Sweets for Navratri Fasting: Wholesome Treats to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

Navratri, one of the most revered Hindu festivals, is celebrated with utmost devotion and spiritual fervor. It’s a 9 day long festival in honor of Goddess Durga and her 9 avatars. In 2025, Navratri will be from March 30 to April 7, with Ashtami on April 6 and Navami on April 7. While the festival is all about fasting, prayer and dance, food plays a big role too.

During fasting, many people avoid having grains, pulses and certain spices and opt for vrat friendly ingredients like sabudana, kuttu, singhara and makhana. But fasting doesn’t mean you can’t have sweets! In fact, sweets during Navratri are not just delicious but energy boosting and nourishing. Whether it’s the classic makhane ki kheer, the ever popular singhare ke atte ka halwa or the rich rajgira ladoo, these traditional sweets will keep you feeling light yet full.

If you want to add some innovation to your festive menu, try incorporating fruits, nuts and even jaggery based sweets. Whether you are observing the fast strictly or just enjoying the festive spirit, these wholesome vrat friendly sweets will satisfy your sweet tooth while being traditional.

10 Sweets To Make Navratri Fasting Delicious

Makhana Kheer

Makhana or fox nuts is a fasting staple and turning it into kheer is a sweet and healthy dessert. This vrat-special kheer is made by roasting makhana in ghee till crispy, then simmering it in boiled milk till it softens. A pinch of cardamom and chopped nuts adds to the flavor, while a natural sweetener like jaggery or honey keeps it vrat-friendly. Light and filling, this kheer is perfect to satisfy your sweet cravings during Navratri.

Singhare ke Atte ka Halwa

No Indian festival is complete without halwa! For Navratri, singhara (water chestnut) flour is used instead of regular wheat flour. Cook the flour in desi ghee till aromatic, then add hot milk and stir continuously. Sweeten with jaggery or rock sugar and finish with slivers of almonds and cashews. This halwa is rich, warm and satisfying – just what you need after a day of fasting.

Rajgira Ladoo

Rajgira (amaranth) is a Navratri superfood, packed with protein and essential nutrients. To make rajgira ladoos, simply roast amaranth seeds, mix them with melted jaggery and shape them into small balls. You can also add chopped dry fruits or a pinch of cardamom for extra flavor. These ladoos are perfect as a quick energy booster during fasting.

Sabudana Kheer

Sabudana or sago pearls is a fasting staple. Cooked slowly in full-fat milk, sweetened with jaggery and flavored with saffron and cardamom, sabudana kheer is both light and nourishing. Easy to digest and provides instant energy, it’s the perfect fasting sweet. Garnish with chopped nuts for a royal finish.

Kuttu Atta Malpua

Malpua is a festive favorite and during Navratri you can make it vrat-friendly using kuttu (buckwheat) flour. The batter is made with mashed banana, kuttu flour and milk, then fried in ghee till golden brown. Once crispy, it’s dipped in a jaggery syrup with a hint of cardamom and saffron. These sweet and crispy malpuas are perfect to enjoy this Navratri.

Coconut Ladoo

Coconut ladoos are the easiest to make during Navratri. Fresh coconut is sautéed in ghee, mixed with condensed milk or jaggery and shaped into ladoos. Add a pinch of cardamom and you are done. These ladoos are not only tasty but also an offering to the Goddess.

Lauki Halwa

Bottle gourd, or lauki, may not sound like a dessert ingredient but during fasting it turns into a rich and delicious halwa. Grated lauki is sautéed in ghee, cooked with milk and sweetened with rock sugar or jaggery. Add almonds and pistachios and you are done. This halwa is nutritious and indulgent.

Sweet Potato Rabri

Sweet potatoes, or shakarkandi, are a fasting favorite and they make a fantastic rabri-style dessert. Boiled and mashed sweet potatoes are cooked with thickened milk, sweetened with honey or jaggery and flavored with cardamom. Shakarkandi is so sweet that you don’t need to add much sugar.

Apple Kheer

For a refreshing Navratri dessert try apple kheer. Grated apples are slow-cooked in milk, flavored with cardamom and saffron and lightly sweetened with honey. This kheer is not only light and easy to digest but also packed with nutrients making it perfect as a post-fast treat.

Dry Fruit Barfi

Made from dates, figs, almonds, cashews and raisins this sugar-free barfi is naturally sweet and energy-dense. The nuts and dried fruits are blended into a dough, pressed into a tray and set before being cut into squares. Since it’s made without grains or refined sugar this nutrient-rich sweet is perfect for Navratri fasting.