How to Prepare Traditional Thekua at Home for Chhath Puja 2026. Get the list of ingredients, easy recipe and some simple tips to make crispy and golden brown jaggery sweets for prasad.
The festival of Chhath Puja is incomplete without Thekua, a sweet which has religious and cultural importance in a few regions in India. The crunchy sweet is made as offering to Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya. Thekua is very popular in Bihar, Jharkhand and Eastern UP. It is made using whole wheat flour, jaggery and desi ghee.
You can make this traditional prasad very easily at home with a few ingredients.
Chhath Puja 2026: Thekua Recipe
For making around 15-20 medium sized thekuas you will need:
- Whole wheat flour (atta) – 2 cups
- Grated jaggery (gur) – ¾ – 1 cup
- Desi ghee – 3-4 tbsp
- Fennel seeds (Saunf) – 1 tsp
- Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
- Grated dry coconut – 2 tbsp
- Water – ¼ – ½ cup
- Ghee/Oil for deep frying
How To Make Traditional Thekua At Home
Make the jaggery mixture
In a pan add in the jaggery and ¼ – ½ cup of water. Cook on a low flame till the jaggery melts. Strain to remove the impurities and allow to cool. Avoid boiling the mixture for a long period of time.
Mix the flour mixture
In a large bowl add in the wheat flour. Now, add in the fennel seeds, cardamom and coconut. Then, add the melted ghee and mix well. Make sure the ghee gets mixed properly and the mixture becomes like coarse breadcrumbs. This process is called moyan.
Mix the dough
Now, slowly add the cooled jaggery water and mix well. Don’t add the liquid all at once. Make a hard and firm dough. Avoid making it too soft like roti.
Make the Thekua
Divide the dough into small pieces and shape into balls. Flatten them and place them into a traditional wood mould known as sancha. If you don’t have the mould, you can make a small ball and flatten it evenly and use a fork to make some lovely patterns.
Fry the Thekua
Heat up the ghee or oil in a deep kadai. Turn down the flame to a low-medium flame. Gently add in the shaped Thekua and fry in batches. Turn occasionally until both sides are a deep golden colour. Avoid frying in high flame.
Let them cool
Place onto some absorbent paper and allow to cool completely. Then place inside an airtight container.
This easy sweet made with simple ingredients will give you a taste of real Chhath Puja!