• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Yellow Chili's
  • Food Recipes
  • Drinks
  • Collections
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Food Recipes
  • Drinks
  • Collections
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Food Recipes
    • Drinks
    • Collections
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Breakfast » Appam

    Appam Recipe (Vellayappam)

    Published: March 20, 2021 by Sangeetha Vel | Updated: November 18, 2022 4 Comments

    163 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Appam is a traditional South Indian-style dish breakfast from the state of Kerala. It is also called Vellayappam or palappam in the same region. This appam is prepared with fresh rice flour and coconut batter along with instant yeast as a leavening agent. And it does not require soaking and fermentation processes like traditional appam dish and it takes only under 30 minutes to make this tasty meal.

    Appam is a perfect vegan-friendly and gluten-free dish that can be enjoyed for breakfast and dinner. It tastes great with Tomato Chutney, Veg Kurma, Egg Curry, Chicken or Kadala Curry, and similar other side dishes.

    Instant Appam/Vellayappam Kerala Style
    Appam / Vellayappam
    Jump to:
    • What is Appam?
    • How to make Appam?
    • Variations
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Storage Suggestions
    • Appam or Vellayappam recipe video
    • 📖 Recipe
    • FAQ
    • 💬 Comments

    What is Appam?

    Appam or pal appam is soft and lacy South Indian style pancake that is popular in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and also in the Island country of Sri Lanka. The traditional appam recipe requires the soaking of rice, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, coconuts for long hours to grind it into a batter. Then the batter is rest for fermenting overnight to make delicious appams. And this appam is usually made in aapachatti or appam pan to get a perfect shape.

    An interesting fact is that traditional appam/pal appam batter was fermented using toddy(palm wine) in the olden days in Kerala. Particularly, it helps in achieving soft and spongy appam. Since toddy is not available everywhere, it is nowadays replaced by yeast and baking soda which gives a similar taste and flavor to the dish.

    This appam is one of the common breakfast or dinner meals served in most South Indian restaurants and households. And they typically serve this appam with side dishes like egg curry, veg kurma, sweet coconut milk, Tomato Chutney, and similar veg and non-veg curries.

    Overall, this appam is light, soft, and of course, a healthy comforting dish to start the day with. They are not only healthy but also a perfect vegan-friendly and gluten-free dish.

    About Instant Appam or Vellayappam

    Instant appam/vellayappam is an easy and quickest version of traditional ones which does not require the day-long fermentation process. Yes, it takes only 30 minutes to prepare and enjoy these delicious rice flour crepes. And all you need for this appam recipe is rice flour, rapid rise instant yeast(not the regular yeast), poha or cooked rice, sugar, warm water, and coconut. The rapid rise of instant yeast helps to achieve perfectly porous and soft appam without waiting for hours for fermentation.

    This instant Kerala style vellayappam/appam recipe will definitely help us to save a lot of time on busy days. In short, this instant appam recipe is a keeper dish to relish without compromising an authentic flavor and taste.

    I have used both the appam pan and regular pan to make this appam, to show how simple the dish is.

    How to make Appam?

    The recipe I have shared here is an instant Kerala-style appam recipe that requires rapid-rise instant yeast for fermentation. And the quantity serves to 4 people. In this section, let us learn how to make/prepare this beginner-friendly instant Kerala-style appam recipe easily at home. The process is super simple and I hope it will make your breakfast or dinner preparation easier.

    Appam
    Appam

    To give a clear idea, the following are the steps involved in making this instant Kerala style appam/vellayappam.

    1. Preparation of appam batter recipe
    2. Preparation of appam

    1. Prepare appam batter

    To make the appam batter, I have added rice flour, cooked rice, coconut, rapid rise instant yeast, salt, sugar, and warm water in a blender. The warm water, sugar, used here reacts with the yeast which helps in the rapid fermentation process.

    After adding all the ingredients, I have ground them into a fine smooth paste. Then I transferred the batter to a glass bowl. The batter should be in a free-flowing consistency to achieve the crispy out and spongy in the appam. Then I closed the bowl with the lid and allowed the batter to rest for 15 minutes. Resting the batter for the suggested time will help it to ferment and double in its size. Now the appam batter is ready for us to prepare the appam/vellayappam.

    2. Prepare appam

    To make appams, in an appam pan with medium heat, I poured two ladles full of batter, and then I turned and tilted it to spread the batter to adapt the shape of the pan(Suggest you watch the video below for more clarity). This gives the crispy out and spongy in appams. Then I closed the pan with the lid and allowed it to cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

    After 3 minutes, I opened the lid and waited for the outer layer to turn crisp. Then I gently removed the appam from the pan. I also prepared it in a normal pan following the same process. You could try if you want to prepare it in a pan or if the appam pans are not handy. Finally, I served this instant Kerala-style appam with egg curry and chicken Manchurian.

    This South Indian/Kerala-style instant appam can be a perfect breakfast or dinner meal for any busy day. And I hope you will try and enjoy this dish with your family and loved ones.

    Variations

    The appam from South India is an appetizing soft dish that has a lot of variations. And the style of making the dish varies from place to place whether it's Kerala, Tamil Nadu, or Sri Lanka.

    For example, people from Kerala use toddy or yeast in their recipe to ferment the appam batter. While in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka it is mostly baking soda instead of yeast. Even though the process for making the traditional appam batter is similar, they slightly vary from ingredients like yeast and soda.

    You could also make the appam recipe instantly without spending the whole day to soak, grind, and ferment. Yeah, this post is all about Kerala style instant appam/vellayappam and I will discuss it in detail later in the following sections.

    Apart from the plain appams, you could also make egg appam, chicken minced appam, mutton keema appam, and podi appam, etc. These variations not only sound delicious but it is also definitely worth trying if you really want to explore different flavors of appams.

    Serving Suggestions

    South Indian Style appam tastes great with Tomato Chutney, Vegetable Kurma, and sweet coconut milk. To make it more special, serve it with Egg Ghee Roast, Aloo Gobi, Chicken Ghee Roast, Egg Masala, Chettinad Chicken, Chepala Pulusu, and similar non-veg curries.

    You could also find similar recipes below and more at Breakfast Recipes.

    • Rava Idli
    • Rava Dosa
    • Rava Upma
    • Roti
    • Semiya Upma

    Looking for easy breakfast recipes to kick start your busy mornings? Then you could also check this collection of Indian Vegetarian Breakfast Recipes to enjoy with your family and loved ones.

    Storage Suggestions

    This instant appam batter stays good in the refrigerator for a day. Since the recipe has coconut it is best to use it within a day to enjoy the fresh appam.

    Appam or Vellayappam recipe video

    I have shared a detailed video of the instant Kerala-style appam recipe below that I believe will help you to prepare this dish easily at home. You could also find this recipe in story format for a quick reference.

    Appam video

    📖 Recipe

    Kerala Style Appam/Vellayappam

    Appam

    Appam is a traditional South Indian dish made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk. It is a popular dish in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and also in the country of Sri Lanka. It is also called Vellayapam or palappam in the same region. The appam recipe shared here is an instant, vegan-friendly, and gluten-free dish and it is usually served for breakfast and dinner. It tastes great with tomato chutney, veg kurma, egg curry, chicken curry, and similar other side dishes.
    4.75 from 16 votes
    Author: Sangeetha Vel
    Subscribe
    print email pin comment Save Saved!
    Course: Breakfast, Dinner
    Cuisine: South Indian
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Prep: 10 mins
    Cook: 5 mins
    Adjust 10 appams

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 cup Rice Flour
    • 1 cup Rice, cooked
    • ¼ cup Coconut, shredded
    • 2 tsp Rapid Rise Instant Yeast
    • 2 tsp Brown Sugar
    • 1 cup Water, warm
    • Salt, as needed
    More on Measurements & Conversions »
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    To Prepare Appam Batter

    • In a blender, add rice flour, cooked rice, shredded coconut, sugar, salt, yeast and warm water
      Appam batter ingredients in a blender
    • Grind everything into a smooth batter
      Grinding appam batter in blender
    • The batter should be slightly flowing consistency
      Appam batter flowing consistency
    • Transfer the batter to a bowl and close and rest for 15 minutes in warm palce
      Appam batter is resting in a bowl
    • Now open the lid and the batter would be raised and fermented nicely
      Fermented appam/vellayappam batter

    To Prepare Appam | Vellayappam in Appam Pan

    • In an appam pan with medium heat, pour two ladles full of batter and turn and tilt the pan to spread the batter
      Making instant appam in aapachatti/appam pan
    • Close the appam pan with the lid and cook for 2 to 3 minutes
      appam/pal appam is cooking with lid closed
    • Remove the lid and wait until the sides turn crisp
      Cooked appam/vellayappam
    • Gently remove the appam from the appam pan and it is ready for you to taste and enjoy
      Perfect crispy instant appam/palappam

    To make Appam in Tawa

    • To make appam in Tawa or pan, pour a ladle full of appam batter and spread it thick
      Making kerala style vellayappam in dosa tawa
    • Close the pan with the lid and cook the appam batter for 2 to 3 minutes
      Appam cooking in dosa tawa
    • Open the lid and remove it gently from the pan and now the appam is ready for you to taste and enjoy
      Perfectly cooked soft south indian style appam

    To Serve

    • Serve this delicious instant appam/vellayappam with egg curry, veg kurma, sweet coconut milk, or tomato chutney
      Serving the kerala style instant appam/vellayappam

    Video

    Notes

    • The recipe shared here is an instant way to make appams that require instant rapid rise yeast for fermentation process, so I would suggest stick with it to achieve soft and fluffy appams
    • I have used shredded coconut while grinding the batter which gives an authentic flavor and taste to the dish, which can also be replaced with coconut milk
    • Even though I have used yeast to speed up the process, you could make the appams in the traditional way without using yeast which requires soaking, grinding, and fermentation process
    • This instant appam recipe tastes great with egg curry, veg kurma, tomato chutney, and similar other side dishes

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2appam | Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.3mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @yellowchilis or tag #yellowchilis!

    FAQ

    What is appam?

    Appam/paal appam or vellayappam is an authentic South Indian Dish. It is typically made with fermented rice flour and coconut batter. This appam is popular and one of the common breakfast and dinner meals in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and in Island country Sri Lanka.

    What is the difference between dosa and appam?

    The main difference between these two is the ingredients being used. Dosa usually requires rice, urad dal, and fenugreek seeds for making its batter, while the appam requires ingredients like rice, coconut, sugar, and yeast.

    How to make instant appam?

    The traditional appam may take a day-long process to soak, grind and ferment the appam batter. But to make instant appam, all we need is rapid rise yeast along with the traditional appam making ingredients. The rapid rise of yeast helps to speed up the fermentation process which does not require hours to make delicious soft appam.

    How long I can store the leftover instant appam batter?

    The leftover appam batter stays good in the refrigerator for a day. Since coconut is one of the main ingredients for appam, it is best to use it immediately to enjoy fresh and tasty appam.

    What can be served with appam?

    Appam tastes great with vegetable kurma, tomato onion chutney, egg ghee roast, egg masala curry, chicken ghee roast, Chettinad chicken curry, sweet coconut milk, and similar other side dishes.

    I really hope you enjoyed the recipe that I have shared here and I would love to hear from you on how it turned out for you. Please let me know.

    If you have any other questions, feel free to post them in the comment section below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

    Happy Cooking!

    Related Recipes:

    Roti /Chapathi, A soft Indian BreadRoti Recipe (Chapati Recipe) Broken Wheat tomato khichdi / Cracked wheat bathKhichdi Recipe South Indian Style Tomato Onion Chutney OutputTomato Chutney Recipe Final output of soft and crispy medu vada or ulundu vadaiMedu Vada Recipe | Uzhunnu Vada | Ulundu Vadai
    « Vegetable Korma Recipe (Veggie Kurma)
    Chicken Manchurian Recipe »
    163 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Priya

      May 27, 2022 at 6:55 am

      5 stars
      This recipe for appams is really easy and tastes delicious. I used to avoid making appams as it was a tedious process. Now my family gets to eat appams regularly and they appreciate it

      Reply
      • Sangeetha Vel

        June 16, 2022 at 1:35 am

        Sweet, that's great to hear. Thanks for your feedback 🙂

        Reply
    2. Swarna Yachamanani

      November 29, 2021 at 6:10 pm

      I love appams so I am going to try this weekend. Can you let me know how to make sweet coconut milk, also can I make coconut milk with desiccated coconut?

      Reply
      • Sangeetha Vel

        November 29, 2021 at 7:57 pm

        Hi Swarna,
        Sure, give it a try. Yes, you can make sweet coconut milk using desiccated coconut but it may not produce fresh, thick and flavorful milk compared to one from fresh coconut. To make sweet coconut milk, add 1 cup of fresh coconut with 2 cup of water, 2 cardamom, and blend until everything turns smooth. And then filter this mixture using a strainer. This is the first coconut milk and usually thick in consistency. Now transfer the coconut from strainer to the blender and then pour ½ cup of water and grind the coconut and filer it once again. This will be your second coconut milk which is slightly thin in consistency. Mix both the milk and add sugar or jaggery syrup as per your needs. Hope this helps and enjoy. Let me know if you have any other questions.

        Reply

    Leave a Review Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Rate the Recipe!




    Primary Sidebar

    Hey, Nice to see you!

    Sangeetha Vel Yellow Chili's

    Hi, I'm Sangeetha Vel! the author, recipe researcher, creator, and cooking hands behind Yellow Chili's. A realistic, friendly, empathetic, and enthusiastic foodie who loves to share authentic, easy, quick, healthy, instant, and kids-approved recipes.

    More about me →

    Stay Connected
















    Featured Recipes

    • Eggplant Parmesan in a Ceramic Baking tray
      Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
    • Honey Glazed Carrots served in a white bowl with greens and rice nearby
      Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe
    • Thai Iced Tea served in a tall glass with condensed milk and cookies placed near by.
      Thai Tea Recipe
    • Bubble Tea served in a glass with brown sugar placed in a bowl.
      Bubble Tea Recipe (Boba Milk Tea)
    • Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks in a plate
      Oven-Baked Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
    • Fried Shrimp in a bowl
      Fried Shrimp Recipe
    • Oatmeal smoothie served in a glass with oatmeal placed in a bowl.
      Oatmeal Smoothie Recipe
    • Hot Cocoa served in a cup topped with marshmallows.
      Hot Cocoa Recipe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Stay Connected

    • Contact Us
    • Sign Up for Recipes

    More Contents

    • Web-Stories

    Copyright © 2023 Yellow Chili's