This super soft and instant plain rava idli recipe or sooji idli recipe without eno or fruit salt is one of the most easy rava idli recipes that you can follow to make quick, easy, instant and soft rava idlis at home using idli rava. Rava idli or sooji idli is made using semolina flour as the main ingredient which is known as rava or sooji in India.

We are not using any seasonings in this instant and plain rava idli recipe as we want to keep this simple, basic and plain rava idlis, perfect for a quick and easy breakfast.
You can see rava idli batter recipe using seasonings here (which too is made without using eno or fruit salt).
Idlis are made using idli cooker by steaming on stove top, however you may also try making rava idli using microwave idli cookers if you wish.
This recipe for rava idli has instructions to make the idlis on idli cooker on stove top.
See popular South Indian rice idli recipe here.
This plain rava idli recipe without eno is even simpler but more soft and airy in texture.
The secret to this soft and delicious plain rava idli recipe is the use of baking powder.
Along with a pinch of baking soda, we add a little baking powder which makes this plain rava idli to the next level.
Plain rava idli made using baking powder is so soft in texture and they absolutely delicious idlis which you can enjoy for breakfast or you can pack them in your lunch box or tiffin.
The preparation of batter and making of idlis is much similar to the rava idli batter recipe I have entered earlier.
However these idlis using baking powder is quite different on its own, especially with a super soft texture.
The basic things you need to prepare these rava idlis are sooji rava flour (semolina flour), baking soda,Β baking powder and also idli cooker.
Easy semolina flour recipes:
So let us see how you can make this instant quick plain rava idli without eno following this plain rava idli recipe using baking soda and baking powder.
How To Make Plain Rava Idli Without Eno?
We need the following ingredients to make simple, easy & delicious instant plain rava idli or sooji idli.
Ingredients to make plain rava idli
1 cup sooji flour (semolina flour)
Β½ cup yogurt (curd)
Β½ cup water add little more if needed
ΒΌ teaspoon salt
Β½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons oil
Step By Step Instructions
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients - sooji flour salt, baking soda and baking powder very well.
In another bowl, whisk well the yogurt without forming any lumps.
Add the yogurt to the dry flour mixture and mix very well.
Add the water to the mixture and mix well.
Add the oil to the flour mixture and stir everything well to form the batter for plain rava idli.
The consistency for rava idli batter is quite thick, however if the batter is too thick to handle, you may add a few spoons of water and mix the mixture very well to make the batter of the right consistency.
Make sure not to add too much extra water, as the idli may not come right if the batter is thin.
Add about 2 tablespoons of batter in each idli mould, fill all moulds until the batter is finished.
Since we use baking powder in this recipe, the idlis will rise so make sure not to add too much batter in the moulds.
If the idli moulds are small, you may need to reduce the amount of batter used in each mould.
Heat very little water in the idli cooker and once the water starts boiling, place the idli stand inside the idli cooker.
Close the cooker and cook in low heat for about 12 to 14 minutes.
Open and see if the idlis are cooked and soft. Once the idlis are cooked, keep the cooker away from the hot stove and allow few minutes for the idlis to cool down.
Once the idlis are cooled for a few minutes, use a spoon (you may dip the spoon in cold water which will make your work easy) to take out each idli from the moulds.
Transfer the soft and delicious plain rava idlis to the serving dish, serve with any chutney, sambar or any vegetarian curry as you wish.
Below you can get the recipe for plain rava idli in detail.
Instant Plain Rava Idli Without Eno Indian Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sooji flour (semolina flour)
- Β½ cup yogurt (curd)
- Β½ cup water add little more if needed
- ΒΌ teaspoon salt
- Β½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients - sooji flour salt, baking soda and baking powder very well.
- In another bowl, whisk well the yogurt without forming any lumps.
- Add the yogurt to the dry flour mixture and mix very well.
- Add the water to the mixture and mix well.
- Add the oil to the flour mixture and stir everything well to form the batter for plain rava idli. The consistency for rava idli batter is quite thick, however if the batter is too thick to handle, you may add a few spoons of water and mix the mixture very well to make the batter of the right consistency. Make sure not to add too much extra water, as the idli may not come right if the batter is thin.
- Add about 2 tablespoons of batter in each idli mould, fill all moulds until the batter is finished. Since we use baking powder in this recipe, the idlis will rise so make sure not to add too much batter in the moulds. If the idli moulds are small, you may need to reduce the amount of batter used in each mould.
- Heat very little water in the idli cooker and once the water starts boiling, place the idli stand inside the idli cooker.
- Close the cooker and cook in low heat for about 12 to 14 minutes.
- Open and see if the idlis are cooked and soft. Once the idlis are cooked, keep the cooker away from the hot stove and allow few minutes for the idlis to cool down.
- Once the idlis are cooled for a few minutes, use a spoon (you may dip the spoon in cold water which will make your work easy) to take out each idli from the moulds.
- Transfer the soft and delicious plain rava idlis to the serving dish, serve with any chutney, sambar or any vegetarian curry as you wish.
Danis
Great post. Keep up good work. Good luck Share on Facebook.
Good job. π
Tpd
Came out well. But idli has a yellow tinge???
Recipe Garden
Glad to know the rava idli came out well π Thank you so much for the feedback! The slight yellow could be from the type of oil & rava/sooji flour that were used I think.
R.k
Shell we mix citric acid in stead of curd,
Though idli,s are very fluffy but soapy smell was present,do reply
Recipe Garden
I do not know about using citric acid, probably you should look for another recipe that might use it instead of yogurt or curd. Also, I have never experienced any soapy smell in the idlis, it could be any of the ingredients that you used. If the curd used is too sour or not fresh, it could affect the flavor I guess.
Annie
Thank you for your recipe it came out well.
Best wishes.
Recipe Garden
Hi Annie, Thank you so much for your feedback! Much appreciated π I am glad you liked it! Best wishes to you too, have a great day!