11 Different Modak Recipes You Must Try this Ganesh Chaturthi

The season of festivals has arrived and that simply means that you will be making and eating lots of sweets with your loved ones. Come August and September and the season of festivals beckons our heart, soul, and most importantly, our sweet tooth! If you are a Lord Ganesha devotee and celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, you must be looking to make a variety of modaks as a prasad. Well, we are here to share with you some delicious modak recipes that you can make during the 10-day Ganesh festival. But before we tell you how to make modaks of different types, first find out why Ganesh ji love modak so much.

As per legend, when the ‘devas’ came to visit Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati offered him a divine modak. This modak was quite special because the person who ate this modak would become knowledgeable in all scriptures, science, writing and art. And as the legend says, when asked the true meaning of devotion, Lord Ganesha said that devotion to parents is the ultimate form of devotion. Parvati, impressed with his answer offered this special modak to Lord Ganesh and this is the first time Bappa ate this sweet and loved it.

11 Delicious Modak Recipes to Try at Home

Here are 6 delicious varieties of modaks that are super easy to make, and rest assured, Ganpati Bappa loves them too!

1. Ukadiche/Steamed Modak

The traditional Maharashtrian prasad for Lord Ganesha, steamed modaks are nothing less than pure sweet bliss! These coconut and jaggery filled dumplings are everyone’s favourite during the festival. Not only do they look beautiful but taste delicious too. With this simple ukadiche modak recipe, you can make tasty steamed modaks at home.

Ingredients 

• Rice flour – 2 cups
• Jaggery (grated) – 1 1/2 cups
• Coconut (grated) – 2 cups
• Cardamon powder – 1/2 tsp – 1 tsp
• Ghee for kneading and greasing
• Water – 1-2 cups

Recipe 

1. Boil the water in a deep pan.
2. Take the rice flour in a deep bowl, and slowly add the boiled water to it, little at a time, and knead to a soft and smooth dough.
3. Cover with a lid and keep aside.
4. Meanwhile preparing the filling. For that, heat the jaggery on low flame in a non-stick pan for 2-3 minutes or until it melts completely.
5. To it, add the grated coconut and cardamom powder, and mix well.
6. Cook the above mix on low flame for 4-5 minutes or until the water evaporates completely. Once done, turn off the flame and allow it to cool.
7. Knead the dough once again and make small balls out of it.
8. Take one ball and roll it to the size of a poori. Place a spoonful of filling in the centre. Apply some milk with you fingertips around the circle and start pleating and seal from the top. Remove excess dough, if any. Keep aside.
9. Similarly, make more modaks.
10. Now for steaming the prepared modaks, bring 2 cups of water to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, grease the plate or basket with some ghee and place the modaks in it.
11. Steam these modaks for about 10 minutes.
12. Let cool, then offer as a prasad then serve!

2. Chocolate Modak

Chocolate modaks are a hit with kids and your children will love eating these modaks. A box of homemade chocolate modaks can also make the perfect Ganeshotsav gift! Quickly learn how to make chocolate modaks.

Ingredients

• A bar of dark chocolate (grated) – 1 cup
• Khoya(grated) – 2 cups
• Sugar – 1 cup
• Cardamom powder – ½  tsp
• Cinnamon powder – ½ tsp
• Ghee for greasing the moulds
• Thinly sliced almonds – ¼ cup

Recipe

1. Heat a pan on a low flame and add the grated khoya to it.
2. Stir the khoya until it starts melting. Add in the sugar and stir again.
3. Next, add the grated chocolate. Alternatively, you can use chocolate chips.
4. Keep stirring on a low flame to melt the chocolate.
5. The mixture should start thickening by now.
6. Sprinkle cardamom powder and cinnamon powder and give it a nice stir.
7. Continue stirring until the mixture starts leaving the edges of the pan.
8. Turn off the heat and transfer the mixture to a dish or bowl.
9. Let it cool; meanwhile, you can grease the modak moulds with ghee.
10. Make small balls from the mixture.
11. Place one ball in the modak mould and press its lid. After a few second, gently take it out from the mould and place it on a plate.
12. Repeat the above step with the remaining mixture.
13. Garnish the chocolate modak with the thinly sliced almonds.

3. Fried Modak

Just like steamed modak, fried modak too taste delicious. The filling of steamed and fried modak, remains the same. While most people prefer jaggery and coconut filling, if you want, you can make sugar and coconut filling too! Here’s a simple recipe for fried modak with sugar and grated coconut filling that you can make during the Ganesh festival.

Ingredients 

For the modak

• Flour (maida/wheat flour) – 1 cup
• Ghee – 2 tbsp
• A pinch of salt (optional)
• Oil for deep frying
• Warm water

For the stuffing 

• Sugar – 1/2 cup
• Coconut (grated) – 1 cup
• Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Recipe

1. Start with preparing the stuffing. Heat the sugar with water in a deep saucepan. Once the sugar dissolves completely, add the coconut and cardamom powder, and mix well.
2. Let it cook on low flame for about 4-5 minutes or until the water evaporates completely.
3. Take the flour in a mixing bowl, add ghee to it and mix well. Then slowly add water, and knead to a soft dough.
4. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.
5. Make small balls from the dough and keep aside. Take one ball, and roll it the size of a poori.
6. Grease the edge of the rolled out dough with some milk. Place one spoonful of filling in the centre and start pleating, then bring all the pleats together and seal on top. Remove the excess dough on top.
7. Similarly, make more
8. Now for frying, heat some oil in a deep frying pan. Once the oil is hot, drop 4-5 modaks, gently in the oil, one at a time, and fry them until lightly golden.
9. Your fried modaks are ready!

4. Diet Modak

If you are health conscious and do not wish to break your resolve by indulging in sweets, then we have something for you as well! The best part about these modaks is that you do not need to compromise on the taste, but you can significantly cut down on calories. Modaks, are a must-have, whether you’re dieting or not, so here you go, try these diet modaks.

Ingredients 

• Jowar flour – 2 cups
• Chopped dates – 1 cup
• Freshly grated coconut – 1 cup
• Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp
• Chopped almonds – 1 tbsp
• Chopped cashew nuts – 1 tbsp
• A pinch of salt (optional)
• Ghee – 1-2 tsp

Recipe

1. Dry roast the sesame seeds until light brown and let it cool. Once cool, pulse to a fine powder.
2. Grind the chopped dates to a paste, using little water if needed. Mix together the dates paste, sesame powder, freshly grated coconut, chopped almonds and chopped cashew nuts. Combine well – your filling is ready!
3. To make the dough, take the jowar flour in a mixing bowl, add the ghee, and mix well. Add water, little by little, to knead a soft and smooth dough.
4. Cover with a muslin cloth and keep aside for 10-15 minutes.
5. Make small balls from the dough. Take one ball, and roll it out. Place some filling in the centre.
6. Start pleating the edges seal from the top. Similarly, make more modaks.
7. Preheat a steamer with enough water for 10 minutes.
8. Grease the idli moulds with little ghee and place the prepared modaks in them.
9. Steam the modaks in the idli steamer for 10-15 minutes, then turn off the flame.
10. Allow them to cool then serve hot!
11. You can use flour that you prefer to make healthy and tasty modaks.

5. Mawa/Khoya Modak

The rich taste and texture of khoya take modaks to simply another level. They are fairly simple to make and easy to mould. These modaks are largely popular as the prasad used during Ganpati puja. What’s more is that you can experiment with shape, size and flavours. You can also turn this khoya modak into another sweet called ‘peda’.

Ingredients

• Mawa (khoya) – 2 cups
• Sugar – 1/2 cup
• Chopped almonds – 1 tbsp
• Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
• Milk – 1 tbsp

Recipe 

1. Crumble the khoya and heat it with sugar in a deep non-stick pan.
2. Cook the mixture on high flame for about a minute, stirring continuously.
3. Reduce the flame to medium, and cook the mixture for about 5-6 minutes.
4. Turn off the flame, then transfer the mixture in a bowl, and keep aside for 4-5 hours.
5. Crumble the khoya with your fingertips then add the chopped almonds and cardamom powder, and mix again. Add a tbsp of milk, if required.
6. Grease a modak mould with little ghee.
7. Take a small ball from the khoya mixture, place it on one side of the modak mould and close the modak mould tightly.
8. Then demould the modak.
9. Similarly, make more khoya modaks.

6. Mango Modak

Mango modak are quite popular with kids, and we’re sure you’d love to try these and enjoy them with your family members. The recipe of the mango modak is similar to that of khoya modak, you just need to add mango pulp to it. Here’s a quick recipe of the same. Add a touch of variety to your plate of sweets and include these unique and tasty modaks as an offering to Ganpati Bappa this Ganesh chaturthi.

Ingredients

• Crumbled khoya – 1 cup
• Mango pulp – 1/2 cup
• Sugar – 1/2 cup
• Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
• Ghee – 1 tsp

Recipe

1. Dry roast the khoya for 2 minutes then add sugar to it and combine well.
2. Keep stirring continuously and 4-5 minutes, then add the mango pulp.
3. Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Next, add the cardamom powder and give it a good mix.
5. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until thick.
6. Turn off the flame and allow the mixture to cool.
7. Grease a modakmould with little Place some mango modak mixture on one side of the modak mould and close the mould tightly.
8. Then demould the modak. Similarly, you can make more mango modaksat home.

7. Savoury Modak

When your taste buds long for something salty and spicy after relishing all the sweets during the Ganpati festival, this can be your go-to savoury.

Ingredients 

• Rice flour: 1/2 cup
• Tapioca flour: 1.5 Tsp
• Water: As required
• Vegetable oil: 3 tbsp
• Salt: As per taste
• Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves: one sprig
• Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Green peas: 4-5 tbsp
• Green chillies (chopped): 2-3 tbsp
• Garam masala: 1/4^th tsp
• Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
• Carrot (grated): 1/4^th cup
• French beans (chopped): 1/4 cup

How to Make 

1. Mix the rice flour and tapioca flour and pour a 1/4^th cup of hot water. Knead dough.
2. Then in a kadhai add 1 tbsp of oil. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds to it.
3. Then throw in the curry leaves and stir for a few seconds.
4. Add the grated carrot, peas, French beans turmeric powder and salt. Give it a good stir and let it cook for 5-6 minutes.
5. Once done, keep it aside to cool down.
6. Grease your palms with a little oil and water.
7. Make small balls from the rice flour dough and flatten it with the palms of your hand.
8. Place a spoonful of the mixture and seal it in the shape of a modak.
9. Once you have stuffed in all the modaks with the mixture, steam them in a steamer for 6-8 minutes.

8. Rawa Modak 

This modak recipe prepared with a delicious mix of grated coconut and jaggery is sure to get your taste buds tingling!

Ingredients 

• Fine Rawa (Semolina): 7 cups
• Grated coconut: 7 cups
• Jaggery (powdered): 6 cups
• Water: 8 – 9 cups
• Green cardamoms (powdered): 20 Nos.
• Salt: as required

How to Make 

1. In a non-stick kadhai, mix the powdered jaggery and grated coconut over low flame.
2. Cook the mixture until the jaggery melts and becomes dry but do not overcook.
3. Keep it aside to cool down.
4. In the meanwhile, boil the water well and add semolina to it.
5. Stir it and mix well.
6. Keep it over a low flame for 5-6 minutes stirring it continuously so that the rawa does not thicken nor gets burnt at the bottom.
7. Once the semolina is well cooked, turn off the stove and put a lid on the pan for another 5 minutes.
8. Then apply some oil in your palms and knead dough out of the cooked semolina.
9. Once done, take small round balls from the dough and flatten then them with your palms.
10. Put a spoonful of the jaggery-coconut mix and seal them up in the shape of modak.
11. Place them in a place and they are ready to be served.

9. Dry Fruit Modak

This modak recipe is a mouth-watering mix of dry fruits.

Ingredients

• Dates: 1 cup
• Almonds: 1/4th cup
• Cashew nuts: 1/4th cup
• Walnuts: 1/4th cup
• Raisins: 1/4th cup
• Dry coconut: 1/4th cup
• Poppy seeds: 2-3 Tbsp.
• Ghee: 2-3

How to Make

1. Chop all the dry fruits and dry roast the nuts.
2. Then roast the coconut pieces and poppy seeds separately.
3. Then pour ghee and add the raisins and dates; keep on stirring until the mix becomes thick and sticks to each other.
4. Grind the poppy seeds, nuts and dry coconut coarsely.
5. Take it out in a plate and grind the raisin-date mixture.
6. Mix the two together in the pan nicely so that the dry fruits stick to the raisin-date mixture, stirring continuously.
7. Remove it from heat and shape it into modaks using a mould.

10. Kesar Modak

The Kesar and coconut combination tastes divine.

Ingredients

• Rice flour: 250 grams
• Water: 200 ml
• Salt: Pinch
• Ghee: 2 Tsp.
• Coconut (grated): 200 grams
• Jaggery (grated): 200 grams
• Green cardamom powder: 1 Tsp.
• Cashew nut (roasted & broken into small pieces): 7-8
• Raisins: 15-20
• Saffron: 1 gram

How to Make

1. Boil water in a saucepan with salt, ghee and kesar in it.
2. Add the rice flour and stir.
3. Then switch off the stove and put a lid.
4. In a kadhai, put 1 Tsp. of ghee and add cardamom powder, coconut, raisins, cashew nuts and jaggery to it.
5. Cook it until the jaggery melts and the moisture in the jaggery dries up.
6. Flatten out small balls of the dough, put the filling and seal them.
7. Grease the steamer and cook the modaks.

11. Cottage Cheese Modak

This super-delicious modak is different in taste and flavour from the rest.

Ingredients

• Paneer (grated): 1 cup
• Onion (chopped): ½ cup
• Tomato (chopped): 1/4th cup
• Green chillies (chopped): 2-3 Tbsp.
• Cumin seeds: ½ Tsp.
• Red chilli powder: 1 Tsp.
• Turmeric powder: ½ Tsp.
• Garam masala (powder): 1/4th Tsp.
• Coriander leaves (chopped): 2-3 Tbsp.
• Rice flour: 1 cup
• Oil: 2 Tsp.
• Salt: to taste
• Water: 2 cups

How to Make

1. Add salt to boiling water and slowly add the rice flour.
2. Switch off the stove and cover it with a lid.
3. After 5-6 minutes, knead the dough with it.
4. In a kadhai, pour oil, add cumin seeds and fry the onions until light brown.
5. Then add the green chillies, tomatoes.
6. Add all the masala, salt, paneer and coriander.
7. Flatten the rice flour balls with your palms; place the filling at the centre and seal the modak.
8. Steam the modaks.

Festivities are a great way to bond with your loved ones. Try these easy to make modak recipes at home this Ganesh Chaturthi and enjoy them with your close one. May Ganpati Bappa bring health and prosperity in your lives!

Also Read:

Gift Ideas for Ganesh Chaturthi
How to Decorate Your Home for Ganesh Chaturthi