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LoginNavratri Vrat: 7 Tasty And Innovative Upvas Specials
6 Min
17/03/20266 Min17/03/2026
Like any new college student would tell you, eating the same dish every day can get real boring, real fast — even if it’s everyone’s favourite instant noodle or sandwich. It’s the same thing that happens with people who fast regularly. Even though vrat food is different from your daily meals, regular fasting can turn even upwas meals into a monotonous affair. This is more likely to happen with Navratri vrat food, since the festival lasts for nine days and many devotees observe a fast on all nine days. If all this sounds like a tale as old as time, then discover innovative and tasty upwas specials in this list.
Navratri, which translates to nine (nan) nights (ratri), is a Hindu festival. Celebrate to honour Goddess Durga (and the divine feminine energy), the festival sees many devotees observe a fast for the nine days. As per the fast, you can only consume sattvic food, root vegetables, and non-grain flours like kuttu or singhara. For many people, this restricts the diet to fruits, dairy products, and traditional dishes. However, even with a limited set of ingredients, Navratri vrat food can take on new and innovative shapes. Read ahead to discover seven upwas specials that stick to the fasting rules but deliver unexpected (and of course, delicious) results.
Crunchy, nutritious, and shallow-fried, this is one recipe you might just add to your regular menu — especially if you’re looking for gluten-free snacks. As the name suggests, samak rice cutlets are made from mixing boiled samak rice (barnyard millet) with grated boiled potatoes, green chillies, peanuts, and cumin. The mixture is shaped into cutlets and shallow-fried in ghee. It comes together in just 30 minutes (including prep and cook), requires basic cooking techniques, and can even be customised.
Another version uses cooked samak rice to make these cutlets. In it, cooked samak rice is mixed with grated beetroot, mashed paneer, peanuts, ginger, chilli, coriander, lemon juice, and sendha namak. The batter is then shaped into tikkis and shallow-fried, much like any other cutlet.
Navratri vrat making you miss your favourite roadside snacks, aka samosas? Then introduce your kitchen and taste buds to Singhara atta samosas! Here, the dough is made from singhara atta instead of the usual maida. The filling is similar to the traditional samosa recipe, but sendha namak is used instead of regular salt. Other ingredients are boiled/mashed potatoes, finely chopped green chillies, grated ginger, roasted cumin seeds, chilli powder, and coriander leaves.
Sabudana is the not-so-secret star of Navratri vrat dishes. Here, soaked sabudana is combined with crumbled paneer, boiled potatoes, roasted peanuts, ginger, green chillies, coriander, lemon juice, and rock salt (sendha namak). The mixture is shaped into small, round patties and shallow-fried in ghee until it turns into a crunchy yet chewy protein-rich fasting snack.
Makhana Poha
Makhana poha is the type of Navratri vrat food that you make in a large batch and store. It is like a namkeen, and thus great for evening snacking with a cup of tea or coffee. To make makhana poha, roast 2 cups of makhana in 1-2 tbsp of ghee until crispy. Roast on a low flame to ensure the makhana turn crunchy. Set them aside, and in the same pan, roast peanuts, curry leaves, and green chillies. Now, add the makhana back with rock salt (sendha namak) and black pepper. You can add dry coconut or even raisins, but these are optional. Give everything a good mix, let the mixture cool a little, and store it in an airtight container.
Halwa has always been popular as a dessert, but while suji, moong dal, gajar, and even lauki are the usual choices, apple halwa is an underrated but delicious addition to the list. An unexpected Navratri vrat dessert, apple halwa, is made by cooking grated apples in ghee until soft, adding sweetener, and simmering until the moisture evaporates. This sattvik dish is rich, yet simple, with a glossy, thick texture. It can be further enhanced with the addition of dry fruits.
You must have heard of makhana kheer, the milk-based pudding that’s consumed during Navratri, Ekadashi, and even Ramadan. This Navratri, though, try another, lesser-known milk-based pudding – shakarkandi or sweet potato kheer. Made from grated sweet potatoes, sugar and milk, the kheer is enhanced by the addition of rose water, saffron strands, and cardamom powder, which turns this humble dessert into a rich, aromatic delight.
The ultimate fusion dish, sabudana waffles are crispy, sweet, and one for the recipe books! Soaked sabudana is mixed with peanut powder, green chilli, rock salt, cumin powder, and lemon juice to form a thick batter. Pour the batter into a greased waffle iron and cook for 4-5 minutes to get a crispy, golden brown waffle. Drizzle honey on top for a sweet finish. The sweet potato helps bind the sabudana and gives the desi waffle structure, which is important since sabudana alone can be sticky.
Navratri vrat is not just a religious ritual; rather, it’s designed to prepare the body for the changing season. However, that does not mean you stick to a limited menu or sacrifice your favourite dishes. As the aforementioned list shows, Navratri food can be innovative, even with the same set of ingredients.
