Sawan, also called Shravan, is a month associated with worship of Lord Shiva. Many families observe a fast on Sawan Mondays, with food and meal timing guided by their own tradition. This collection brings together savoury snacks, simple meals and sweets for planning a Sawan fast.
For a Monday meal, choose a main dish such as sabudana khichdi or pumpkin curry, then add a chutney, plain yogurt or a sweet if these fit your practice. For the broader festival collection, see our Navratri fasting recipes.
Jump to: Ingredients | Snacks | Meals | Sweets | Monday preparation
Choosing ingredients for your fast
Fasting practices vary between families, regions and occasions. The recipes below include notes for the fasting versions we share on SecondRecipe; choose ingredients according to your own household's practice. Gluten-free does not automatically mean suitable for vrat.
- Common fasting ingredients in this collection include sabudana, kuttu, rajgira, singhara flour, sama, potatoes, sweet potatoes, makhana, fruit, nuts and dairy.
- Use sendha namak for savoury recipes. Check the oil, spice mix and any packaged ingredient you use.
- Choose the fasting variation where a recipe also includes maida, besan, lentil flour, breadcrumbs or cornflour. Ordinary rice and wheat, onion and garlic are excluded from the fasting versions here.
- Rules for tomato, coriander, turmeric, amchur and other seasonings differ. Omit or replace anything your household does not use during fasting.
- Meal timing and the number of meals depend on your practice; this collection does not prescribe a one-meal diet.
Air fryer snacks for Sawan fasting
Air fryer sabudana vada
Soaked sabudana and potato patties with crisp edges. The recipe also has a sweet-potato variation. Use sendha namak and herbs allowed in your fast. View recipe.
Air fryer makhana tikki
Makhana, peanuts, sabudana and potato make a change from a plain potato tikki. Prepare the patties ahead, chill them and air fry before serving. View recipe.
Air fryer rajgira tikki
Sweet potato and rajgira flour form these amaranth cutlets. Serve with plain yogurt or a fasting chutney. View recipe.
Air fryer kuttu tikki
These cutlets use cooked whole buckwheat and potato rather than kuttu flour. Drain the buckwheat well and chill the shaped patties before cooking. View recipe.
Air fryer raw banana cutlets
Raw banana and potato patties made without breadcrumbs. Follow the basic recipe with rock salt; bread, besan and garlic variations are for non-fasting days. View recipe.
Air fryer falhari paneer tikka
Paneer, potato and pineapple with a yogurt marinade. Choose kuttu or sabudana flour for the fasting version and check your permitted spices. View recipe.
Air fryer farali chivda
A crunchy mixture of large sabudana, makhana and peanuts. Use the larger sago specified in the recipe, sendha namak and a fasting-compatible oil; avoid rice-bran oil. View recipe.
Air fryer dry fruit chivda
Dried potato chips, nuts and raisins make an easy snack to prepare ahead. Check packaged potato chips for added flour or seasoning and use fasting-compatible salt and spices. View recipe.
Air fryer falhari dahi papdi chaat
Kuttu papdi topped with yogurt, potato and fasting chutneys. Skip sprouts, regular sev and non-fasting spice mixes; follow the air-fryer option for the papdi. View recipe.
For more simple options, try the fasting-seasoned banana chips or roasted makhana. Use sendha namak and your permitted seasonings.
Sawan fasting meals
Air fryer sabudana khichdi
Sabudana, potato and peanuts with a light cumin tempering. The post includes both air-fryer and stovetop methods; correct soaking and draining keep the pearls separate. View recipe.
Tangy pumpkin curry
A stovetop pumpkin sabzi with peanuts, cumin and ginger. Use sendha namak and check whether amchur is permitted in your fast; lemon is an alternative. View recipe.
Falhari pizza
A kuttu-and-rajgira base topped with paneer, potato and sweet potato. This recipe uses a tava and oven, not a tested air-fryer method. Use sendha namak and the fasting mint chutney. View recipe.
Serve cutlets or papdi with date chutney without tamarind, using fasting-compatible salt and spices.
Sweets for a Sawan meal
Sweet potato kheer
A milk-based pudding using sweet potato. A useful change from sabudana kheer when you want a small sweet with your fasting meal. View recipe.
Sama ke chawal halwa
A pudding made with sama or barnyard millet. Use the specific fasting ingredient in the recipe rather than substituting ordinary rice or another millet. View recipe.
Pumpkin halwa
Pumpkin cooked with ghee or coconut oil, coconut and jaggery. Choose ingredients accepted in your family's fast and serve as a dessert. View recipe.
Lauki ki kheer
Bottle-gourd pudding with milk. Prepare it ahead if you prefer chilled kheer and serve with a savoury snack or meal. View recipe.
Sabudana kheer
A familiar sago pudding for fasting days. Pair a small serving with a savoury meal rather than making every dish sabudana-based. View recipe.
Vrat fruit custard
Use this dedicated fasting custard recipe rather than the cornflour-based vegan custard. Check the thickener and add the fruit close to serving. View recipe.
Other dessert options already on SecondRecipe include coconut barfi, mango kalakand, mango peda and sweet-potato kala jamun. Check the recipe ingredients and any packaged dairy or fruit products against your fasting practice.
For another crunchy snack, see baked sweet potato chips and adjust the seasoning for your fast.
Prepare ahead for a Sawan Monday
- Read your chosen recipe first. Soak sabudana for the time specified and drain it thoroughly.
- Boil potatoes or raw bananas, cool them and prepare cutlets ahead where the recipe allows.
- Make chivda ahead and cool it fully before storing. Keep chutney, yogurt and milk desserts refrigerated according to their recipe instructions.
- Air fry shaped snacks close to serving for crisp edges. Pair one savoury recipe with an accompaniment rather than preparing several similar tikkis.
Sawan fasting questions
Do Sawan and Navratri use the same recipes?
Many ingredients and dishes overlap, but rules can differ by family and occasion. Use the fasting variations in the recipes and follow your household's practice.
Must everyone eat only once during a Sawan fast?
No single meal pattern applies to everyone. Some families take a meal after prayers; others follow a different routine. Choose the meal timing that belongs to your practice.
Can I make these snacks without an air fryer?
Several recipes include pan, oven or traditional frying options. Use the method described in the individual post rather than assuming the same cooking time across appliances.
Explore all our vrat recipes or use the Navratri guide to find more air-fryer snacks, sweets and fasting ingredient notes.
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