The aroma of warm jaggery and ripe bananas drifting around a kitchen when frying Unniappam (Unniyappam) instantly brings back childhood memories. This beloved sweet fritter from my hometown in Kerala is more than just a festive treat. Crispy on the outside, soft and chewy inside, Unniappam is a nostalgic delicacy that continues to win hearts across generations.
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Why you'll love Unniappams?
- Even more flavorful over time - Unniappams develop richer flavors when kept, getting tastier by the day, just like the Kerala neyyappam and kayappam.
- No refrigeration needed - Simply store them in a sealed container, and they'll stay fresh for up to 8 -10 days on the shelf.
- Perfect for on-the-go snacking - A quick, portable treat for both kids and adults, ideal for school bags, road trips, or midday munchies. Pack them along with some favorite cookies such as oatmeal raisin cookies, hilton style cookies, or almond flour cookies.
- Utterly irresistible - Once you try one, it's hard to stop as they're delightfully addictive like the milk peda, coconut burfi, karanji made with karanji ki recipe, or malai peda!
Ingredients Needed
Made with rice flour, jaggery, and banana, these golden bites are also traditionally prepared as offerings in temples and during festivals.
- Soaked rice ground with melted and cooled jaggery solution.
- All-purpose Flour.
- Nuts, raisins, and black sesame seeds fried in ghee.
- Bananas or Plantains that are over-ripe and sweet.
- Cooked rice, baking soda, and salt.
- Jaggery is the sweetener that is used.
- Cardamom for flavor and aroma
How to make Unniappam?
You will need an appe pan to make this delicious dish. It is a pan with small molds, refer to the picture of the appe-pan below.
The main ingredients, namely soaked rice, jaggery, and banana, are ground into a semi-coarse batter.
- Step 1: Soak rice in water for about 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
- Step 2: Melt jaggery and cool it.
- Step 3: Add overripe bananas and mix well.
- Step 4: Grind the soaked rice with the banana jaggery solution.
- Step 5: Add the rest of the ingredients, like AP flour, cardamom, salt, and cooked rice.
- Step 6: Transfer batter to a container and keep aside for 6 to 8 hours. Add the fried ingredients to the batter if using and mix well.
- Step 7: Heat oil in an appe pan and add a little batter to each.
- Step 8: Turn on both sides and cook until brown. Transfer to a serving bowl.
Useful Tips to Make Unniappam:
- Use overripe bananas to achieve the authentic taste of appams.
- Let the batter ferment for about 6 to 8 hours, like in making neiappam, before frying, allowing all the ingredients to mix well.
- The batter consistency should be thick, almost like the idli batter, but pourable.
- Use very little water while mixing the batter and making the jaggery solution, so you get a thick batter.
- Cool the jaggery solution before mixing it into the batter.
- Add baking soda to get fluffy appams. We use a very small amount of it.
- Some folks use rice flour to make the batter, but I prefer to grind the soaked rice with the melted jaggery. If using rice flour, use the one with a little coarse consistency, like in making palappam or puttu.
Some other snacks and sweet treats made with bananas that you may enjoy are kayappam(bonda), easy banana nut bread with walnuts, and chocolate banana bread. They are all delicious. If you are fond of deep-fried sweets, do give deep fried modak recipe or mawa gujiya a try.
Recipe FAQs
The batter consistency should be correct; even though it should have very little water, it should be of pouring consistency. Add a little all-purpose flour and baking soda for fluffier appams, and also allow the batter to ferment.
Use good-quality rice like raw rice or idli rice, jaggery, and overripe bananas. If the appams turn hard on refrigeration, just heat them in a microwave for a few seconds.
Add a little rice flour or wheat flour to make the batter thicker.
Fermenting for 6 to 8 hours will be great, but if you are in a time crunch, 2 to 3 hours will also do.
Related Recipes
If you tried this Unniappam Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and a 📝 comment below. I love hearing from you!
Unniappam
Ingredients
- 4 cups rice raw soaked in water overnight
- 8 -10 jaggery 1 inch cubes
- 1 ½ banana use over ripe ones , small bananas also can be used
- 3 -4 tbsp all purpose flour
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- ½ cup rice cooked
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Fried ingredients
- ½ cup coconut thinly sliced
- ½ cup cashews and raisins cut into small bits
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Wash and Soak the rice in water overnight or for about 6 to 8 hours
- Melt jaggery with very little water in a pan on a stove top. It is important to use as little water as possible . Once jaggery is dissolved Cool the solution to room temerature
- Take blender , grind the rice , ripe banana and jaggery solution .If needed add water only if the consistency is very thick
- Next add the all purpose flour, salt and cooked rice and transfer contents to a fermenting bowl
- In a small pan heat ghee
- Brown the cut coconut pieces, sesame, nuts and raisins
- Add it to the batter along with the baking soda and mix well
- Let the batter ferment for about 6 to 8 hours
- Heat the appe-pan with medium flame and add oil to the little moulds ¾ way up
- Add a spoonful of batter and turn over when it seems cooked and you get a nice dark brown color
- The appams are ready to be enjoyed .It tastes even better the next day just like with any sweet dishes made with jaggery.
Video
Notes
- Use overripe bananas so the appams get the authentic taste.
- Let the batter ferment for about six to eight hours before you start frying so that all the ingredients mix well.
- The batter consistency should be thick, like the idli batter.
- Use very little water while mixing the batter and making the jaggery solution, so you get a thick batter.
- Cool the jaggery solution before mixing it into the batter.
- Add baking soda to get fluffy appams.
- Some folks use rice flour to make the batter, but I prefer to grind the soaked rice with the melted jaggery.
My granny alwayss do this for me😋😋😋
oh! how sweet , that must be really special. Thank you so much for stopping by!
You're welcome 😍
The pics are sooo tempting, makes me feel like grabbing one right out of the screen 😛 😛 I tasted this too, so can vouch for the yummy taste 😀 Kids, of course, loved ALL the delicious sweets and treats made by their sweet and adorable aunt who left no stone unturned pampering and spoiling them 😀
Awww, Thank you so much dear sis for such a wonderful comment, it made my day :). Thanks for also sharing the recipe. Yes of course, I just love pampering the sweet little angels !
The post is a killer Nisha. I adore uniappams and being a Palakkad Iyer, this is one major weakness in terms of regional dessert that I have. Cannot simply stop at one. Beautiful clicks.
Thanks my friend appreciate it! I completely understand and with you on that.. as I can’t stop at one as well. They are simply irresistible .
Nostalgia overloaded! Reminds me of those good ol' festive seasons!
Thank you so much for the wonderful comment and glad it brought back memories .Yes indeed, it is a popular dish during the festivals !
Yes :):)
These look so gorgeous! Thanks for sharing the authentic recipe.
Thanks a lot for the appreciation Megala!
Happy to see you back....
This is such a nice share Nisha...looks absolutely delightful....
Thank you so much Jyo! Glad to hear you like it!
Welcome back!❤️
These look yummylicious!😊
Thank you Richa .Glad you loved it and yes great to be back!
It's nice to have a break. Glad you're back Nisha. 🙂
yes exactly right Lorelle, Thank you so much!
Absolutely delicious unniappams ! Welcome Back Dear!
Thank you Smitha, definitely glad to be back 🙂
our neighbour