Chaitra Navratri 2026: Vrat-Friendly Dessert Recipes By Chefs
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Gone are the days when you had to stick to a bowl of mashed potatoes and curd throughout the 9-day fasting period. Navratri, aka the festival of nine nights, is dedicated to Goddess Durga and her nine avatars, and is a period of dedication and cleansing of the body and mind. To purify oneself, abstinence from alcohol, non-veg foods, eggs, grains, and even certain root vegetables is pretty common in the Hindu community during the festival, even if they aren’t fasting. 

So, ingredients like sabudana, makhana, potatoes, kuttu ka atta, samak rice, etc., get the spotlight. And while sabudana or makhana kheer are synonymous with Navratri, it doesn’t mean you can try adding new desserts to your vrat vali thali. Here are some vrat-special recipes shared by Indian chefs that will be a perfect addition to your fasting plate.

Badam Halwa

By Chef Prakash Mohanarangan, Assistant Master Chef, Dakshin, ITC Grand Central

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup almonds (badam)
  • ¾-1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup ghee
  • 1 cup milk
  • 4-5 saffron strands
  • ½ tsp cardamom powder
  • A few chopped almonds or pistachios for garnish

Method:

  1. Soak almonds in hot water for 2 to 3 hours. Peel the skin.
  2. Grind the almonds with milk into a smooth paste.
  3. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan and add the almond paste. Cook on low flame, stirring continuously.
  4. Add sugar and mix well. The mixture will loosen slightly.
  5. Gradually add ghee little by little, stirring constantly.
  6. Add saffron and cardamom powder.
  7. Cook until the halwa thickens and leaves the sides of the pan and turns glossy.
  8. Garnish with nuts and serve warm.

Mango Shrikhand

By Pastry Chef, Reshma Bhosale, The Orchid Hotel, Mumbai

Ingredients:

  • 500 g hung curd (low-fat yoghurt)
  • 120 g fresh mango pulp
  • 30 g honey or jaggery powder
  • 1 g cardamom powder
  • 0.2 g saffron, soaked in 10 ml warm milk
  • 15 g chopped pistachio or almond

Method:

  1. Hang yoghurt in a muslin cloth for 4 to 5 hours to remove whey.
  2. Whisk the 500 g hung curd until smooth.
  3. Add mango pulp, honey/jaggery, cardamom, and saffron milk. Mix until creamy and smooth.
  4. Refrigerate for an hour. Garnish with nuts before serving.

Shahi Kulfi

By Chef Ashu Chugh, Jaypee Greens Golf and Spa Resort, Greater Noida

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup almonds, soaked and peeled
  • 1 cup cashews, soaked
  • 1 cup dates (seedless, soaked), chopped
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tbsp cardamom powder
  • 1 tsp saffron (optional)
  • 2 tbsp almond flour
  • 2 tbsp pistachios, chopped

Method:

  1. In a blender, put the almonds, cashews, dates, and add the water used to soak the dates and blend until smooth in consistency.
  2. Transfer it to a deep-bottom pan, add water, cardamom powder, saffron and bring the mixture to a full boil.
  3. Reduce the heat to simmer, stirring occasionally, add the almond flour, whisk well to avoid any lumps and cook till the mixture thickens.
  4. Remove from the heat, check seasoning, stir in pistachio and let it cool completely.
  5. Once cool, pour the mixture into the shot glasses and freeze until solid.
  6. When serving, insert a wooden stick and pull out the frozen kufi from the glasses, transfer it onto the serving dishes, and garnish with chopped pistachios.