30 Makar Sankranti Recipes 2026
Find 30 delicious Makar Sankranti recipes that you can easily make for breakfast, snacks or lunch. This collection covers both North Indian and South Indian recipes that are popularly made on this festive day.
What is Makar Sankranti?
Makar Sankranti is one of those Hindu festivals which falls on the same day i.e 14th January (sometimes 15th January) every year. Though this year the festival will be celebrated on 14 January 2026.
The reason being the festival date is based upon the solar calendar unlike most Hindu festivals whose date is decided according to lunar calendar.
Makar sankranti festival is dedicated to the Sun God (Surya Devta). It is also a time for religious practices. For farmers it is a time of harvesting.
This festival also signals the end of winter and the beginning of spring. One festival and many significances.
No wonder, makar sankranti is a multi- cultural festival which is celebrated with lot of festivity and joy all over India.
Wishing a happy and prosperous Makar Sankranti to all our readers.
Makar Sankranti Recipes
Here in this post, I am sharing a collection of 30 recipes which you can make for the Makar Sankranti festival.
If you don’t eat onion and garlic during this auspicious time, then skip adding them in the recipes listed below.
You can also check these collections of Pongal Food Recipes and Lohri Recipes.
Sweets
Til Ke Laddu (Sesame Laddu)
Til Ke Laddu is a traditional Indian sweet made with sesame seeds, jaggery, peanuts and desiccated coconut. These nutty laddus are naturally vegan and are especially prepared during the Makar Sankranti festival.
Peanut Chikki Recipe (Peanut Gajak)
Peanut Chikki also called Gajak in Hindi is a Indian winter special sweet of crispy, crunchy Peanut Brittle snack. The recipe is made with only two main ingredients – peanuts or groundnuts and jaggery. Jaggery is unrefined Indian cane sugar made with sugarcane juice.
Puran Poli Recipe
Puran Poli is a traditional Maharashtrian sweet flatbread stuffed with a chana dal and jaggery filling. The filling is flavored with cardamom and nutmeg for a mild aroma. The stuffed dough is rolled gently and roasted on a hot tawa with ghee until golden and soft. It is commonly prepared during festivals and served warm as a special meal or breakfast.
Sweet Pongal | Festive Sakkarai Pongal | Chakkara Pongal
Sweet Pongal also called Sakkarai Pongal or Chakkara Pongal in South Indian languages, is a creamy, sweet festive preparation of rice, moong lentils, jaggery and flavored with green cardamoms, cashews, raisins and ghee.
Kheer Recipe (Indian Rice Kheer)
Rice Kheer is a popular as well as a traditional North Indian sweet dish made by slow cooking basmati rice in milk that is sweetened with sugar and flavored with nuts, cardamom and saffron; resulting in a creamy, fragrant, and indulgent Indian rice pudding often enjoyed during festivals and celebrations. Kheer recipe is also easy to make and is usually prepared in one pan or using a one pot method.
Suji Ka Halwa | Sheera Recipe
Suji Ka Halwa (also called Sheera) is a classic Indian semolina pudding made with roasted suji (rava/semolina), ghee, sugar, and cardamom, garnished with nuts. This melt-in-the-mouth North Indian sweet is my family’s heirloom recipe; made for decades during festivals, poojas, and special occasions. Quick to prepare and easily scalable, this halwa is perfect as prasad or a comforting dessert any time.
Besan Ladoo (Easy Besan ke Laddu Recipe)
Besan Ladoo, also known as Besan Ke Laddu, is a popular North Indian sweet made with gram flour (besan), ghee and powdered sugar. The besan is slow-roasted in ghee until golden and aromatic, then mixed with sugar and shaped into round laddus. These rich and melt-in-the-mouth sweets are commonly prepared during festive occasions.
Basundi Recipe | Basundi Sweet
Basundi is a flavored, thickened and sweetened milk made with whole milk, sugar, fragrant spices and nuts. It is a popular sweet made in the western parts of India. This basundi recipe is a quicker version made with sweetened condensed milk and comes together under 25 minutes.
Coconut Ladoo Recipe | Nariyal ke Laddu Made In 3 Unique Ways
Make coconut ladoo with three recipes. The first one is a quick 3 ingredient recipe made with fresh coconut, milkmaid and cardamom powder. The second recipe has 2 ingredients – desiccated coconut and condensed milk. The third recipe is made with desiccated coconut and sugar.
Atta Laddu | Wheat Ladoo
These wheat ladoo make for a good sweet snack for kids as well as for the whole family. Easy and quick to prepare delicious ladoo made with whole wheat flour, sugar and ghee.
Seviyan Kheer Recipe (Vermicelli Kheer)
Seviyan Kheer, also known as Vermicelli Kheer, is a creamy North Indian sweet made with wheat vermicelli, milk, sugar, nuts, and dry fruits, flavored with cardamom. This easy dessert comes together in about 20 minutes and can be served warm or chilled.
Coconut Burfi | Nariyal ki Barfi
This Coconut Burfi is a delish, melt in the mouth fudge made with sweetened condensed milk, milk, and desiccated coconut.
Badam Halwa Recipe (South Indian Style)
Badam Halwa is a rich, luxurious and popular South Indian style delicious halwa made with blanched almonds, ghee and sugar. This recipe gives you one of best Almond Halwa that you can make.
Bobbatlu Recipe | Holige | Obbattu
Bobbatlu also called Holige or Obbattu is a South Indian festive treat of sweetened flat breads. These flat breads are stuffed with cooked and finely ground mixture of chana dal, jaggery, cardamom powder and ground nutmeg. This Bobbatlu Recipe makes for one of the best Bobbatlu made with a sweet chana dal stuffing.
Payesh Recipe | Nolen Gurer Payesh
This Payesh Recipe also called Nolen Gurer Payesh is decadent creamy pudding made with fresh date palm jaggery and rice. Though, a winter special from the Bengali cuisine, there are other variations of the Payesh Recipe made with different varieties of this typical jaggery available all year round.
Chhena Poda | Chenna Poda
Chenna poda is a popular sweet from odisha. Its made with chenna or fresh paneer. The entire dish is baked and can also be called as paneer cake.
Snacks
Sabudana Khichdi Recipe
Sabudana Khichdi is a fasting savory dish made with soaked tapioca pearls cooked with ghee, cumin seeds, green chillies, boiled potatoes, crushed roasted peanuts, and rock salt (sendha namak). It is commonly prepared during Hindu fasting days such as Navratri, Ekadashi, and Mahashivratri. This dish is naturally gluten-free.
Sabudana Vada Recipe (For Fasting)
Sabudana Vada is a popular savory deep fried snack made during Hindu fasting days, featuring tapioca pearls (sago), potatoes, peanuts and herbs. They are naturally gluten-free and vegan. This fail-proof Maharashtrian style Sabudana Vada recipe gives you a super delicious crispy vada with a soft and light interior.
Kachori Recipe (Khasta Kachori With Moong Dal)
Kachori is a crispy, flaky deep-fried Indian snack made with a spiced, savory moong dal filling enclosed in a homemade dough. This Khasta Kachori recipe yields a crunchy outer layer and a flavorful, tangy lentil stuffing.
Fafda Recipe
Fafda is a fried crispy crunchy tasty snack made with besan (gram flour), laced with carom seeds and black pepper. A popular Gujarati vegan snack.
Medu Vada Recipe
Medu Vada are crisp, fried, doughnut-shaped fritters made from black gram (urad dal) batter mixed with herbs and spices. Also known as Garelu in Andhra, Uzhunnu Vada in Kerala, Uddina Vada in Karnataka, and Medhu Vadai or Ulundu Vadai in Tamil Nadu. Traditionally they are always served with sambar and coconut chutney.
Ribbon Pakoda | Ribbon Murukku
Ribbon Pakoda or Ribbon Murukku are fried crisp ribbon shaped savory snack from South India. They are easy to prepare and tastes good too. They are also known as ola pakoda or nada thenkuzhal.
Butter Murukku | Butter Chakli
Butter Murukku is a South Indian fried snack made with butter and rice flour. It can also be called Butter Chakli. This recipe is surely for the win as it is scrumptious and tasty.
Murukku Recipe | Murukulu Recipe
Murukku is a popular South Indian crunchy and crispy snack made with rice flour and lentil flour. It is also known as murukulu, chakralu and jantikalu in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Urad Dal Kachori
Urad Dal Kachori are soft as well as crispy lentil stuffed deep fried pastry from the Uttar Pradesh cuisine. This traditionally made kachori is stuffed with a savory, spiced urad dal filling encased in a dough pastry that is deep fried to a golden perfection.
Lunch or Dinner
Undhiyu Recipe | Surti Undhiyu
Undhiyu is a one pot vegetable casserole dish that is the hallmark of Gujarati vegetarian cuisine. This is an easy Surti Undhiyu recipe that does not take much time.
Curd Rice Recipe | Daddojanam | Thayir Sadam
This Curd Rice recipe, also known as Thayir Sadam, Daddojanam or Bagala Bath, combines cooked rice with fresh curd (yogurt) and a tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves and spices. The texture is soft and creamy with mild seasoning. It is a staple South Indian preparation served as a main dish or as part of a traditional meal.
Bhogichi Bhaji
Bhogi chi bhaji is a mix vegetable curry that is made on bhogi which precedes Makar Sankranti. In bhogi chi bhaji, seasonal winter vegetables are used.
Ven Pongal Recipe | Khara Pongal | Ghee Pongal
Ven Pongal, also known as Khara Pongal or Ghee Pongal, is a popular South Indian savory dish with a soft, porridge-like texture. It is made with rice and yellow moong lentils and flavored with black peppercorns, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, and ghee.
Tamarind Rice (Puliyodharai Recipe)
This Tamarind Rice recipe follows the traditional Tamil Nadu style of making Puliyodharai with tamarind pulp and a spiced tempering. The rice is mixed with a flavorful tamarind reduction for a balanced tangy taste. It is a vegan dish that stores well and can be served warm or at room temperature. Serve it as part of a South Indian meal or pack it for travel.
Lemon Rice Recipe (Chitranna)
Lemon Rice, also known as Chitranna or Nimmakaya Pulihora, is a South Indian rice dish made with cooked rice, lemon juice, nuts, herbs, and spices. The tempering and the lemon juice adds a nice tang as well as crunch, making it a simple and flavorful rice dish.
This Makar Sankranti recipes collection from the archives was first published on April 2016.
Very nice recipes.
Thank you.
Wonderful recipes.
Super curated collection. Thanks for sharing.
Most welcome.
It your good heart giving me to learn how to cook such things for the puja thank you.
Welcome H Shyamkanhai Singh. Thanks for your kind words.