Roasted Makhana (also known as fox nuts or lotus seeds) make for a deliciously crunchy and addictive, yet healthy snack.
And this masala makhana / flavoured makhana recipe uses only a handful of spices, and takes only 10 minutes to make a yummy and healthy snack.
You must have heard of the idiom ‘sweet tooth’, right? Usually used to refer to someone who has a strong craving or fondness for sweet foods.
I have what you’d call a salty tooth. Now I don’t know whether that’s an actual thing / idiom. But it is a thing for me. My weakness is not sugar, but all the crispy crunchy snacks! I am low-key addicted to those. Even when I know that 99% of those snacks are not good for me, especially when I can’t resist them to eat them in moderation.
Which is why when I came across roasted makhana, it was like a Godsend! It was crispy, crunchy, delicious AND healthy! A relative rarity!
Also, it’s pretty simple and quick to make, using only a handful of spices, that are usually always stocked in the Indian pantry, and under 10 minutes of time.
Of-course you can alter the spices based on your preference, to adapt it to your tastebuds.
Jump to:
What is Makhana
Makhana also known as fox nuts / lotus seeds / phool makhana, come from a plant called Euryale Fox, and have been consumed in the Indian subcontinent since centuries.
They’ve even had a prominent place in the science of Ayurveda, and have been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
Health Benefits of Makhana
- Makhana is a good source of protein and fibre, and low in cholesterol, fat & sodium, which makes it an ideal healthy snack to satisfy the hunger pangs between meals.
- It’s rich in antioxidants that can help shield us against inflammation and chronic disease.
- Makhana seeds have also been found to be beneficial to those suffering from heart diseases, high blood pressure, and obesity due to their high magnesium and low sodium content.
- They are also recommended to diabetics because of their low glycemic index.
- Ayurvedic beliefs have also found the astringent properties of fox nuts to reduce kidney problems.
Makhana Recipes
Makhana as an ingredient in recipes is pretty versatile. It has a pretty neutral taste, so it easily takes on the flavors that are added to it.
They can be eaten raw, dry roasted, or roasted in ghee. Ghee roasted makhana make for a delicious and healthy snack, and that’s the recipe I’ll share today.
But makhanas can also be used to make makhana bhel, makhana kheer, makhana curry etc ( well Indians can make a curry from anything, but this is delicious).
Here’s my go-to recipe for making ghee roasted makhana..
Ingredients You Need
Ingredient notes
You can choose to simply dry roast makhana (like I mentioned above) or roast makhana in ghee and season it with salt. It will still make for a delicious snack.
But using these desi spices to flavor it will make this roasted makhana snack much more flavorful!
How to Make Roasted Makhana Snack
- In a wide flat pan, add 2-3 tablespoon ghee, and lightly heat it up for about 30 seconds or so on medium low flame.
And it’s best to use a wide flat pan, that is wide enough to ensure all of the makhana touches the base of the pan. This helps the makhana get evenly roaasted. This particular Hexclad pan of mine (which btw I LOVE!) fits 3 cups of makhana, so that’s the batch size I go with. - In a small bowl, mix together – ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder, ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder, ¼ teaspoon coriander powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and ⅛ teaspoon cumin powder, and add these spice powders to ghee, and mix everything together.
It’s best to pre-mix the spice powders and add them together, so that the spices you add first don’t start getting burnt, as you add the other spices. And I usually pre-mix these spices before I even start heating up the ghee. - Let the spice powders get lightly roasted, for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on medium low flame.
Some recipes call for roasting makhana in ghee and adding the spices at the end. And you can definitely add salt at the end. But I’ve found that if we even lightly roast the spice powders for a bit before adding the makhana, it elevates the flavor of roasted makhana.
- When the spices have been lightly roasted in ghee, add 3 cups of makhana to this, and mix it in, ensuring to coat all of the makhana with flavored ghee.
This will take a couple of minutes. - Then roast the makhana on medium flame for about 5-7 minutes, till they get well roasted, ensuring to keep moving the makhana around as they get roasted, to ensure an even roast.
The best way to check if the makhana is roasted or not is by eating a couple of them. Roasted makhana will not be chewy like raw makhana, and have a light crunch.
Notes / Variations
You can air fry makhana too, but I personally don’t find it worth the hassle to get the air fryer out, and then later clean the air fryer basket, all for roasting makhana, which is just as easily done on the stovetop.
Storing Makhana / Shelf Life
Makhana has a very good shelf life, and it can last months, when stored properly, in a an air tight glass container.
However we have never been able to test the shelf life of roasted makhana at our place, because it usually gets over the same day, or sometimes if I make multiple batches to store, then it lasts a maximum of 2-3 days, before we gobble it up. Because it’s that much of a universal favorite in my home, loved by the two adults & kid alike. 🙂
Serving Suggestion
We usually have makhana for snacks with tea, and with milk for the kid. But you can have a bowl of makhana as is as a healthy snack.
Popular snack recipes to try..
⭐️ Sabudana Vada – 3 Ways
⭐️ Idli Fry – using Leftover Idlis
⭐️ Indian style Guacamole
As always, I hope you found this recipe useful. If you did, please let me know your rating ⭐️ and feedback 📲 in the comments below, or simply rate the recipe right on the recipe card. I’d really appreciate it. ❤️
📖 RECIPE
Roasted Makhana Recipe | Masala Makhana
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cup makhana (fox nuts / lotus seeds)
- 2-3 tablespoon ghee
Spices for flavoring
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ¼ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cumin powder
Instructions
- In a wide flat pan (see notes), add 3 tablespoon ghee, and lightly heat it up for about 30 seconds or so on medium low flame.
- In a small bowl, mix together – ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder, ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder, ¼ teaspoon coriander powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and ⅛ teaspoon cumin powder. Then add the spice powders to ghee, and mix everything together. It's best to pre-mix the spice powders & add them together, to get all of them evenly roasted, and not burn them.
- Let the spice powders get lightly roasted, for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on medium low flame.
- Then add 3 cups of makhana to this, and mix it in, ensuring to coat all of the makhana with flavored ghee. This will take 1-2 minutes.
- Roast the makhana on medium flame for about 5-7 minutes, till they get well roasted, ensuring to keep moving the makhana around as they get roasted, to ensure an even roast.
- Eat a couple of makhanas to check if they are well roasted. Roasted makhana will not be chewy like raw makhana, and have a light crunch.
Notes
- It’s best to use a wide flat pan, that is wide enough to ensure all of the makhana touches the base of the pan. This helps the makhana get evenly roaasted.
- Some recipes call for roasting makhana in ghee and adding the spices at the end. And you can definitely add salt at the end. But I’ve found that if we even lightly roast the spice powders for a bit before adding the makhana, it elevates the flavor of roasted makhana.
- You can air fry makhana too, but I personally don’t find it worth the hassle to get the air fryer out, and then later clean the air fryer basket, all for roasting makhana, which is just as easily done on the stovetop.
Nutrition
Video Recipe
If you’d like FREE recipes and meal prep ideas delivered directly to your email inbox every Friday in one short email, then subscribe to the Foodie Friday list HERE, and never run out of ideas on what to cook over the weekend or prep for the week ahead. 🙂
Leave a Reply