Navratri Vrat Food: Quick Answer
During the Navratri fast you can eat fruits, milk and dairy, potatoes, sweet potatoes, arbi, pumpkin, bottle gourd, buckwheat (kuttu), water-chestnut (singhara) flour, amaranth (rajgira), barnyard millet (samak/sama rice), sabudana, makhana, nuts, and food cooked in ghee or groundnut oil with rock salt (sendha namak). Avoid wheat, rice, lentils, ordinary salt, onion, garlic, non-vegetarian food, alcohol, and most ground spices like turmeric, hing, garam masala and mustard seeds.
Foods Allowed in Navratri Vrat
| Category | Allowed foods |
|---|---|
| Flours | Kuttu (buckwheat), singhara (water chestnut), rajgira (amaranth), samak rice flour, arrowroot |
| Grains/seeds substitutes | Samak (barnyard millet / sama ke chawal), sabudana (sago), makhana (fox nuts), rajgira |
| Vegetables | Potato, sweet potato, arbi (colocasia), kaddu (pumpkin), lauki (bottle gourd), raw banana, cucumber, tomato, spinach, carrot* |
| Fruits | All fresh fruits — banana, apple, papaya, pomegranate, grapes, guava, orange, coconut |
| Dairy | Milk, curd, buttermilk, paneer, khoya, ghee, makhan |
| Dry fruits & nuts | Almonds, cashews, raisins, walnuts, peanuts, dates, coconut |
| Spices | Sendha namak, black pepper, cumin (jeera), green chilli, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, fresh coriander* |
| Sweeteners | Sugar, jaggery, honey, mishri |
| Fats | Ghee, groundnut oil |
*Tomato, spinach, carrot and coriander are accepted in many households but avoided in some. Follow your family custom.
Foods to Avoid in Navratri Vrat
- •Grains and pulses: wheat, rice, maida, suji (unless your custom allows), all dals, besan, corn flour.
- •Ordinary salt: use only sendha namak.
- •Onion and garlic: considered tamasic.
- •Non-vegetarian food, eggs and alcohol: strictly avoided.
- •Spices: turmeric (in many traditions), hing (asafoetida, which is often mixed with wheat flour), mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, garam masala, coriander powder.
- •Packaged food: chips and namkeen made with ordinary salt or prohibited ingredients; check labels.
- •Tobacco, smoking and other intoxicants.
Types of Navratri Fasts
- 1Nirjala vrat: no food or water — only for those in good health, and usually only on Ashtami or for a single day.
- 2Phalahar vrat: only fruits, milk and water.
- 3Ek-bhukt vrat: one meal of vrat food a day, usually in the evening, with fruits in between.
- 4Jode ka vrat: fasting only on the first and last day (Pratipada and Ashtami/Navami).
- 5Regular vrat: two meals a day made with vrat ingredients.
A Sample 9-Day Navratri Meal Plan
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fruit bowl + milk | Kuttu puri, aloo sabzi | Sabudana khichdi |
| 2 | Makhana kheer | Samak pulao, raita | Singhare ki roti, lauki sabzi |
| 3 | Banana shake | Rajgira paratha, curd | Aloo-tamatar sabzi, samak rice |
| 4 | Roasted makhana, tea | Sabudana vada, chutney | Kaddu sabzi, kuttu roti |
| 5 | Papaya, nuts | Samak khichdi, buttermilk | Arbi fry, singhara puri |
| 6 | Dry fruit milk | Sweet potato chaat | Paneer sabzi, rajgira roti |
| 7 | Apple, walnuts | Kuttu cheela, curd | Lauki kofta, samak rice |
| 8 | Fruit chaat | Ashtami prasad (halwa)* | Light phalahar |
| 9 | Coconut water | Navami prasad / parana | Simple home food after parana |
*Halwa-puri-chana is prasad for kanya pujan. Those still fasting usually take only fruit or vrat food.
Health Tips for Fasting
- •Drink plenty of water, coconut water, buttermilk and lemon water to stay hydrated.
- •Don't overeat fried food. Kuttu puris and sabudana vadas are tasty but heavy. Prefer roasted, steamed or lightly cooked dishes.
- •Balance carbohydrates with protein: add paneer, curd, milk, nuts and makhana.
- •Eat small meals regularly if you are on a regular vrat, rather than one big meal.
- •Kuttu flour caution: buy it fresh from a reliable source and in small quantities. Stale or adulterated kuttu flour has caused food poisoning in the past.
- •Who should be careful: people with diabetes, low blood pressure, kidney disease, pregnant or breastfeeding women, the elderly and children should consult a doctor and choose a lighter form of fasting.
Fasting Rules (Niyam)
- •Take a sankalp on Pratipada and follow it sincerely.
- •Wake early, bathe and pray before eating anything.
- •Keep the kitchen clean and cook vrat food separately.
- •Avoid sleeping during the day, anger, gossip and lying.
- •Follow celibacy and simplicity.
- •Complete the fast with parana after Navami — in 2026, after 12:50 PM on 20 October.
Summary
Navratri vrat food is simple and sattvic: fruits, dairy, kuttu, singhara, rajgira, samak, sabudana, makhana, permitted vegetables and sendha namak. Avoid grains, pulses, ordinary salt, onion, garlic, non-vegetarian food and most ground spices. Stay hydrated, eat balanced meals and choose a form of fasting that suits your health.
