Makhana vs Lotus Seeds: Why They Are Not the Same Plant

Makhana is not a lotus seed. Makhana is the seed of Euryale ferox, a prickly water lily in the family Nymphaeaceae. Lotus seed comes from Nelumbo nucifera, the sacred lotus, in the family Nelumbonaceae. These are separate plants in separate botanical families, placed in different orders as well. They grow differently, they are harvested differently and they are cooked differently. The two names are swapped so often on packaging and in recipe posts that the error now travels faster than the correction.

Two plants, two families

Family sits one rank above genus, so two plants in different families are much further apart than two plants that simply carry different species names. Apples and pears share a family. Makhana and lotus do not, and they do not share an order either.

World Flora Online places Euryale ferox Salisb. in the order Nymphaeales, then the family Nymphaeaceae, then the genus Euryale. It places Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. in the order Proteales, then the family Nelumbonaceae, then the genus Nelumbo. The GBIF backbone taxonomy returns the same two placements independently, and no botanical authority checked for this article treats makhana as a lotus.

United States government data keeps them apart as well. The USDA PLANTS database lists Nelumbo nucifera under the symbol NENU2 as sacred lotus, and lists Euryale ferox separately under EUFE6.

What the Euryale ferox plant looks like

The Flora of China treatment describes floating leaves that are prickly on the stalks and along the veins, dark purple underneath and green on top, reaching 1.3 m across. The flower is small for such a large plant, up to about 5 cm, its outer petals purple violet fading to white toward the centre. The fruit is a dark purple globe, 5 to 10 cm across, spongy and covered in prickles. Inside sit black round seeds, 6 to 10 mm across, wrapped in a thick, rigid coat. The Flora notes plainly that the species is cultivated for its starchy seeds.

What the Nelumbo nucifera plant looks like

The lotus behaves differently in the water. Its leaf stalks run 1 to 2 m long, so the round, water repellent blade, 25 to 90 cm across, is held up rather than resting flat on the surface. The flowers are large, 10 to 23 cm across, pink or white. After flowering the receptacle swells into the woody, flat topped pod that turns up in dried flower arrangements, with the seeds set into its face like studs. The Flora of China records that the species is cultivated for its edible rhizomes and its seeds. That rhizome is lotus root, sold as a vegetable in its own right.

One plant hides a prickly berry under the water. The other holds a bare seed pod above it.

Makhana vs lotus seeds, side by side

The table carries no nutrition column on purpose, for reasons set out further down.

Where makhana actually comes from

Makhana is a pond crop, grown in shallow standing water and in low fields that hold water through the season. The centre of production is north Bihar in eastern India.

A 2025 paper in Aquatic Living Resources by Shailendra Raut and colleagues puts numbers on it. The authors record makhana seed production of roughly 60,000 tonnes from about 35,000 hectares in north Bihar, and state that this accounts for more than 85 percent of the makhana seed produced in India.

That figure describes India, not the world. A claim that Bihar supplies some set percentage of global makhana circulates widely with no source attached, so this article does not repeat it. What the evidence supports is that production is heavily concentrated in a small part of eastern India.

The crop calendar in the same study runs on a yearly loop: germination from December, vegetative growth in March and April, then flowering and fruiting from May through October or November, with fruit taking roughly 40 to 45 days to mature.

How makhana is harvested and popped

Harvest happens in November, by hand, underwater. The same study describes a lightweight bamboo device known locally as a Gaanja, a funnel shaped sieve pushed down to the pond bottom to separate the seeds from the sediment. The fruit breaks down in the water and the seeds sink, so harvesting means dragging the bed rather than picking a plant.

What follows is the step that turns a hard black seed into a snack:

• Seeds are washed and dried in the sun.
• They are graded by size, since similar sizes pop at similar rates.
• They are roasted at high heat until the rigid seed coat gives way and the starchy kernel bursts out as a white puff, larger than the seed that produced it.
• Shell fragments are separated from the popped kernels.
• They are then dry roasted again so that they become crunchy. 

The mechanism is close to a popcorn kernel. Trapped moisture turns to steam, pressure builds against a hard shell, and the starch expands the instant the shell fails. Comparing makhana with popcorn is fairer than comparing it with lotus seed, because those two at least share a method. AshaPops popped water lily seeds are roasted, never fried, as set out in what AshaPops are made of.

Where lotus seeds come from, and what cooks do with them

Lotus seeds are taken from the receptacle, the flat topped pod left standing after the petals drop. They reach kitchens fresh and green in season, dried and hard, or blanched to pale ivory with the bitter green germ removed from the centre.

Cooking follows from that. Lotus seeds are simmered in soups and braises across China and Southeast Asia, candied, or ground into the sweet paste used to fill mooncakes and buns. Lotus root, the rhizome of the same plant, is sold as a separate vegetable, another reason the two plants should not be filed under one name.

Popping is not part of that repertoire. The popped format belongs to makhana.

How the mix-up spreads, and why it lands on a nutrition panel

The confusion has a mechanism, and it runs through reference data.

USDA FoodData Central carries reference entries for lotus seeds, including Seeds, lotus seeds, dried under FDC ID 170149 and Seeds, lotus seeds, raw under FDC ID 168591. Both describe Nelumbo nucifera. A search of the same database for Euryale returns no reference entry at all. A writer looking for makhana data finds the lotus record, decides it is close enough, and publishes it under the makhana heading. Every later article that copies it inherits a figure measured on a different plant in a different family.

Packaging pushes the error the other way. Snacks made from Euryale ferox are sometimes sold as popped lotus seeds, so a shopper who checks the label learns the wrong name from the product itself.

This is why the comparison above carries no nutrition column. Widely circulated composition figures for makhana trace back to sources that do not hold up when checked against the publications they are attributed to. AshaPops publishes the figures from its own Nutrition Facts panel and publishes no composition figures for either plant in the abstract.

Nutritional data is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical, dietary, or health advice. Consult your healthcare provider before making dietary changes.

How to tell them apart on a shelf

• Read the ingredient line, not the front of the bag. Water lily seeds or makhana means Euryale ferox. Lotus seeds means Nelumbo nucifera, or a makhana product carrying the wrong name.
• Look at the shape. Popped makhana is an irregular white puff, roughly round, light for its size, and it crushes between two fingers.
• Dried lotus seeds are not puffed at all. They are firm, ivory to pale yellow, oval, dense in the hand, and they need cooking.
• Check the aisle. Lotus seeds are stocked as a dried cooking ingredient. Popped makhana sits with snacks, sealed and ready to eat.
• An unpopped makhana seed is black and hard, and looks nothing like the finished snack.

What AshaPops actually makes

AshaPops makes popped water lily seeds from Euryale ferox, popped and seasoned in Los Angeles from makhana sourced in Bihar, India. The seeds are roasted, never fried. Four flavours make up the range: Himalayan Pink Salt, Vegan Cheese, Turmeric Garlic and Chili, all of them in the popped water lily seed snacks collection.

The ingredient lines are short. Himalayan Pink Salt is water lily seeds, extra virgin olive oil, Himalayan pink salt and rosemary. The Nutrition Facts panel on a 1 oz bag lists 120 calories, and the serving size is the package. The products are Non-GMO Project Verified and Certified OU Kosher. Undecided shoppers often start with the variety pack.

Pack labelling states that the product is made in a facility that processes wheat, dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, soybeans and corn. AshaPops contains no tree nuts, peanuts, gluten, or grain. Individuals with food allergies should consult their healthcare provider before consuming.

Asha and Jai Farswani, a mother and son, started the company at Los Angeles farmers markets in 2017, a history set out in the AshaPops story. For wider background there is the complete guide to water lily seeds and makhana and a note on whether water lily seeds are safe to eat.

The distinction in one line

Makhana is the roasted, popped seed of a prickly water lily, Euryale ferox, harvested off the bed of a Bihar pond in November. Lotus seed comes from Nelumbo nucifera, lifted from a pod above the water and cooked rather than popped. Different families, different plants.

Frequently asked questions

Is makhana a lotus seed?

No. Makhana is the seed of Euryale ferox, a prickly water lily in the family Nymphaeaceae. Lotus seed comes from Nelumbo nucifera, the sacred lotus, in the family Nelumbonaceae. World Flora Online and the GBIF backbone taxonomy both place the two species in different families and different orders.

Where does makhana come from?

Makhana comes from ponds and waterlogged fields, mostly in north Bihar in eastern India. A 2025 study in Aquatic Living Resources reports roughly 60,000 tonnes of makhana seed from about 35,000 hectares in north Bihar, which the authors state accounts for more than 85 percent of the makhana seed produced in India. 

Is makhana made from lotus seeds?

No. Makhana is made from the seed of Euryale ferox and nothing else, and no part of the lotus plant is involved at any stage. Products labelled popped lotus seeds are either a different food or a makhana product carrying the wrong common name.

What is the scientific name for makhana?

Euryale ferox Salisb., the only species in the genus Euryale. English common names include prickly water lily and water lily seed. The USDA PLANTS database lists it under the symbol EUFE6 and lists Nelumbo nucifera separately under NENU2 as sacred lotus.

Why do some brands and websites call makhana lotus seeds?

Two habits keep the error alive. Reference databases carry entries for lotus seeds but none for Euryale ferox, so a writer searching for makhana data finds a lotus record and uses it. Some packaged snacks are also sold as popped lotus seeds, which moves the mistake onto the shelf.

How is makhana made into a popped snack?

Seeds are gathered from the pond bed, washed, dried in the sun and graded by size. They are then roasted at high heat until the hard black seed coat splits and the starchy kernel bursts out as a white puff, and the shell fragments are separated afterwards. AshaPops popped water lily seeds are then dry-roasted to get to a nice crunch. AshaPops are never fried.

Do lotus seeds and makhana taste the same?

No. Popped makhana is dry, airy and crisp, with a mild toasted flavour that carries seasoning well. Lotus seeds are sold dried or blanched and are cooked before eating, and the result is firm, dense and faintly sweet, closer to a cooked bean than to a puffed snack.

Nutritional data is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical, dietary, or health advice. Consult your healthcare provider before making dietary changes.