Navratri 2025: Delicious And Fasting-Friendly Navratri Recipes

Navratri is a time of celebration, devotion, and delicious festive food. During this auspicious period, traditional fasting recipes take center stage, blending simplicity, nutrition, and flavor. From crispy snacks to indulgent desserts and refreshing beverages, Navratri dishes are designed to be sattvic, wholesome, and satisfying. This collection brings together some of the most popular and innovative recipes curated by top chefs, including Paneer Aloo Sticks, Malai Kuttu Bhalla, Sabudana Bhel, and Paneer & Peanut Seekh Kebabs. Perfect for family gatherings or festive feasts, these recipes celebrate the spirit of Navratri while making healthy, flavorful cooking a joy.

Sabudana Khichdi by Chef Ashish Singh, COO & Head Chef, Cafe Delhi Heights

Ingredients:

1 cup sabudana (tapioca pearls) 2 tbsp ghee 1 tsp cumin seeds 1–2

green chilies, chopped 2 medium potatoes, diced ¼ cup roasted & crushed peanuts Sendha namak (rock salt) to taste Lemon juice & coriander leaves

Method:

Soak sabudana for 5–6 hours; drain.
Heat ghee, add cumin, chilies, and potatoes. Cook until golden.
Add sabudana, peanuts, and salt. Toss on low flame until translucent.
Finish with lemon juice and coriander before serving.

Sabudana & Coconut Payasam by Chef Ashish Verma, Executive Chef, Masala Synergy

Ingredients:

½ cup sabudana
2 cups fresh coconut milk
½ cup grated jaggery
1 tbsp ghee
8–10 cashew nuts, halved
1 tbsp raisins
½ tsp cardamom powder
2 cups water

Method:

Soak sabudana for 30 minutes; drain.
Boil water, add sabudana, and cook until translucent.
Add jaggery and stir until dissolved.
Pour in coconut milk; simmer gently.
Fry cashews and raisins in ghee until golden; add to payasam.
Sprinkle cardamom powder and serve warm.
Chef’s Note: Onion- and garlic-free, sattvic, and perfect for Navratri fasting.

Paneer Aloo Stick recipe by Swapnadeep Mukherjee, Executive Chef, The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa

Ingredients:

500 g potato
100 g cottage cheese
10–12 soaked cashews
10 g chopped chili
10 g chopped coriander
100 g chestnut flour
500 g sabudana crumbs
Sendha namak & pepper to taste
1 litre refined oil
Parsley for garnish

Method:
Boil potatoes with skin; cool and mash.
Mix mashed potato with parsley, salt, pepper, chili, and coriander.
Blend cottage cheese, cashews, and a pinch of salt into a paste.
Flatten a portion of potato mash, add cheese-cashew filling, roll into logs.
Coat in chestnut flour, then sabudana crumbs; set aside.
Fry in hot oil until golden and crispy. Serve with chutney or sauce.

Malai Kuttu Bhalla recipe by Swapnadeep Mukherjee, Executive Chef, The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa

Ingredients:

300 g kuttu atta (buckwheat flour)
100 g potato starch
500 ml full cream milk
10 g brown sugar
1/5 tsp cardamom powder
20 g chopped dry nuts
10 g pomegranate seeds
4 saffron threads

Method:

Make a batter with kuttu atta and potato starch; form small dumplings and fry on low flame. Soak in cold water.
Reduce milk to a thick consistency; let cool.
Whisk milk with sugar and cardamom powder.
Drain dumplings and pour sweetened malai over them.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds, nuts, saffron, and mint. Serve cold.

Mawa Yogurt Cake with Rose-Infused Sugar Glaze & Nuts by Chef Parth Gupta, Founder, Bloom Cafe | Eggless & Vegetarian

Serves: 8–10 | Baking Temp: 180°C | Time: 35–40 mins

Cake Ingredients:

250 g mawa (khoya)
200 g thick yogurt
100 g sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
150 g all-purpose flour
75 g ghee or neutral oil
½ tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp rose water
2–3 tbsp milk

Topping & Glaze:

50 g mixed nuts, roughly chopped
Few edible rose petals (optional)
50 g sugar
50 ml water
1 tsp rose water
Few drops lemon juice

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 7-inch cake tin.
Mix yogurt, sugar, and baking powder; let sit 5 minutes.
Add crumbled mawa, ghee, cardamom powder, and rose water.
Sift flour and baking soda; fold into wet mixture. Add milk to adjust consistency.
Fold in half of the nuts; pour batter into tin. Top with remaining nuts and rose petals.
Bake 35–40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
For glaze, dissolve sugar in water, add rose water and lemon juice, simmer 2–3 mins.
Drizzle glaze over slightly cooled cake before serving.

Bel Mojito by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor in association with Sugarfree and Zydus Wellness

Ingredients:

8–12 tbsp wood apple (bel) pulp
4 lemons, cut into pieces
8 measures Sugar Free Green
40–48 fresh mint leaves
Pink salt to taste
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
Ice cubes
Drinking soda
Lemon slices for garnish

Method:

Muddle lemon pieces, bel pulp, sugar, mint, pink salt, and cumin.
Add ice cubes and soda; mix well.
Serve chilled, garnished with lemon slices.

Makhana Khir (Fox Nut Pudding) by Pramod Paswan, Head Chef, Lotus Eco Beach Resort, Murud

Ingredients:

1 cup makhana (fox nuts)
2 cups milk (dairy or non-dairy)
¼ cup sugar (to taste)
¼ tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp chopped nuts (almonds/pistachios)
1 tbsp raisins (optional)

Method:

Roast makhana in ghee until lightly browned; grind coarsely.
Boil milk; add ground makhana and cook on low heat until thickened.
Add sugar, cardamom, and nuts; cook 2–3 mins.
Serve warm or chilled, garnished with extra nuts and raisins.

Why Makhana Khir?

Nutritious, gluten-free, high in protein and fiber
Perfect for festive occasions
Easily customized with saffron, rose water, or non-dairy milk

Belamrit Sharbat by Chef Ajeet Kumar, Beverage and Banquet Operations Manager at Conrad Bengaluru

A divine blend crafted for the spirit of Navratri. Ripe bel (wood apple), revered for its purity, meets the tropical zest of passion fruit, brightened with fresh lime and gently sweetened with raw honey. Served in a tall glass, this drink is a refreshing offering that symbolizes devotion, energy and the joy of the festive season.

Ingredients:
1 Ripe wood apple
1 passion fruit
20 ml fresh lime juice
25 ml raw honey syrup
Glass: High ball

Method:
Scoop out the pulp of ripe wood apple and passion fruit, and shake together with fresh lime juice and raw honey syrup over ice. Fine strain into a highball glass filled with ice, and garnish with a lime wheel or a sprig of mint for a refreshing festive serve.

Sabudana Bhel recipe by Swapnadeep Mukherjee, Executive Chef, The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa

Ingredients:

100 g sabudana
30 g boiled potato, diced
10 g roasted cumin seeds
10 g sweet tomato sauce or jaggery
50 g tamarind sauce
10 g chopped coriander
10 g chopped green chili
2 tomatoes, chopped
100 g mint leaves
20 g dry ginger powder
50 g curd
1 tbsp lemon juice
10 g fennel (sauf) powder
10 g cumin powder
10 g coriander powder
Sendha namak to taste
1 pomegranate
2 ragi papads

Method:

Toss sabudana, potatoes, tomatoes, coriander, green chili with tamarind sauce. Adjust sweet-sour taste as needed.
Heat ragi papads until soft; roll into triangles.
Stuff bhel into papads, garnish with coriander, pomegranate, and a squeeze of lime.

Paneer & Peanut Seekh Kebab by Shreyas Bhat, Culinary Director, GAIA | Sattvik & Navratri-friendly

Yields: 8–10 kebabs

Ingredients:

250 g grated paneer
3 tbsp roasted peanuts, coarsely ground
1 medium boiled potato, grated
1 green chili, finely chopped
1 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp chopped coriander
2–3 tbsp rajgira (amaranth) or kuttu flour
½ tsp roasted cumin powder
½ tsp black pepper
Sendha namak to taste
1 tsp lemon juice
Ghee as needed

Method:

Combine all ingredients except ghee; gradually add flour until mixture binds. Finish with lemon juice.
Shape into elongated kebabs on skewers; optionally smoke with hot coal and ghee for aroma.
Cook on a greased tawa or grill pan for 8–10 minutes, rotating until golden. Alternatively, bake at 200°C for 12–15 minutes.
Serve hot with marinated cucumber-yogurt salad or ‘Vrat ki Chutney’.

Chef’s Notes:

Dust with rajgira flour for extra crispness.
Perfect for fasting and festive occasions.