On this page 7 sections
- Navratri vrat food list: what you can eat
- Foods to avoid during the Navratri fast
- A simple Navratri vrat menu for one day
- Five Navratri vrat food ideas that don't need much time
- Buy kuttu atta carefully: the mistake that makes people sick
- Fasting with diabetes, BP or pregnancy
- Frequently asked questions
The short answer: during a Navratri vrat most families eat kuttu (buckwheat), singhara (water chestnut) and rajgira (amaranth) flour, sama rice, sabudana, potatoes, fruits, milk, curd and paneer, cooked with sendha namak (rock salt). They skip wheat, rice, regular pulses, common salt, onion and garlic.
Sharad Navratri 2026 began on 11 October, with Durga Ashtami on 18 October, Maha Navami on 19 October and Dussehra on 20 October (Delhi calendar, as reported by Business Today). So if you are reading this mid-fast, the lists below will get you through the remaining days without eating the same aloo-sabudana combo every meal.
One thing before the lists. Rules differ between families, communities and regions. Some people eat only fruit and milk, some have one full meal a day, some allow tomatoes and some don't. Treat this as the common baseline and follow your own household's practice where it differs.
Navratri vrat food list: what you can eat
Flours and grains (the "phalahari" staples)
- Kuttu ka atta (buckwheat flour): the most popular vrat flour. Used for puri, paratha and pakode. Not related to wheat despite the name.
- Singhare ka atta (water chestnut flour): good for halwa, puri and as a binder for tikki.
- Rajgira / ramdana (amaranth): as flour for roti, or as puffed seeds for laddoo and chikki.
- Sama ke chawal (barnyard millet, also called vrat ke chawal or samak rice): cooks like rice in about 15 minutes. Makes khichdi, pulao and kheer.
- Sabudana (sago/tapioca pearls): khichdi, vada, kheer.
- Makhana (fox nuts): roasted as a snack or in kheer.
Vegetables
Potato, sweet potato (shakarkandi), arbi (colocasia), raw banana, pumpkin (kaddu), bottle gourd (lauki), cucumber and, in many homes, tomato, spinach and carrot. Some families allow only root vegetables and gourds, so check before you cook for others.
Dairy, fruit and nuts
- Milk, curd, buttermilk, paneer, ghee, butter, khoya.
- All fresh fruits. Bananas, apples, papaya and pomegranate are the usual picks.
- Almonds, cashews, walnuts, raisins, dates, peanuts and makhana.
Salt, spices and sweeteners
- Sendha namak (rock salt) replaces regular table salt.
- Commonly used spices: cumin (jeera), black pepper, green chilli, ginger, green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon.
- Sugar, jaggery and honey.
- Groundnut oil or ghee for cooking. Many homes avoid refined seed oils during the vrat, others don't mind.
Foods to avoid during the Navratri fast
| Avoid | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Wheat atta, maida, suji | Kuttu, singhara or rajgira atta |
| Rice | Sama rice (barnyard millet) |
| Dal, rajma, chana and other pulses | Paneer, curd, peanuts for protein |
| Common salt (table salt) | Sendha namak |
| Onion and garlic | Ginger, green chilli, cumin for flavour |
| Turmeric, hing, garam masala (in many homes) | Black pepper, cumin, cardamom |
| Packaged chips and namkeen with regular salt | Roasted makhana or vrat-labelled namkeen |
| Meat, eggs, alcohol | Not eaten during the vrat |
If you buy ready-made "vrat namkeen" or "farali" snacks, read the ingredient list. Some contain regular salt, corn flour or rice flour even when the front of the pack says vrat.
A simple Navratri vrat menu for one day
Most people go wrong by eating fried kuttu puri and sabudana vada at every meal, then feeling heavy and tired by day four. A better day looks like this:
| Meal | What to eat | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Glass of milk or buttermilk, a banana, a handful of soaked almonds | Easy on the stomach, keeps you going till lunch |
| Lunch | Sama rice khichdi with lauki or potato, a bowl of curd | Filling, light, cooked in one pot |
| Evening | Roasted makhana or a fruit bowl, chai | Crunch without the oil |
| Dinner | Kuttu or rajgira roti with aloo-tamatar sabzi, or paneer bhurji | Protein from paneer, fibre from kuttu |
Keep the fried items, like kuttu pakode and sabudana vada, for one meal on a day you actually feel like it, not as the default.
Five Navratri vrat food ideas that don't need much time
- Sabudana khichdi: soak sabudana for 4-6 hours, drain well, then cook with cumin, green chilli, boiled potato cubes and crushed roasted peanuts. The peanuts add protein that plain sabudana lacks.
- Sama rice pulao: temper cumin in ghee, add potato and peas if your family allows peas, then sama rice and water in a 1:2 ratio. Done in 15 minutes.
- Kuttu cheela: kuttu atta, grated lauki, green chilli, sendha namak and water to a pouring batter. Cook like a dosa with very little ghee.
- Singhare ka halwa: roast singhara atta in ghee till fragrant, add hot water and sugar or jaggery, stir till it leaves the pan.
- Makhana kheer: roast makhana, crush half of it, simmer in milk with cardamom and a little sugar.
Buy kuttu atta carefully: the mistake that makes people sick
This part matters more than any recipe. Kuttu atta poisoning makes the news almost every Navratri. In 2025, nearly 200 people in north-west Delhi fell ill after eating buckwheat flour during the festival, according to Policy Circle. In 2024, more than 100 people in Mathura were hospitalised after eating contaminated kuttu, as reported by THIP Media.
The usual cause is old or badly stored flour, sometimes mixed with fresh stock or with cheaper flours. Ground buckwheat stays fresh for only about three months, and demand shoots up for nine days a year, which is exactly when shortcuts happen.
- Buy sealed packets with a clear packing date and best-before date. Avoid loose kuttu atta from open sacks.
- Buy small packs. Don't stock up for the whole festival.
- Smell it before you cook. Fresh kuttu smells mildly nutty. Sour, musty or bitter smell, lumps or discolouration means throw it out.
- Store it in an airtight jar, away from damp. In warm weather keep it in the fridge.
- Even safer: buy whole buckwheat and get it ground at a chakki you trust, or grind small batches at home.
If several people at home get vomiting, stomach cramps or dizziness a few hours after a kuttu meal, see a doctor and keep the packet for the food safety officer.
The same caution applies to sweets later in the season. Our guide to checking sweets and khoya for adulteration covers what to watch for before Diwali.
Fasting with diabetes, BP or pregnancy
A vrat menu is heavy on starch: potato, sabudana, sama rice and sugary sweets. If you have diabetes, low blood pressure, kidney disease or are pregnant, talk to your doctor before a long fast and ask how to adjust your medicines. Spreading food into smaller meals, adding curd, paneer and nuts, and drinking enough water helps most people, but your doctor's advice comes first.
For more ideas on everyday foods that do your body good, see our list of foods for glowing skin from the Indian kitchen.
Frequently asked questions
Can we eat rice in the Navratri fast?
Regular rice is avoided. Sama rice (barnyard millet), also sold as vrat ke chawal or samak rice, is the accepted substitute and cooks just like rice.
Is tomato allowed in the Navratri vrat?
In many homes, yes. Aloo-tamatar sabzi is a common vrat dish. Some stricter families eat only root vegetables and gourds, so follow your family's custom.
Which salt is used in the Navratri fast?
Sendha namak, or rock salt. Regular iodised table salt is avoided, and so are packaged snacks made with it.
Can I drink tea or coffee during the vrat?
Most people do. Tea and coffee with milk and sugar are generally accepted. If your fast is strictly fruit-and-water, skip them.
Is sabudana healthy for fasting?
Sabudana gives quick energy but is almost pure starch with little protein. Pair it with peanuts, curd or paneer so the meal keeps you full longer.
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