Guide

Navratri Fasting Rules and Vrat Food List: What You Can Eat

Sharad Navratri runs from 11 to 19 October 2026. Many devotees fast for all nine days, or on the first and last day, eating only vrat (fasting) food. Here are the usual rules and a food list you can plan meals around. Practices vary by family and region, so follow what your family observes.

Basic Navratri fasting rules

Eat sattvik, freshly cooked food. Avoid onion, garlic, meat, fish, eggs and alcohol. Avoid regular grains and pulses (wheat, rice, dal) and regular table salt. Use sendha namak (rock salt) in every dish. Many people also avoid cutting hair and nails, and avoid leather items.

Allowed flours and grains

Kuttu (buckwheat) flour, singhara (water chestnut) flour, rajgira (amaranth) flour, sabudana (tapioca pearls), samak rice (barnyard millet) and makhana (fox nuts) are the common vrat staples.

• Kuttu atta puri or roti
• Singhare ke atte ka halwa or paratha
• Sabudana khichdi or vada
• Samak rice khichdi
• Makhana kheer or roasted makhana

Vegetables, fruits and dairy

Potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, bottle gourd (lauki), raw banana, colocasia (arbi), cucumber and tomato are commonly eaten. All fruits are allowed. Milk, curd, paneer, buttermilk and ghee are generally allowed. Nuts, dates and raisins are good for energy.

Spices allowed

Rock salt, black pepper, cumin, green chilli, ginger, coriander, cardamom and cinnamon. Avoid regular garam masala, turmeric and asafoetida in strict vrat unless your family permits them.

Simple meal plan

Morning: milk or fruit. Lunch: kuttu roti with lauki or potato sabzi and curd. Evening: fruit or makhana. Dinner: sabudana khichdi or samak rice with curd. Drink plenty of water, coconut water and lassi.

Health tips

Do not fast if you are ill, pregnant or on medicines that need food, and speak to your doctor if you have diabetes. Break the fast gently and avoid too much fried food, which can cause acidity. Keep hydrated.

Kanya pujan and breaking the fast

On Ashtami (18 October) or Navami (19 October), many families feed nine girls and a boy with halwa, chana and puri, and then break the fast.

Frequently asked questions

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