Is Panjiri Healthy? Understanding the Ingredients

Is Panjiri healthy? There isn't a simple yes-or-no answer, because Panjiri recipes vary considerably between families and regions.

Babo's Panjiri is made with roasted moong lentils, almonds, coconut, melon seeds, makhana, gond, cardamom and ghee. Our Original Panjiri also contains brown sugar, while our Unsweetened Panjiri is made without added sugar.

Rather than treating Panjiri as a “health food,” we think it's more useful to look at what it's actually made from. Our family recipe uses roasted moong lentils instead of the wheat flour or semolina found in many Panjiri recipes.

The ingredients contribute different things to the recipe:

• Moong lentils contribute naturally occurring protein and fiber, as well as Babo's distinctive crunch.
• Nuts and seeds add richness and texture.
• Makhana adds a lighter, airy crunch.
• Ghee is the roasting fat that creates Panjiri's deeply toasted character.
• Cardamom adds aroma and warmth.

Ultimately, whether Panjiri fits your definition of “healthy” depends on your individual needs and what you're looking for in a snack.

What we can tell you clearly is what's in ours: roasted moong lentils, nuts, seeds, coconut, makhana, gond, ghee and cardamom; with brown sugar in our Original and no added sugar in our Unsweetened.

For us, that's a more useful answer than simply putting a “healthy” label on Panjiri.

• What Is Panjiri? 
• How Do you Eat Panjiri?
• Why We Make Panjiri With Lentils Instead of Flour 
• There Were No Years in Between
• Panjiri Vs Granola

Ready to try Panjiri? Explore our Original and Unsweetened varieties.