High-Protein Unniyappam Recipe: An Onam Favourite with a Nutritious Twist

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Why You’ll Love This High-Protein Unniyappam
3. High-Protein Unniyappam Recipe
4. Why This Recipe Works
5. A Better Way to Enjoy Festive Foods
6. Tips for Perfect Unniyappam
7. Serving Ideas
8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
9. Smart Takeaway

Onam is more than a festival. It is a celebration of culture, family, togetherness and, of course, food. 

From the elaborate Sadya served on a banana leaf to traditional sweets and snacks prepared at home, food is an important part of the celebration. 

One such favourite is Unniyappam. 

These little golden-brown, round treats are soft on the inside, slightly crisp on the outside and naturally sweetened with jaggery. Traditional recipes commonly combine rice flour with jaggery and ripe banana, along with ingredients such as coconut, cardamom and ghee or oil. 

However, from a nutrition perspective, the traditional combination is predominantly carbohydrate-based. 

So, instead of changing the recipe completely, why not make a small upgrade? 

Add 1 scoop of Prolicious UP It! Protein Enhancer. 

It is an easy way to bring whole-food protein and fibre into a traditional recipe while keeping the dish recognisable, delicious and festive. 

Why You'll Love This Recipe 

• A festive Onam favourite with a nutritious twist 
• Made with familiar kitchen ingredients 
• Sweetened with traditional jaggery 
• Contains 1 scoop of Prolicious UP It! 
• Adds whole-food protein and fibre 
• Uses rice flour as the traditional base 
• Soft, mildly sweet and aromatic 
• Can be prepared in a paniyaram or unniyappam pan 
• Perfect with your evening tea or as an Onam snack 
• A simple way to upgrade traditional recipes without changing their identity 

Recipe Card 

Prep Time: 15 minutes 

Resting Time: 30 minutes 

Cook Time: 15–20 minutes 

Total Time: Approximately 1 hour 

Servings: 4 

Difficulty: Easy 

Yield: 12 Pcs

Nutrition profile - 

Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana
• ½ cup rice flour
• 1 scoop UP It!
• 2 tbsp jaggery, or as per taste
• 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
• ¼ tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
• Water, as required
• Ghee/oil, for greasing

Steps

Add banana, rice flour, UP It!, and jaggery to a blender.

Blend until smooth. Gradually add water to make a smooth, pourable batter.

Transfer the batter to a bowl and mix in desiccated coconut and cardamom powder.

Heat a pan and lightly grease it with ghee/oil.

Pour a portion of the batter onto the pan and spread gently.

Cook on medium-low heat until the bottom turns golden and the top starts to set.

Flip carefully and cook the other side until golden and cooked through.

Serve warm.

Why This Recipe Works 

Traditional festive foods don't necessarily need to be completely reinvented to make them more nutritionally balanced. 

Sometimes, one simple ingredient change can make a meaningful difference. 

1. UP It! Adds Protein and Fibre 

Rice flour and jaggery provide the characteristic texture and sweetness of unniyappam, but they don't contribute much protein. 

Adding 1 scoop of UP It! helps increase the protein and fibre content of the recipe. 

UP It! is made from whole-food ingredients including whole moong flour and low-fat peanut flour, making it a convenient way to add plant-based protein and fibre to familiar foods. 

2. Banana Adds Natural Sweetness and Softness 

Ripe banana is traditionally used in many unniyappam recipes. It contributes sweetness, moisture and the characteristic soft texture of the snack. (Sanjeev Kapoor) 

Using a ripe banana also allows the recipe to rely primarily on jaggery for sweetness without needing additional refined sugar. 

3. Jaggery Keeps the Traditional Flavour 

Jaggery is an integral part of the classic unniyappam flavour. 

Its deep caramel-like sweetness pairs beautifully with banana, coconut and cardamom. 

We are not removing the jaggery because the goal is not to make a traditional festive sweet taste like a diet food. 

The goal is to make the overall recipe more nutritionally balanced while keeping the food enjoyable. 

A Better Way to Enjoy Festive Foods 

A common mistake when trying to eat healthier during festivals is thinking that traditional foods have to be avoided. 

They don't. 

Festivals are also about enjoying food, culture and memories. 

Instead of completely eliminating your favourite dishes, think about how you can build more balance around them. 

This Unniyappam is one example. 

The recipe still has rice flour. 

It still has jaggery. 

It still has banana, coconut and cardamom. 

It still tastes like a festive treat. 

The difference is that UP It! adds protein and fibre to the recipe, helping transform an otherwise predominantly carbohydrate-based snack into a more nutritionally upgraded option. 

Tips for Perfect Unniyappam 

Keep the batter thick 

A very thin batter may spread too much in the pan and make the unniyappam difficult to turn. 

Don't overfill the moulds 

Fill each cavity about three-quarters full because the batter can rise slightly while cooking. 

Cook on medium-low heat 

Because jaggery is present in the batter, high heat can cause the outside to brown too quickly while the inside remains undercooked. 

Use a ripe banana 

A ripe banana gives better sweetness, moisture and softness. 

Don't skip the resting time 

Allowing the batter to rest helps the rice flour hydrate properly and improves the final texture. 

Serving Ideas 

Serve these warm as: 

• An Onam festive snack 
• An evening tea-time treat 
• A festive breakfast accompaniment 
• A small dessert after a traditional meal 
• A homemade sweet for family gatherings 

FAQs 

Can I make Unniyappam without banana? 

Yes. Banana is commonly used for softness and flavour, but you can experiment with the recipe without it. You may need to adjust the liquid and sweetness of the batter. 

Will UP It! change the taste? 

UP It! is designed to blend into everyday foods. In this recipe, the jaggery, banana, cardamom and coconut continue to provide the dominant festive flavour. 

Can I use powdered jaggery instead of jaggery syrup? 

Yes. However, dissolving jaggery first helps distribute the sweetness more evenly through the batter. 

Can I deep fry the Unniyappam? 

Traditional versions may be deep-fried, while many home recipes use a paniyaram or unniyappam pan with oil or ghee. 

For an everyday version, cooking in a paniyaram pan allows you to use considerably less oil. 

Is this a high-protein snack? 

Adding 1 scoop of UP It! increases the protein content compared with a conventional rice-flour and jaggery-based version. The exact protein per serving will depend on the number of unniyappams made from the batter. 

Smart Takeaway 

Onam is about celebrating tradition, not restricting it. 

And sometimes, the best nutrition upgrades are the ones that don't ask you to give up the foods you love. 

This High-Protein Unniyappam keeps the familiar combination of rice flour, jaggery, banana, coconut and cardamom, while adding 1 scoop of Prolicious UP It! for a boost of whole-food protein and fibre. 

So this Onam, enjoy your favourite festive treats with a little more nutritional goodness. 

Same tradition. Same festive sweetness. Just a smarter twist.  

Celebrate Onam with food that brings people together and nutrition that fits into the foods you already love.