Navratri 2024: Aloo halwa to sabudana kheer, 5 vrat-friendly desserts to try this festive season

Navratri 2024: Craving sweets while keeping vrat? Here are some dessert recipes you must check out and try while you are fasting this festive season.

Navratri 2024: Do you want to try something new this year? Or perhaps you are looking forward to your favourite laddus or kheers. Luckily, you don't have to sacrifice flavour this festive season, while keeping your Navratri fasts. To get you started, we've rounded up five delicious vrat-friendly treats to choose from.

The best part? Some of these Navratri desserts are deceivingly simple and can be prepared in no time. Who's ready to cook?

These yummy laddus are easy to make and filling.

Vrat ke laddu

(Recipe by chef Kunal Kapur)

Ingredients

Peanuts (skinless) 1 cup

Ghee ¾ cup

Singhara atta (water chestnut flour) 1cup

Coconut desiccated (dried) ½ cup

Breakfast sugar 1cup

Cardamom powder ½ tsp

Dry fruits chopped handful

Melon seeds handful

Method

In a pan dry roast peanuts till light brown. You can do the same in a microwave or an oven as well.

Take them out and cool it lightly. Now grind them to a coarse powder and keep aside.

Heat heat in a pan and add singhara atta and cook till it is brown. Once browned it will release back all the ghee.

At this stage add powdered peanuts and mix them. Remove and let it cool completely. Now add desisted coconut, breakfast sugar, chopped dried fruits and melon seeds.

Mix them and shape them into ladoos. Just in case the mixture is too dry add some melted ghee and then shape them sound into ladoos. Once shaped roll them in dried desiccated coconut and serve.

This halwa can be made in not time.

Singhare atte ka halwa

(Recipe by Food Love)

Ingredients

1 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp desi ghee

1/2 cup water chestnut flour

1 tbsp finely chopped cashew nuts, almonds

1 tsp cardamom powder

Method

First, make sugar syrup. Boil 1 cup water along with 1/2 cup brown sugar.

In a pan, heat 2 tbsp desi ghee. Add 1/2 cup water chestnut flour and roast.

Add 1 tbsp finely chopped cashew nuts, almonds and sugar syrup.

Mix well till the mixture stops sticking to the pan.

Now, add 1 tsp cardamom powder.

Singhare ka halwa is now ready.

Garnish with fried nuts and enjoy this delicious dish.

Makhana Kheer is a must-try vrat-friendly dessert recipe.

Makhana kheer

(Recipe by Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana)

Ingredients

1 cup puffed lotus seeds (makhana)

1 litre milk

2 tablespoons ghee

½ teaspoon green cardamom powder

6-7 saffron strands

½ cup powdered sugar

Method

Add milk in a deep non-stick pan. Boil it on medium heat till it reduces to half of its quantity, stirring occasionally.

In a blender, add makhana and crush it slightly in a blender to a coarse mixture.

Heat a non-stick deep pan, add ghee and heat it. Add crushed makhana and sauté or roast on medium heat till it turns nice and crisp.

Add roasted makhana in milk and mix well. Cook for 5-10 minutes on medium heat so that chunky makhana pieces get mixed, stirring continuously. Add green cardamom powder and strands of saffron. Mix well, Stir continuously.

When kheer turns thick, add sugar. Mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat, stirring continuously. Switch off heat.

Transfer kheer in serving bowls and set aside to cool down.

Serve chilled garnished with remaining roasted makhanas.

Aloo halwa has to be one of the most underrated desserts.

Aloo halwa

(Recipe by chef Kunal Kapur)

Ingredients

Desi ghee 2 tbsp

Almonds chopped 2 tbsp

Pista chopped 2 tbsp

Cashew nut chopped 2 tbsp

Walnut chopped 2 tbsp

Desi ghee 4 tbsp

Potato 750 gms

Milk 500 ml/ 2 cups

Cardamom powder ¾ tsp

Nutmeg powder ¼ tsp

Jaggery, grated 1 Cup/200 gms

Method

Wash and clean the potatoes and place them in a pressure cooker with adequate water to cover them. Place the lid and pressure cook them till they are soft. Once cooked, drain the water and remove them onto a plate.

While they are still warm, peel and mash them. You can mash them by passing them through a sieve to avoid any lumps. Keep the mashed potato aside.

Heat a pan and pour 2 tbsp of ghee and add the chopped nuts. Cook them on low heat till they just start to change colour. Remove the pan and strain the nuts to remove excess ghee.

In the same pan add 4 tbsp of ghee (you can use the leftover ghee from frying nuts as well) and once it heats up add the mashed potatoes. Spread the potato across the pan to cook it evenly.

Keep tossing the potatoes in between so they get an even brown colour. This could take some time but is an important step.

Once the potatoes turn a light shade of brown they will start oozing out the ghee at this stage, add milk and keep stirring till it gets a boil. Mash with the back of a spoon if you find any lumps.

While the milk boils add cardamom and nutmeg powder. Once the milk had visibly dried up add grafted jaggery and mix it. Cook till the halwa leaves the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the dry fruits and toss them.

Remove and serve hot.

Dry fruit mawa laddu is yummy and filling.

Dry fruit mawa laddu

(Recipe by Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana)

Ingredients

¼ cup finely chopped almonds

Finely chopped walnuts as required

½ cup finely chopped fig as required

1 cup unsweetened mawa or khoya

5 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon green cardamom powder

Few saffron strands + for garnishing

Ghee for greasing

Almond powder for coating

Method

Heat mawa in a non-stick pan. Add sugar, mix and cook till it melts.

Add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder and saffron and mix well. Remove from heat and cool. Divide the mixture into equal portions.

Grind fig and transfer in a bowl. Add almonds, walnuts and remaining cardamom powder and mix well. Divide the dry fruit mixture into equal portions and shape them into balls.

Grease palms with ghee, take each portion of mawa mixture, create a cavity and fill in a portion of dry fruit mixture and shape them into laddoos. Coat the prepared laddoos with some almond powder.

Serve garnished with chopped almonds and saffron strands.