Dosa Tips

There are multiple reasons why your dosa would stick to the pan.
1. Skillet not hot enough
The pan should neither be too hot or cold. To check if the pan is well heated, do this simple test. Sprinkle some water on top. The water should sizzle right away but not too much that it causes lot of steam.

2. Not enough grease
You don't need to add a lot of oil. Just few drops before making a dosa and spread using a half cut onion or even a paper towel. This rule especially holds true for a non stick pan which does not need grease. So make sure to rub the excess off with a paper towel.

3. Batter does not have correct consistency
Dosa batter should be creamy. Too thick and not well ground can also lead to dosa sticking to the pan.

4. Lack of fermentation
A good dosa while cooking develops beautiful little holes. If yours are missing, you know the batter has not fermented well. This also contributes to Dosas sticking to the pan.

5. Kind of Skillet
Though non stick skillet makes for an easier job, I would personally recommend using traditional cast iron tawa/skillet to make the quintessential Dosa. Ideally, you would want to invest one exclusively for dosas. Using the tawa for other foods like rotis etc tends to make it harder to make Dosas. Keep your Tawa seasoned and exclusive for Dosa making.

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12 Comments

By Avneet on Oct 31, 2020

The fifth point in the article is not correct, we don't need a separate Tava for making dosas,i have always made on the same Tava on which I make cahapaties since so many years. And they never stick, rest of the points are correct

By G Singh on Apr 8, 2020

I try all your tips still sticking and taste is little bit bitter

By Rajesh on Feb 10, 2019

Sir i have a problem when i spreading the batter its not getting redish or golden colour and its not getting spread well and sir batter tawa ko apne chor k nikal jata hai or laal nahi ho pata plz tell me sir what to do in that case

By venkat on Aug 24, 2018

I have cast iron tawa which I have seasoned. the convention dosa (rice+urad) comes out well. But atta dosa or rva dosa sticks to the tawa. solution?

In that case, pls use non stick/ ceramic skillets --DK

By nirmal on Dec 20, 2015

I added soya beans to urad dal and rice and made the batter.the batter has become very sticky.

By Anoop on Dec 10, 2015

Thanks for the help... half cut Onion saved me :)

By seshadr on Oct 6, 2015

The pH of the dough could be investigated

By Sandhya on Oct 5, 2015

Hi DK - Love your site. Whenever my dosa sticks, I use this tip from my mother. Just add a tablespoon (or less) of maida (all purpose flour) to the dosa batter, mix well and try again. This is yet to fail me!

That seems like an easy idea. Will try it out next time. Thank you for the tip Sandhya :) Appreciate it --DK

By Anba on Aug 21, 2015

Thanks for your wonderful explanation on dis topic.

By onkar on Mar 28, 2015

hi sir, i have commercial dosa plate. i would like to ask how to season it . i have tried but dosa batter is sticking into it. please help .

By krithiga on Apr 1, 2014

@afia idly rice-4cups,whole white urad dhal-1cup,methi seeds-1teaspoon,1 handful of thin poha (beaten rice) 1.soak rice for 3 hrs..soak dal and methi seeds for 1 hour. 2.first grind dal along with methi seeds by adding little water till you see the dal looks smooth and fluffy. 3.grind rice and poha together and grind separately. 4.mix both dal and rice.add salt and allow to ferment. 5.you can use the same dough for idly too..but to do dosa you can add little water and prepare a semi pouring consistency and follow the above procedure.

By afia on Mar 31, 2014

Not so helpful answer i want to now how much quantity of rice n dal taken for gud dosa