A collection of fasting friendly appetizer, snacks, meals and desserts. These recipes are easy to make and super delicious too!
The Hindu Holy month of Shravan is here and many families are observing fast through the month. There are different types of fasts observed by different people, ranging from eating once a day to eating just fruits, nuts and milk.
A vast majority of people do the fasts in the similar way as they would fast for Ekadashi. This includes consuming 'certain' grains, some vegetables, milk, sweets, nuts and fruits. There are plenty of recipes that can be made keeping the requirements of the fast in mind and they are all delicious.
As a kid I used to enjoy these delicious recipes when my grandma would fast. The taste and flavors have stuck and now I make these recipes even without a fast!
List of ingredients to make these recipes
These recipes are quite easy to make and have a few ingredients in common. Once you have these ingredients in the pantry, making these recipes is pretty simple and straight forward. I like to have these stocked up so I can make the recipes pretty quickly.
- Sabudana: Tapioca pearls, sago, sabudana all refer to the most popular fasting ingredient. This is easily available in Indian stores as well as on Amazon. They come in various sizes. I use the medium ones for khichdi, kheer and vada and the tiniest ones for recipes like pancakes.
- Barnyard Millet: Another popular grain to enjoy while fasting is barnyard millet. Also known as samai, samo or vrat ke chawal; this millet is great for recipes like khichdi, tikki and vada. It cooks pretty fast and makes a great breakfast for non fasting days too.
- Amaranth: Rajgira or amaranth is a popular flour that is allowed during fasting. This powerhouse of nutrients makes a great gluten free flour for everyday use as well as for fasting recipes. Available as a grain and as a flour, this is perfect for parathas and as a thickening agent for kadhis.
- Quinoa: A seeds that makes a great addition to the family of fasting ingredients, quinoa is healthy, delicious and easy to make for fasting days. This can be used in many recipes like kheer, khichdi or even tikkis. The versatility of quinoa makes it great for sweet and savory recipes.
- Peanuts: Peanuts are added in most fasting recipes either as whole or converted to a powder. They give a great nutty flavor to dishes and thicken curries without having to add any kind of flour. Buy them in bulk, lightly roast and store them. That makes cooking with them pretty simple.
- Potatoes: One of the MOST popular vegetable for fasting recipes is potatoes. In its original form or in the form of sweet potatoes; this vegetable finds an easy application in all recipes for fasting.
- Spices: The spices that find application in fasting recipes includes black pepper, green chili, Curry Leaves, Ginger and Cumin Seeds. These are used to spice up the food and to add a lot of flavor to the recipes. The ingredients like red chili powder, turmeric, garam masala and mustard seeds are generally not used to make fasting recipes.
- Add-ins: The popular ingredients to add to fasting recipes includes lime juice, salt, sugar and cilantro. These are required to add flavor to the recipes and strike the right balance of sweet, salt and sour in the recipes.
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Easy Fasting Recipes
Sabudana Vada, fritters made from tapioca pearls (sago), potatoes and a few other ingredients are addictive yet easy to make. Deep fried fritters of joy; these are pretty easy to make and always great when served with cilantro chutney and masala chai!
A super easy recipe to make Rose Peda. These are made with a handful of ingredients and comes together in 15 minutes. Plus, these are shaped like roses to make them super chic!
An easy to make recipe with a handful of ingredients; this Farali Aloo Sabji is a delicious side for rotis, puris or rice. It is perfect for fasting days and a great way to make potatoes for regular days too.
A quick and easy stir-fry recipe, this Quinoa Sabudana Khichdi is a simple take on the traditional Maharashtrian Khichdi. It is great as a meal or breakfast and works really well on fasting days! Plus, it comes together in under 30 minutes.
Satisfy your sweet cravings with this INSTANT Peda recipe. Made in the microwave, these take under 30 minutes from start to finish!
A delicious stir fry using potatoes; this Vrat Waale Aloo is an amazing dish for fasting days like Navratri, Ekadashi and more! It needs only a handful of ingredients and comes together in minutes.
A 10 minute recipe to make flavorful Cilantro Chutney; a favorite dipping sauce for Indian snacks and appetizers! This recipe works wonderfully for enjoying fresh or to store for a longer time in the refrigerator or freezer.
Barnyard millet and potatoes combine to make these yummy fritters. Served as an appetizer or snack, these vadas are super easy to make!
A delicious milk based drink enjoyed during Holi, Shivratri and other fasts; Thandai is a chilled drink full of flavor from nuts, seeds and Indian spices!
A delicious fasting kadhi made with amaranth flour and buttermilk, this is easy to make and enjoy for fasting days.
Gluten-free flatbreads that are perfect for fasting; these Rajgira Parathas are delicious and fairly easy to make. They make a perfect meal with potato sabji and yogurt on fasting days like navratri, shravan mahina and ekadashi. Plus, a great option for a gluten-free diet.
Easy, quick and super healthy, this samo khichdi is perfect with potatoes added to it. Served with kadhi or yogurt, it is an amazing breakfast or fasting recipe.
Swap the fried version of sabudana vada for this one. Made in the abeliskiver pan, this tapioca and potato vada are addictive and made with a fraction of the oil.
An easy to make dessert, this Sabudana Kheer is so good for fasting days and otherwise. Serve it chilled and enjoy it as a sweet too.
Sabudana khichdi is a popular Indian fasting recipe. A delicious preparation made with sago pearls (sabudana), potatoes and a few spices, this Vegan and gluten-free recipe is a favorite for many.
Lauki barfi, a delicious Indian sweet made with just a few ingredients. Who knew fudge from bottle gourd and milk solids would be so good?
Inspired by Brazilian Tapioca Pancakes; this TWO ingredient pancake from scratch is the breakfast recipe you have been looking for; especially on fasting days!
Made from almond flour and a handful of ingredients; Badam Puri is the best flour free cookie and sweet. Plus, fasting friendly and loved by everyone!
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