This Nevri recipe is one I make every year for my Diwali thali in Goa. Nevri, also known as Neureo, Nevryo, Karanji, or Gujiya, is a deep-fried sweet made with maida or flour and stuffed with a filling of grated coconut and jaggery.
My recipe is easy to make, needs only a few ingredients, and tastes delicious. I am also sharing some helpful tips so you get perfectly crispy nevri and the stuffing won't come out while frying. Step-by-step photos and a quick recipe video tutorial are included.
What is Nevri?
Nevri, also called Neureo or Nevryo in Goan Konkani, is a popular Indian festive sweet made in Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and neighbouring states during Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, and Christmas. It is a half-moon-shaped, deep-fried sweet made with flour and stuffed with a filling of fresh coconut and jaggery, the same filling we use for making Patoli.
This Goan Neureo recipe that I am sharing here is similar to the Mangalorean Nevri recipe or the Maharashtrian Ola Naralache Karanji. You can make it and store it at room temperature, and it stays good for up to a week. It's so delicious that it never lasts for that long in our home. The same goes for Instant bhajni chakli.
Every family has their own way of making this nevri sweet. Some make it with rava dough, some make it with poppy seeds, or without dry fruits. No authentic nevri recipe here. If you love sweet recipes, you might also like besan ladoo, rava ladoo, moong dal ladoo with jaggery, and peanut ladoo.
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Quick Look: Goan Nevri Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Servings: 35 Nevris (depends on the size)
- Calories: ~131 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- Cook Method: Make dough → prepare stuffing → roll and fill → shape and seal → deep-fry until golden and crispy.
- Flavor Profile: Sweet
- Difficulty: Easy-Medium, great for weekend meals
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Disclaimer: AI summaries may contain errors. Please check the original Nevri recipe for accurate steps.
Why you'll love this recipe!
- No more soggy nevris: They turn out crispy, and the stuffing won't come out while frying. I have shared all the tips to make it perfect every time.
- Requires simple ingredients and tastes absolutely delicious.
- Make-ahead recipe: Stays good for days. These Neureos are great for gifting to family and friends on festive occasions.
Ingredients Notes
See the recipe card at the end of the post for full ingredients, quantities, and a printable version.
- Freshly grated coconut: Fresh coconut tastes best, but desiccated coconut also works fine here.
- Maida/All-purpose flour: The cover is super crispy and light with Maida, but you can also use a mixture of half Maida and half aata (whole wheat flour) for making Nevri.
- Jaggery: Any Jaggery works here. You can also use palm jaggery.
- Rava/semolina: Makes the Nevryo cover crispy. I used fine rava for this recipe.
- Green Cardamoms: I love the flavor of cardamoms in all my Indian sweets, like besan burfi or puran poli.
- Cahsews and raisins: You can make it without them. Or add almonds or dates, if you like.
- Roasted sesame seeds: I love sesame seeds in my Neureo. Optional, skip if you do not like it.
How to make Nevri Recipe with Step-by-Step Photos
For the Nevri Cover (Dough)
Step 1: In a big bowl, mix 2 cups of maida, ¼ cup of rava, and salt (image 1).
Step 2: Heat ¼ cup of oil in a tadka pan. Pour the hot oil into the flour mixture (image 2). Mix the hot oil with a spoon first (do not touch the mixture with your hands) (image 3).
Step 3: Then, use your fingers to rub the oil into the flour mixture. Keep rubbing until it feels like bread crumbs. Squeeze a handful of the flour mixture into a ball. Check if the mixture holds its shape (image 4). If it doesn't hold shape, heat 1 tablespoon more oil and mix again.
Step 4: Add water little by little (image 5) and knead into a semi-stiff dough (image 6). (Harder than roti dough, but not very hard.) Cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes (image 7).
For the Nevri Stuffing (Sweet Coconut Jaggery Filling)
Step 6: Heat 1 teaspoon of ghee in a kadhai on low-medium heat. Fry 1 tablespoon of cashew (broken into small pieces) until light golden. Add 1 tablespoon of raisins and fry for 1 minute until they start to change color (image 8). Remove them to a plate.
Step 7: In the same kadhai, add 2 cups of freshly grated coconut and 1½ cups of jaggery (image 9). Stir on low heat until the jaggery melts and combines well with the coconut. Cook until the mixture thickens slightly. Do not overcook the stuffing. The mixture should stay moist (not dry or hard).
Step 8: Add the fried cashews and raisins. Mix in 1 teaspoon of cardamom powder and 1 tablespoon of roasted sesame seeds (image 10). Stir well, switch off the heat, and let the stuffing cool down (image 11).
Shaping the Nevri
Step 9: Knead the Nevri dough once again. Take a small piece of the dough and make a ball (image 12).
Step 10: Sprinkle a little dry flour and roll it (images 13 & 14). Don't use too much dry flour while rolling, or the Neureo will turn hard. Roll it neither too thin (the stuffing may spill out) nor too thick (the nevryo will feel dense).
Step 11: Place the rolled dough on a nevri mold. Apply a little water to the edges (image 16).
Step 12: Add the stuffing in the center (image 17). (Keep filling away from the sides or the edges.). I added 2 teaspoon of the stuffing. Do not overstuff Neureo, as the stuffing will make it difficult to close Neureo.
Step 13: Now fold the Nevri from one side to close it, making sure both sides rest on each other (image 18). Close the Neureo mold to set the half-moon shape. Trim off the extra dough from the edges (image 19). Your half-moon-shaped nevri is ready.
Step 14: One step I always do with all my nevris, especially when shaping with moulds. I press the edges like this to make sure they stick well and no stuffing comes out (image 20). Then I place it in a thali and keep it covered with a cloth or plate until I finish making the rest (images 21 & 22). If you do not have Nevri mold, you can use a cutter to shape the sides. Or pinch and pleat the sides of Nevri.
Frying Nevri
Step 15: Heat oil in a kadhai on medium heat. Drop a small piece of dough in the oil. If it comes up slowly without changing colour, the oil is ready.
Step 16: Place the Neureo slowly in hot oil (image 23). (Be careful, oil may splash.) You can also keep the nevri on a ladle and slowly slide it into the oil. I have shown the process in the video tutorial.
Step 17: Let it cook on one side. Do not flip it immediately. Once one side is fried, flip the nevri slowly. Fry until both sides turn golden and crispy. Your Goan Neureo is ready (image 24). Let them cool to room temperature. Store it in an airtight container.
Tips to Make the Best Goan Nevri
- Rub oil into the flour properly: This makes the Nevri cover flaky and crispy.
- Roll the Nevri cover evenly: not too thin (filling will come out while frying), not too thick (nevri will be dense).
- Fry on medium to low heat: This keeps them golden and crispy. Never fry them on high heat.
- Cool completely before storing so they stay crunchy for days.
Recipe FAQs
If too much dry flour is used while rolling, or the kneaded dough is not soft enough, then Nevri will turn out hard. Make sure to rub oil properly into the flour mixture so they are crispy and not hard.
This happens if you roll the dough too thin or don't seal the edges properly. Always press the edges tightly after applying a little water or milk to the rolled sides.
Let the fried nevri cool completely to room temperature before storing in an airtight container. Never close them while still warm, as this traps moisture and turns Nevryo soft.
Yes, you can prepare it a day before, but make sure it's cooled completely before stuffing. Warm filling makes the dough soggy.
Recipe Card
Nevri Recipe (Goan Neureo)
Ingredients
For the Nevri Cover
- 2 cups Maida all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup rava semolina
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup oil
For Nevri Stuffing
- 1 teaspoon ghee
- 1 tablespoon cashews broken into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon raisins or almonds.
- 2 cups of fresh coconut grated or scraped
- 1 and ½ cups of Jaggery
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
For Frying
- 2 cups oil
Instructions
For the Dough
- In a bowl, mix maida, rava, and salt.
- Heat oil in a tadka pan and pour it over the flour mixture. Mix with a spoon first, then rub with fingers until it looks crumbly like breadcrumbs. Squeeze a handful of the flour mixture into a ball. If it holds its shape, it is ready.
- Add water little by little and knead into a semi-stiff dough. A little harder than your roti dough. Cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes.
For the Stuffing
- Heat the ghee in a pan over low-medium heat. Fry cashews until lightly golden, add raisins and fry lightly. Remove them to a plate.
- In the same pan, cook fresh coconut and jaggery on low heat until the jaggery melts and combines. Now cook it for one more minute to reduce moisture. The mixture should stay moist, not dry. Overcooking will make the stuffing hard. Remove from heat.
- Add fried nuts, cardamom powder, and roasted sesame seeds. Mix well and let it cool completely.
Shaping the Nevri
- Knead the dough again and roll small balls into discs. Roll them evenly. Do not roll too thin or too thick.
- Place the disc on a nevri mold, apply a little water on the edges, and add stuffing in the center. Do not let the stuffing come to the sides.
- Fold the mold to seal into a half-moon shape. Press the edges well so the stuffing does not come out.
- Keep all shaped nevries covered until frying. If you don't have a mold, pinch or pleat the edges by hand.
Frying the Nevri
- Heat the oil on medium heat and test with a small piece of dough. It should rise slowly without changing the color. It's ready.
- Slide the nevri carefully into the hot oil and let it fry on one side before flipping.
- Flip carefully and fry until both sides are golden and crispy. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
- Rub oil into the flour properly: This makes the Nevri cover flaky and crispy.
- Roll the Nevri cover evenly: not too thin (filling will come out while frying), not too thick (nevri will be dense).
- Make sure the stuffing is cool (at room temperature). Hot or warm stuffing will make them soggy.
- Fry on medium to low heat: This keeps them golden and crispy.
- Cool fried nevryo completely before storing so they stay crunchy for days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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