Chana Dal Namkeen in Air Fryer with Video. Spicy split chick peas roasted in Air Fryer. A healthy snack for guilt free munching. Also find how to do it on stove top and in microwave.

This makes a great healthy snacking option as I have used just 1 teaspoon of oil.
I store this namkeen in our office and pack the same for the son as well, so that we can snack on it whenever we like munching something during our tea break time.
Making this snack in an air fryer is no different from deep frying it in oil as there is no compromise in taste.
A bottle of this chana dal namkeen will also be great for gifting purposes.
Is adding Baking Soda necessary?
Baking soda softens the chana dal. This helps the chana dal to turn crisp and crunchy quickly while air frying.
Adding baking soda also prevents the dal from becoming hard after taking it out from the air fryer. You can totally skip it, if you don’t wish to add it.
Adding Spice Powders:
I have added very basic spice powders like chaat masala powder for the tang and red chilli powder for the heat.
You can also add amchur powder, crushed kasuri methi or dry pudina leaves, jeera sugar candy to turn it out into a treat of sorts.
There is no set quantity to be added as all of this are to be adjusted according to your taste.
Air Frying Time for Chana Dal Namkeen:
Air frying timing will depend on the quality of chana dal and how well it had soaked & how well it dried.
Do not hesitate to pull out the basket at regular intervals to check out if air dried well or not.
It takes very little time to go from fried well to the burnt stage, so increase the time in small increments.
It took me total of 10 mins excluding the preheating time in all. Your air frying time may differ.
Stovetop Method:
After air drying the chana dal completely on a clean cloth, just heat oil in a pan.
Once it gets hot, add a fistful of dal to the pan and deep fry over medium flame till all the moisture is gone and the dal gets deep fried to golden brown.
You can remove the dal from the oil once the sizzling sound of the oil is gone. After deep frying all the dal, proceed with adding spice powders and salt.
Microwave Method:
After mixing dal with a teaspoon of oil, spread the chana dal on the glass turn table of the microwave.
Microwave at high (whatever is the highest temperature setting in your microwave) for 3 mins first.
Open the door, spread out once and from then on, microwave by increments of 1 min after which open the door and mixing the dal.
Repeat this process till the dal gets roasted to golden brown. Add spice powders, toss and store.
You can check out this Air Fryer Okra (Kurkuri Bhindi) and Punjabi Dum Aloo
Air Fryer Chana Dal Namkeen Video Tutorial:
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Air Fryer Chana Dal Namkeen Recipe Card with Video below:
Chana Dal Namkeen in Air Fryer
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- Chana Dal or split bengal gram or kadalai paruppu - 1 cup
- Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
- Baking soda - 1 pinch
- Regular or Black salt - to taste
- Chaat masala powder - to taste
- Red chilli powder - to taste
- Oil - ½ to 1 tsp
Instructions
- First soaking: Take chana dal in a bowl. Add water and rinse 2 to 3 times by rubbing the dal with fingers till the water runs clean and clear. Add 3 cups water and soak for 7 to 8 hours.
- Second soaking: Discard soaked water and rinse once again. Add 3 cups water, turmeric powder and baking soda. Mix and soak for 2 more hours.
- Make chana dal namkeen: Transfer the soaking chana dal into a colander and drain the water completely.
- Spread the dal on a clean cloth and let it air dry completely. You can also dry it under a fan to save time.
- Transfer to a bowl, add oil and mix well till the dal gets coated well with oil.
- Transfer into an aluminium foil. This will prevent the dal from falling to the basket floor through the holes.
- Preheat the air fryer at 200 C for 5 mins. Place the foil into the basket and spread it evenly.
- Slide in the basket and set the fryer time for 5 mins.
- Slide the basket out and mix it well with a spoon to ensure even air frying and slide in the basket.
- Set the timer again for 5 more mins or adjust accordingly and bake till the chana dal gets golden, crisp and crunchy.
- Transfer to a bowl and while the dal is still hot, add salt, red chilli powder, chaat masala powder and toss well for even distribution.
- Chana Dal Namkeen is ready. Once cool, store in an air tight container.
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