Makar Sankranti 2026: 8 types of popular Khichdi dishes to try

The festival of Makar Sankranti is also called Khichdi Parv in eastern UP and Purvanchal. On this day, it is a ritual to eat khichdi along with papad, pakoda, achar, and dahi. The day starts with taking a holy dip in the river, followed by daan of til, currency, clothes, and ghee and later people eat dahi chura and the main meal of the day is khichdi. For the unversed, khichdi is a one-pot dish, primarily made with rice, one or more varieties of lentils, mild spices like turmeric and salt, and seasonal veggies. It is served with a tadka of ghee, cumin seeds, hing, and dried red chillies. Here we have curated a list of popular khichdi dishes that one can try.

This one is enjoyed in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh during the festival of Makar Sankranti. It uses rice, kali urad dal, spices, ghee, and seasonal vegetables. It is a one-pot dish best enjoyed with curd, pickle, and papad on the side.

Pongal is made with lentils, rice, and a lot of ghee. It is available in both spicy and sweet versions. Sweet or Chakkara Pongal is loaded with roasted dry fruits, while savoury or Melangu Pongal is a little spicy with a rich garnish of powdered pepper.

This is a non-vegetarian version of khichdi that uses keema along with rice and lentils and is served with khatta, a tangy side dish.

It is believed that Sultan Ahmed Shah, founder of Ahmedabad, was fond of this khichdi, which comes in various varieties, including savory, sweet, and with or without vegetables. It is best served with Gujarati khichdi.

It is a special variety of khichdi that uses toor dal and a mix of 30 spices. It is loaded with a variety of vegetables and is slow-cooked to perfection.

This is the most popular version of khichdi and is made with rice, ginger, moong dal, urad dal, ginger, green chillies, asafoetida, and ghee. It is served with aloo chokha, mixed pakodas, achar and papad.

This version of khichdi uses rice, moong dal, desi ghee, green chilli, and ginger. As per food experts, this khichdi doesn't use garlic or onions in its preparation and is best enjoyed with fish fry and begun bhaja.

This khichdi is made with bajra millet and lentils, which are cooked together in a tadka of ghee and hing and is served with a dollop of ghee, garlic chutney, and papad.
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