Thekua Recipe for Chhath Puja: Step-by-Step Guide

If you have ever been to a Chhath Puja celebration in Bihar, Jharkhand, or eastern Uttar Pradesh, you know the smell before you see the food. Warm jaggery, roasted flour, fennel seeds, and ghee: that is thekua being prepared in kitchens across the region, hours before the evening arghya at the riverbank.

Thekua is more than a sweet. It is the most important Chhath Puja prasad, offered directly to Surya Dev (the Sun God) and Chhathi Maiya during the festival. Families prepare it days in advance, in large batches, shaping each piece by hand or pressing patterns with wooden molds. The golden, crispy discs travel in baskets to the ghat, and whatever comes back is shared with devotion.

Chhath Puja 2026 runs from 13 to 16 November, with the main day (Sandhya Arghya) on Sunday, 15 November. Here is a simple, reliable thekua recipe that gives you the traditional crispy-outside, dense-inside texture every time.

Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Makes: 15-18 pieces

Key Takeaways

• Thekua is a deep-fried sweet biscuit made with whole wheat flour, jaggery, ghee, fennel seeds, and cardamom.
• The dough should be firm, not soft. A soft dough absorbs too much oil and falls apart during frying.
• Fry on low to medium-low heat for even cooking. High heat darkens the outside while the inside stays raw.
• Thekua stores well for up to a week in an airtight container, making it ideal for preparing ahead of the puja.

What Is Thekua?

Thekua (also spelled tikua or thikua) is a traditional deep-fried sweet from eastern India, primarily associated with Chhath Puja. The name comes from the Bhojpuri/Maithili word "thekna," meaning to press, referring to the way the dough is pressed into shape by hand or with a mould.

The ingredients are simple and sattvic (pure): 

• Whole wheat flour (atta)
• Jaggery (gur)
• Ghee
• Desiccated coconut
• Fennel seeds (saunf)
• Cardamom (elaichi) 

No eggs, no baking powder, no refined flour. The result is a rustic, golden biscuit with a crumbly crunch on the outside and a dense, slightly chewy centre. The caramel-molasses depth of jaggery paired with the warm aroma of fennel and cardamom is what makes thekua unlike any other Indian sweet.

Chhath Puja Samagri List: What You Need Beyond the Kitchen

For those observing the full four-day Chhath Puja vrat, here is a quick Chhath Puja samagri list:

Prasad and food items: Thekua (the primary offering), fruits (sugarcane, bananas, coconut, apples, sweet lime), raw turmeric root, ginger, paan leaves, whole betel nut (supari), sweets made with rice flour and jaggery.

Puja items: Bamboo basket (soop/daura), new cloth to line the basket, brass or clay lamps (diyas), camphor, incense sticks, red sindoor, vermillion, cotton wicks, sugarcane sticks, and an earthen pot (kalash) for water.

Thekua goes into the bamboo basket as the centrepiece of the prasad offering, arranged alongside the fruits and other items.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (atta), approximately 250g
• ¾ cup grated or crushed jaggery (gur), approximately 85-100g
• 2 tablespoons ghee (for the dough)
• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut (or freshly grated coconut)
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
• ½ teaspoon cardamom (elaichi) powder
• A pinch of salt
• 3 to 4 tablespoons water or milk (as needed)
• Oil or ghee for deep-frying

How to Make Thekua (Step by Step)

Step 1: Prepare the Jaggery Syrup

• Warm 3 to 4 tablespoons of water in a small pan. 
• Add the grated jaggery and stir on low heat until it dissolves completely into a smooth syrup. 
• Do not boil it into a thick consistency; you want a pourable liquid. 
• Strain through a sieve to remove any impurities. 
• Let it cool slightly until warm but not hot.

Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, desiccated coconut, fennel seeds, cardamom powder, and a pinch of salt. 
• Add the 2 tablespoons of melted ghee and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Step 3: Knead the Dough

• Pour the warm jaggery syrup into the flour mixture, a little at a time. 
• Mix with a spoon first, then knead lightly by hand. 
• Add water or milk, one tablespoon at a time, only if the dough feels too dry.

The dough should be firm and hold together when pressed. Not soft, not sticky, not crumbly. If it cracks at the edges when you flatten a piece, add a tiny bit more liquid. If it sticks to your hands, add a tablespoon of flour. Rest the dough covered for 15 minutes.

Step 4: Shape the Thekua

• Divide the dough into 15 to 18 equal portions. 
• Roll each into a ball, then flatten into a disc about 5 to 6 cm wide and roughly 1 cm thick.
• Press patterns onto the surface using a fork, a toothpick, or a traditional wooden mould (sancha). 
• The patterns are decorative and also help the thekua cook evenly by creating thin and thick areas on the surface.

Step 5: Fry on Low Heat

• Heat oil or ghee in a kadhai. 
• To test, drop a small piece of dough into the oil. If it rises slowly with gentle bubbles, the oil is ready. If it shoots up immediately, the oil is too hot.
• Slide 4 to 5 thekua gently into the oil. Do not overcrowd the kadhai. 
• Fry on low to medium-low heat, turning once or twice, until both sides are deep golden brown. About 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
• Jaggery darkens naturally during frying, so a deep golden colour is normal and expected. 
• If the thekua turns very dark within 2 minutes, your oil is too hot.

Step 6: Cool and Store

• Let the thekua cool completely at room temperature. 
• They will become firmer and crunchier as they cool. 
• Store in a clean, dry, airtight container. 
• They keep well at room temperature for up to a week.

Tips for Perfect Thekua

• Do not skip the fennel and cardamom: These two spices define the flavour of thekua. Without them, the sweet tastes flat and one-dimensional.
• Keep the dough firm: A soft dough absorbs too much oil during frying and can break apart. Firm dough holds its shape and fries crisp.
• Fry on low heat: Patience is everything. Low heat ensures the inside cooks through before the outside darkens. High heat gives you raw centres and burnt surfaces.
• Use ghee in the dough for richness: Ghee is traditional and adds a depth of flavour that oil cannot match. The frying can be done in oil, but the dough itself should always include ghee.
• Test one first: Fry a single thekua before doing a full batch. Check for taste, texture, and colour. Adjust the dough or oil temperature if needed.

Conclusion

Thekua is Chhath Puja in a bite: simple ingredients, careful preparation, and deep reverence. The wheat, jaggery, ghee, fennel, and cardamom come together into something that tastes like home, like tradition, and like devotion. Whether you are making it for the ghat or for your family's prasad tray, getting the dough right and keeping the frying temperature low are the two things that separate great thekua from ordinary ones.

ZOFF (Zone of Fresh Foods) offers the fennel seeds (saunf) and green cardamom (elaichi) that give thekua its signature aroma, sourced with full traceability and packed to preserve the essential oils. Explore the full range of whole spices at zofffoods.com.

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Disclaimer: The information in this blog is for general informational purposes gathered from various sources. Zoff Foods does not guarantee specific health or nutritional outcomes. Please consult a qualified health professional for personalised dietary advice.