Makar Sankranti 2026: 5 Must-Have Dishes For Hosting A Festive Lunch At Home

With Makar Sankranti – the Maharashtrian harvest festival – approaching quickly, as you take stock of pantry staples and other fresh ingredients required to prepare sweet treats like til-gul and gul poli, also plan for a superb luncheon if friends and family are planning on coming over to spend the day. 

There are some absolute must-haves on the plate, that build flavour and a festive vibrancy into the festive feast. Seasonal, traditional and filled with layered tasting notes, these dishes are nourishing treats that focus on ingredients like sesame, jaggery and fresh vegetables, available in abundance during winter months across Maharashtrian regions. 

Gul Poli

Gul poli or a jaggery flatbread is a staple on Makar Sankranti day but serving this sweet treat warm during a luncheon meal turns the feast into quite a luxurious treat. Warm gul polis, straight off the tawa, can be served with generous amounts of ghee which counteracts some of the heat of the jaggery. Gul poli can be garnished with toasted sesame for a slightly nutty effect. Couple gul poli with other assorted savoury vegetables and raitas, in the true Maharashtrian fashion of bringing together sweet flatbreads with spicy foods on a lunch plate.

Khichadi Or Rice Variation

What anchors a Makar Sankranti meal is a good rice dish. This can be something as simple and comforting as a warm vegetable khichadi or bisi bele bhat or a rice disht that is more elaborate like the coriander pulao or a tangy tomato rice. A warm rice variation will bring all the different dishes on the menu together while keeping the meal light on the stomach. Comforting and filling, a delicious, mildly spicy rice coupled with gul poli together make-up a complexly flavoured Makar Sankranti feast.

Vegetable Sabzi

The day before the Makar Sankranti is marked as bhogi, which is all about revelling in the seasonal vegetables found in abundance during winter months. Lots of veggies are bought fresh for preparing the bhogi feast so, on Makar Sankranti day, prepare a flavourful sabzi from the leftover vegetables in the fridge. Think carrots and fenugreek coming together in a sweet and slightly bitter vegetable mix or a medley of pumpkins, peas and beans that is as nourishing as it is delicious. Keep the vegetable sabzi slightly runny so it can be served with warm puris or phulkas without the meal feeling too dry. The vegetable sabzi will also pair well with lemon rice or puliyogare prepared exclusively for the feast.

Buttermilk Or Chaas

Nary a festive lunch in several Maharashtrian regions is complete without buttermilk. Fresh buttermilk or chaas rounds out the different tasting notes in a festive meal and aids digestion after one gorges on a particularly sumptuous lunch. The fresh, creamy and sweet notes of buttermilk are accentuated with the light, lipsmacking flavours of cumin powder and black salt in a classic chaas recipe. Fill tall glasses with this tasty drink at the end of the meal, so the buttermilk can boost gut health.

Read More: Makar Sankranti 2026: 5 Easy Snacks To Prepare For A Kite Flying Party

Til-Gul Vadi

On Makar Sankranti day, a festive meal can comprise more than one sweet treat. The til-gul vadi served at the end of the feast can put that added festive flourish onto a simple, nourishing menu. Til-gul vadi can be prepared ahead of time to avoid chaos on the actual day of the feast. Bring sesame, jaggery and dried coconut shavings together to prepare this sweet treat. The nuttiness of the coconut and sesame blends with the sweet, caramelised notes of jaggery to become a warm and chewy sweet bite that envelopes the palate with a rich flavour at the end of a very nourishing, filling yet light lunch.