10 Navratri Recipes for Fasting
Navratri is a time for prayer, celebration and traditional food. During Sharad Navratri, many people follow a fasting diet and prepare meals using ingredients such as sabudana, sama rice, kuttu flour, potatoes, makhana, fruits and dairy.
If you're planning your Navratri meals this year, these easy vrat recipes can help you prepare satisfying breakfasts, lunches, snacks and desserts at home.
1. Sabudana Khichdi
Sabudana khichdi is one of the most popular foods prepared during fasting. Soaked tapioca pearls are cooked with potatoes, peanuts, green chillies and mild spices.
Best for: Breakfast or lunch
Tip: Soak the sabudana until the pearls become soft but don't turn mushy. This helps keep the khichdi fluffy.
2. Kuttu Ki Puri
Kuttu ki puri is made with buckwheat flour and is commonly served during Navratri fasting. It pairs especially well with vrat-friendly potato curry or yogurt.
Best for: Lunch or dinner
Tip: Add mashed potato to the dough if you need extra binding.
3. Makhana Kheer
Makhana kheer is a creamy dessert made with fox nuts, milk, cardamom and nuts. It is a simple option when you want something sweet during fasting.
Best for: Dessert
Tip: Lightly roast the makhana before adding it to the milk for better flavor.
4. Sama Rice Khichdi
Sama rice, also called barnyard millet, is commonly used during vrat. It can be cooked with potatoes, peanuts and fasting-friendly spices for a comforting one-pot meal.
Best for: Lunch or dinner
5. Aloo Tamatar Sabzi
A simple potato and tomato curry is another useful Navratri meal. It can be served with kuttu puri, sama rice or eaten with yogurt.
Best for: Lunch or dinner
6. Sabudana Vada
Crispy sabudana vada makes a delicious fasting snack. Sabudana is combined with potatoes and roasted peanuts before being shaped and cooked until crisp.
Best for: Evening snack
Tip: Avoid making the mixture too wet or the vadas may break while cooking.
7. Singhara Atta Roti
Singhara atta, or water chestnut flour, can be used to prepare fasting-friendly rotis. Serve them with potato curry, yogurt or a vrat-friendly vegetable preparation.
8. Makhana Chaat
Roasted makhana can be turned into a quick snack with potatoes, peanuts, lemon juice and fasting-friendly seasonings.
It's a good alternative when you want something lighter than fried vrat snacks.
9. Vrat Wale Aloo
Potatoes are extremely versatile during Navratri. A simple preparation with cumin, green chilli, lemon and coriander can be made quickly and served with roti or kuttu puri.
10. Fruit Chaat
For a lighter option, combine seasonal fruits with lemon juice and a fasting-friendly seasoning. Fruit chaat works well for breakfast, snacks or as a refreshing side.
Tips for Preparing Navratri Food
- Keep a list of ingredients that your fasting tradition allows.
- Prepare sabudana carefully to avoid a sticky texture.
- Roast makhana before using it in snacks or desserts.
- Keep roasted peanuts available for quick meals.
- Use fresh fruits and yogurt for lighter options.
- Check your family's or regional fasting rules because permitted ingredients can vary.
Final Thoughts
Navratri fasting doesn't have to mean eating the same meal every day. With ingredients such as sabudana, kuttu flour, sama rice, makhana, potatoes, fruits and dairy, you can prepare a variety of flavorful meals throughout the nine-day festival.
Which Navratri recipe is your favorite?
For CookingBook, I'd also link each recipe mentioned above to the corresponding recipe page only if that recipe actually exists in your database. That gives this article a useful internal-linking path into your 4,236 recipe pages rather than publishing a standalone article.
The topic is timely: Sharad Navratri 2026 is scheduled for October 11–19, with Dussehra on October 20.