Panjiri is a healthy, nutritious Indian sweet recipe that is crumbly and coarse in texture and prepared using whole wheat flour (atta), desi ghee (clarified butter), jaggery (brown sugar), and lots of dry fruits and seeds. Panjeeri is prepared and offered as prasad in many parts of India during Krishan Janmashtami, Bhagavata Purana Katha, and Satyanarayan Pooja.
While you are here, also check out sooji ka halwa (sheera), and atta halwa (kada prasad), popular Indian prasad recipes.
What is panjiri?
Panjiri (panjeeri) is a traditional Punjabi dessert evolved from an Ayurvedic preparation called Panchajīraka, made using whole wheat flour, ghee, and sugar. In North India, this classic dessert, also called dabra, is mainly prepared during winter. It is known to keep the body warm with ingredients added like goond (gondh), kamarkas (edible gums), ginger powder (sonth), etc. I generally skip adding gondh because the temperature where I stay never goes too cold, even in winter.
Aate Ki Panjiri (Aata panjeeri) is an authentic and traditional Krishna Janmashtami bhog prasad. You can also make panjeeri laddu by adding more ghee to the final mixture and shaping them into balls.
Panjiri prasad is from North India. A similar traditional recipe prepared in South India is panchakajjaya (panchkadayi) for almost all pooja and festivals.
Panjiri ingredients
I will give the list of ingredients that are used traditionally to make panjiri. You don't have to use all of them. Use only those ingredients that are readily available. A simple version made using wheat flour, ghee, and cashews itself tastes delicious. You can make panjeeri more wholesome and nutritious by adding your favorite nuts, seeds, and dry fruits. All ingredients listed below are easily available in any Indian or Asian store.
Traditional panjeeri includes
- Wheat flour (Atta)
- Ghee (clarified butter)
- Semolina or Suji
- Seeds like Char Magaz (Melon seeds), Sunflower seeds, Makhane (Lotus seeds), Ajwain or Carom seeds, Poppy seeds
- Dry fruits and nuts like Almonds, Cashews, Pistachios, Raisins, Walnuts (akhrot), Figs (Anjeer)
- Sugar or Jaggery or Powdered sugar (boora)
- Edible gums like goond, kamarkas
- Spices like Cardamom powder (elaichi), Ginger powder (saunth), Cumin (jeera), Coriander (dhaniya), Fennel (saunf)
- Dried coconut pieces/flakes
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Health benefits of atta panjiri
- Panjiri prevents joint and back pain because of the nutritious ghee and combination of the added dry fruits and seeds.
- It is one of the best foods for postpartum healing. It is known to increase the milk supply.
- It helps strengthen your bones and muscles.
- The ingredients generate heat that can be mainly used to cure chronic colds. This is the main reason panjiri is prepared frequently during winter.
Does panjiri increase the milk supply?
Panjeeri recipe is used as an excellent energy booster. If you are preparing this as a postpartum snack, Kamarkas or Gond is one ingredient I recommend adding while preparing panjeeri. It is believed to increase milk supply and also help to reduce back pain and any weakness post-delivery. I generally skip adding Gondh as I prepare this most of the time as prasad and as a sweet treat for my kids.
How to make panjiri?
Step 1: In a pan on medium flame, add tablespoon of ghee. Once hot, add almonds and saute till it becomes aromatic and lightly golden. Transfer this to a plate.
Step 2: To the same pan, add cashews and saute till light golden. Transfer this to a plate.
Step 3: Next, add raisins and saute them for a few seconds. Transfer this to the same plate.
Step 4: Finally, add sunflower seeds and saute them until roasted, and keep this aside. Basically, you are sauteing all the dry fruits, nuts, and seeds in a pan and keeping them aside for later use. Use more ghee if needed.
Step 5 In the same pan, add tablespoon of ghee and wheat flour and roast this on medium to medium-low flame until the rawness goes off and it becomes aromatic. After roasting the flour for 5 minutes, I add ghee in 1 tablespoon increments every 2 minutes and saute for a total of 9 to 12 minutes until the flour is evenly roasted and aromatic.
Step 6: Roasted flour will look like this.
Step 7: Once the flour is roasted, add all the roasted dry fruits, nuts, and seeds and saute for another 1 or 2 minutes. Switch off the flame.
Step 8: Finally, add the jaggery and cardamom powder and toss till combined.
Step 9: Let this cool down completely. Serve as needed.
Tips
- Ghee and wheat flour are the main ingredients here. All other ingredients can be varied to one’s taste and availability.
- Jaggery can be substituted with khandsari or powdered sugar. Don’t use confectioner’s sugar as it has corn starch and thus spoils the taste. You can use granulated sugar in powdered form.
- If you want to make this panjiri vegan, simply use coconut oil or any vegan butter of your choice.
- Always see that when roasting wheat flour, the flame is medium or medium-low. It would be best if you keep sauteing so that it roasts uniformly and will never burn. The rawness should go off completely.
Store
Panjeeri can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for at least a month and in a refrigerator for a longer shelf life.
More Janmashtami sweets
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Recipe card
Panjiri Recipe | Panjiri Prasad for Janmashtami, Satyanarayan Puja
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoon Ghee , divided
- ¼ cup Almonds , chopped
- ¼ cup Cashews , chopped
- ¼ cup Raisins
- ¼ cup Sunflower seeds
- 1 cup Wheat flour or Atta
- ½ cup Jaggery powder or Brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder or Elaichi
Instructions
- In a pan on medium flame, add 1 tablespoon ghee. Once hot, add almonds and saute till it becomes aromatic and lightly golden. Transfer this to a plate.5 tablespoon Ghee, ¼ cup Almonds
- To the same pan, add cashews and saute till light golden. Transfer this to a plate.¼ cup Cashews
- Next, add raisins and saute them for a few seconds. Transfer this to the same plate. Finally, add sunflower seeds and saute them until roasted, and keep this aside. Basically, you are sauteing all the dry fruits, nuts, and seeds in a pan and keeping them aside for later use. Use more ghee if needed.¼ cup Raisins, ¼ cup Sunflower seeds
- In the same pan, add tablespoon of ghee and wheat flour and roast this on medium to medium-low flame until the rawness goes off and it becomes aromatic.1 cup Wheat flour, 5 tablespoon Ghee
- After roasting the flour for 5 minutes, I add ghee in 1 tablespoon increments every 2 minutes and saute for a total of 9 to 12 minutes or until the flour is evenly roasted and aromatic. Check out the video here on making of panjiri prasad.5 tablespoon Ghee
- Once the flour is roasted, add all the roasted dry fruits, nuts, and seeds (from above) and saute for another 1 or 2 minutes. Switch off the flame.
- Finally, add the jaggery and cardamom powder and toss till combined.½ cup Jaggery powder, ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- Allow the panjiri to cool. Store in an airtight conatiner and serve as needed.
Video
Notes
- Ghee and wheat flour are the main ingredients here. All other ingredients can be varied to one’s taste and availability.
- Jaggery can be substituted with khandsari or powdered sugar. Don’t use confectioner’s sugar as it has corn starch and thus spoils the taste. You can use granulated sugar in powdered form.
- If you want to make this panjiri vegan, simply use coconut oil or any vegan butter of your choice.
- Always see that when roasting wheat flour, the flame is medium or medium-low. It would be best if you keep sauteing so that it roasts uniformly and will never burn. The rawness should go off completely.
Nutrition
Note: We originally posted this roasted cauliflower steaks or bites in November 2015. It has now been modified in Nov 2025 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.
Gina
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Always enjoy trying new things. I feel like I could snack on this all day!
Suja md
One of my favorites! These looks absolutely great! can't wait to try!
Dana
This looks so good! Love that there's ginger in it. Can't wait to try it.
Tara
Oh yum! Such a delicious snack. That texture sounds incredible and I especially love the minimal prep.
Chethana Hegde
It’s looks really yummy. Must try it