Sabudana Khichdi

4.99 from 59 votes

A pilaf made with sago/tapioca pearls, Sabudana Khichdi is commonly prepared in Indian during the fasting season of Navratri. It's a simple dish yet so flavorful. It's also vegan and gluten-free.

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Sabudana Khichdi – a pilaf/pulao made with sago pearls! This vegan and gluten-free dish is extremely popular in India during the fasting season of Navratri. However if you ask me, you don’t really need an occasion to make and devour it.

This khichdi is extremely simple and yet so flavorful. I love my sabudana khichdi with yogurt on the side.

a pair of hands holding a bowl of sabudana khichdi served in a brown bowl

Sabudana Khichdi is often made during the fasting season in India. It’s usually flavored with peanuts, chilies, cumin and curry leaves.

I used to wait for Navratri so that I could eat this khichdi along with sabudana kheer (which was also made often during the fasting season). 

This khichdi doesn’t use a lot of spices and that’s because it’s often made during the fasting season and a lot of spices are prohibited to be eaten during that time. And it’s the simplicity of the dish which makes it so wonderful.

While everyone loves this khichdi, it can turn out to be quite a disaster in the kitchen if you do not follow the right way to cook it.

The biggest problem that everyone faces when making sabudana khichdi is that the pearls just clump together and make a gloopy mess. And that’s not very pleasant to eat then. Well not anymore!

I have had my shares of clumpy sabudana khichdi when I didn’t know how to cook anything. But I learnt with time and with practice. Now my sabudana khichdi always comes out looking perfect.

Do you see that? All pearls separate and no clumps?

sabudana khichdi served in a brown bowl with a small bowl of yogurt in the back

Tips to Make Non-Sticky Sabudana Khichdi

1. Soak the sabudana overnight. A lot of recipes would call for soaking for 4 hours or 6 hours but in my experience the recipes works best if you soak it overnight.

2. Rinse the sabudana until water turns clear to get rid of the starch. This is an important step to do before you soak the sabudana.

3. Always use 1:1 ratio of sabudana and water. So for 1 cup of sabudana, use 1 cup of water to soak it.

This is the biggest mistake that you can make which results in clumpy khichdi. You want to pearls to be just about submerged in water. A lot of water will result in a gloopy mess!

4. In the morning, drain the sabudana. There will hardly be any water left in the morning after you have soaked the sabudana overnight. However drain using a colander just to make sure that there’s no water.

5. Check if the sabudana has been properly soaked by pressing a pearl between your thumb and index finger. You should be able to smash it easily.

6. Once you add the sabudana to the pan, do not cook or stir it for too long. You have to cook only for few minutes until most of the pearls becomes translucent. If you keep cooking and tossing for a long time, it is going to stick together.

If you follow these tips carefully, you will have a perfect non-sticky sabudana khichdi ready in no time!

Ingredients

This recipe uses very few ingredients!

potato, lemon, bowl with peanuts, cumin seeds, sago pearls, lemon all arranged on a board

Sabudana: for this recipe, we use the regular sabudana (sago pearls) that you can find at any Indian grocery store.

You ca also find it online on amazon.

Potatoes: this is the only vegetable that is used in the recipe. Potatoes are very widely consumed during fasting and hence they are also added to this khichdi which is often made during Navratri.

Spices: other than cumin seeds, there’s no spice added here. I like to keep it simple but you can definitely add other spices to it like chili powder, turmeric etc.

Peanuts: there’s no sabudana khichdi without peanuts! A lot of times, peanuts are crushed and then added to the khichdi. I have just added them whole here. 

Curry leaves and chilies: these two give a lot of flavor to the khichdi. Since we don’t add much spices here, these fresh ingredients are an integral part of this recipe.

Seasonings: the khichdi is seasoned with salt and if you like some sugar too. Actually, I do recommend adding sugar, it helps balance the flavors and make the khichdi taste even better, 

If making it for fasting, use sendha namak  (rock salt) in place of salt.

The khichdi is finished with lemon juice and cilantro which add the perfect finishing touches to the dish. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we add spices to khichdi?

Yes, if you are not making it for fasting you can add spices like turmeric, coriander etc. to it.

Can we add onions to the recipe?

Again yes, if not making it for fast. It will work well.

Is sabudana khichdi gluten-free?

Yes, it is gluten-free and this recipe is also vegan.

Method

1- Rinse sabudana under water until water turns clear. This is important to get rid of all the starch.

2- Transfer the rinsed sabudana to a large bowl and add 1 cup water to it. No more.

3- In the morning the sabudana would have soaked up all the water. But you still drain it using a colander just to get rid of any excess water.

4- To check if sabudana is ready to cook, press a pearl between your thumb and index finger. It should smash easily. Set it aside.

step by step pictures to make sabudana khichdi

5- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for few seconds.

6- Then add the diced potatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring often until potatoes are almost cooked. It’s important to dice the potatoes small here so that cook quickly.

7- Add the raw peanuts and for another 2-3 minutes.

8- Then add the green chili, curry leaves and cook for 1 more minute.

step by step pictures to make sabudana khichdi

9- Add the drained sabudana to the pan along with salt and sugar. 

10- Mix well until well combined.

11- Cook for few minutes until most of the sabudana pearls become translucent, stirring once or twice. Do not cook it for a long time else it will stick. Remove pan from heat. Add lemon juice and cilantro and toss to combine.

12- Serve sabudana khichdi hot with chilled yogurt.

step by step pictures to make sabudana khichdi

I love my sabudana khichdi with a cup of masala chai!

sabudana khichdi served in a brown bowl with a small bowl of yogurt in the back and a glass of chai on the side

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This post has been updated from the recipe archives, first published in June 2018.

Sabudana Khichdi

4.99 from 59 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Resting Time: 8 hours
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 2
A pilaf made with sago/tapioca pearls, Sabudana Khichdi is commonly prepared in Indian during the fasting season of Navratri. It’s a simple dish yet so flavorful. It’s also vegan and gluten-free.

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup sabudana 180 grams, sago pearls
  • 1 cup water 8 oz
  • 1 tablespoon oil use oil of choice, I used avocado oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 medium potato 200 grams, diced small, around 1 cup diced potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons raw peanuts
  • 1-2 green chili chopped, adjust to taste
  • 6-7 curry leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste, use sendha namak if making this for fast
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar optional
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
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Instructions 

  • Rinse sabudana under water until water turns clear. This is important to get rid of all the starch.
  • Transfer the rinsed sabudana to a large bowl and add 1 cup water to it. No more.
  • In the morning the sabudana would have soaked up all the water. But you still drain it using a colander just to get rid of any excess water.
  • To check if sabudana is ready to cook, press a pearl between your thumb and index finger. It should smash easily. Set it aside.
  • Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for few seconds.
  • Then add the diced potatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring often until potatoes are almost cooked. It’s important to dice the potatoes small here so that cook quickly.
  • Add the raw peanuts and for another 2-3 minutes.
  • Then add the green chili, curry leaves and cook for 1 more minute.
  • Add the drained sabudana to the pan along with salt and sugar. Mix until well combined.
  • Cook for few minutes until most of the sabudana pearls become translucent, stirring once or twice. Do not cook it for a long time else it will become sticky. 
  • Remove pan from heat. Add lemon juice and cilantro and toss to combine.
  • Serve sabudana khichdi hot with chilled yogurt.

Video

Notes

  1. You may add ginger to the khichdi, tastes good.
  2. You may also add turmeric or other spices if not making this khichdi for fasting.
  3. Replace the salt with sendha namak if you are making this sabudana khichdi for navratri fast.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 381kcal, Carbohydrates: 63g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 767mg, Potassium: 74mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 115IU, Vitamin C: 65.5mg, Calcium: 23mg, Iron: 0.7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
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Hi, I’m Manali!

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Recipe Rating




117 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Excellent recipe. Works every single time. I never tried Sabudana Khichdi for a long time and once I tasted it, I felt like something needed to be changed because it was gloopy. When I found this recipe and tried it, it was amazing! Proper Maharashtra vibes in the heart of Germany

  2. 5 stars
    Dear Manali,
    I made this for my daughter-in-law’s birthday. (She grew up in Pune and is very fond of this dish.). It turned out to be absolutely delicious! Thank you very much for your well researched recipe. Your recipe has gone into my precious collection of recipes! I appreciate all your hardwork which has gone into getting this dish perfect!
    Usha Nair
    New Zealand

  3. 5 stars
    Loved it, simple to follow, clear instructions and fantastic taste! Your recipes are guaranteed to be delicious. Thanks Manali

  4. 5 stars
    Great recipe and thank you for explaining the importance of the extra steps and how much water to use! This will become my “go to recipe” for fasting!!

  5. Hi Manali,

    After a long time of wanting to make sabudana khichdi and Googling several pages, I finally decided to make it using your recipe n tips. Earlier made it was clumpy n my lil one refused to eat it just by seeing it! Made it for breakfast and I was surprised , it was not sticky n everyone loved it!

  6. 5 stars
    Sabudana Khichdi.
    Thankyou Manali for all the finer tips in the preparation to make a awesome Sabudana Khicdi. The devil is in the detailing. Your receipe was perfect.
    A minor addition I did was to add a small teaspoon of ghee to enhance the flavor. Ginger very finely chopped but unseen added to the magic.A pinch of turmeric enhanced the presentation.

  7. 5 stars
    Our favourite breakfast. Have not been using ginger. Shall try with crushed ginger.

    Note: I guess green chillies chopped is added in step 5 or 6.

  8. Isn’t it funny that fasting foods can be more enjoyable than every day foods? We are a mixed family, the other side is Gujarati and I discovered this from them. I loved this and the vada version as well@

  9. 5 stars
    I love your recipe and have tried it and it came good.
    I have never put potatoes till date, but this time I tried it and it came good. the only suggestion here is Yogurt and masala tea do not go together and may cause stomach upset because of milk and yogurt. plus khichdi has lemon, so I would suggest skipping the masala chai for another time. yogurt is always a blessing to have with khichdi.