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19/10/2026
Pink salt is a better choice for festive vrat preparations because it is a natural rock salt, the sendha namak that families fasting fall back on during this time. The best part of this salt is that it comes unrefined, free of impurities and with a naturally warm, attractive colour. This salt is a kind of rock salt, which is minimally processed and often mined from Himalayan regions, so it keeps your fasting foods within tradition while giving the food a well-rounded taste.
The festive season in India brings with it different customs and, simultaneously, food; this is within the same house and especially during festivals like Navratri. One week can hold a fasting day, a family feast and a house full of guests, and the kitchen has to serve all three. Vrat food works with a deliberately short list of ingredients, which means the quality of each one, and especially the salt, will register on the palates of the guests, as regular table salt tastes different from pink salt. This guide covers what sets this salt apart, how it compares with everyday salt, and how to use it across festive fasting foods, including in thalis.
On fasting days, many homes put away wheat, rice, onion and garlic, and swap common salt for Aashirvaad Pink Salt, typically used for fasting recipes. The idea is older than any packaged product and goes back to Ayurvedic logic, which lists rock salt among the five kinds of salt. The reasoning behind this is purity for those to observe cultural fasting. Table salt is processed and may contain additives, while rock salt is the unprocessed, most natural form, which is why it fits a fast that is meant to be simple.
While Indian regulations might not say the same thing, in 2019, FSSAI clarified that traditional salts such as rock salt, black salt and Himalayan pink salt are not covered by mandatory iodisation, which applies to common white salt. The salt that suits a fasting day is, officially, a different category from the one in your everyday jar.
These are the main features of this salt that you should know before you stock up for the festive weeks:
Natural rock salt: it is mined rather than refined, and minimally processed, which is exactly what vrat cooking asks for.
Himalayan origin: the salt is commonly sourced from the Himalayan region, and a good pack says so clearly on the label.
Natural colour, no added colours: the pink should come from the salt itself. Look for a deep, even pink and a clear ‘no added colours’ assurance on the pack.
Free of impurities and additives: unlike processed table salt, a pure rock salt carries nothing extra into the dish.
Trace minerals: a 2020 comparison of kitchen salts found Himalayan pink salt had the highest levels of calcium, iron and magnesium among the types tested, with clear differences between brands.
Coarse crystals and distinct flavour: rock salt is often coarse and grainy, unlike fine, powdery table salt, and it is chosen for its taste as well as its tradition.
Salt is eaten in small amounts, so calcium and magnesium from it are a pleasant bonus, not a replacement for the vegetables, nuts, milk and millets that the ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians place at the centre of a balanced diet.
Feature |
Pink salt (rock salt / sendha namak) |
Iodised white table salt |
Processing |
Minimally processed |
Refined and iodised |
Iodine |
Not mandatorily iodised |
Mandatorily iodised in India |
Texture |
Often coarse and grainy |
Fine and powdery |
Fasting-day use |
Traditionally used |
Traditionally avoided |
Best everyday role |
Vrat cooking, chaat, finishing |
Daily cooking and iodine intake |
A thali during the fasting period consists of vrat food that features a limited number of ingredients. Most of them have surprising origins. Kuttu flour is made from buckwheat, the seed of a plant from the rhubarb family; singhara flour comes from a nut that grows underwater (water chestnut); samak is a millet that cooks like rice, and sabudana is made from cassava. Makhana, the fox nut, is grown mostly in the ponds of the plain lands of the North. Because the list is so short, the seasoning is quite important to add flavour to the unusual ingredients, and pink salt is an important part of it. Here’s how a coarse rock salt can work across the festive table:
Sabudana khichdi and vada: season the peanut and potato mix, and taste once the pearls are cooked before adding more.
Kuttu and singhara puris or cheelas: mix the salt into the flour before adding water so it spreads well.
Samak rice pulao: add salt towards the end of cooking and adjust after tasting.
Makhana snacks: roast in ghee and finish with a pinch of crushed rock salt and pepper while still warm.
Fruit chaat and curd raita: a small pinch sharpens sweetness and freshness without any masala.
Marinades: use it with curd and fasting-approved spices for something fun like paneer or potato tikkis.
Sweet dishes are not exempt from the use of pink salt. A tiny pinch in makhana kheer or singhara halwa will balance out the intensity of the sweetness. During the festive season, a jar of pink salt has a practical advantage, as it can season the fasting dishes for those observing the vrat and the shared dishes served alongside them, so the kitchen does not need two parallel sets of seasoning.
No, and rock salt is still mostly sodium chloride, and it has among the highest sodium levels of the salts, as found by a 2020 study on Himalayan pink salt among other tested salts. Choosing it is a personal choice, tied to the principles of fasting and not about eating more freely. The benchmark also does not change with the type of salt. ICMR-NIN advises restricting added salt to a maximum of 5 grams a day, about one teaspoon. ICMR-NIE estimates that the average Indian eats around 11 grams a day, more than twice the WHO recommendation, with pickles, papad and namkeen among the hidden sources, all common on a festive table. Anyone with high blood pressure or kidney concerns should follow their doctor's advice on their total salt intake.
There is also the matter of iodine that comes through sources like salt, and rock salt is generally not fortified with iodine, and ICMR-NIN advises iodised salt for everyday cooking. A sensible split is using rock salt for fasting days and festive finishing touches, and iodised salt for regular meals.
Read the label for the words ‘rock salt’ or ‘sendha namak’, along with a clear note on origin.
Look for ‘no added colours’ and no additives or anti-caking agents.
Choose the grain size that suits your cooking: finer for doughs and batters, coarser for finishing.
Check whether the pack shares mineral composition. The 2020 study found composition varies widely between brands and called for clearer labelling.
Pick a sealed, moisture-proof pack and keep the jar dry.
The short answer to the question posed in the beginning is that the right salt lets simple fasting ingredients taste complete. A natural, additive-free rock salt keeps every dish true to tradition, adds a clean flavour to festive food, and works just as well in a quick snack as in a full thali.
Famously known as Himalayan Pink Salt, this salt is liked for its striking pink colour, coarse texture and being minimally processed. Because of its pleasing colour, it often tends to be used as a finishing salt.