Swiggy sees traditional sweet orders rise 36.4 per cent during Navratri

MUMBAI: From keeping the fast to breaking it with a sweet treat, Indians gave food delivery platforms plenty to chew on this festive season. Swiggy reported a 36.4 per cent year-on-year rise in orders for traditional sweets between 17 and 20 October, while Sabudana dishes emerged as the clear favourite among customers ordering fasting-friendly food during Navratri.

Rasgulla took the sweet spot at the top of the dessert charts, averaging 495 orders an hour during the four-day period. Delhi, Mumbai and Gurugram led demand for the Bengali favourite, while Gulab Jamun, Kaju Katli, Jalebi and Rasmalai also featured among the most-ordered sweets.

The ordering trends coincided with the final stretch of Navratri and Durga Puja, culminating in Durga Ashtami, Maha Navami and Dussehra. They offered a snapshot of how consumers balanced festive rituals with celebratory indulgence, turning to online platforms for everything from vrat-friendly meals to boxes of traditional mithai.

For those observing fasts, Sabudana proved to be the star ingredient. Swiggy recorded an average of 1,794 Sabudana dishes delivered every hour nationwide over the weekend of 17 and 18 October. Sabudana Khichdi and Sabudana Vada were the most popular preparations in the category, reflecting the enduring appeal of familiar fasting staples.

Mumbai and Bengaluru led demand for Sabudana Khichdi, followed by Pune and Jaipur. The dish’s popularity illustrates how regional food preferences can travel across city boundaries while remaining firmly rooted in festive traditions.

Beyond individual dishes, curated fasting meals also found favour with customers. Navratri Vrat Thalis featuring Singhara Poori were among the most popular options, alongside thalis featuring Rajgira Poori and Aloo Hing. Other popular choices included Singhara-based preparations, Kuttu and Rajgira specialities, Samak Rice and Makhana dishes.

Delhi, Bengaluru, Gurugram and Noida recorded the highest demand for these festive meal combinations. For customers looking to observe dietary traditions without preparing every component at home, the thali offered a convenient way to bring several familiar dishes together in one order.

One customer in Noida placed an order worth Rs 11,072 for 13 Navratri Special Vrat Thalis with Singhara Poori over the 17–18 October weekend. The order stood out in Swiggy’s data as an example of larger festive meal purchases, although the company did not disclose how many such bulk orders were placed overall.

The sweet tooth, meanwhile, was not confined to India’s biggest metropolitan markets. Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Hyderabad accounted for substantial volumes of traditional sweet orders, but demand also extended to Patna, Dehradun, Jodhpur, Gaya and Thiruvananthapuram. Agartala, Shillong, Palwal and Bathinda also recorded notable demand for sweets, according to Swiggy.

That spread suggests festive food delivery is serving customers well beyond the largest urban centres, connecting local celebrations with the convenience of ordering online. However, Swiggy did not provide city-wise order volumes or growth rates for these smaller markets, making it difficult to compare their performance directly with the metros.

Mumbai also produced a notable order at the indulgent end of the spectrum. One customer spent Rs 9,870 on an assortment of traditional sweets, including Coffee Rasgulla Tiramisu. Swiggy identified it as its highest-value Rasgulla order during the 17–20 October period.

The unusual combination of a traditional Bengali sweet and a tiramisu-inspired variation also hints at how festive dessert menus can stretch beyond conventional offerings while keeping familiar ingredients in the mix.

Taken together, the figures reveal two sides of festive eating: food that helps people maintain religious traditions and sweets that turn celebrations into occasions for indulgence. For delivery platforms, both create opportunities to cater to changing meal occasions, group orders and regional preferences during high-demand periods.

Swiggy’s figures cover specific dates around Navratri and Durga Puja, rather than the entire festive season. Even so, the 36.4 per cent year-on-year growth in traditional sweet orders, the average of 495 Rasgulla orders an hour and the 1,794 hourly Sabudana dish deliveries show how fasting favourites and festive treats shared the spotlight.

When it came to this year’s celebrations, Indians appeared happy to have their khichdi and eat their sweets, too.