Panjiri with Desi Ghee: Recipe, Ghee Quantity, and Storage

Panjiri (پنجیری) is a dry, crumbly winter sweet. You make it by roasting atta in desi ghee, then mixing in gond, makhana, nuts, and sugar. It is a Punjabi classic, and it is a winter staple in Pakistan.

This guide gives you the exact ghee quantity, a step-by-step recipe, fixes for common problems, and storage tips.

Quick answer: For every 1 cup of atta (about 120 g), use 3 tablespoons of desi ghee for a light panjiri, 4 tablespoons for the classic, or 8 tablespoons for a rich, traditional one. Add a little extra ghee to fry the gond, makhana, and nuts. Roast the atta on low heat for 12 to 15 minutes until it turns golden and smells nutty.

This guide is general food and nutrition information, not medical advice. Panjiri is rich and sweet. If you have diabetes, high cholesterol, or heart disease, or you are pregnant or have just given birth, ask your doctor before you eat it regularly.

What Is Panjiri?

Panjiri (also spelled panjeeri) is a sweet made from roasted whole wheat flour, ghee, sugar, dry fruits, seeds, and edible gum. It has no syrup. The ghee binds everything together, so the texture is crumbly, like damp sand.

Families in Punjab make it in winter. Many also give it to new mothers after delivery. Some versions use atta. Others use sooji or a mix of both.

Why Panjiri Needs Desi Ghee

Ghee does three jobs in panjiri.

1. It roasts the atta. The flour browns slowly in ghee and picks up a nutty smell. Oil does not give you that smell.
2. It binds the mix. Without syrup or butter, ghee is the only thing holding the crumbs together.
3. It keeps the mix dry. Ghee has almost no water, so panjiri lasts longer than a version made with butter.

Banaspati or refined oil will make a technically edible panjiri. It will taste flat and greasy. Pure desi ghee is the point of the dish.

Does Panjiri Have Health Benefits?

Panjiri gives you energy. That part is simple. It is made of flour, fat, nuts, and sugar, so it is calorie-dense. In winter, many people want exactly that.

Some claims go further. You will hear that panjiri boosts immunity, speeds healing after birth, or increases breast milk. Those are family traditions. We did not find strong evidence for them.

What you can say honestly:

• Atta, nuts, and seeds add fiber, protein, and minerals.
• Ghee helps your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins from the nuts and seeds.
• It is a small, filling portion of food that many families enjoy and trust.

For more on eating ghee in the cold months, read our guide on the benefits of desi ghee in winter.

Panjiri Ingredients

This batch makes about 700 to 800 g, or around 25 servings.

Ingredient	Amount
Whole wheat atta (coarse if you can find it)	2 cups (about 240 g)
Pure desi ghee	¾ cup (about 160 g), divided
Gond (edible gum), crystals	½ cup
Makhana (fox nuts)	½ cup
Almonds, cashews, and pistachios, chopped	1 cup mixed
Melon seeds (magaz)	2 tablespoons
Dry coconut, grated	¼ cup (optional)
Boora (powdered sugar)	¾ cup, or to taste
Saunth (dry ginger powder)	1 teaspoon
Cardamom powder	½ teaspoon

Optional: 2 tablespoons of sooji, roasted with the atta. 2 tablespoons of kamarkas for a postpartum version (see the section on new mothers).

How Much Ghee for Panjiri?

Recipes vary a lot. Use this table as a starting point, per 1 cup of atta. It does not count the ghee you use to fry the gond, makhana, and nuts.

Style	Ghee per 1 cup atta	Texture
Light	3 tablespoons	Dry and powdery
Classic	4 tablespoons	Loose, holds when pressed
Rich	8 tablespoons	Soft and moist, like wet sand

The recipe below uses the classic amount. That is ½ cup of ghee for the atta, plus ¼ cup for frying.

You can always add more. You cannot take ghee out. Start with the classic amount, test the texture, and add warm ghee a spoon at a time.

How to Make Panjiri with Desi Ghee

Time: About 45 minutes.

1. Prepare your ingredients. Chop the nuts. Powder the boora and the spices. Keep a clean, dry jar ready.
2. Test the ghee. Heat 3 tablespoons of ghee in a heavy pan on medium-low heat. Drop in one piece of gond. It should puff within a few seconds. If it browns without puffing, the ghee is too hot. Take it off the heat for a minute.
3. Fry the gond. Add the gond in small batches. Fry each batch until it puffs up and turns white. Lift it out and let it cool. Crush it coarsely.
4. Roast the makhana. Add 1 teaspoon of ghee to the same pan. Fry the makhana for 3 to 4 minutes until crisp. Cool it, then crush it lightly.
5. Roast the nuts and seeds. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee. Roast the nuts, melon seeds, and coconut for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Remove them and let them cool.
6. Roast the atta. Add the remaining ½ cup of ghee to the pan on low heat. Add the atta. Stir constantly for 12 to 15 minutes. The flour is ready when it turns golden-brown and smells nutty.
7. Cool the flour. Take the pan off the heat. Let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes until it is warm, not hot.
8. Add the spices. Stir in the saunth and cardamom. Saunth burns easily in hot flour and turns bitter.
9. Mix everything. Add the crushed gond, makhana, nuts, seeds, and coconut. Then add the boora. Mix well.
10. Check the texture. Press a pinch in your fist. It should hold loosely, then crumble.
11. Cool completely before you close the jar.

Common Panjiri Problems and Fixes

Problem	Fix
Too dry	Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm ghee and mix well
Too greasy	Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of roasted atta
Gond stays hard	The ghee was too cool. Fry it again in hotter ghee
Bitter taste	The saunth burned. Add it after the flour cools
Sugar forms lumps	The flour was too hot. Let it cool before adding boora
Raw flour taste	Roast the atta longer on low heat

Atta Panjiri vs Sooji Panjiri

Both are traditional. Pick the one you grew up with.

• Atta panjiri: Darker, nuttier, and a little chewy. This is the version in the recipe above.
• Sooji panjiri: Lighter and more grainy. Roast the sooji in ghee until it turns golden. It needs a little more ghee than atta.
• Mixed: Many families use 2 parts atta and 1 part sooji for a balance of both.

For a darker, earthier taste, use powdered gur instead of boora. Add it after the mix cools, because hot flour melts it.

How to Store Panjiri

• Let it cool completely.
• Pack it into a dry, airtight glass jar.
• Keep it at room temperature, away from heat, steam, and moisture.
• Use a dry spoon every time.
• Do not refrigerate it. The ghee hardens and the texture changes.

Home-made panjiri usually stays good for about 3 to 4 weeks when stored this way. If it smells sour or soapy, throw it away.

How Much Panjiri Should You Eat?

One to two tablespoons a day is a sensible portion for most adults. That is about 30 g.

Panjiri is dense. As a rough estimate, 30 g has around 150 calories. That estimate comes from the ingredients in this recipe, so it will change if you change the ghee or sugar.

Eat it with warm milk, or as a small snack with tea. Do not eat it by the bowl.

Sugar adds up too. The World Health Organization advises keeping free sugars below 10% of your daily calories. A small portion of panjiri fits easily. A large daily portion may not. For total ghee limits, see our guide on how much desi ghee per day is safe. You can check ghee calories in our nutrition facts guide.

Panjiri for New Mothers: What to Know

Many Pakistani families give panjiri to new mothers. That is a long tradition, and it is a reasonable way to add energy to a recovering mother’s diet.

Keep these points in mind:

• Start with a small portion, such as 1 tablespoon a day.
• Ask your doctor or midwife about portions. This matters most after a C-section, or if you had gestational diabetes.
• Panjiri does not replace regular meals, protein, and fluids.
• Kamarkas is traditional, but we found no solid safety data on it. Ask your doctor before you add it.

For more on ghee during this time, read our guide on desi ghee for babies and pregnancy.

Who Should Be Careful With Panjiri

• People with diabetes, since it contains sugar and flour
• People with high cholesterol or heart disease, since it is high in ghee
• People managing their weight, since it is calorie-dense
• People with nut allergies
• People with a milk allergy, since ghee has trace milk proteins
• People who avoid gluten, since atta contains it

Which Desi Ghee Is Best for Panjiri?

Panjiri is mostly ghee, so the ghee decides how it tastes. Pure bilona ghee smells nutty when it roasts the atta. Blended ghee smells flat, and it can leave a greasy film on the flour.

Check your jar before you start. Our guide on how to check if desi ghee is pure explains the fridge test and the heat test. If you want to know what to look for when you buy, read what to look for before you buy desi ghee in Pakistan.

At Field n Feather, we make ghee from the milk of our own grass-fed Sahiwal cows. We hand-churn it the bilona way and cook it over a wood fire. It has no buffalo milk, no palm oil, and no additives. If you want the best desi ghee in Pakistan for your panjiri, this is what we make.

How much to buy:

• A 250 g jar is enough for one batch of this recipe.
• A 500 g jar covers two batches.
• A 1 kg jar covers a family’s winter, with ghee left for tarka and parathas.

We deliver across Pakistan in 2 days for a flat Rs 300 per order. If any jar fails a purity test, we refund you in full. Message us on WhatsApp if you have a question before you order.

Order the best desi ghee in Pakistan for panjiri →

Looking for more ghee recipes? See our Pakistani recipes that need pure desi cow ghee.

FAQs

How much ghee do I need for panjiri? Use 3 to 8 tablespoons of desi ghee per 1 cup of atta. Use 4 tablespoons for the classic version. Add extra ghee to fry the gond, makhana, and nuts.

Why is my panjiri dry? It does not have enough ghee. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm ghee and mix well.

Why is my panjiri greasy? It has too much ghee. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of roasted atta to absorb it.

Why does my gond not puff? The ghee is too cool. Test it with one piece first. It should puff within a few seconds.

How long does panjiri last? About 3 to 4 weeks at room temperature in a dry, airtight glass jar. Do not refrigerate it.

Can I make panjiri without gond? Yes. Gond adds crunch, but the recipe works without it. Skip it, and make sure the ghee binds the atta.

Can I make panjiri with less sugar? Yes. Start with less boora, taste the mix, and add more if you need it.

Can I use oil or banaspati instead of ghee? You can, but the taste and texture will not match. Ghee has the nutty smell and the low water content that panjiri needs.

Is panjiri good for new mothers? It is a traditional food for new mothers, and it adds energy. Strong evidence for other benefits is limited. Ask your doctor or midwife about portions.

How much panjiri should I eat each day? One to two tablespoons, or about 30 g, is a sensible portion for most adults.