Kerala Breakfast Recipes: 8 Authentic Dishes to Start Your Day

Kerala breakfasts are built around rice, coconut and coconut oil. Several of them are steamed rather than fried, and a few use fermented batters, which means much of the work happens the night before rather than in the morning.

Each dish below links to its full recipe with ingredients and method.

The 8 dishes

1. Appam Stew

Lacy fermented rice pancakes with a mild coconut-milk vegetable stew — the most recognisable Kerala breakfast.

• Total time: 30 min · Course: Breakfast · Cuisine: Kerala (Indian)
• Estimated calories: about 350 kcal per serving (estimate — see note below)
• Main ingredients: Coconut oil, Whole spices, Ginger, Green chilies, Curry leaves, Mixed vegetables
• Key step from the recipe: Add ginger, green chilies, and curry leaves; sauté briefly.
• Read the full Appam Stew recipe

2. Puttu Kadala

Steamed cylinders of rice flour and grated coconut, served with black chana curry.

• Total time: 60 min · Course: Breakfast · Cuisine: Kerala (Indian)
• Estimated calories: about 550 kcal per serving (estimate — see note below)
• Main ingredients: Rice flour, Grated coconut, Salt, Water, Black chickpeas, Onion
• Key step from the recipe: Sauté onion, ginger-garlic-chili paste, and curry leaves in coconut oil.
• Read the full Puttu Kadala recipe

3. Idiyappam

Soft steamed rice-flour string hoppers. Eaten with coconut milk, or with a curry for a fuller meal.

• Total time: 20 min · Course: Breakfast · Cuisine: Kerala (Indian)
• Estimated calories: about 200 kcal per serving (estimate — see note below)
• Main ingredients: Roasted rice flour, Boiling water, Salt, Coconut oil, Fresh grated coconut
• Key step from the recipe: Press strands onto greased idli plates or banana leaves, optionally layering coconut.
• Read the full Idiyappam recipe

4. Kerala Upma

Rava upma tempered in coconut oil with curry leaves.

• Total time: 20 min · Course: Breakfast · Cuisine: Kerala (Indian)
• Estimated calories: about 300 kcal per serving (estimate — see note below)
• Main ingredients: Semolina, Onion, Ginger, Green chilies, Curry leaves, Mustard seeds
• Key step from the recipe: Add chopped onion, ginger, green chilies, and cashews; sauté until translucent.
• Read the full Kerala Upma recipe

5. Kerala Dosa

Softer and thicker than the Tamil-style dosa, usually served with chutney or sambar.

• Total time: 25 min · Course: Breakfast · Cuisine: Kerala (Indian)
• Estimated calories: about 280 kcal per serving (estimate — see note below)
• Main ingredients: Raw rice, Grated coconut, Cooked rice, Fenugreek seeds, Salt, Water
• Key step from the recipe: Grind soaked rice, fenugreek, cooked rice, and coconut into a smooth batter.
• Read the full Kerala Dosa recipe

6. Kerala Veg Stew

A light coconut-milk vegetable stew — the traditional partner for appam.

• Total time: 30 min · Course: Dinner · Cuisine: Kerala (Indian)
• Estimated calories: about 370 kcal per serving (estimate — see note below)
• Main ingredients: Mixed vegetables, Green chilies, Ginger, Whole spices, Coconut oil, Thin coconut milk
• Key step from the recipe: Pour in thin coconut milk and simmer until vegetables are tender.
• Read the full Kerala Veg Stew recipe

7. Cabbage Thoran

A dry cabbage preparation with grated coconut and mustard seeds.

• Total time: 25 min · Course: Lunch · Cuisine: Kerala (Indian)
• Estimated calories: about 250 kcal per serving (estimate — see note below)
• Main ingredients: Cabbage, Grated coconut, Green chilies, Garlic, Cumin seeds, Mustard seeds
• Key step from the recipe: Add the coconut mixture and salt; cook uncovered until dry and tender. Serve hot.
• Read the full Cabbage Thoran recipe

8. Pazham Pori

Ripe banana slices in a batter, fried until crisp — a tea-time snack that often turns up at weekend breakfasts.

• Total time: 20 min · Course: Breakfast · Cuisine: Kerala (Indian)
• Estimated calories: about 450 kcal per serving (estimate — see note below)
• Main ingredients: Ripe Nendran bananas, All-purpose flour, Rice flour, Sugar, Turmeric powder, Salt
• Key step from the recipe: Whisk all-purpose flour, rice flour, sugar, turmeric, and salt with water to a smooth batter.
• Read the full Pazham Pori recipe

What these breakfasts have in common

We have deliberately avoided calling any single dish "healthy" without context: a steamed puttu with kadala curry and a plate of fried pazham pori are very different meals, and what suits you depends on your own diet and health needs.

A note on the numbers: times and calorie figures on this page come from the recipe cards on Masala Spin. Calories are rough estimates for a single serving and will change with your portion size, the exact ingredients you use and how much fat you cook with.

Keep reading