Sabudana again? Potatoes again? Not this time. 

If your Navratri menu is already starting to feel like a repeat playlist, Sanjeev Kapoor’s Makhana Sweet Potato Kheer could be the dessert twist you didn't know you needed.

The chef shared this creamy makhana and shakarkand recipe on Instagram on October 11, 2026, as part of his Navratri recipe series. The combination brings together roasted makhana, grated sweet potato, milk, ghee, nuts and cardamom for a festive dessert that is simple enough to make at home.

And that's what makes it stand out among the many Navratri food recipes doing the rounds this festive season. It takes ingredients familiar to vrat kitchens and gives them a completely different personality.

Why Sanjeev Kapoor’s Makhana Kheer Is Perfect for a Navratri Menu

Let's be honest: fasting may be a tradition, but eating the same few dishes for nine days can test anyone's culinary imagination.

That is where this recipe scores. The makhana is roasted in ghee until crisp, while grated sweet potato is cooked in milk until tender. The two come together with fried cashews, almonds, cardamom and sugar. The makhana is then crushed coarsely rather than powdered completely, giving the dessert little bites of texture.

The result is somewhere between familiar and unexpected: creamy, nutty, mildly earthy and properly festive.

It also fits neatly into the wider conversation around Navratri food recipes, where ingredients such as makhana, sweet potato, sabudana, kuttu and samak rice are often used to create varied fasting meals.

Is Makhana Sweet Potato Kheer Suitable For Vrat?

Makhana and sweet potato are commonly used in fasting preparations, but vrat rules aren't identical everywhere. Families and regions can follow different traditions about permitted ingredients.

So, before making this recipe specifically for a fast, check whether every ingredient - including milk, ghee and sugar - fits your family's fasting practice.

Ingredients for Sanjeev Kapoor’s Makhana Sweet Potato Kheer

The ingredient list is refreshingly short:

• ¾ cup makhana
• 1 large sweet potato or shakarkand, peeled and thickly grated
• 3 cups fresh milk
• 2 tablespoons pure ghee
• 2 tablespoons chopped cashews
• 2 tablespoons chopped almonds
• ¼ teaspoon green cardamom powder
• ½ cup sugar
• Slivered almonds for garnish

These quantities match the recipe reported by Hindustan Times and ABP Live after the chef shared the preparation.

How to Make This Easy Navratri Kheer at Home

1. Roast the makhana

Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the makhana and roast until crisp and lightly golden. Remove and keep aside.

This step matters. Roasting gives the makhana a nuttier flavour and creates the texture that makes the final kheer interesting.

2. Fry the nuts

In the same pan, add the chopped cashews and almonds. Fry until golden and fragrant, then remove them.

3. Cook the sweet potato

Add the grated sweet potato to the pan and sauté for around 5–6 minutes. Pour in the milk, cover the pan and cook on medium-low heat for another 8–10 minutes, or until the sweet potato becomes tender.

4. Crush the makhana

While the sweet potato cooks, coarsely crush the roasted makhana. Don't turn it into a fine powder. A few small pieces give the kheer a pleasant bite.

5. Bring it all together

Add the crushed makhana, fried nuts, cardamom powder and sugar to the sweet potato-milk mixture. Stir gently and cook until the sugar dissolves and the kheer thickens.

6. Garnish and serve

Transfer the warm kheer to serving bowls and finish with slivered almonds.

That's it. No elaborate prep, no hard-to-find ingredients and no complicated technique.

What Makes This Sweet Potato Kheer Different?

A traditional kheer usually gets its body from rice or another grain. This version takes a different route.

The sweet potato softens into the milk, giving the dessert its creamy, earthy base. The roasted makhana adds texture, while the fried almonds and cashews bring a deeper nuttiness. Cardamom ties everything together with its familiar festive aroma.

So, while it is still recognisably kheer, it doesn't taste like the bowl you have had every festive season.

And that little change is exactly what a repetitive vrat menu needs.

Easy Navratri Vrat Food Options to Try Beyond Kheer

If you're looking for more than dessert, there are plenty of ways to make your fasting menu less predictable.

Popular options include:

• Sabudana khichdi for a familiar breakfast or meal
• Kuttu preparations for a hearty main course
• Samak rice or samo pulao for a rice-like meal
• Roasted or boiled sweet potato for an easy snack
• Makhana as a quick savoury or sweet option
• Vrat-friendly kadhi for something comforting and different

Recent Navratri coverage has highlighted exactly this versatility, showing how ingredients such as makhana and sweet potato can move between snacks, meals and desserts.

Even Sanjeev Kapoor recipes from this Navratri season have gone beyond the usual sabudana staples. His vrat-friendly samo pulao, shared earlier in October, uses barnyard millet, vegetables, cashews and coriander for a more substantial fasting meal.

5 Simple Tips for Better Makhana Kheer

1. Roast the makhana well: It should turn crisp without burning.
2. Keep it coarse: Don't pulverise the makhana; small pieces create better texture.
3. Cook the sweet potato completely: It should be tender before you move to the final stage.
4. Watch the consistency: The kheer thickens further as it cools, so avoid reducing it too aggressively.
5. Check your vrat rules: What works for one family may not work for another.

Is This Recipe Suitable for Navratri Fasting?

It can fit a fasting menu where its ingredients are permitted, but vrat rules differ across households and regions. ABP Live specifically advises readers to check family fasting guidelines before preparing the recipe.

Calling it universally “fasting-safe” would be too broad. Your own tradition should decide what goes into the bowl.

The Final Spoonful

Navratri food doesn't have to mean choosing between the same handful of dishes every day.

This kheer proves that a little creativity can completely change familiar vrat ingredients. Makhana brings the crunch, shakarkand brings the earthy sweetness, milk makes it creamy, and nuts give it that festive finish.

So, the next time your Navratri menu starts looking suspiciously repetitive, skip the culinary déjà vu.

Roast the makhana. Grate the shakarkand. Make the kheer.

Because fasting may limit what's allowed on your plate—but it doesn't have to limit how exciting that plate can be.