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Easy Homemade Recipe for Making Modak For Ganesh Chaturthi (2 Recipes)
Modak is a traditional sweet dish made of rice flour and coconut. It is traditionally served during the Hindu festival of Ganesh Chaturthi as Lord Ganesha’s favorite food.
The dish is typically steamed and served with a sweetened coconut filling.
Ganesh Chaturthi is a major Hindu festival celebrated in honor of Lord Ganesha. Festivals commemorate the arrival of Lord Ganesh from Kailash Parvat with his mother, Goddess Parvati/Gauri.
To know more about the festival, read Ganesh Chaturthi Dates Start and End Date, Ganesh Visarjan, Ganesh Chaturthi Quotes
It usually lasts for 10 days and is observed throughout India. On the festival’s last day, large processions are held to immerse Lord Ganesha’s idol in water.
Modak and Ganesh Chaturthi are intimately linked, as the sweet dish is considered to be Lord Ganesha’s favorite food. The festival is therefore an ideal time to enjoy this delicious treat!
In the days leading up to Ganesh Chaturthi, many shops begin to sell modak moulds. It is convenient to buy them online at Amazon.in or Amazon.com.
Chef’s Note: I use the DS Ganpati Plastic Modak and Chocolate Mould 4 Size Combo to make my homemade modaks. I could make 5 Jumbo modaks, 5 Medium modaks, 7 small modaks and 20 miniature modaks. I could male total 37 modaks from this recipe and these moulds. I have doubled the ingredients list that I have given below for making these 37 modaks at one go.
If you are a beginner, you can either make the half-moon shape yourself or buy the moulds.
You’ll need quite a bit of time and patience to make the modak recipe, especially if you don’t have the right texture of rice dough.
Homemade modak can be improved through practice. There is a lot of patience and effort involved in preparing modak recipe.
It is good if you have the modak moulds. They make the stuffing work easier.
Homemade Recipe for Making Modak For Ganesh Chaturthi- Recipe 1

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Shaping Modak: 40 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins
Cuisine: Indian, Maharashtrian
Course: Sweets
Author: Ranjeeta Nath Ghai
Ingredients:
- 1 cup rice flour
- ½ ltr water/milk
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 cup grated coconut
- ½ cup jaggery, grated or 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- ¼ tsp grated nutmeg/jaiphal
- ½ tsp poppy seeds (khus khus) – optional
- ½ cup Ghee or oil
- 5 almonds sliced thinly
- 5 cashews sliced thinly
- 37 raisins (one for each modak)
Method for Making Sweet Stuffing (Puran):
- In a large bowl, take the grated jaggery, add grated coconut, mix well and set aside.
- In a small pan, dry roast poppy seeds and keep it ready.
- Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a frying pan; add cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, and poppy seeds. Fry for a few seconds.
- Add the jaggery-coconut mixture, mix everything well and keep stirring on medium to low heat.
- Initially, it’ll be hard like a lump, then it’ll soften up. Keep stirring till you see the mixture become a little thicker than before… it’ll be visibly reduced and slightly start to leave sides.
- Close the gas, Shift the modak stuffing to a plate, and set it aside.
- Gently spread out the stuffing with a butter knife a little so that it’ll cool off faster. This way, you’ll not burn your fingers when you stuff the modak moulds or shape them by hand.
Method for Making Outer Shell (Modak):
- Combine the rice flour, water, salt and oil in a large bowl and mix well to make a soft dough.
- Knead the dough continuously til it is smooth. To make the dough less sticky, add a little more flour; to make it moister, add a little more water.
- Make 12-16 equal portions of the dough.
- Grease your hands with oil and take one portion of the dough. Create a ball out of it and then flatten it out.
- Place the grated coconut and jaggery in the center of the flattened dough.
- Bring up the edges of the dough and pleat them, so that they come together at the top to form a modak shape.
- Repeat this process with the remaining dough and filling ingredients.
- Steam the modaks in a steamer or idli cooker for 10-12 minutes.
- Serve hot or cold, as desired. Enjoy!
Alternate Method for Making Outer Shell (Modak Without Steaming): Recipe 2
- Put ghee in the kadhai and add the rice flour.
- On the parallel gas stove, boil the milk on high flame till it is reduced to half its quality.
- Keep stirring the rice flour continuously on medium to low heat till it changes colour from white to off-white/beige/very light brown.
- Once done then switch off the heat and keep stirring till the vessel cools down a little so that the rice flour doesn’t burn.
- Add the reduced milk in the kadhai and mix well and allow it to cool down to a level where you can knead the mixture with your hands.
- Knead well. If it is crumbly, add a little hot milk to it in small quantities till it binds well.
- Now, the dough is ready to be put into the mould.
- Grease the mould once before adding the dough to line it.
- Add the modak filling.
- Press the mould well, and your modak is ready to eat. No steaming is required as the rice is cooked well.
- It is ready to be served to our beloved Ganesha and eaten with devotion.
Important Note
Please refrain from tasting the stuffing or dough if you are making the recipe as prasad or naivedyam.
A delicious modak prasad that is prepared with the utmost care, love, and devotion is sure to enrich everyone’s being in subtle ways. Prepare the food in a clean, hygienic manner using clean utensils and good-quality ingredients.
How to Make a Perfect Modak: Expert Tips

- One of the trickiest parts of making modak is getting the right texture in the rice dough. Dry dough will be difficult to shape and the resulting texture will be chewy and dense after steaming.
- I have shared two ways: one is the steaming method, and the other is a much simpler yet tasty instant method. I prefer the second method as it is time-saving.
- Using milk instead of water makes the modak softer to chew.
- It works perfectly for a smooth, soft dough when I use rice flour and water in proportion. You may be required to add more or less water/milk depending on the texture of the rice flour.
- If the stuffing is overcooked, the jaggery will become hard and chewy. You can correct this by adding a few tablespoons of hot water to the mixture and stirring well.
- By heating the jaggery, the hard consistency will be broken down and the softness will be achieved. The mixture can even be cooked on low heat with a sprinkle of water until it becomes soft.
- In the absence of water, the dough will become dry and crack. When you shape the dough with too much oil or ghee, it will tear.
- Make sure the dough is not too thin or too thick when it is flattened. If the dough is thin, it will tear while shaping, and if it is thick, the dough will not taste good and take longer to cook.
- You can also use store-bought rice flour to make this dish.
- If you are using jaggery in syrup form, make sure to add it to the grated coconut mixture while it is still warm, so that it melts easily.
- To get perfectly shaped modaks, you can use modak molds or simply shape them by hand.
- You can also deep fry the modaks instead of steaming them. However, this will make them less healthy.
- If you want to make vegan modaks, you can use jaggery syrup instead of ghee in the stuffing mixture. You can substitute oil instead of ghee for frying the aromatic spices.

I hope you enjoy this delicious and easy-to-make Modak recipe! Let me know how it goes. Happy cooking!
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Quick Overview

Recipe Name: Homemade Recipe for Making Modak For Ganesh Chaturthi
Author: Ranjeeta Nath Ghai
Description: Modak is a traditional sweet dish made of rice flour and coconut. It is traditionally served during the Hindu festival of Ganesh Chaturthi as Lord Ganesha's favorite food.
Preperation time: 50M
Cook Time: 30M
Total Time: 1H20M
Type: Dessert/Prasad/Sweets
Recipe Yield: 16 modaks
Recipe Ingredients: 1 cup rice flour, ½ cup water, ¼ tsp salt, 1 tbsp oil, 1 cup grated coconut, 1- ¾ cup jaggery, grated or in syrup form, 1 tsp cardamom powder, ¼ tsp grated nutmeg/jaiphal, ½ tsp poppy seeds (khus khus) – optional, ½ tsp Ghee or oil, 1 tbsp Rice Flour ,
Recipe Instructions: Method for Making Sweet Stuffing (Puran):1. In a large bowl, take the grated jaggery, add grated coconut, mix well and set aside. 2. In a small pan, dry roast poppy seeds and keep it ready. 3. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a frying pan; add cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, poppy seeds and fry for few seconds. 4. Add this to the jaggery-coconut mixture, mix everything well and set it aside.Method for Making Outer Shell (Modak):1. Combine the rice flour, water, salt and oil in a large bowl and mix well to make a soft dough. 2. Knead the dough continuously til it is smooth. To make the dough less sticky, add a little more flour; to make it more moist, add a little more water. 3. Make 12-16 equal portions of the dough. 4. Grease your hands with oil and take one portion of the dough. Create a ball out of it and then flatten it out. 5. Place the grated coconut and jaggery in the center of the flattened dough. 6. Bring up the edges of the dough and pleat them, so that they come together at the top to form a modak shape. 7. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and filling ingredients. 8. Steam the modaks in a steamer or idli cooker for 10-12 minutes. 9. Serve hot or cold, as desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Cuisine: Indian/Maharashtrian
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User Review
( votes)( reviews)
The time has come to prepare Ganapati Bappa’s favorite sweet. I am not a big fan of Steamed Modal. In Maharashtra, we call it Ukadiche Modak. I make fried version for Ganapati every year.
I like to eat them cooked both ways. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Whoa! Right recipe dropping at right time 😍 honestly I cant wait for this festival because I just love Modak. We prepare steamed one at our place called ‘ukadiche Modak’ in marathi and they taste delicious.
Thank you so much for your feedback and Happy Ganesh Chaturthi in advance
A very timely recipe of Modak, considering that Ganesh Chaturthi is almost here. I really like the steamed variant of Modak, that you have written about as opposed to the deep-fried one. This one is a more healthy alternative.
I am glad you enjoyed the article. Thank you so much for your feedback. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi in advance.
Will you trust me Ranjeeta if I say I was expecting this modak post from you? I know how to make it and have the moulds with me but not sure why this lazy soul dont even end up making it. I make many other sweets and people say i make it really well… now you again gave me a boost to do it finally. Thanks dear for inspiring me with your modak post. Ganapati Bappa Mourya !
HAHAHA… that is so sweet of you to say so. I am glad you enjoyed the article. I would love to taste your modaks when you make them. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi in advance.
This is a very timely recipe. Ganesh Chaturthi is almost here and it is not complete without the traditional Modaks. I like this recipe for steamed modaks as it is much healthier than the fried ones.
I am glad you enjoyed the article. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Wow this recipe looks really yummy. Thanks for sharing it at the right time. I will definately going to try this modak recipe at home and surprise my family this Ganesh Chaturthi. Thanks once again.
I am glad you enjoyed the article. Thank you so much for your feedback. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi in advance.
We love eating modak in Ganesh Chathurthi. This recipe looks really so easy to make. I will like to try it too.
I am glad you enjoyed the article. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Happy ganesh Chathurthi
The modals look amazing in the picture
The recipe is super precise and easy and in step to step manner
Loved it
Thank you so much for your feedback. Happy Ganesh Chathurthi
Very nice post. Never tried this, sounds really yummy and also easy to make. Will defintely try it, thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Thank you so much for your feedback. Happy Ganesh Chathurthi
This looks so yummy and too cute to eat! haha… It could easily look like a Christmas tree with a bit of decor into it. I enjoyed reading this article. Appreciate you sharing this great recipe with us.
Thank you so much for your feedback. Happy Ganesh Chathurthi
I love this festival and the way it is celebrated in our country. I have never tried modaks and wasn’t aware that they are made of rice flour. Thanks you sharing this recipe of steamed modaks ,I would love to try them. Also, I like dishes that includes coconut. 😛
Thank you so much for your feedback. Happy Ganesh Chathurthi
Woww!
Hello,
I was thinking about to make modak on this Ganesh chaturthi. Your recipe came on right time. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. I will make it today.
Thank you so much for your feedback. Happy Ganesh Chathurthi
It’s such a co-incidence, I have Ganpati Bappa at home and I just had his favourite sweet – Modak. Your recipe is perfect we follow the same.
Thank you so much for your feedback. Happy Ganesh Chathurthi
I am a great sweet lover 😍and the title already grabbed my attention to the blog, thank you for the easy and quick recipe.
Thank you so much for your feedback. Happy Ganesh Chathurthi
cindydsilva@outlook.com
Looks easy and and I’m sure you have enjoyed it for the festival this time. We don’t make sweets at home unless I feel like. Hehehe!
Thank you for your feedback. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to you and your family.
Yummy Yummy
Ganesh Chaturthi is incomplete with “Modak”, Your detailed recipe will help both beginners and those who want to inculcate tips and can refine the making process. Too yum recipe and yes i will have half a dozen of those at a shot 🙂
Thank you for your feedback. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to you and your family.
Whipping up these Modaks is like creating a sweet masterpiece! The joy of shaping each one, with its delightful filling snugly embraced by tender rice flour, is a true culinary adventure. A delectable treat for all the senses!
Thank you for your feedback. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to you and your family.
Loved it
We don’t celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in Kerala but I have always been enticed by the festival and Modak. Thanks for the recipe. I am surely going to try this one
Thank you for your feedback. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to you and your family.