VEGAN NAVRATRI SPECIAL RECIPES

Team L&M

These delectable vegan sweets are the perfect addition to your Navratri celebrations, offering a healthy and compassionate twist to traditional Indian desserts. Crafted without dairy or refined sugar, these treats embody the spirit of plant-based living while retaining the rich flavors and textures we all love. From the vibrant Vegan Gajar Motichoor Laddu to the rich Vegan Badam Halwa, these recipes use wholesome ingredients like jaggery, nuts, and seeds, ensuring a burst of nutrition in every bite. Whether you’re indulging in the nutty sweetness of Vegan Dates Poli or the creamy delight of Vegan Sabudana Apple Kheer, these festive desserts bring joy to your palate while aligning with the values of health and sustainability. Celebrate Navratri with these guilt-free, dairy-free, and flourless sweets that honor both tradition and wellness. These divine Navratri sweet recipes are created by Saritha Sreedharan, a nutritionist and supporter of Veganuary India. She is also the author of the Whole Foods Plant-Based cookbook.

VEGAN GAAJAR MOTICHOOR LADDOOS

Ingredients :

Winter carrots(Gajar) – 2 Big size

Jaggery powder / Brown sugar – 1 cup

Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Dry ginger powder – 1/4 tsp

Nuts / Seeds – 3 tsp finely chopped

Cutting: Peel the carrots and mince them to fine consistency in a vegetable shredder. Carrot size should look like moti choor.

Method : Heat a heavy bottom pan. Add the minced carrots to the pan and roast them while tossing periodically on medium heat. After about 5-6 minutes when the carrots are soft, add the jaggery powder/ brown sugar, mix well and allow it to cook for sometime. Sprinkle cardamom powder, nuts, ginger powder. On medium heat cook till the consistency of the carrots gets to binding consistency. Try making a small laddu to check if it’s ready to bind. If not, cook for a few minutes more. Allow this mixture to cool for a minute before making the laddus. You can store them in a refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. About 10 laddoos can be made.

VEGAN DATES POLI

Ingredients:

Peanuts -1/2 cup

Sesame – 1/4 cup

Fresh coconut – 1 cup

Dates – 2 1/2 cups deseeded

Ginger powder – 1/4 tsp

Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Roasting & Blending :

Dry roast all ingredients except dates. Allow them to cool and blend them to fine powder.  Depending on the softness of dates, the paste will be soft or moist.  If needed, add very little water while blending. The filling is ready.

Knead 2 cups of wheat flour to semi hard consistency. Leave it for 30 minutes.

Method : Make small round balls of the dough, make a small depression in it and add sufficient filling. Gently wrap the dough around the filling and roll the poli to thin/ thick consistency according to your choice . Heat a pan and slow cook the poli on both sides. Sprinkle a little oil (optional) while cooking. Enjoy healthy puran poli. you can make about eight polis with this quantity.

VEGAN BADAAM HALWA

Ingredients :

Almonds – 1 cup

Jaggery powder – 3/4 cup

Water – 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder -1/2 tsp

Saffron- few strands for flavour

Any nut milk – 1/2 cup

Blending : Powder almonds to fine powder, do not remove the peel.

Method : Use a pan with a handle. Add all the above ingredients to the pan. Mix well. On medium heat, cook by stirring periodically. As the almonds cook, the oils from the nuts are released, which is sufficient for the halwa.  Cook till you get a halwa consistency. Transfer to a bowl while it is still warm. Garnish with any crushed seeds. The halva can be stored for 3 days in a refrigerator.

You can choose to add fresh mango pulp (if it is in season) as a topping, as shown in the image.

VEGAN SABUDANA APPLE KHEER 

Ingredients:

Any nut milk – 2 cups

Sabudana- Soaked 3/4 cup

Deseeded & mashed custard apple – 1 cup

Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Saffron- few strands for flavour

Mixed seeds, roasted – For garnish

Soaking: Soak sabudana in water for 3 to 4 hrs.

Method :

Heat a little oil in a pan and cook sabudana till they become transparent. Add thick nut milk, cardamom powder, saffron and mix well. Let it to cook for a few minutes. Be careful to not boil the milk. Remove from the heat and add mashed custard apple. Serve in bowls and garnish with roasted mixed seeds.  you can make about four cups with this amount.