Roasted Poha Chivda

4.89 from 9 votes

Indian snack mix made with flattened rice, nuts and spices. This roasted poha chivda is healthier than the store bought one and makes the perfect chai time snack!

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Quick and easy, this Poha Chivda is one of my favorite snacks. This snack mix is made with flattened rice (poha), nuts and spices.

I oven roast the rice flakes and nuts to make it little healthier. These are great to munch on with Chai!

roasted poha chivda served in black rimmed plate with a candle lit in the background and some curry leaves on the side

As much as I love making sweets during Diwali, I also make a lot of savory stuff.

Like these baked methi mathri or namak pare or this Roasted Poha Chivda!

Chivda in India refers to a snack mix often made with poha (flattened rice), sev, nuts among many other things.

It is a common chai time accompaniment.

While you can easily find it at Indian grocery stores, the homemade version is so much better and healthier!

This version includes poha, cashews, peanut and few spices.

This Roasted Poha Chivda

āœ“ is healthier than store bought

āœ“ the poha and nuts are oven roasted to minimize the use of oil

āœ“ is easy to make

āœ“ makes the perfect tea time snack

For this roasted poha chivda recipe, I have used thin poha.

It is very important to keep this in mind, do not use thick poha for this recipe.

The thick one will not roast up in the oven for the time given in the recipe.

So, use only thin poha for this recipe. It roasts up nicely in the oven without any oil.

poha chivda served in a copper balti dish with decoration items and candles in the background

For this recipe, I roast the poha and nuts (cashews, peanuts) in the oven.

And then make a tempering in the pan with few tablespoons of oil.

A lot of times chivda is made by deep frying everything. My mom made it every year for Diwali and Holi and it was always deep fried.

While I don’t mind deep frying for festivals, I actually find this version even better than the fried one and so I stick to it.

I don’t use a ton of ingredients here, it is all pretty basic and you can easily make it at home in no time.

With Diwali just a few days away, I have already prepared a big batch of this poha chivda.

Hope you guys would also give it a try!

Method

Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees.

1- Place thin poha in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Roast at 350 F degrees for 15 minutes until  crispy, stir once in between. The color of the poha will not change, it will just roast and crisp up.

Once roasted, transfer to a large bowl.

2- To the same baking sheet, now add peanuts and cashews.

Roast at 350 F degrees for 11 to 13 minutes, stirring once in between until the nuts are golden brown in color.

3- Transfer nuts to the same bowl as the poha and set aside.

4- Now heat 2.5 tablespoons of oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the raisins and fry for 1 minute until the raisins swell up.

Remove on a paper towel.

step by step picture collage of making roasted poha chivda

5- Lower the heat to low and add the curry leaves and stir for 1-2 minutes. Push them to the side and add the hing and stir.

6- Add the turmeric and red chili powder and stir. Curry leaves should be completely crisp by now.

7- Transfer tempering to the bowl of roasted poha and nuts. Add salt, pepper, sugar and the fried raisins.

8- Mix everything using a spatula, slightly crush the curry leaves as you mix.

step by step picture collage of making roasted poha chivda

Store the roasted poha chivda in an airtight container and enjoy with chai!

overhead shot of poha chivda served in a copper balti dish

If youā€™ve tried this Roasted Poha Chivda Recipe then donā€™t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on FacebookInstagram to see whatā€™s latest in my kitchen!

Roasted Poha Chivda

4.89 from 9 votes
Cook: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 cups
Indian snack mix made with flattened rice, nuts and spices. This roasted poha chivda is healthier than the store bought one and makes the perfect chai time snack!

Ingredients 

  • 3 cups thin poha flattened rice, 200 grams
  • 3 tablespoons peanuts raw, 50 grams
  • 3 tablespoons whole cashews raw, 50 grams
  • 2.5 tablespoons oil 37 ml
  • 2 tablespoons golden raisins
  • 15-20 curry leaves
  • generous pinch hing
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon red chili powder or more to taste
  • 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
  • 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
  • 2 teaspoons powdered sugar or to taste
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Instructions 

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees.
  • Place thin poha in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
    Roast at 350 F degrees for 15 minutes untilĀ  crispy, stir once in between. The color of the poha will not change, it will just roast and crisp up.
    Once roasted, transfer to a large bowl.
  • To the same baking sheet, now add peanuts and cashews.
    Roast at 350 F degrees for 11 to 13 minutes, stirring once in between until the nuts are golden brown in color. Transfer nuts to the same bowl as the poha and set aside.
  • Now heat 2.5 tablespoons of oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the raisins and fry for 1 minute until the raisins swell up.
    Remove on a paper towel
  • Lower the heat to low and add the curry leaves and stir for 1-2 minutes. Push them to the side and add the hing and stir.
  • Add the turmeric and red chili powder and stir. Curry leaves should be completely crisp by now.
  • Transfer tempering to the bowl of roasted poha and nuts. Add salt, pepper, sugar and the fried raisins.
  • Mix everything using a spatula, slightly crush the curry leaves as you mix.

Notes

  1. The nutrition estimate is rough estimate for 1 cup of this roasted poha chivda.
  2. You can also add chana dal (fry it first) or dried coconut slices to this chivda. You can even add store bought sev.
  3. Skip hing (or use gluten-free hing) to make the chivda gluten-free.

Nutrition

Calories: 246kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 441mg, Potassium: 161mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 160IU, Vitamin C: 75.2mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Snack
Cuisine: Indian
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Hi, I’m Manali!

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4.89 from 9 votes

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Recipe Rating




34 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Even after checking other websites for recipes I come back to yours as they always come out well thanks for posting almost everything I need for my Indian cooking.

  2. 5 stars
    Excellent recipe! Just added fennel seeds in the roasting for an additional flavor profile. . l trust all of your recipes, Manali, as they are easy to follow, fail-proof, and always turn out perfect. Thank you.

  3. 5 stars
    I’ve made this a few times now it turns out great every time! Rice is crispy at 15 min in the oven, no guessing when it’s done. The seasoning is simple, easy to adjust per taste (spicier, sweeter). I often add sweetened thick cut dry coconut while roasting the nuts. I’ve gotten many compliments on this great snack. Perfect for chai time. Thanks for another easy to follow and delicious recipe!

  4. This looks amazing, I always deep frird everything and gone… someone suggested using microwave. Only thing I wanna ask how long do you keep it open in air before sealing so it doesn’t get soggy?

  5. Hi do you have air fryer recipes for Indian dishes? I’m planning to make pakoras in air fryer instead of deep frying and wondering whether there are any recipes

  6. I am not sure how to add the salt, my salt never gets mixed with the mixture and always find it at the bottom of the mixture, sometimes I have to sieve so that I dont eat a very salty chivda…Do we mix in water and add or at what stage do we add so that it coats the chivda and does not settle at the bottom?

    1. I have always added it just like what I mention and never had any issues. My mom always did the same too, there was never any water involved. Maybe try adding salt along with the spices when making the tempering and see if that works.

  7. I made this with puffed rice and it tasted great. However the salt & other spices didnt “stick” to the murmure but settled at the bottom. I had to toss it frequently. What did I do wrong?

  8. 5 stars
    Soooo loved it. My daughter has celiac,so we are gluten free. Loved how easy and fast it was for me to make it in regular basis for her.

  9. Just for tasting the outcome of roasting , i put a tbsp of medium thickness raw chivda in the otg at 175degrees centigrade . In exactly 7 minutes the chivda shrank in size and turned brownish black . Obviously the temperature was way too high .
    What could have gone wrong , since the recipe says 350 degrees f for 15 minutes , and the chivda will not change colour .

    1. I am not sure, the recipe is tested and I make it like this every time. 350 F is 180 C so it shouldn’t turn black in 7 minutes. I would suggest you check your oven temperature settings, it might be off by few degrees. Best would be to get an oven thermometer and see the actual oven temperature. And now that you know your oven is running hot, cut down on the roasting time or reduce the temperature.

  10. Hi Manali,

    What oil would you recommend for best taste for making roasted poha chivda? Peanut oil or homemade ghee?

    Thanks

    1. no, thick poha won’t roast in this much time and also it doesn’t taste as good in chivda. Maybe you can use murmura and makhana (fox nuts) in place then.

  11. 5 stars
    I have been thinking of trying this preparation. Till now I have been buying it from market. But now I will try my hands on it.

  12. Yummy! awesome and looks heavenly. What if I don’t have thin poha? Is it possible with medium thickness too? I could give it a try with a small batch, if you haven’t given it a try.