Educational information only. This article is not medical advice and is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition. Talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing how you eat, especially if you take medication or have a health condition.
Kitchari recipe (serves 4)
To make kitchari, simmer 1 cup split yellow mung beans and ½ cup basmati rice with ghee, ginger, and warming spices in 6 cups of water until soft and porridge-like, about 35 minutes. It is a mild one-pot meal that Ayurveda traditionally uses when people want simple food. The timings below are untested estimates until we have cooked it ourselves; adjust to your pot and stove.
Yield: 4 servings (about 6 cups) Prep time: 10 minutes (plus optional 30-minute soak) Cook time: 35 minutes Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup split yellow mung beans (moong dal), rinsed until the water runs mostly clear
- ½ cup white basmati rice, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon black or brown mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground fennel
- ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing), optional
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- 6 cups water
- 1 cup chopped vegetables, such as zucchini, carrot, or spinach (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lemon, to finish
Instructions
- Rinse and soak. Rinse the mung beans and rice together in a fine strainer. If you have time, soak them in water for 30 minutes, then drain.
- Bloom the spices. Warm the ghee in a heavy 3- to 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add the cumin and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop (about 30 seconds), stir in the ginger, turmeric, coriander, fennel, and asafoetida for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Add grains and water. Stir in the drained mung beans and rice to coat them in the spiced ghee. Add the 6 cups water and the salt.
- Simmer. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Partly cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring now and then.
- Add vegetables (optional). Stir in the vegetables and cook 10 more minutes, until everything is soft and the texture is like thick porridge. Add up to 1 cup more water if it gets too thick.
- Finish. Stir in cilantro and lemon. Taste and adjust salt.
Storage: Cooked rice and beans spoil quickly, so divide the kitchari into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Keep it up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of water until it is steaming hot all the way through, since kitchari thickens as it cools.
Ingredient swaps
| Ingredient | Swap | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Split yellow mung (moong dal) | Whole green mung beans | Soak 4 to 8 hours and cook longer (roughly 20 to 30 minutes, untested). Chewier and higher in fiber; some people find whole beans harder to digest. |
| White basmati rice | Brown basmati or other brown rice | Needs more time and water (roughly 15 to 20 minutes and ½ cup, untested). Nuttier and more fibrous. |
| White basmati rice | Quinoa or millet | Different texture and flavor, not traditional, and cooking time is untested. |
| Ghee | Coconut oil or avocado oil | Makes the dish dairy-free. Use the same 2 tablespoons. |
| Fresh ginger | ½ teaspoon ground ginger | Milder, less fresh flavor. |
| Asafoetida | Omit | The recipe still works without it. If you avoid gluten, check the label, since some brands are cut with wheat flour. |
Kitchari spice mix (make ahead)
If you cook kitchari often, a pre-mixed jar saves time. It is a flavor variation, and it is milder on ginger than the main recipe. Mix 4 tablespoons ground coriander, 3 tablespoons ground cumin, 2 tablespoons ground turmeric, 2 tablespoons ground fennel, and 1 tablespoon ground ginger. Use 1 tablespoon of the mix per batch in place of the ground coriander, turmeric, and fennel. Keep the whole cumin and mustard seeds and the asafoetida, bloomed in the ghee as in step 2, and keep the fresh ginger if you want the full ginger flavor, since a tablespoon of the mix carries far less ginger than a tablespoon of fresh. Ground spices lose punch over time, so use the jar within a few months.
What is kitchari?
Kitchari (also spelled khichdi or kichari) is a South Asian one-pot dish of rice and split mung beans cooked with spices until soft. In Ayurveda it is traditionally used as a simple, easy-to-digest food, including during short periods of eating more simply. That is traditional use, not evidence that it speeds recovery from illness.
The dish has many regional versions. Ayurvedic tradition links it with balance because the rice and mung combination is gentle and the spices (ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric) are considered warming and digestive. These are traditional ideas, not clinical findings.
What does the research say? We found no clinical trials of kitchari itself that we could verify. The research that exists covers mung beans, the main ingredient. A 2019 review in Nutrients describes mung bean as a source of protein, fiber, minerals, and plant compounds such as polyphenols, and reports that mung bean compounds have been studied for effects on blood sugar, blood lipids, and blood pressure. Those studies look at isolated components, not a cooked bowl of kitchari (Hou et al., 2019). That review does not test kitchari in people, and nothing here supports claiming that kitchari treats any condition.
In Ayurvedic terms, simple, warm, spiced meals are said to support agni, the digestive fire (see our guide to agni), and to avoid building up ama, the sticky residue Ayurveda describes from poorly digested food (see ama). These concepts come from traditional Ayurvedic medicine and have no direct match in modern physiology.
Before you try the three-day option: who should not do it
The three-day plan below, often searched as a "kitchari cleanse," is a short mono-diet, meaning you eat mostly one food. It is not suitable for everyone.
Do not follow a kitchari-focused plan if you are:
- Pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Living with a current or past eating disorder, or a tendency toward restrictive eating.
- A child or teen.
Talk with your doctor and a registered dietitian first if you:
- Have diabetes treated with medication, especially insulin or sulfonylureas. Eating differently can cause low blood sugar.
- Are underweight, or have unintentional weight loss.
- Are an older adult with fragile health.
- Have a chronic kidney, liver, or heart condition, or any condition that needs a specific diet or monitoring.
- Take prescription medication where meal timing or content matters.
If you feel weak, dizzy, or unwell, stop the plan and eat and drink normally. Contact a clinician if symptoms persist, and seek urgent care for fainting, confusion, or signs of low blood sugar.
We do not claim this plan detoxifies your body, removes toxins, or treats any disease. Your organs handle waste removal, and we found no verified human trial showing that a kitchari-based plan improves any health marker. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that only a small number of clinical trials of Ayurvedic approaches have been published in Western medical journals, and advises against using Ayurvedic approaches to postpone seeing a conventional health care provider (NCCIH). If you try it, the appeal is a few days of plain, home-cooked food.
Three-day simple-meal option: day-by-day plan
Over three days you eat kitchari for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, drink warm water or spiced herbal teas between meals, and keep activity light. This plan is not designed to meet a full day's energy and nutrient needs on its own, so add other foods (cooked vegetables, fruit, nuts or yogurt if you tolerate them) and ask a registered dietitian before relying on a kitchari-only plan. Use the recipe above, made fresh, with vegetables if you like.
How much to cook: One batch is 6 cups. Eating about 2 cups per meal across nine meals takes roughly 3 batches (18 cups), so plan on one batch a day for three meals, and cook extra if you are hungry. If you cook ahead, store leftovers as described under storage above.
Prep day (day 0)
- Shop for ingredients and, if you like, mix the spice blend.
- Eat lighter that evening, and cut back on alcohol, caffeine, and heavily processed food if you can.
- Clear your calendar for the next few days as much as you can.
Day 1: settle in
- Morning: Warm water with lemon on waking, if you like. Breakfast is a bowl of kitchari.
- Midday: Kitchari with steamed or cooked vegetables.
- Evening: Another bowl, ideally finished 2 to 3 hours before bed.
- Between meals: Warm water or ginger tea, and a gentle walk.
You may notice hunger or a mild headache on day one, especially if you usually drink a lot of coffee. If you feel weak, dizzy, or unwell, stop the plan and eat and drink normally. If symptoms persist, contact a clinician, and seek urgent care for fainting, confusion, or signs of low blood sugar.
Day 2: keep it simple
- Same pattern: three warm meals of kitchari, eaten without distractions.
- Optional tea: ½ teaspoon each of cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds steeped in 3 cups hot water for 10 minutes. This "CCF tea" is a traditional Ayurvedic drink.
- Gentle movement only: walking, stretching, or restorative yoga. Skip hard workouts.
Day 3: finish and reintroduce
- Kitchari for breakfast and lunch. At dinner, kitchari with steamed vegetables.
- Notice your energy, appetite, and digestion. Writing it down helps you decide whether you would repeat it.
Day 4 and after: return to regular food
Go back slowly. Start with soups, cooked vegetables, and simple grains, then add your usual foods back over a day or two. Avoid breaking the plan with a very heavy, fried, or sweet meal.
Stay hydrated, listen to your body, and end the plan early if it does not feel right. Eating kitchari for dinner a few evenings in a row is a gentler alternative.
Kitchari for your dosha: vata, pitta, and kapha
In Ayurveda, small changes to the spices and fats are used to suit your dominant dosha: more ghee and warmth for vata, cooling herbs for pitta, and lighter, spicier preparation for kapha. These are traditional guidelines that vary between teachers, not evidence-based prescriptions, and the kapha version uses less rice, so it gives you less energy per bowl. Not sure of your type? Take our dosha quiz.
- Vata (dry, cold, light, or irregular digestion): Use 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of ghee, make it soupier with up to 7 cups water, and add a pinch of black pepper. Eat it warm, at regular times. See our vata diet guide for more.
- Pitta (heat, sharp hunger, or acidity): Cut the ginger to 1 teaspoon, skip the mustard seeds and use extra fennel (1 teaspoon), and finish with plenty of fresh cilantro and a little coconut instead of lemon. Serve cooling vegetables such as zucchini or cucumber on the side.
- Kapha (heaviness, slow digestion, or sluggishness): Use 1 tablespoon ghee (or a light oil), more ginger (2 tablespoons), a pinch of black pepper or cayenne, and less rice (¼ cup), so the dish is mostly mung. Serve it thicker, with bitter or leafy greens such as spinach or kale.
If you have a medical reason for any of these symptoms, such as ongoing indigestion or acid reflux, see a clinician rather than relying on a dosha-based approach.
Tips for better kitchari
- Rinse well and salt at the start. Rinsing removes surface starch, and early salt seasons the beans and rice as they cook.
- More water gives a soup; less gives a thick porridge.
- Top it with plain yogurt (if tolerated), lemon, cilantro, or a drizzle of ghee.
- In a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, follow your appliance's guidance for rice and split beans.
Frequently asked questions
Can I eat kitchari every day?
It is a plain, vegetarian dish, so add vegetables and other foods for variety if you eat it often. If you are eating it for most meals, a registered dietitian can check that you are getting enough protein, fat, and other nutrients.
Is kitchari gluten-free and vegetarian?
The base recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free (check your asafoetida). Use oil in place of ghee for a vegan version.
Will the three-day plan help me lose weight?
We do not recommend it for weight loss, and we found no verified evidence to support that use. Any weight change in three days is likely water and food volume.
Sources
- Hou D, Yousaf L, Xue Y, et al. Mung Bean (Vigna radiata L.): Bioactive Polyphenols, Polysaccharides, Peptides, and Health Benefits. Nutrients. 2019;11(6):1238. doi:10.3390/nu11061238. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31159173/
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Ayurvedic Medicine: In Depth. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/ayurvedic-medicine-in-depth