiest Indian appetizer recipes to make at home for family dinners, potluck or parties. I like to whip up quick papdi chaat for evening snacking as well.

My secret to the best gluten-free papdi chaat!

The original papdi is made with wheat or all-purpose flour. For making it gluten-free all you have to do is swap corn nacho chips for the wheat papdi. That is about it!  Tortilla chips are gluten-free and set a perfect canvas for making this papri chaat. Honestly, I prefer the tortilla chips over the thick round puris that we get in the Indian stores here in the USA.

These thick papdis are averagein taste if you want to make a great tasting dahi papdi chaat. The tortilla chips taste so much better. They are thinner as compared to the papdi yet super crispy. You seriously have to make it to believe it!!

Ok, tortilla chips may really sound crazy but it works like a charm. All my friends and family simply love this version when I make it. Even if they are not gluten sensitive they prefer having these nacho chips as a base for the aloo papdi chaat.

How to make healthy baked tortilla chips (papdi) at home?

• 10 Stroe-bought Gluten-Free corn tortillas (5-6” in diameter)
• 2 tablespoons Oil
• Some salt
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Whisk in oil, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl.
3. Brush both sides of the tortillas with this oil mix. Stack up all tortillas one over another and cut with a sharp long knife into equal wedges. You can also cut them in diamond shapes cutting horizontally then vertically.
4. Arrange tortilla pieces in a single layer on a baking tray and bake on the middle rack for 12-14 minutes until crispy and brown. Check at the 12-minute mark.
5. Cool them on a wire rack.
6.  Store it in an airtight container or a ziplock bag when completely cooled. Use as needed.

Papdi Chaat Ingredients

Gluten-free papdi – We are swapping the wheat puris for a gluten-free option here. I like Casa Sanchez’s thick tortilla chips for this recipe. You can use your preferred thick variety of chips. Grain-free baked chips are a healthier choice for this recipe.

Yogurt– Homemade or store-bought plain unflavored yogurt/curd works for this recipe. You just have to thin it down to drizzle well over the toppings. If you are vegan or dairy intolerant then you may use your favorite plant-based yogurt for this recipe. My personal favorite is So Delicious coconut yogurt. It is creamy and goes so well in this recipe. You won’t taste any coconut as it is overpowered with the addition of chutneys and masala.

Potatoes- I boil the potatoes and roughly chop them into small chunks. You can even slightly smash them with chickpeas.

Chickpea/chole – It is totally optional but I highly recommend it if you don’t want to keep your chaat potato oriented. I use a can of chickpea when in jiffy and boil it from scratch when it is planned.

Moong bean sprouts- I sprout moong beans on regular basis. It tastes delicious on any chaat. Skip if unavailable.

Onions- Some chopped onions on the top for crunch.

Sev – Most chaats are finished off with sev. I sprinkle it towards the end.

Cilantro– For garnish (optional)

Pomegranate – adds a sweet juicy crunch and freshness to the chaat. It is optional.

Masala blend– I use a quick homemade masala blend to season this dish.

Chutneys for making Chaat

You can either make these chutneys at home or pick a ready-made jar from the Indian grocery store. I love to make my own chutneys. Because they are easy to make, cost-effective. These chutneys can be made months ahead of time and frozen. Use as needed.

For the best tasting chaat you will need 3 chutneys –

Green chutney – The king of all chutneys and a must-have over every chaat. It is made with cilantro or coriander leaves and green chilies as the main ingredients. Mint is optional but it brightens the flavor of the chutney.

Tamarind Date chutney – It is also known as the meethi chutney or imli chutney. This dip provides the sweetness and tang to balance the spice from the green chutney.

Garlic red chutney – This one is optional. It imparts that garlic kick which makes it taste exactly like Dilli chaat that you get on the streets of Delhi.

Here is a quick garlic red chutney/ lehsun chutney recipe

Ingredients

¼  cup peeled garlic cloves

1 teaspoon red chili powder

Salt to taste

¼  teaspoon lemon juice

⅓rd cup or more water, to aid blending

Method

Blend everything in a high-speed blender until smooth.

For chaat we need thinner chutney, so add more water if needed.

Leftover can be frozen in an airtight container for 3 months.

Ideal meal prep recipe.

The components of this recipe are convenient to make ahead of time. You can make chutneys and freeze them.

Buy tortilla chips, besan sev, and store them in your pantry.

You can boil potatoes and chickpea, make moong sprouts, up to 2 days ahead of time. For an easy fix, you can use canned chickpea too. Yogurt can be homemade or store-bought. Basically, this recipe comes together in a jiffy for a quick-fix snack or appetizer anytime and any day.

How to make papdi chaat at home?

Closest substitutes

Expert tips.

Efficient way to assemble papri chaat.

You can set up all ingredients like a chaat station and let each person make his own chaat. This will give more flexibility to the person to add toppings or skip some according to their liking.

Maybe kids like it less spicy or maybe someone prefers more yogurt. So, everyone can make their own chaat depending on their liking.

The second option is –

You can assemble the chat just before everyone is starting to eat dinner. It will take you around 10 minutes to layer up everything.

Hack to make Healthy Papdi Chaat.

1. For making this chaat healthy you can bake your own papdi at home.
2. I like to use store-bought baked grain-free chips available at sprouts and whole foods.
3. Use baked tortilla chips and you have a healthier papdi chaat.
4. Boiled white potatoes are healthy according to me but you can choose not to use them. Instead of the sev on the top you can use crushed tortilla or baked tortilla strips.

Best appetizer for Indian parties.

Almost every time I host parties and get-together I have papdi chaat on the menu. This easy Indian appetizer recipe comes together with minimum effort, is cost-effective, and is a crowd-pleaser. If you are hosting a large party and having an Indian food menu then I highly recommend having this dish as one of the or “the only appetizers”. It is loved by kids and adults alike.

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