Lemon Poha, quick and easy vegan breakfast. A vegan breakfast made with rice flakes and seasoned with fresh lemon juice and crunchy tempering. It takes just 15 minutes to make this zesty Lemon avalakki.
How to make quick poha for breakfast | Easy Poha recipe | Quick and easy breakfast recipe | Vegan Meal | Poha for breakfast | Poha for evening snack | No Veggies Poha Recipe | Lemony poha | Poha with crunchy toppings

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What is this Poha | Avalakki ?
Pohaa is also known as pauwa, sira, chira, aval (அவல்) or avalakki. It is flattened rice originating from the Indian subcontinent.
These flakes of rice swell when added to liquid, whether hot or cold. This easily digestible form of raw rice is very popular across India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Poha Varieties
Since it is easy to make, we have an endless list of recipes using poha. Like this Sweet Poha. Sweet rice, made with poha, milk and sweetened with sugar. It is then topped with crunchy nuts and flavored with cardamom and cloves.
Like rice, you can make Coconut poha, pepper poha and simple kande poha with this versatile grain. At home kids are crazy about poha, Paneer poha is their favorite dish.
Dahi chura, another quick recipe and a Sankranti festival special from Bihar. Thin poha is softened with fresh milk. It is mixed with yogurt , served with a drizzle of honey and fresh fruits.
If you love a punchy poha recipe, check this Banarasi Chooda Matar. It is a winter special made with fresh peas and freshly pounded black pepper.
Check this Video on How to make Sweet Aval
Ingredients to make this Zesty Lemon Poha
- Poha, thick poha/aval/rice flakes is used for this recipe.
- Spice, this tangy lemon poha uses only red chilies for spice.
- Tempering, regular Indian tempering ingredients mustard seeds, curry leaves along hing, chana dal and cashewnuts are used in this recipe. The gorgeous yellow color is from the turmeric powder in the tempering.
How to Make Zesty, tangy Lemon Avalakki
Please check recipe card below for exact measurements of each ingredient used and also for the detailed instructions
- Take thick poha in colander and wash it under running water, let all of it become nicely wet. Let this sit in the same colander and become soft.
- Heat a pan with oil, splutter mustard seeds and add hing, curry leaves and red chilies. Once the curry leaves turn crisp, Next add chana dal, turmeric powder and broken cashew-nuts.
- Once the dal turns golden brown, Add the softened poha to this tempering and mix well.
- Take it off the heat, add lemon juice, salt and mix well. Fluff the poha nicely and garnish it with fresh coriander leaves and serve.
- This colorful, zesty and zingy lemon poha tastes best when served hot straight from the stove. But It can also be packed for school or office lunch.
Lemon Poha | Lemon Avalakki | Breakfast Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup thick poha/avalakki
- juice of 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2-3 tablespoon broken cashews
- ½ teaspoon freshly pounded coriander seeds
- fresh coriander for garnish
Tempering
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil/gingely oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds/kadugu
- ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon of hing/asafoetida
- 1 teaspoon chana dal/gram dal/Kadalai paruppu
- 3-4 nos red chilies round variety
- a strand of curry leaf
Instructions
- Take the poha in a colander and wash under running water for 30 seconds, it will become soft. Let it sit on the counter until use.
- In a tava, heat oil given tempering, splutter mustard seeds, add hing, curry leaves and red chilies.
- Once the curry leaves turn crisp, add chana dal, turmeric powder and broken cashew-nuts.
- Once the dal turns golden brown, add the fluffypoha and turn off the stove.
- Add lemon juice to this, mix, finally add salt, fluff it well and serve it hot garnished with fresh coriander leaves.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
I m not a Doctor or a Nutritionist The Nutrition information provided above comes from the plugin and is only an estimate.
Srivalli
This reminds me that its been so long since I made a poha at home...yellow colour is always so inviting..
Pavani
This is one of my go-to breakfast dish. Such a quick and easy dish and tastes great too. Love the lemon flavor in here.
cookingwithsapana
Lemon poha is a staple or the lazy days when I do not want to cook much.Looks totally delicious.
MySpicyKitchen
Poha is usually a go to recipe for many. Lemon poha looks flavorful
Suma Gandlur
Such an easy and yummy option for lazy days. Love it. The coconut one and the onion versions are common to all south Indian and few other states, I guess. An authentic Karnataka version would be gojjavalakki, where the poha is pounded coarsely like rava, soaked in tamarind juice and jaggery and then prepared. You may already know it.☺
Priya Suresh
Just want to finish that bowl, prefect to finish my dinner rite now.
Srividhya
super cool. Always tried plain poha but lemon rice and lemon sevai. Never thought with poha.. will definitely try it.
Gayathri Kumar
Wow, this looks so tempting. We like booth poha and lemon but never tried it together. Next time I am preparing this for breakfast..
Amara’s cooking
That's a very inviting bowl of poha, looks yummy:)
Nalini's Kitchen
Such an easy and healthy breakfast option,nice captures Priya..
Harini R
A very flavorful and lemony bowl of poha
Smruti Ashar
Poha is my go to breakfast recipe on busy mornings. Yours looks amazing!!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
Poha is definitely a very staple ingredient to have in the kitchen. Love cooking any dish with it and this lemon poha looks delicious.
Kalyani
Avalakki is a staple breakfast in our place too, even while growing up ! loved the addition of pounded coriander seeds 🙂
vaishali sabnani
I am no great fan of poha but these look delicious..lemon poha sounds great.
Chef Mireille
Pradnya made a yummy bowl of poha for breakfast when I was in Mumbai and loved it entirely - this version looks just as delicious
Unknown
This one is a perfect choice for a lazy morning and my favorite breakfast....yummm
Unknown
the clicks looks awesome. Poha is very inviting. Would love to much it during evening times
Gloria
I love everything lemon. Having it for breakfast sounds like a delicious idea.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
I am I love with this lemon aval. Such a quick and easy recipe and so delicious. In fact I was having a hard time deciding what to make for dinner and now I know what to make.
Julie @ Running in a Skirt
I've been looking for some different breakfast recipes and this poha is it! Such gorgeous flavors and colors in this. So delicious for the family.
Kalyani
This lemon poha is a fav with my elder one and a staple at home, priya- loving the addition of pounded coriander seeds here. will try it next time..
Neha (My Culinary Expressions)
Priya, your images of lemon poha are just as amazing as the recipe. This is one of our favorite go-to breakfasts. The zing of lemon makes a world of difference. Can get my eyes off the gorgeous clicks!
Preethi
Lemon avalakki is so quick to whip up and go to breakfast dish . We enjoyed this lemon poha for breakfast this morning . It is super yummy.
Priya_Srinivasan
thank you preethi! Glad you all liked it!
Mayuri Patel
Love my poha loaded with fresh lemon juice. It does taste sooo good. This morning tried out your tempering for the lemon poha and we loved it. Usually I make the Gujarati style. I love the flavours and aroma of the tempering you use. This recipe is a keeper.
Priya_Srinivasan
Thank you mayuri ji!!! Yes we love that crunchy tadka!!