Planning your Navratri fasting menu? Here are 30+ easy vrat recipes for Shardiya Navratri 2026: fasting snacks, sabzis, poori, sweets, drinks and chutneys. You will also find a list of what you can and cannot eat while fasting, and a 9-day thali plan to take the guesswork out of your week.
Shardiya Navratri 2026 begins on Sunday, October 11 and ends on Monday, October 19, with Vijayadashami (Dussehra) on Tuesday, October 20. Dates can vary by a day depending on your local panchang.
Jump to:
- What Can You Eat During Navratri Fasting?
- What Is Navratri Fasting (Vrat)?
- Navratri 2026 Dates
- Navratri Fasting Rules
- Navratri Fasting Food List: What to Eat and What to Avoid
- Ingredients to Avoid During Navratri
- Easy Navratri Snacks and Breakfast (Vrat Recipes)
- Navratri Main Course Recipes (Vrat Sabzi, Poori and Sides)
- More Satvik Sabzis to Adapt for Vrat
- Navratri Sweets (Prasad Recipes)
- Navratri Drinks and Beverages
- Chutneys and Raita for Vrat Meals
- Navratri Thali Ideas: 9-Day Meal Plan
- Tips for Navratri Fasting
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Indian Festival Recipe Collections
Navratri is one of the most sacred Hindu festivals dedicated to Goddess Durga and her nine divine forms. These nine days are observed with devotion, fasting (vrat), and sattvik food that nourishes both body and soul.
If you're looking for easy Navratri recipes, vrat-friendly meals, and fasting food ideas, this collection has everything you need-from snacks and main dishes to sweets and drinks.
Whether you're planning a Navratri thali or quick fasting meals, these recipes will keep you energized throughout the festival.
What Can You Eat During Navratri Fasting?
During Navratri vrat, you can eat sabudana, samak rice (barnyard millet), kuttu, singhara and rajgira flours, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruits, milk, curd, paneer, nuts and makhana, all cooked with sendha namak (rock salt). Wheat, regular rice, lentils, onion, garlic and regular salt are avoided.
What Is Navratri Fasting (Vrat)?
Navratri is a nine-night Hindu festival dedicated to Goddess Durga and her nine forms. Many people observe a fast (vrat) during these days and eat simple, sattvik food made without onion, garlic and grains.
Fasting customs differ from family to family and from region to region. Some people eat only fruits, milk and water. Others have one sattvik meal a day, or regular meals made with fasting flours. Follow the tradition of your own family. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or take regular medication, check with your doctor before fasting.
Navratri 2026 Dates
| Event | Date (2026) |
|---|---|
| Navratri begins (Ghatasthapana) | Sunday, October 11 |
| Durga Ashtami | Sunday, October 18 |
| Maha Navami | Monday, October 19 |
| Vijayadashami (Dussehra) | Tuesday, October 20 |
Navratri is celebrated across India in different ways. In North India, devotees fast and pray daily. Gujarat celebrates with garba and dandiya nights, West Bengal with Durga Puja, and South India with Golu doll displays and sundal offerings. Chaitra Navratri, the spring Navratri, follows the same fasting rules.
Navratri Fasting Rules
- Eat sattvik food: simple, freshly cooked and made without onion and garlic.
- Use only sendha namak (rock salt) instead of regular salt.
- Swap wheat and regular rice for vrat flours and grains such as kuttu, singhara, rajgira, samak rice and sabudana.
- Cook with ghee or peanut oil, and use fresh oil that has not been used before.
- Keep spices minimal: cumin seeds, black pepper, green chilies and ginger are commonly used.
Navratri Fasting Food List: What to Eat and What to Avoid
Ingredients Allowed During Navratri Fast
| Category | Commonly eaten |
|---|---|
| Flours | Kuttu ka atta (buckwheat flour), singhare ka atta (water chestnut flour), rajgira atta (amaranth flour), arrowroot flour, samak rice flour |
| Grains and staples | Samak rice (barnyard millet), sabudana (tapioca pearls), kuttu (buckwheat), rajgira (amaranth) grains |
| Vegetables | Potatoes, sweet potatoes, lauki (bottle gourd), cucumber, pumpkin, arbi (taro root), beets, carrots, yam, raw banana |
| Fruits | Almost all fresh fruits and fruit juices |
| Dairy | Milk, curd, paneer, ghee, khoya (mawa) |
| Nuts and seeds | Peanuts, makhana (fox nuts), almonds, walnuts, cashews, dates, raisins |
| Salt and spices | Sendha namak (rock salt), cumin seeds, black pepper, green chilies, ginger |
| Sweeteners | Sugar and jaggery |
Ingredients to Avoid During Navratri
- Wheat, regular rice, lentils and most other grains and pulses
- Onion and garlic
- Regular salt
- Turmeric (haldi), asafoetida (hing), mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds (methi dana), coriander powder and garam masala in a strict vrat
Many everyday recipes use these spices. If a recipe below calls for one of them, leave it out or swap it, and follow the practice your family keeps.
Easy Navratri Snacks and Breakfast (Vrat Recipes)
Navratri Main Course Recipes (Vrat Sabzi, Poori and Sides)
Pair these with rajgira poori, kuttu roti, kuttu poori or samak rice for a complete vrat meal.
Note: To make these recipes Navratri fasting-friendly, skip onion and garlic and use vrat-approved spices like cumin seeds, black pepper, green chilies, ginger, and sendha namak (rock salt).
You may also like: Aloo Tuk
More Satvik Sabzis to Adapt for Vrat
These sabzis are made without onion and garlic. To make them vrat-friendly, use sendha namak and leave out any spice your fast does not allow, such as turmeric, hing, mustard seeds or garam masala. Use ghee or peanut oil for cooking.
Note: For a fasting-friendly paneer, use lemon juice instead of vinegar to curdle the milk naturally.
You may also like: Arbi Bhujia, Raw Banana Fry
Navratri Sweets (Prasad Recipes)
Sweets for prasad and for ending a vrat meal.
You may also like: Classic Shrikhand recipe
Navratri Drinks and Beverages
Stay hydrated with milk-based drinks and fresh fruit juices, which are commonly part of a vrat.
Chutneys and Raita for Vrat Meals
Add flavor to snacks and sabzis. Use sendha namak and leave out garlic if a recipe includes it.
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Navratri Thali Ideas: 9-Day Meal Plan
Use this plan as a starting point and swap dishes to suit your family's fast. Each day pairs a main meal with a sweet or drink.
Tips for Navratri Fasting
- Include filling foods such as makhana, nuts, paneer and curd to keep your energy steady.
- Eat smaller meals through the day and drink plenty of water, milk, coconut water or fresh juice.
- Buy fresh kuttu flour from a trusted brand, check the date and store it airtight. Use it soon after opening.
- Check labels on packaged items such as flours, makhana and chutneys for added spices or ingredients you avoid.
- Prep ahead: boil potatoes, soak sabudana and make chutneys the day before to save time.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can eat sabudana, samak rice, kuttu, singhara and rajgira flours, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruits, milk, curd, paneer, nuts and makhana. Use sendha namak instead of regular salt and avoid onion, garlic, wheat, regular rice and lentils.
Regular rice is avoided. Samak rice (barnyard millet) is eaten instead, and it cooks like rice in khichdi and pulao.
Kuttu (buckwheat), singhara (water chestnut), rajgira (amaranth) and arrowroot flours are the most common. Samak rice flour is also used.
Only sendha namak (rock salt) is used. Regular table salt is avoided.
Many people do have tea, coffee or milk, but it depends on family tradition and personal choice. Herbal tea, coconut water and fresh juices are also popular.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes are staples of vrat cooking. Most families also use tomatoes, but some avoid them, so follow your own tradition.
Yes, peanuts are widely eaten and used in sabudana khichdi and sabudana vada, and peanut oil is a common cooking oil.
In a strict vrat, turmeric is avoided along with hing, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, coriander powder and garam masala. Leave it out of any recipe that includes it.
Yes. Dairy such as milk, curd, paneer, ghee and khoya is part of most Navratri fasting diets.
Navratri lasts nine nights. Some people fast all nine days, and others fast only on the first and last days, or on Ashtami and Navami.
More Indian Festival Recipe Collections
- Diwali Recipes
- Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes
- Krishna Janmashtami Recipes
- Indian Potato Recipes
- Paneer Recipes
- Lauki (Bottle Gourd) Recipes
Save this collection to plan your 9-day Navratri menu. Happy Navratri!
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