Video
Recipes
4 Servings
Welcome Navratri 2026 with a plate of golden, crunchy sabudana vada made with soaked sabudana, boiled potatoes, and roasted peanuts, fried in light King's Sunflower Oil. This easy navratri vrat food is perfect for your fasting thali and pairs beautifully with sweet curd and green chutney.
This sabudana vada recipe turns humble soaked sabudana, boiled potatoes, and crushed peanuts into crisp, golden vadas that stay soft and chewy inside. Made with simple fasting-friendly ingredients and rock salt, it is one of the most loved Navratri recipes for a satisfying Navratri food spread. Whether it is an Ashtami thali or an evening snack during the nine days, these vadas are a festive favourite the whole family looks forward to.
This sabudana vada has a nutty, mildly spiced flavour, with a crisp golden crust giving way to a soft centre of soaked sabudana and mashed potato. Roasted peanuts add crunch, while cumin, green chilli, and lemon juice keep every bite fresh and balanced. Shape the same mixture into flatter patties and shallow-fry them for sabudana tikki, an easy kitchen recipe variation that works just as well on fasting days.
Follow these simple steps to prepare this recipe with balanced flavor and texture.
Rinse 1 cup sabudana (sago pearls) until the water runs clear, then soak in just enough water to cover for 4-6 hours or overnight.
Boil 3 medium potatoes, cool, peel, and mash well.
Dry roast 1/2 cup peanuts, remove the skins, and crush coarsely.
Press a soaked pearl between your fingers; it should be soft with no hard centre.
Proper soaking keeps the sabudana vada mixture non-sticky and easy to shape.
Combine the soaked sabudana, mashed potatoes, and crushed peanuts in a large bowl.
Add chopped green chillies, grated ginger, cumin seeds, chopped coriander, lemon juice, and rock salt (sendha namak) to taste.
Mix gently and shape into equal-sized, slightly flat round vadas.
Heat King's Sunflower Oil in a kadhai over medium heat; using sunflower oil for cooking keeps the vadas light and the flavours clean.
Drop in a pinch of mixture to test; it should rise steadily without browning too fast.
Slide 4-5 vadas gently into the hot oil, taking care not to crowd the kadhai.
Fry on medium heat for 3-4 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp on all sides.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
Fry in batches, keeping the heat steady between each one.
Frying each sabudana vada on steady medium heat keeps it crisp outside and soft inside.
Serve the vadas piping hot with sweet curd, green chutney, or peanut chutney.
Pair with fruit chaat or makhana kheer to build a complete Navratri upvas thali.
Keep leftover vadas uncovered for a few minutes before storing so they stay crisp.
A great pick among lunch recipes for fasting days, these also make a quick evening snack.
Enjoy this simple Navratri vrat favourite with family through the nine days of Navratri 2026.
The best cooking oil for frying sabudana vada is one that heats evenly, stays light, and does not overpower the peanuts and cumin. A good cooking oil like King's Sunflower Refined Oil has a mild, neutral taste that suits deep frying, which is why sunflower refined oil is a dependable choice for crisp, evenly golden vadas.
While other edible oil options such as groundnut oil or ghee can also be used for fasting recipes, sunflower oil is a popular everyday cooking oil for crisp frying because its light, neutral flavour lets the sabudana and peanuts shine. Heavier-flavoured oils can overpower the delicate taste of the vada, whereas a refined sunflower oil keeps the result clean and crunchy.
