Best Ayurvedic Kitchari Recipe (Cleansing & Healing)

Name: Best Ayurvedic Kitchari Recipe (Cleansing & Healing)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1/2 C White Basmati Rice; 1 C Split Mung Beans (mung dal); 1 tsp Coconut Oil (or vegetable oil); 1 inch Fresh Ginger, minced; 1 tsp Turmeric Powder; 1 tsp Ground Mustard seeds; 1 tsp Cumin Powder; 1 tsp Ground Coriander Seeds or Coriander Powder; 1 C Fresh Vegetables, finely diced (like beans, peas, onions, carrots and celery); 2 tbsp Fresh Cilantro, rough chop for garnish; 1/4 Lime, wedge; Salt to taste; Black Pepper to taste; 5 C Water; 1/4 C Organic Red Split Lentils

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Are you seeking a wholesome, easy-to-make, flavour- and nutrition-rich dish? Say hello to the Best Ayurvedic Kitchari Recipe. This traditional Ayurvedic recipe aims to cleanse and heal the digestive system. Whether you're a busy professional, a health enthusiast, or simply craving comfort food with a healthy twist, this one-pot meal kitchari ayurvedic cleanse recipe is your go-to solution.

Learn how to prepare kitchari for Ayurvedic detox in a few simple steps. Kitchari is a traditional Ayurvedic dish made with mung dal and basmati rice, known for its gentle cleansing and digestive benefits. It is often used during detoxes to reset the gut and restore balance in the digestive system.

> In This Post: Everything You'll Need For The Best Detox Kitchari Recipe

Kitchari (sometimes spelled kitcheree or khichdi) is a centuries-old Indian dish made from Basmati rice, yellow split lentils, and warming spices. Known for its detoxifying and balancing properties in Ayurveda (ancient Indian system of medicine), this one-pot indian rice and lentils meal is gentle on digestion, rich in protein, and endlessly adaptable. It's no wonder "vegan mung dal kitchari" is trending among foodies searching for healthy recipes for meal planning.

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> In This Post: Everything You'll Need For The Best Detox Kitchari Recipe
Why Kitchari Bowl is Good for the Spleen
Kitchari Bowl Health Benefits
What is Ayurvedic Cuisine?
Ingredients and Chinese Herbal Benefits and TCM Properties
Customizing Kitchari with Seasonal Ingredients.
Instructions
Other Gut Friendly & Detox Recipes
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Best Ayurvedic Kitchari Recipe (Cleansing & Healing)

Why Kitchari Bowl is Good for the Spleen

The Kitchari Bowl is a powerhouse of nourishment, especially when supporting the spleen, an essential organ in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In TCM, the spleen is responsible for digestion, nutrient absorption, and energy production, and it thrives on warm, cooked, and easily digestible foods. Kitchari, with its simple yet potent ingredients, is perfectly aligned with these needs.

Is kitchari good for weight loss? This simple kitchari recipe for digestive health cleanse emphasizes on ingredients and methods that support digestive wellness.

The combination of rice and split mung beans provides complete protein that is gentle on the digestive system, reducing the spleen's workload.

The warming spices like fresh ginger, cumin seeds, and turmeric root enhance flavour and stimulate digestion. These digestive spices improve blood circulation and reduce inflammation, all supporting spleen health.

Ghee, a type of clarified butter often used in kitchari, lubricates the digestive tract and strengthens the spleen's ability to transform and transport nutrients.

Vegan Adaptation for Detoxification

A vegan kitchari recipe for gentle body detoxification is easily adaptable for a vegan Ayurvedic detox, offering all the traditional cleansing benefits without the use of ghee or animal products. Simply substitute coconut oil for ghee to maintain the richness and grounding quality while keeping it fully plant-based.

Coconut oil supports detox by promoting healthy digestion and providing antimicrobial properties. The combination of split mung beans and basmati rice creates a complete plant-based protein, fueling your body with easily digestible nourishment. This makes it ideal for gentle body detoxification, especially during a cleanse or when your digestion feels sluggish.

Moreover, kitchari's soft, porridge-like consistency is easy to break down, allowing the spleen to focus on generating energy (Qi) rather than struggling with heavy or raw foods.

When served as a bowl with steamed vegetables and fresh herbs, it becomes a balanced, spleen-nourishing meal that promotes vitality and overall well-being.

Whether you want to heal, detox, or maintain optimal health, a Kitchari Bowl is a delicious way to care for your spleen.

For a full ayuredic cleanse, eat this for all meals over 3-5 days!

Other plant-based reset meals.

Kitchari Bowl Health Benefits

Nutrient-Dense - Combines plant-based protein from lentils with complex carbs from rice.

Customizable - Add your favourite veggies or toppings for a personalized kitchari bowl.

Quick & Easy - Ready in under 45 minutes, perfect for weeknight dinners and meal prepping

Healing - Packed with anti-inflammatory spices like turmeric and cumin.

What is Ayurvedic Cuisine?

Ayurvedic cuisine transcends conventional culinary definitions, embodying a holistic philosophy rooted in the ancient Indian medicinal system of Ayurveda. This approach to food prioritizes harmonizing the body’s three vital energies, Tri-Doshic or Dosha type —Vata, Pitta, and Kapha— through mindful cooking and eating practices that nurture overall well-being.

Kitchari Recipe Suitable for All Three Doshas

Kitchari is often praised in Ayurveda for being a tridoshic meal, which means it is naturally balancing for all three doshas—Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. The simplicity of mung beans and basmati rice provides grounding and nourishment without overwhelming the digestive system, making it ideal for anyone regardless of their constitution.

To make your Kitchari even more tailored:

For Vata: Add more warming spices like ginger, cumin, and hing. Use a little extra ghee for grounding and moisture.
For Pitta: Focus on cooling herbs like cilantro and fennel, reduce mustard seeds, and avoid excess heat (like too much black pepper).
For Kapha: Use minimal oil, increase warming spices like black pepper, turmeric, and ginger, and add light, bitter greens.

This flexibility makes Kitchari a go-to healing dish during transitions, seasonal changes, or whenever you feel out of balance.

Ingredients and Chinese Herbal Benefits and TCM Properties

What are the best spices to use in kitchari recipe? The top spices used in Kitchari are cumin, coriander, turmeric, and ginger. Below is a list of their individual health benefits and how they contribute to the dish's flavour and therapeutic properties.

White Basmati Rice - Sweet and neutral. Rice strengthens the spleen and stomach, boosts qi (energy), and nourishes the body.

Split Mung Beans - Also known as yellow split lentils, mung dal or moong dal is high in protein and fibre, supports detoxification, and cools inflammation. Sweet and cool. Split mung beans are whole green mung beans that have been hulled and split in half. It clears Heat, detoxifies the body, and strengthens the spleen and stomach.

Turmeric - This flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae, is known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant properties that support liver health. Warm in nature and bitter. Turmeric invigorates blood, reduces stagnation, and supports digestion. Left over turmeric? Try this anti-inflammatory turmeric soup!

Ginger - Fresh or powdered ginger improves digestion, reduces nausea, and warms the body. Warm in nature and pungent. Warms the Spleen and Stomach, dispels cold, aids digestion, and prevents bloating.

Cumin Seeds - These boat-shaped spices are a parsley family member known for their warm, earthy, and slightly citrusy flavour. It aids digestion, reduces bloating, and has antimicrobial properties. Warm in nature and pungent, it regulates Qi, warms the middle burner (spleen and stomach), and relieves stagnation.

Ghee (Clarified Butter) - In Ayurveda, Ghee (ghrita) is considered a sattvic (pure, balancing) food that enhances ojas (vitality), digestion, and longevity. TCM considers Ghee warming, moistening, and nourishing and benefits Qi energy, blood and Yin. Ghee supports liver health, as well as the spleen and the stomach.

Coriander Seeds - In Traditional Chinese Medicine, coriander is a cooling herb that effectively clears Heat and resolves damp-heat conditions, making it particularly useful for treating heat-related ailments such as wind-heat colds (with fever and sore throat), damp-heat diarrhea, urinary tract infections, and heat-type skin eruptions like eczema and rashes. However, due to its cooling properties, people with Spleen Yang deficiency may present with chronic diarrhea and cold limbs, which could exacerbate these cold-deficient conditions. Coriander is commonly prepared as fresh leaves in cooling soups or as seeds in detoxifying teas.

Vegetables - High in fibre, thermal nature and cooling, with some expectations in garlic and ginger. Its primary actions are to clear heat, reduce dampness, tonify Qi and Blood and promote digestion. Opt for a variety of fresh vegetables like beans, peas, onions, celery and carrots.

Lime - In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), lime is cooling with sour/bitter flavours and enters the liver, stomach, and lung meridians. It clears heat, relieves summer heat symptoms (fever, thirst), generates fluids, quenches thirst and dryness, and detoxifies mildly. It regulates Liver Qi for stress-related indigestion and dissolves heat-type phlegm. Contraindicated for Spleen Yang deficiency (cold diarrhea) and cold-damp conditions.

Optional Ingredients

Organic Red Split Lentils

Vegetable broth

Most dry goods ingredients, tools, and supplies can be purchased at local Asian markets, Chinese grocery stores, or Amazon Online. Amazon Prime members receive free shipping and faster delivery times.

Nutritional Benefits of Traditional Ayurvedic Kitchari Dish

The nutritional benefits of traditional Ayurvedic Kitchari go far beyond just being easy to digest. This simple one-pot dish is a complete meal that supports digestion, detoxification, and sustained energy.

Plant-Based Protein: The combination of split mung beans and basmati rice forms a complete protein, providing all nine essential amino acids your body needs—making Kitchari especially important for vegans and vegetarians.
High in Fiber: Rich in dietary fiber, Kitchari helps support gut health and regularity while keeping you feeling full and satisfied.
Gentle on Digestion: Because the ingredients are light and easy to digest, Kitchari gives the digestive system a break—ideal during illness recovery or Ayurvedic cleanses.
Loaded with Micronutrients: When cooked with spices like turmeric, cumin, and coriander, Kitchari becomes a source of anti-inflammatory compounds, B vitamins, magnesium, and iron.
Low-Glycemic and Gluten-Free: Naturally gluten-free and balanced in complex carbs, it stabilizes blood sugar and provides lasting energy without spikes or crashes.

Whether you’re doing a cleanse or simply eating to nourish your body, this dish offers a nutritionally complete, grounding meal that aligns with traditional Ayurvedic principles and modern health needs.

Customizing Kitchari with Seasonal Ingredients.

Wondering how to customize Kitchari for seasonal ingredients? One of the best things about this Ayurvedic dish is its flexibility. While the base of mung beans and rice remains constant, you can easily adapt the vegetables and spices to align with seasonal produce and your body’s changing needs.

Spring: Choose cleansing bitter greens like kale, dandelion, or asparagus to help clear excess Kapha.
Summer: Add cooling vegetables like zucchini, cucumber, or leafy greens. Use spices like fennel and coriander to pacify Pitta.
Autumn: Incorporate grounding, warming ingredients like sweet potato, carrots, and squash. Increase warming spices like ginger and cinnamon to support Vata.
Winter: Use hearty vegetables like cauliflower, beets, or turnips. Spice it up with turmeric, cumin, and mustard seeds for warmth and circulation.

By rotating ingredients with the seasons, you not only enhance flavor and variety but also support Ayurvedic seasonal balance and maximize nutritional benefits.

Instructions

Experience detoxifying and balancing wellness by making the Perfect Kitchari Bowl at home. This traditional ayurvedic dish deserves a spot in your weekly menu because it is nutrient-dense, customizable, quick & easy and packed with anti-inflammatory & healing spices like turmeric and cumin.

Let's learn how to make kitchari mung dal rice porridge together!

How to Make Kitchari (Basic Steps):

Rinse mung dal and basmatic rice.
Saute spices like cumin, mustard seeds, and turmeric in ghee.
Add water, dal, rice, and simmer until soft.
Add vegetables and cook until tender.
Garnish and serve warm.

Rinse the white basmati rice and mung beans (mung dal) in cold water until the water clears. Set aside.

Heat Ghee (Clarified Butter) or coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add cumin powder and ground mustard seeds, letting them sizzle for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Sauté Aromatics. Stir in the chopped onion and garlic, cooking for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add turmeric powder , ground coriander seeds, and ginger, stirring to coat the mixture in spices.

In the pot, combine ingredients such as rinsed white basmati rice, mung beans (mung dal), diced vegetables, and vegetable broth. I love to add organic red split lentils to my porridge too! Stir well to combine.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer. Cover and cook for 30-35 minutes (or until the rice and lentils are tender). Stir occasionally.

Adjust consistency - ex. Add more water if a soupy consistency is preferred.

Salt and black pepper to taste.

Spoon your kitchari into serving bowls.

Garnish and top with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime for a zesty finish.

Have you tried kitchari? What's your favourite variation? Let me know in the comments!

How To Meal Prep Kitchari

You can efficiently incorporate this traditional recipe into your healthy family meal on a budget. Whether making freezer meals, making ahead for one, or batching, store the meal-prepped Basmati rice and yellow moong dal porridge in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer up to 2 months.

Want perfect kitchari portions every time? Try 1-cup silicone freezer molds with lids! They're ideal for whipping up a light dinner with smaller servings. These are great for a quick bite without sacrificing essential nutrients.

I'm never without this vegan gem, a cornerstone of Ayurvedic cuisine! It's my go-to for a refreshing cleanse, sparking my digestive fire with every vibrant bite.

Here's a pro tip for effortless kitchari: pre-portion your kitchari spice mix in advance! Grind whole spices perfectly using a mortar and pestle or a trusty spice grinder. My favourite? This chic $20 spice grinder from Amazon makes prep a breeze!"

FAQ

Is Kitchari good for weight loss?

Yes, kitchari can support gentle weight loss due to its low-fat and high fibre nature used in Ayurvedic detoxes.

Can I eat Kitchari every day?

Yes, for a short cleanse, detox kitchari recipe can be eaten for all meals. For longer duration, add variety for balance nutrition.

What To Serve With Ayurvedic Cooking Kitchari

Kitchari, a nourishing Ayurvedic porridge of mung beans, rice, and warming spices, is a balanced meal, but pairing it with thoughtful sides can elevate the experience.

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I'd love to see how you've used my recipes! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @INSTANOMSS #INSTANOMSS.

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