17 Amazing Health Benefits of Jowar Flour

Jowar Flour: A Nutritious and Versatile Staple in Indian Cuisine 

Jowar flour, made from sorghum grain, is a traditional and increasingly favored ingredient in many parts of India, especially in western and central regions such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka. Known regionally as *jowari* or *cholam*, this ancient grain is milled into a fine, smooth flour that serves as a healthy alternative to wheat. With its earthy, mildly sweet taste, jowar flour is a key component in numerous traditional dishes, making it a dietary mainstay in countless Indian homes.  

In Indian cuisine, jowar flour is most commonly used to make **bhakri** or **roti**—unleavened flatbreads that are hand-patted and cooked on a griddle. These are typically paired with dals, curries, or vegetable dishes. 

Jowar is extremely drought tolerant, making it an excellent choice for arid and dry areas. You can simply dry roast jowar grains and blend them into a smooth powder to make Jowar flour. Jowar is a little denser than whole wheat, so the taste may take some time to get accustomed to.

1.Jowar flour Rich in Fiber : 

Jowar flour is naturally high in dietary fiber, a significant health advantage that contributes to its widespread adoption in India. As a whole grain flour, it retains the outer bran layer of the sorghum kernel, which is the primary source of this beneficial fiber. Jowar Flour is naturally high in Fibre. 100 grams of Jowar give 9.7 grams of Fibre. 

Try Methi Jowar Muthia. One serving of this muthia makes up for 12% of fiber intake of the day.  

Methi Jowar Muthia

2. Jowar flour is Gluten Free : 

One of the most significant advantages of jowar flour, contributing greatly to its increasing popularity in India and globally, is its inherent gluten-free nature.

This allows those with gluten intolerance to enjoy traditional Indian flatbreads and other preparations without experiencing digestive discomfort

 Enjoy Jowar Roti with a sabzi of your choice.  

Jowar Roti

3. Jowar flour is Good for Diabetics : 

Jowar is a complex carb and will be absorbed slowly in the blood stream and not cause a spike in insulin. Hence a good safe food for diabetics and also for those who want to live and eat healthy. Try using jowar flour as binding agent as we have done in the recipe of Karela Muthia. Both jowar flour and bitter gourd are high suggested for diabetics to maintain blood sugar levels. 

Karela Muthias

4. Jowar flour Reduces body Inflammation : 

Being high in phytochemical antioxidants which results in Jowar being anti inflammatory. Phytochemical are commonly found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and grains and offer protection against cancer and heart disease. Jowar Bajra Garlic Roti is a perfect choice for you to begin your way to good health. 

Jowar Bajra Garlic Roti

5. Jowar flour is Protein Rich : 

One cup of Jowar Flour (100 grams) has 10.4 grams of protein. Good source of protein for vegetarians. Jowar Flour forms a complete protein when combined with legumes like rajma, moong dal, urad dal, toovar dal, chana dal. 

Here we have done the same in the recipe of Moong Dal and Methi Kachuri.  

 Moong Dal and Methi Kachuri, Baked Kachodi

6. Jowar flour Reduces Cancer Risk : 

Phytochemical present in Jowar reduce the oxidative damage of our cells resulting the lessening risk of cancer. Jowar Palak Appe is an instant South Indian recipe which can enjoyed for breakfast as well snacks. 

Jowar Palak Appe

7. Jowar flour is High in Magnesium : 

Since Jowar is rich in Mg which results in better calcium absorption in your body resulting in stronger bones. Jowar Golpapdi will help you top up on your magnesium stores.  

Jowar Golpapdi for Kids

8. Jowar flour is Rich in Iron :

 100 grams of Jowar contains 4.1 mg of iron. You need to pair with a Vitamin C source to enjoy the benefits of the iron. Jowar Sesame Khakhra is a real iron brimming fare, which makes use of 2 iron rich ingredients – jowar flour and sesame seeds. You can pair with a Vitamin C source to enjoy the benefits of the iron. 

Jowar Khakhra

9. Jowar flour Lowers Blood Pressure : 

Jowar and all Millets are rich in Potassium. Potassium is critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So if you are suffering from High Blood Pressure and taking medication, then the medicine works by taking out the sodium and potassium from the kidneys. So you need to up your Potassium intake in this case. Combine jowar flour with other healthy flours and a few nourishing seeds to make Low Salt High Fiber Multigrain Bread.

Low Salt High Fiber Multigrain Bread

10. Jowar flour Lowers Cholesterol : 

Being high in Fibre, Jowar reduces bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases the effects of good cholesterol (HDL). Jowar Onion Puris which have been baked instead of deep-frying is sure to suit heart patients.   

Jowar Onion Puris

11. Jowar flour is Alkaline : 

Jowar is alkaline in nature and combats acidity. Acidity is a form of indigestion in which there is accumulation of acid leading to a burning sensation in the stomach and the digestive tract. The stomach periodically produces acid to aid digestion. It is when we don't eat at regular intervals or are excessively stressed the stomach produces more acids which harms our body. Feast on  Multigrain Healthy Cracker, Lactose Free  at snack time and avoid those fried foods which can cause or aggravate acidity. 

 Multigrain Healthy Cracker, Lactose Free

12. Jowar flour is Good for Endurance :

 Being high in fibre, protein, alkaline, lowering blood pressure means more RBC (red blood cells) to give energy. All these factors enhance performance of endurance athletes like runners, swimmers and bikers. Herbed Jowar Strips with Spicy Orange Salsa is a unique way of combining jowar flour and veggies. Try it out!Note that Jowar is a whole grain and they are always more healthier than its powdered form which is Jowar Flour.

Herbed Jowar Strips with Spicy Orange Salsa

13. Jowar flour Helps prevents Anaemia : 

Jowar flour in the form of Jowar Methi Roti contains a fair source of Iron which helps prevent Anaemia. Here is our food sources of Iron.

Jowar Methi Roti

14. Jowar flour is Rich in Folic Acid: 

Vitamin B9 helps your body to produce and maintain new cells, especially red blood cells. It also helps prevents DNA changes that might cause cancer. Baked Palak Jowar Murukku is an interesting way to add folic acid to your diet minus the fat.

Baked Palak Jowar Murukku

15. Jowar flour is Good for bones : 

Jowar flour is rich in Phosphorus which is a major mineral which works closely with calcium to build our bones. Jowar Upma is a tempting delicacy which you must not miss out on to strengthen your bones.

Jowar Upma

16. Jowar flour is Good for Eyes: 

Zinc helps in the activity of an enzyme in our body that helps produce Vitamin A, which is useful in treating night blindness. 2 Jowar Bajra Besan Thalipeeth helps you fulfill 10% of your days requirement for zinc. 

Jowar Bajra Besan Thalipeeth

17. Jowar flour  helps Carbohydrate Metabolism: 

Jowar flour is rich in Vitamin B1 which is essential for glucose metabolism. It extracts energy from our food and converts it into ATP (adenosine triphosphate). You can try the simple Indian bread – Jowar Pyaz ki Roti.  

Jowar Pyaz Ki Roti ( Healthy Breakfast)

Nutritional Information for 1 cup Jowar Flour
One cup of Jowar Flour is 98 grams, which makes 7 rotis. 
RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance. 
Nutritional Information for 1 cup Bajra Flour
342 Calories
10.19 grams of Protein
71.1 grams of Carbs
1.86 grams of Fat
167.5 mg of Magnesium (Mg) = 47.8% of RDA (about 350 mg )
9.5 grams of High Fiber = 43.3% of RDA (about 25 to 30 grams)

See full nutritional details of jowar flour in Jowar Flour glossary click here.

Top 10 Healthy Jowar Recipes

We have a collection of 98 recipes using Jowar Flour. To start with, you can mix jowar flour with gehun ka atta and make rotis , parathas. It can also be used to prepare various foods like unleavened bread, cookies, cakes and even make multigrain dosa, idlis. Jowar flour is healthy, gluten-free and an amazing alternative for refined flour.

The moment someone says Kachori, you can imagine a deep-fried snack loaded with calories but, try making this Bengali style - Moong Dal and Methi Kachuri this iron-rich snack baked to perfection. Also, you can make these steamed Karela Muthias, a diabetic- friendly delicious breakfast.

Stock up your air-tight containers with these Jowar Onion Puris, carry them in your dabba and enjoy them for sudden hunger pangs at work.

If you don't like a plain Jowar roti then try enhancing the flavour by the addition of ingredients like garlic, methi, onions and make these power-packed, tasty flat-breads like Jowar Bajra Garlic Roti , Jowar Methi Roti or Jowar Pyaz Ki Roti .

We hope you enjoyed this article and would love to hear from you. Please comment at the bottom of the page and let us know if you want us to add any more information.

Happy cooking!