The honest truth about fasting food
If you ask most people what they genuinely enjoy about Navratri, the fasting itself rarely tops the list. It's the food — the warm bowl of something comforting mid-afternoon, the crispy bite that disappears from the plate before anyone else gets a turn, the sweet thing you save for the very end of the day.
The problem is that a lot of beloved vrat staples are deep-fried. Puris, pakoras, fritters — all delicious, but on an already-light stomach, a plate of heavy fried food can leave you sluggish and uncomfortable for the rest of the evening. The good news is that pan-toasting and air-frying have quietly changed the game, making it genuinely possible to get that golden, crispy result without a drop of oil.
Below are seven recipes — built around classic fasting-approved ingredients like sabudana, kuttu atta, rajgira, makhana and yam — that are lighter, satisfying and worth cooking properly.
What's actually on the menu
**Yam and potato cutlets** are a great place to start. Steam 500 g yam and 250 g potato, grate them together, and mix in green chilli paste, ginger paste, rock salt and lemon juice. Shape into flat cutlets, coat in ground pumpkin seeds mixed with cumin powder, and roast on a medium flame or air fry until light brown. Serve with curd or green chutney.
**Suran and sweet potato stir-fry** takes a slightly different route — grate both vegetables, mix with ginger paste, green chilli paste and rock salt, then steam for seven to ten minutes. Finish in a teaspoon of ghee with cumin seeds and coarsely crushed peanuts, toss the steamed mix in, cook for two minutes, and add a squeeze of lemon before serving.
**Sabudana cutlets** are probably the most crowd-pleasing of the lot. Soak one cup of sabudana for three to four hours, drain, and combine with mashed steamed potatoes, green chilli paste, ginger and sendha namak. Mould into rounds, coat in ground peanut or melon seed powder, and roast or air fry until golden. A little coriander or curry leaf added at the end makes a real difference.
**Rajgira thalipeeth** is the one for anyone who wants something more filling. Mix rajgira flour with boiled mashed potatoes, crushed peanuts, rock salt, cumin and green chilli into a soft dough. Pat it directly onto a hot non-stick tawa — no rolling pin needed — and cook both sides until golden at the edges. A light brush of ghee is optional; on a good non-stick surface, you won't miss it.
**Kuttu pakoras** swap out the traditional deep-fry entirely. Whisk one cup kuttu atta with chopped green chillies, ajwain, sendha namak and water into a thick batter, then fold in grated paneer or mashed potato. Drop spoonfuls into a parchment-lined air fryer basket, brush with a little ghee, and air fry at 190°C for twelve to fourteen minutes, flipping halfway. The batch makes fifteen to eighteen pieces.
**Makhana kheer** closes things out on a gentle, creamy note. Dry roast makhana in a non-stick kadai — or use just a teaspoon of ghee if you want the aroma — then simmer in milk with jaggery and cardamom for about twenty minutes until thick and creamy. Serve warm or chill it for a cooling end to the day.
Why this matters for a food audience in India
Navratri fasting is observed by millions of households across the country — and the food made during these nine days is genuinely its own cuisine, with strict ingredient rules (no regular salt, no grains like wheat or rice, no onion or garlic) and a distinct regional character that shifts from Gujarat to UP to Bengal.
What makes zero-oil versions of these dishes culturally significant — not just nutritionally convenient — is that they strip the cooking back to the ingredient itself. Sabudana without a pool of oil, makhana without excessive ghee: these preparations ask the cook to rely on technique rather than fat for texture and satisfaction. For home cooks navigating the balance between tradition and a lighter daily diet, that's a genuinely useful shift.
Air fryers have found a particularly enthusiastic audience in Indian households over the last few years, and vrat season is arguably where they earn their counter space. If you've been on the fence about adapting traditional festive recipes for the device, Navratri is the right time to try.