How to Make Panjiri (Panjeeri): A Simple Step-by-Step Guide
Panjiri, also called panjeeri, is a traditional sweet food made in Punjabi, North Indian, and South Asian homes. It is a homemade recipe passed down in big joint family kitchens. People eat it mostly in cold weather because it is a winter sweet that keeps the body warming and strong. This guide shows simple, step-by-step instructions so anyone can make a large batch at home.
What Is Panjiri?
Panjiri is a mix of roasted whole wheat flour (called atta), desi ghee, nuts, seeds, and sugar. People call it a superfood because it is wholesome, nourishing, and energy-boosting. It also has medicinal value in South Asian homes. Some people call it atta halwa because it looks a bit like a dry halwa or pudding.
Panjiri is best known as a postpartum food. A new mother often eats it every day during her chilla period, which is the 40 days after having a baby. It helps with postnatal care and recovery, and many believe it helps with lactation for a nursing mother. This is why many people search for panjiri during pregnancy and after birth.
Panjeeri Ingredients You Will Need
Here are the main panjeeri ingredients:
- Whole wheat flour, semolina (sooji or rava), or besan
- Some people also add lentils or oats as extra base ingredients
- Pure desi ghee or organic grass-fed ghee (you can use coconut oil or vegan butter instead)
- Edible gum, called gond or goond
- Makhana, also called phool makhana or puffed lotus seeds
- Almonds (badam), cashews (kaju), walnuts (akhrot), and pistachios (pista)
- Melon seeds (char magaz), flaxseeds, and sesame seeds
- Desiccated coconut or coconut flakes
- Raisins (kishmish) and dried dates (chuaray)
- Powdered sugar (bura) or jaggery powder (gurr)
- Green cardamom powder (elaichi) and dried ginger powder (sonth)
If you want panjeeri ingredients in urdu names, most spice shops in Pakistan and India use these same Urdu or Hindi words.
Equipment Needed Before Starting
You will need a few simple kitchen tools:
- A heavy-bottomed pan, kadhai, kadai, or wok (an iron kadai or brass kadai works great)
- A food processor, blender, or grinder to chop nuts
- A spice grinder, coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle to crush gond
- A skimmer or slotted spoon to lift fried bits out of hot ghee
- A spatula for constant stirring
- A large bowl, large plate, or paraat to cool the mix
- An airtight container to store it later
Step-by-Step Panjeeri Recipe
Step 1: Roast the Flour
Melt 2 tablespoons ghee to 2-3 tablespoons ghee in the pan. Add the whole wheat flour and cook it on low heat to medium heat. Keep stirring constantly so it does not burn. This step takes away the kachha taste, or raw taste. Cook until the flour turns golden brown, or deep golden brown, and smells aromatic and fragrant with a nutty aroma. This makes the flour toasted and evenly cooked.
Step 2: Fry the Gond
In the same pan, add a little more ghee. Fry the edible gum crystals until they turn puffy and crispy. You will hear a small spluttering sound as they swell up. Throw away any hard gond pieces that did not puff up. Once cool, use mortar and pestle crushing to break them into small pieces with a nice crunch.
Step 3: Roast the Makhana and Nuts
Fry the phool makhana in ghee until light golden and crisp. Let them absorb ghee as they cook. A good doneness check is the popcorn texture — they should feel light and sound hollow when tapped. Put these in a separate bowl.
Then roast the raw almonds, raw cashews, walnuts, pistachios, and any hazelnuts or brazil nuts you have. Add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, or chia seeds too. Roast until lightly browned and fragrant. Do not let them turn dark brown. Then set aside.
Step 4: Combine and Cool
Mix the roasted nut mixture, crushed gond, and makhana into the flour while it still has some retained heat. Stir well. Spread it on a large plate or paraat to cool down to room temperature.
Step 5: Add Sweetener and Spices
Once it reaches room temperature, add powdered sugar, khand, or jaggery powder. Do not add sugar while the mix is still hot. This can cause sugar melting, which makes it pasty, sticky, or even hardened sugar — a small disaster many new cooks face. Add green cardamom powder, a little dried ginger powder, and fennel seeds (saunf) for warming spices. Then adjust to taste for sweetness.
How Much Ghee, Sugar, and Flour to Use
For a large batch, most people use 1 cup ghee to 1.5 cups ghee for every 2 cups of flour. For a lighter mix, use half cup ghee, which is about 125 grams ghee. Using ghee liberally, with a generous amount of ghee, gives panjiri its richness, flavour, and warming properties. This is why it is such a loved winter special treat.
How to Store Panjeeri for a Long Time
Let the panjiri cool fully. Then put it in an airtight container in a cool place or at room temperature. It usually has a shelf life of 1 to 2 months. Some versions last 4 to 6 weeks or 5 to 6 weeks. If it has less ghee, it may only last 2 to 3 weeks. You can also freeze extra batches and make fresh batches with batch cooking when needed.
Panjiri Health Benefits
Panjiri benefits, also called panjeeri benefits, come from the nut mixture, ghee, and whole grains. People search for benefits of panjeeri and panjiri health benefits because it:
- Helps the body with recovery and acts as a healing and strengthening food
- Is a strong postpartum food for a new mother
- Keeps the body warm in winters, making it a true hearty meal
- Gives natural energy, which is why some people search panjeeri benefits for male too, since nuts and seeds give protein and healthy fat to everyone, not just new moms
Panjeeri Calories and Weight Gain
Many people ask how many calories in panjeeri or just panjeeri calories. Since panjiri has ghee, nuts, and sugar, calories in panjeeri can be high per serving. This is why it is also used for panjeeri for weight gain, especially for people getting better after sickness or childbirth. Read more in the full article on how many calories in panjeeri.
Some people also want to know if panjiri is easy on the stomach. That topic is in a separate article: does panjeeri cause constipation.
Buying Panjeeri Instead of Making It at Home
Not everyone has time for slow roasting and constant stirring, especially a tired new mother during her 40 days of rest. That is why many families buy desi panjeeri instead of making it. Hafiz Wadood Halwa sells a trusted Desi Panjeeri (Panjeeri) made with pure desi ghee and good quality nuts. It is a great choice if you are looking for the best panjeeri in pakistan or a safe place to buy panjeeri online. If you want to know the panjeeri price in pakistan or more background, check the guide on what is panjiri.
If you want a recipe of panjeeri in urdu, many Pakistani and Indian cooking videos share a panjeeri recipe in urdu using the same steps shown above, just explained in Urdu.
