What to Eat on Ekadashi: The Complete List, Why No Rice, and the Right Way to Do Parana (2026)

2026-09-30

On Ekadashi you can eat fruit, milk, curd, sabudana, kuttu, singhara, samak rice, potatoes and rock salt; rice, all grains, dal, onion and garlic are avoided. Break the fast the next day, on Dwadashi, after sunrise — Rama Ekadashi 2026 worked example inside.

On Ekadashi you can eat fruit, milk, curd, sabudana (tapioca pearls), kuttu (buckwheat), singhara (water-chestnut flour), rajgira (amaranth), samak rice, potatoes, sweet potato, nuts, ghee and sendha namak (rock salt). Rice and all grains, dal and beans, onion, garlic and non-vegetarian food are avoided. You break the fast — the parana — the next day, on Dwadashi, after sunrise and before Dwadashi ends. The full list, the 2026 dates and a worked parana example follow.

What is Ekadashi, and why are its food rules different?

Ekadashi is the eleventh tithi of the lunar month. A tithi is a lunar day: it is set by the Moon's position, so it starts and ends at its own clock time rather than at midnight. Every month has two Ekadashis — one in the Shukla Paksha (the waxing fortnight) and one in the Krishna Paksha (the waning fortnight).

By tradition the day belongs to Lord Vishnu, and the fast is kept by giving up grain and eating light. That single test — is it grain, or not? — shapes the whole list below.

What can you eat on Ekadashi? (the full list)

This is the commonly followed tradition. Food of this kind is called phalahar — literally "fruit-food": fruit plus light, grain-free dishes.

What should you not eat on Ekadashi?

• Rice, and anything made from rice.
• All grains — wheat flour, sooji, maida and every other cereal.
• Dal and beans — every lentil, chana, rajma.
• Onion and garlic.
• Non-vegetarian food — meat, fish, eggs.
• Tomato and brinjal — many families leave these out too; it depends on the household.

The plain rule: if it is made from grain or dal, it is not for Ekadashi. The rest of the list shifts a little by family and sampradaya (tradition), so check once with the elders at home.

When are the next Ekadashis in 2026?

The dates below come from our panchang engine and are based on Delhi sunrise. The fast is kept on the day on which the Ekadashi tithi is running at sunrise — this is called the udaya tithi, the "sunrise tithi". The tithi timings are almost the same across India, but sunrise changes from city to city, so check your own city's panchang once.

*On 20 November the tithi at sunrise (06:48) is still Dashami, and Ekadashi begins at 07:14; our engine still places the Dev Uthani fast on 20 November. Different panchangs may show a different day for this one — the full working is in the Dev Uthani Ekadashi 2026 article.

Why is rice avoided on Ekadashi?

Two traditional explanations are given, and they sit side by side.

The katha (story): according to the tradition, the sin of the demon Mura resides in rice on the day of Ekadashi, which is why rice is set aside on this day. Some traditions tell the same story under the name Sahasrakavacha.

The practical view: leaving out rice and grain gives the digestive system a rest one day in each fortnight. A light meal and more time for japa and reading — that is the shape of the fast.

We have written about the rice question in more detail here: Why no rice on Ekadashi.

What are the types of Ekadashi fast?

How strict the fast is depends on the family, the sampradaya and your own capacity. Three forms are common:

• Nirjala — no water either. The hardest form; people who fast regularly and whose body supports it choose this. Everyone else should go slowly and start with phalahar.
• Phalahar — fruit, milk, curd, sabudana, kuttu and the rest of the list above, once or twice in the day. The most widely kept form.
• One meal — a single grain-free meal in the day. Comfortable for children, the elderly and people going to work.

All three share one thing: no rice and no grain. Everything else varies by tradition — choose according to your capacity.

What is the correct parana rule?

Parana means breaking the fast — the first meal after the vrat. The rule rests on three points:

1. Parana is done not on Ekadashi itself but the next day, on Dwadashi (the twelfth tithi).
2. It is done after sunrise, and completed before the Dwadashi tithi ends.
3. In the tradition, parana is not done during Hari Vasara — the first quarter of Dwadashi; that part is allowed to pass first.

There is also a rare case: if Dwadashi ends before sunrise on the next day, parana is done right at sunrise.

This is why a panchang always gives the "parana time" as a window — from this time to that time. Break the fast inside that window.

Worked example: parana for Rama Ekadashi 2026

The Rama Ekadashi fast falls on 5 November 2026 (Thursday). The Ekadashi tithi runs from 4 November 11:04 to 5 November 10:36, and sunrise in Delhi on 5 November is at 06:36 — Ekadashi is running at sunrise, so the fast is on 5 November.

Parana is the next day, 6 November. By our engine, the parana window in Delhi is 06:37 to 10:31 — starting after sunrise and finishing while Dwadashi is still running. The parana time for every Ekadashi is worked out the same way.

Frequently asked questions

If rice is not allowed, how can samak rice be eaten?

Samak (sama) has "rice" in its name, but it is not paddy rice. The tradition counts it as fasting food, which is why it is on the list while ordinary rice is not.

Are tomato and brinjal allowed?

This depends on the family. Many households leave both out on Ekadashi. If that is the rule at home, follow it; if you are not sure, ask the elders.

Can I break the fast on the night of Ekadashi?

Not in the tradition. Parana is done the next day, on Dwadashi, after sunrise. Even if the tithi changes during the night, you wait for sunrise.

Is the parana time the same in every city?

No. The tithi timings are nearly the same, but sunrise changes by city, so the parana window can shift by some minutes. The times above are for Delhi.

Why is Dev Uthani Ekadashi 2026 on 20 November?

Because, by the engine, Ekadashi begins at 07:14 that day while Dashami is still running at sunrise (06:48). Panchangs can differ in a case like this. The full explanation is in the Dev Uthani article linked above.

Which other tithis have food rules besides Ekadashi?

Many households also keep rules on Amavasya (the new moon) and Purnima (the full moon). Their 2026 dates and the customs for those days are here: Amavasya and Purnima 2026: the full list.

Your Ekadashi checklist

• The day before: confirm the fasting day from the table above and stock the phalahar ingredients at home.
• On the day: keep away from grain, dal, onion and garlic; manage with fruit, milk, sabudana, kuttu and rock salt.
• The next day: break the fast on Dwadashi, after sunrise, inside the parana window given in the panchang.

Your city's sunrise, tithi and parana time are in our daily panchang every morning.