Sabudana Vada is a very popular Indian snack made with tapioca pearls (sago), boiled potatoes, and peanuts. With flavorful ingredients, this deep-fried (or pan-fried) dish can be great as a tea time snack or as finger food in your next family event.
As the festival and holiday seasons come closer, here’s an awesome recipe for Sabudana vada! Who would say no to fritters on a cold wintery day? So bookmark this recipe for that special day when you are craving crispy fritters during tea time.
As sabudana is rich in complex carbohydrates, it is used to make various dishes as an alternative to rice in India. This is especially true on days that people observe religious fasting. Nevertheless, the crunchy snack is an all-time favorite for me during any time of the year.
The names for these tapioca pearls can be a little confusing. “Sabudana” or “sagu” or “sabakki” or ‘javvarisi” all refer to the same grain. The recipe is as simple as it gets but it does have a little bit of prep work involved. But I will show you the steps in detail and you will be able to prepare them in the exact way that I wowed my family.
All recipes with sabudana involve soaking them in water or boiling them to soften them. Sabudana vada recipe requires the grains to soak in water well over 2 hours to soften them. Missing this step can result in a hard grainy core that could be hard to chew or the vada could end up being too dry. Soaking them is very important to get a crunchy, tasty, and spongy vada that provides a filling feel quickly.
Pairing options
With seasoning like ginger, cilantro and black pepper, the vada certainly is full of flavor, but the right pairing makes it a delectable combo. I like to time these with tea time as a snack. Pairing with a spicy green chili chutney can be great if you make your vadas not so spicy. Other pairings can be coriander chutney or tamarind chutney.
There are two different ways to cook the batter and I have included detailed instructions for both methods. As long as you use the right ingredients and prep the grains well, the method of cooking does not matter a whole lot and the recipe is definitely worth a try!
Main ingredients

Sabudana
Potato
Peanuts
Ginger
Cilantro
Black pepper
And salt
Tips and variations
- Soaking sabudana is a crucial part in preparing this recipe. You need to soak them for 2-3 hours.
- Potatoes help in holding the vada intact. So if your vada breaks down during deep frying, just mash another boiled potato and prepare the dough.
- One alternative to adding potatoes is to add rice flour. Rice flour helps in binding the ingredients together.
- Be sure not to skip peanuts as they only help in getting a crunchy bite, but also help absorb moisture from the grains.
Method

In a large bowl, take 1 ½ cup sabudana grains and soak them underwater for 3 hours. Meanwhile peel the skins of 2 boiled potatoes. Grate them and set aside for later. After the grains soak for 3 hours, drain off the water and let it sit for 30 minutes, allowing them to drain off the water completely.
In a separate pan, fry ¼ cup peanuts without oil and grind them to a powder consistency. In a large bowl, mix the peanuts and grated potatoes to the soaked sabudana grains.
Follow up with 2 teaspoon grated ginger, ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder, 1 chili, 2 tablespoon coriander leaves, and salt.
Mix well and prep them according to your cooking preference. If you prefer to use the appe pan, make round balls that fit the slots or flatten them like patties to deep fry. Let us look at each method in more detail.
Deep fry method -Place a pan with 2”-3” of oil for deep frying. When oil has heated up, drop the flattened vada or patties one by one and deep fry until it turns golden.
For appe pan method: Place an appe pan or appam pan over medium heat and drop a few teaspoon of oil in each slot. When the pan heats up, place the vada balls and cover it with a lid. Turn over the vadas after 2 minutes or so and continue to cook until they turn crispy golden on both sides.
Finally, serve these crispy sabudana vada fritters warm along with a hot cup of masala tea.
To avoid excess grease, be sure to let the deep fried vadas sit on a piece of tissue paper as it cools down. Using the appe pan is less greasy to begin with. Appe pan gets you the same taste but a healthier version. My family enjoyed both versions equally well and the fitters disappeared in less than 15 minutes. The trick lies in timing the snacks to tea time and striking the balance between crispy outer and a soft core. I hope your family will enjoy it as much as my family did.

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📖 Recipe

Sabudana Vada Recipe - Javvarisi Vadai
Process Shot
Check above for step-by-step pictures (most of my recipes include pictures)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup sabudana
- 2 medium-size potato
- ¼ roasted peanuts
- 1 green chili
- 2 teaspoon grated ginger
- Salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 strand curry leaves - optional
- 2 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- Oil for deep fry - (if you prefer to deep fry)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, take 1 ½ cup sabudana grains and soak them underwater for 3 hours. Meanwhile, peel the skins of 2 boiled potatoes. Grate them and set aside for later. After the grains soak for 3 hours, drain off the water and let it sit for 30 minutes, allowing them to drain off the water completely.
- In a separate pan, fry ¼ cup peanuts without oil and grind them to a powder consistency. In a large bowl, mix the peanuts and grated potatoes to the soaked sabudana grains.
- Follow up with 2 teaspoon grated ginger, ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder, 1 chili, 2 tablespoon coriander leaves, and salt.
- Mix well and prep them according to your cooking preference. If you prefer to use the appe pan, make round balls that fit the slots or flatten them like patties to deep fry. Let us look at each method in more detail.
- Deep fry method -Place a pan with 2”-3” of oil for deep frying. When oil has heated up, drop the flattened vada or patties one by one and deep fry until it turns golden.
- For appe pan method: Place an appe pan or appam pan over medium heat and drop a few teaspoon of oil in each slot. When the pan heats up, place the vada balls and cover it with a lid. Turn over the vadas after 2 minutes or so and continue to cook until they turn crispy golden on both sides.
- Finally, serve these crispy sabudana vada fritters warm along with a hot cup of masala tea.
Video
Notes
YOUR OWN NOTES
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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Lathiya
Sabudana Vada looks delicious and it sounds great. GLad you provided the deep fry and appe pan method to make this vada.
Padma Veeranki
I too like to make sabudana vada in appe pan...Love the texture of these crispy vadas...all I need is a cup of coffee to go along with them!!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
One of the ingredients that I fail over and over again is Sabudana. For whatever reason I just canot seem to cook it as good as you! I am so tempted to make the sabudana vada with your recipe. Looks so wonderful!
Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey
If someone asks me what is my favourite farali snacks? My vote goes to sabudana vada. Appam pan version is good too.
Priya Srinivasan
Sabudana vada looks so tempting!!! Love the appe pan versions. The vadas, are so inviting, i feel like making them immediately! such a delish snack any time!
Poonam bachhav
Sabudana vada is the most favourite fasting food at my place. Yours look so crisp and perfectly done. Best part is the use of appe pan to make them.
Mayuri Patel
Navratri is incomplete without having sabudana vada at least once if not everyday. I too make them in the appe pan as hubby loves them and I can't deep fry them for all nine days. Love how the Vadas look as though they are stunned with pearls.
Lata Lala
During fasting month these kind of simple and easy recipes are such a blessing. Sabudana vada tops the list and making it in appe pan sounds good too.
Uma Raghupathi
Thank you Lata
Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth
Somehow for us in Kerala, sago is only for adding into payasams, and seeing this recipe and knowing I have everything in my pantry, I am just so tempted to try it out but my only problem is I am at work and have to wait to get that feeling out... It just looks so delicious, and yes would be amazing with some masala chai...
Uma Raghupathi
Hope you will make this Rafeeda.
Pavani
LOVE these crispy and delicious sabudana vada. Love the idea of making them in the appe pan. Thanks for sharing this.
Bless my food by Payal
Navratras are few hours away and such recipes at this point of time are truly a saviours. Made yum with little things in hand.
Uma Raghupathi
Yes 🙂