Unniyappam | Unni Appam Recipe

Unniyappam or unni appam is a traditional Kerala style sweet treat. This version uses rice flour and ripe banana. There is no soaking, grinding, or fermenting required for this recipe.

All you need is to make the batter, let it sit for an hour and then make the unni appam. They turn out crispy on the outside and delightfully soft and chewy inside. Try this easy sweet appam recipe, I am sure you will love it.

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About the recipe

I am a big fan of banana recipes because I always end up with ripe bananas that nobody wants to eat. These sourdough banana bread and these banana muffins with nutella are my favorite.

But today I have a traditional Kerala style Unniyappam recipe that uses ripe banana. I have seen recipes without bananas too but I have the flavor of these better.

Unniappam are offered as prasad in temples and are also served as snack. They can be made by soaking and grinding raw rice, but this rice flour version is the most easy amd convenient.

All you need to do is mix the batter, let it sit for 1 hour and make the banana appam. I use much less oil than traditionally used and skip the coconut bits as we are not big fans but they add a nice crunch.

My kids call these banana appam pancakes. They are crispy on the outside and soft and chewy in the inside with a distinctive banana flavor. They are perfect for breakfast or snack.

Ingredients

For the details of the exact quantities of each ingredient and the list of ingredients needed, check the printable recipe card below.

Here are the ingredients you need to make Kerala style unniappam:

• Rice flour - I use the really fine rice flour found in Indian grocery store.
• Jaggery - you can also use grated palm sugar or even brown sugar.
• Ripe Banana
• Ground cardamom
• Ghee - homemade or store-bought

You will need an appe pan or aebliskiver pan to make these sweet appam.

Instructions

For the detailed instructions on how to make the recipe with exact timings, check the printable recipe card below.

Here is how to make unniyappam recipe:

In a medium size sauté pan on medium heat, dry roast rice flour for 3~4 minutes. stirring frequently. Remove into a mixing bowl.

In the same pan, heat jaggery and water. Once jaggery melts. Turn off the heat and add the jaggery syrup to the rice flour in the bowl.

Add cardamom, ghee, mashed banana, coconut bits and sesame seeds (if using). Mix well until combined. Cover and set it aside for at least 1 hour.

When ready to make unniyappam, stir the batter and if it too thick, add a little bit of room temperature milk to loosen it. Batter should be the consistency of idli batter.

Heat a aebleskiver pan and add 2 teaspoons oil in each slot. Fill each slot with the batter and cook until golden brown. Flip the unniyappam and cook on the other side until golden brown. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Expert Tips

• Use very fine rice flour, the kind you find in Indian grocery stores.
• You can use either grated palm sugar or even brown sugar instead of jaggery.
• You can make these unni appam without banana.
• Store leftover unniappam for up 10 days at room temperature.

You might also like

Here are a few more Kerala recipes that you might like to try:

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Recipe Card