Jowar Upma (Jonna – Jowar Recipes)
Updated: October 14, 2026, By Swasthi Shreekanth
Jowar Upma recipe made with whole jowar, mixed vegetables, spices and herbs. This wholesome and nutritious dish makes for a great meal anytime of the day. Jowar is the Hindi name for sorghum and it’s a staple grain used in Karnataka and Maharashtra. It has many regional names such as Jonnalu, Jola and Cholam.
About Jowar Upma
This Jowar Upma is easy to make if you have a pressure cooker. Whole grains with tougher fiber like sorghum are best cooked in a pressure cooker to save time and get the right texture.
To begin with whole jowar is soaked overnight & then pressure cooked until tender. Later mixed vegetables are tempered with spices and steamed along with the cooked jowar.
The resulting dish is wholesome, nice and earthy that you can serve on its own. But I love to have a protein-rich dish on the side like this dry Kabuli Chana, Sundal or Sprouts stir fry. A bowl of dal or yogurt is also a great addition to the meal.
Growing up, jowar was a staple in our kitchen. My Mom or the house help made jowar rotis every single day. But when I relocated to Singapore, I was a bit disappointed with the non-availability of fresh jowar flour. Because freshly milled flour is crucial to make soft jowar.
Then later my Mom figured out how to make Jowar dosa and this upma. While jowar rava is easily available these days, it was not an easy ingredient those days. However whole jowar was easily available in the Indian stores. I’ve been making this for years and it is still one of my favorite ways to enjoy jowar.
For more similar dishes you can try
Quinoa Khichdi
Quinoa Upma
Oats Upma
Ragi Mudde
Photo Guide
How to make Jowar Upma – whole grain upma
1. Wash jowar several times until water runs clear. You may need to rub them in between your palms. Add fresh water and soak for 8 to 12 hours. If soaking for over 8 hours, change the water after 6 to 8 hours.
2. Drain up the water completely. Add fresh water, salt and turmeric. Pressure cook for 3 whistles – 2 whistles on a medium flame and 1 whistle on a low flame.
3. When the pressure goes off, fluff them up. They should be fully cooked and soft enough. With the amount of water I mentioned in the recipe card, there was no water left after pressure cooking. If it is left, then continue to cook and evaporate the leftover water. Set this aside. Even after thoroughly cooking, they will be slightly chewy when they cool down.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin and mustard. When they splutter, add urad dal and fry until golden.
5. Add curry leaves, onions, chili and ginger.Saute until the onions turn soft.
6. Add chopped veggies. I used potatoes, beans, peas and capsicum. You can add whatever you like.
7. Cover and cook on a low heat until the veggies are soft cooked. If needed sprinkle little water and cook.
8. Add salt and more turmeric if you want. Mix.
9. Add the cooked jowar and coconut. You can skip coconut if you don’t have. But it adds taste and flavor.
10. Saute for 1 to 2 mins. Add lemon juice and coriander leaves.
Serve hot. It can be served on its own or with papad or yogurt.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Jowar Upma (Jonna / Jowar Recipes)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup jowar
- 1 cup water to pressure cook
- ½ teaspoon salt (more to adjust)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 to 2 tablespoon oil
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon cumin / jeera
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon mustard
- 1 to 1½ teaspoon urad dal optional
- 1 pinch hing
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 onion , small , sliced
- 2 to 3 green chilies slit or chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger chopped (optional)
- ¾ to 1 cup mixed veggies , chopped finely
- ¼ cup fresh grated coconut as desired
Method
- Wash and soak jowar for at least 8 hours. Drain and add 1 cup water, salt and turmeric. Pressure cook for 2 whistles on a medium flame and 1 more whistle on a low flame.
- When the pressure settles down, open the lid. They should be soft cooked yet hold their shape. (very important to cook until soft)
- Heat a pan with oil and add cumin, mustard and urad dal. When the dal turns golden, add hing, curry leaves, onions, chilies and ginger.
- Saute until the onions turn soft for 3 to 4 mins, then add mixed veggies and a pinch of salt. Saute for 2 mins.
- Cover and cook until tender. If the pan dries out, sprinkle little water as you cook.
- Mix in the hot cooked jowar and coconut. Cook until heated through. Sprinkle lemon juice and adjust salt to taste. Serve jowar upma hot with dal/ chana and yogurt.
Private Notes
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Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Hi Swasthi,
I have finally got round to making this recipe.
Thankyou for introducing me to Jowar. I cooked it stovetop as you advised. It did take around an hour to cook. I added frozen green peas, cooked Guvar and potatoes. Really lovely just on its own with the Lemon Juice but it paired beautifully with the leftover Fish Masala from last night.
A more flavourful alternative to rice.
Thanks again Swasthi, you are a gem!
Paul:-)
All your recipes are very nutritious
Tasty and very healthy. Thank you very much for sharing such recipes Bless you. I am 78 years old lady and very much interested in healthy and tasty food.
Thank you so much for the wishes Sumathi mam. Glad to know you!
Hi,
Your receipes are super good. If i need any new recipes, undoubtedly i check yours only. Your recipes are awesome. This is my first rating on your recipes despite of my several.usage. sorry for that and Thank you
Hi Swasthi,
Can i soak jowar in the afternoon and pressure cooker at night so that i can store in fridge to make upma next day morning??? Will it become more chewy even after cooking in the next morning ??
Hi Manisha,
Yes you can do that. But I felt storing cooked jowar turned them dry from inside so I had to cook for 10 minutes while making the upma. May be because my jowar were old. I am not sure. Try with a small batch.
Hi Swasthi,
Do you have a stovetop version of this recipe please?
I bought some Jowar from my local Halal Grocery without really knowing what to do with it and this recipe sounds really good. I just don’t have a pressure cooker.
Hi Paul,
You can simply soak them overnight and cook in a pot. Then temper following this recipe. There are different kinds of jowar. Some take as long as 60 minutes on the stovetop, to cook in a pot. You may need about 3 to 4 cups per cup of jowar, depending on the age and kind. Hope this helps.
Hi swathi for 1 cup of Jowar how much water to put n 2ndly y is my jowar taking long to b soft as want to sprout
Hi Maria,
Actually they won’t soften until cooked. Soak them in 4 cups of water
Boiled jowar will it be soft and not like rubber or can we crash raw jowar then pressure cook it.recepe is yummy.
Hi Rita,
No it won’t turn like rubber but will be chewy.
Yes you can soak the jowar and drain completely. Add to blender and crush but the texture won’t be the same it will be like upma/khichdi, wet.
Look for jowar rava online. You can soak and use it directly in many dishes.
Hi Swasthi…Does cooking Jowar in pressure cooker reduce its nutritional value?
Can one boil it after soaking instead of pressure cooking.
If yes, then for how much time to boil to make it edible?
Hi Rohit
No! You can boil them in a pot but the texture won’t be good & it takes a lot of time. If the grains are old (old crop/harvest) they take much longer. Whole grains are best cooked under pressure & there is no nutrition loss.
Hi Swasthi,
Is it ok for a 3 year old to eat jowar dishes during summers
Hi Flavia,
Yes I did serve jowar to my toddlers even during summer. Especially this recipe is good as jowar is soaked well. As always people eating jowar and ragi need to consume more water.
It is wonderful to know how our traditional jowar is utilised for making interesting recipes ,retaining the nutritional values.Expecting more such type of delicious recipes from milets.
Very useful..
Hello Swasthi, Thanks for this wonderful recipe. Me and my husband loved it. I have a question- does it tastes good for the lunch box? I wanted to include this in my kids diet and they don’t get to heat the food in microwave in school. Any tips would be much helpful.
Thanks again for the wonderful recipes. Keep up the good work.
-Sailaja.
Hi Sailaja,
You are welcome. Glad you both loved it. For the lunch box it gets a bit chewy and kids may not finish in time. Instead of the whole jowar, sometimes I pulse them in the mixer to get broken wheat like texture. Then rinse and soak it. This one turns a bit softer & not chewy. Just try this way and check if they like it. Thanks for trying.
Hi, I have a doubt I. E. Jowar is heat to body or not.. People are telling that jowar is heat to body.. Not good for planning for pregnancy.. Is it true..
Hi Sarika,
Jowar is a neutral grain that does not generate heat in the body like wheat or millets. I have eaten jowar during both my pregnancies, even prior & after. I have never even heard about avoiding it while planning or during pregnancy. But jowar is very dehydrating so we usually eat jowar roti with lots of fresh cucumber, onions & kosambari. Then finish up with buttermilk. You have to drink lots of water to digest jowar as it may constipate. Hope this helps. Just go ahead and consume 3 to 4 times a week
Thank you for replying to me.. Daily can I have 1 jowar roti with curry in afternoon. It doesn’t harm know..
Yes sure, you can eat even 2. During my first pregnancy 3rd trimester I was advised by my gynac to eat jowar roti for dinner as I was over weight. You can also check with your gynac during your next visit
This upma looks yummy, will try it sometime. We are trying to reduce wheat usage so I was looking for alternatives to wheat chapati. Jola roti is something we used to have in our native (Dharwad) so I was looking for an easy way to make it – back in the native they beat it to flatten it – not an easy task 🙂
So do you happen to have a recipe for Jola roti? It would great if you could share it. I am looking for something that is easy to make and also should stay soft for the lunch next day (I carry cooked dinner as lunch for the following work day). Thanks in advance.
Hi Santosh
Sorry for the delay. I was on a vacation so couldn’t reply. I don’t have the recipe on the blog. I sometimes make it by pouring very hot water to the flour and knead to make dough. Quickly make balls and roll them with rolling stick gently and toast them immediately. Smear some water with a cloth while toasting. Remove to a cloth and keep them covered while hot. This is the only way I make now. But remember to use fresh ground flour( milled with in 30 days).
Hi mam
I’m BALA I tried u recipe definitely I want to reduce my weight with good diet is there any relevant to the ragi and jonna
Hi Bala
Yes you can try with ragi and jonna without adding milk
Thanks for the recipe (Jowar upma). Looks perfect and healthy. Will definitely try to prepare this.
Just a small suggestion. Can you add pinterest button on your blog? it will be easy to tag for all of us.
Welcome Anjan
Yes sure I will do it.
How do you make roasted Jowar snack with all spices without jowar turning into popcorn?
Hi Lakshmi
They will turn hard if they are roasted and not popped. You can make a snack following the same method mentioned above by soaking, pressure cooking and then seasoning with spice powders.
I have never eaten jowar/sorghum. This looks like a good recipe for it that I want to try. I noticed there are some leaves added in the picture for step 5. Are they curry leaves?
Hi Francine
Do try it. yes they are curry leaves. Sorry I forgot to include it.
Thanks a lot for the mention I will update soon
I normally use Idli rice for making dosas. But this time I used different rice. As you said this may be the reason. I will try with idli rice next time. Thanks for all your healthy recipes.
Tastes great.
I tried jonna dosa, but dosa is sticking to tawa. I used all 1 cup.. Rice, urad and jonna. Little bit of methi seeds.
Thanks Shravani
I make Jonna dosa with the same measurements. I almost make it every week. But if the batter is not blended smooth or tawa is not greased well or batter doesn’t ferment well that can happen. Also you may try changing the rice. It works well with aged parboiled rice and even with idli rice for me. Hope this helps for your next try
Hi Swasthi..this time I tried with idli rice and dosas came out well..thank you.
Hi Swasthi…this time I tried jonna dosa with Idli rice and they came out well. Thank you
Welcome Shravani
Good to know it came out well, Thanks for the comment
Can I use bajra instead of this?please help..thank you.
Welcome Ankita
Yes it works. You can also make bajra khichdi with some dal,