Injera is the heart of an Ethiopian meal: a sour, spongy, slightly bubbly flatbread that is plate, spoon and napkin at once. Whether you are about to eat it for the first time, wondering if it is gluten-free, or thinking of making it at home, this guide explains what injera and teff are, why it tastes the way it does, how to eat it properly, and how to cook a respectable batch in an ordinary kitchen.

Quick answer

Injera is a sour, spongy Ethiopian flatbread made from fermented teff flour and water, cooked on one side only on a griddle called a mitad. It is eaten with the right hand, torn and used to scoop stews. Teff is naturally gluten-free, but restaurant injera is often blended with wheat or barley, so ask for 100% teff if you avoid gluten.

Key facts

What it is
A sour, spongy flatbread made from fermented teff flour and water; the plate, spoon and napkin of Ethiopian meals
Teff (ጤፍ)
A tiny grain native to Ethiopia, milled into flour for injera
Why it's sour
Natural fermentation — the longer the batter ferments, the tangier the injera
How it's cooked
On one side only, on a large griddle called a mitad; the holes ('eyes') form on top and hold the sauce
How to eat it
Right hand only: tear a piece, scoop the stew, eat — and accept a gursha if one is offered
Gluten
Teff is naturally gluten-free, but injera is often blended with wheat or barley, especially outside Ethiopia — always ask
At home
Teff flour + water, a few days' fermentation (or a shortcut with a little baking powder) and a non-stick pan

What injera is, and what teff is

Injera is a fermented flatbread made from teff (ጤፍ), a tiny grain native to Ethiopia, milled into flour and mixed with water. It is sour, soft and full of small holes, and in Ethiopia it is served on a large round platter with stews piled on top — you can see the whole tradition at work in our guide to what to order. It is also the key to doro wat, shiro and the whole fasting-food repertoire in the fasting food guide.

A beyaynetu fasting platter — a wheel of injera topped with small mounds of stews
A beyaynetu fasting platter — a wheel of injera topped with small mounds of stews

Why injera is sour

Injera is sour because the batter is left to ferment naturally. Wild yeasts and bacteria act on the teff and water over a few days, producing the tang and the bubbles that give injera its sponge-like texture. The longer the fermentation, the more sour the bread. That is why injera made in a home kitchen in Addis can taste noticeably tangier than a restaurant's, and why bakers adjust the time to their taste and the temperature of the room.

How injera is cooked

The batter is poured in a spiral, from the outside edge to the centre, onto a large, lightly greased griddle called a mitad, which is traditionally clay but today often metal or electric. It is covered and cooked on one side only. As it cooks, bubbles rise and burst, leaving the holes — the "eyes" — that soak up sauce. The result is soft, spongy on top and slightly smoother underneath, and it is cooled flat before being stacked.

How to eat injera properly

  1. Wash your hands. Ethiopian food is eaten with the right hand.
  2. Tear, don't cut. Tear a piece from the edge of your side of the platter.
  3. Scoop the stew with the torn piece, eat it in one mouthful, and keep the sauce away from your fingers as much as you can.
  4. Eat the base last. The injera under the stews has soaked up the sauce and is the best part.
  5. Accept a gursha. If someone feeds you a folded mouthful by hand, it is a gesture of warmth — see our culture and etiquette guide.
Gursha — being fed by hand from a shared platter, the warmest gesture at an Ethiopian table
Gursha — being fed by hand from a shared platter, the warmest gesture at an Ethiopian table

Is injera gluten-free?

Teff is naturally gluten-free, and injera made from 100% teff and water contains no gluten. But many restaurants and commercial producers blend it with wheat, barley or sorghum, particularly outside Ethiopia, so ask specifically for 100% teff injera if you avoid gluten for medical reasons, and ask how it is made.

How to make injera at home

A traditional batch takes planning rather than skill. Authentic recipes use only teff flour and water; the batter is left at room temperature for a day or more — recipes range from about a day and a half to several days depending on the room's warmth and how sour you want it — until it bubbles and smells tangy. Skim off any liquid or discoloured foam, stir in a little salt, and thin the batter to a pancake-like consistency. Pour it in a spiral into a hot, lightly greased pan, cover, and cook on one side until the surface is set and covered in holes; do not flip it. If you are in a hurry, shortcut recipes use a little baking powder to cut the wait to about a day, at the cost of a milder flavour. Expect to spoil the first few — everyone does.

Try it where it began

Making injera at home is a good project, but nothing beats eating it fresh in Ethiopia, and many cultural tours include a meal or cooking demonstration. See our cultural restaurants guide, the cheap eats guide for the best-value injera meals, and Ethiopia for foodies for the bigger picture.

Compare tours

GetYourGuideSmall-group day tours & skip-the-line entryCheck availability →ViatorAddis Ababa city tours, food & museumsCheck availability →Booking.comHotels & apartments in Addis AbabaCheck availability →

Frequently asked questions

What is injera made of?
Traditional injera is made from just two ingredients: teff flour and water. Teff (ጤፍ) is a tiny grain native to Ethiopia, and the batter is left to ferment naturally for a few days, which gives injera its sour taste and spongy, bubbly texture. It is then poured onto a hot griddle and cooked on one side only, so holes form on top that soak up the sauces of stews like doro wat and shiro. Some commercial and restaurant injera, particularly outside Ethiopia, is blended with other flours such as wheat, barley or sorghum, so check if it matters to you.
Is injera gluten-free?
Teff itself is naturally gluten-free, and injera made from 100% teff flour and water contains no gluten. But that is not guaranteed everywhere: many restaurants and commercial producers blend teff with wheat, barley or sorghum flour to reduce cost or change the texture, and shared cooking surfaces can add cross-contact. If you avoid gluten for medical reasons such as coeliac disease, ask specifically for 100% teff injera, ask how it is made, and treat the answer with the caution your condition requires. Our fasting food guide also covers the dishes that suit different diets.
How do you eat injera?
With your right hand, no cutlery. Wash your hands first, tear a piece of injera from the edge of your side of the platter, use it to scoop up a mouthful of stew, and eat it. The injera underneath soaks up the sauce and is eaten last. If someone feeds you a folded mouthful by hand — a gursha — it is a gesture of affection, and accepting it is good manners. See our culture and etiquette guide and the guide to what to order for the dishes to start with.