Ekadashi Food List: What You Can and Cannot Eat
A practical Ekadashi food list: which phalahar foods are permitted, why grains and beans are traditionally avoided, and how customs vary by region and family.
A practical Ekadashi food list: which phalahar foods are permitted, why grains and beans are traditionally avoided, and how customs vary by region and family.
Quick answer: On Ekadashi many devotees avoid grains and beans and eat phalahar (fasting food) such as fruit, milk, potatoes, sabudana (tapioca), samak (barnyard millet), rajgira (amaranth) and nuts. Customs vary by region, family and sampradaya, and the depth of the fast is a personal choice made in devotion to Vishnu.
Ekadashi is observed on the eleventh lunar day (tithi) of each fortnight and is traditionally dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Alongside prayer, japa and reading or listening to the Vishnu Sahasranama, many devotees mark the day with a simple fast. One of the most common questions is what may and may not be eaten. This guide lays out the traditional Ekadashi food list, explains the reasoning behind it, and notes that practices differ from region to region and from family to family — all of these variations are equally valid.
The core idea in most traditions is to keep the day light and sattvic, avoiding grains and beans and turning instead to phalahar — literally "fruit food." Some devotees keep a strict nirjala (waterless) fast, some take only fruit and milk, and others eat one simple phalahar meal. There is no single correct level; the fast is a personal act of devotion, and you should choose what your body and circumstances allow.
- Occurs on: Ekadashi tithi — 11th lunar day, twice a month
- Dedicated to: Lord Vishnu
- Core practice: Avoid grains and beans; eat phalahar (fasting food)
- Common phalahar: Fruit, milk, potatoes, sabudana, samak, rajgira, nuts
- Fast levels: Nirjala, fruit-and-milk, or one phalahar meal
- Parana: Fast broken on Dwadashi after sunrise — confirm the local window from a panchang
What you can eat on Ekadashi (phalahar)
Phalahar foods are those traditionally considered suitable when grains and pulses are set aside. The exact list a family follows can vary, but the items below are widely accepted across North and South Indian households.
| Food | Typical use on Ekadashi |
|---|---|
| Fresh and dried fruit | Eaten freely; a mainstay of a light fast |
| Milk, curd, buttermilk, paneer | Common; many keep a fruit-and-milk fast |
| Potato, sweet potato, arbi (colocasia) | Boiled, roasted or lightly fried |
| Sabudana (tapioca pearls) | Khichdi, kheer or vada — a very popular phalahar |
| Samak / barnyard millet (sama, moraiyo) | Cooked like rice or as khichdi; a grain substitute |
| Rajgira (amaranth), singhara (water chestnut) flour | Rotis, puris, sheera and ladoos |
| Nuts and dry fruit | Peanuts, almonds, cashews, raisins, makhana |
| Rock salt (sendha namak) | Used in place of table salt |
| Ghee, sugar, jaggery, honey | For cooking and sweets |
Why grains and beans are avoided
In tradition, grains such as rice and wheat and pulses such as dal, chana and rajma are set aside on Ekadashi. Various explanations are offered: some texts describe Ekadashi as a day when heavier grain-based foods are considered less sattvic and more binding, and the fast is meant to keep the mind light and turned toward the Divine. Rather than a rule about nutrition, it is understood as a spiritual discipline. Because interpretations differ across sampradayas, follow the custom your family or guru observes.
What is traditionally avoided
- pGrains — rice, wheat, semolina, maida, oats, corn and millets other than samak
- pPulses and beans — dal of all kinds, chana, rajma, moong, besan (gram flour)
- pRegular table salt — many use rock salt (sendha namak) instead
- pOnion and garlic — commonly avoided as they are considered non-sattvic
- pCertain vegetables — some families also avoid cauliflower, brinjal and mushrooms
- pNon-vegetarian food, alcohol and tamasic items — avoided across traditions
Regional and family differences
Customs vary widely. In many South Indian homes the emphasis is on a simpler upavasa with fruit, milk and perhaps a single light meal, while sabudana khichdi and rajgira preparations are especially popular in Maharashtra, Gujarat and North India. Some families permit potatoes and sabudana; stricter observers take only water and fruit; a few keep a full nirjala fast, particularly on major Ekadashis. What one household treats as permitted, another may avoid — and both are following valid tradition.
How to break the fast (parana)
The fast is traditionally broken the next morning during the Dwadashi tithi, after sunrise and within a prescribed window. Because parana time is computed from your local sunrise, it differs by city and date, so exact clock times should always be confirmed from a reliable local panchang. The first food is usually simple and sattvic.
- pComplete your morning prayers and, where observed, offer food to Vishnu before eating.
- pBreak the fast during the Dwadashi parana window — check the exact local time in your panchang.
- pBegin with something light such as fruit, tulsi water or a small sattvic meal.
- pReturn to normal grains and pulses only after parana is done.
A plain note on health: fasting on Ekadashi is a devotional choice, not a health or weight-loss practice. Anyone with a medical condition, and anyone who is pregnant, nursing, elderly or unwell, should consult a doctor and need not fast — devotion can equally be offered through prayer, japa and listening to the Vishnu Sahasranama.
Related reading
- p[object Object]
- p[object Object]
- p[object Object]
- p[object Object]
- p[object Object]
- p[object Object]
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I eat rice on Ekadashi?
No — rice, like other grains, is traditionally avoided on Ekadashi. Samak (barnyard millet), though cooked like rice, is a grain substitute that many families do permit as phalahar. Customs vary, so follow what your family observes.
Is sabudana allowed on Ekadashi?
Yes, in most traditions sabudana (tapioca pearls) is a popular phalahar food, eaten as khichdi, kheer or vada. Some very strict observers who take only fruit and milk may skip it, so it depends on the level of fast you keep.
Can I eat potatoes on Ekadashi?
In most households potatoes, sweet potatoes and arbi are permitted and are commonly boiled, roasted or lightly fried. A few stricter families avoid them, so check your own family custom.
Why are grains and beans avoided on Ekadashi?
Tradition treats grains and pulses as heavier and less sattvic for a fasting day meant to keep the mind light and turned toward Vishnu. It is understood as a spiritual discipline rather than a nutritional rule, and explanations differ across sampradayas.
Can I drink milk and tea on Ekadashi?
Milk, curd and buttermilk are widely accepted on Ekadashi, and many keep a fruit-and-milk fast. Tea or coffee made with milk is a matter of personal and family custom; those keeping a strict nirjala fast avoid all food and drink.
What salt is used on Ekadashi?
Regular table salt is traditionally avoided; rock salt (sendha namak) is used instead in phalahar cooking. This is one of the most consistent customs across regions.
Do I have to keep a waterless (nirjala) fast?
No. Nirjala is only one level of observance. Many take fruit and milk, or a single light phalahar meal. The fast is a personal act of devotion, and you should choose a level that suits your body and circumstances.
Is Ekadashi fasting safe for everyone?
Fasting on Ekadashi is a devotional choice, not a health practice. Anyone with a medical condition, and anyone pregnant, nursing, elderly or unwell, should consult a doctor and need not fast — devotion can be offered through prayer and japa instead.