Quick Overview: MasterChef India Winners (Season 1 to 7)
| Season | Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2010 | Pankaj Bhadouria | Jayanandan Bhaskar | ₹1 crore |
| 2 | 2011–12 | Shipra Khanna | Salma Shazia Fathima | ₹1 crore |
| 3 | 2013 | Ripudaman Handa | Navneet Rastogi | ₹1 crore |
| 4 | 2015 | Nikita Gandhi | Neha Deepak Shah | ₹1 crore |
| 5 | 2016 | Kirti Bhoutika | Ashima Arora | ₹50 lakh |
| 6 | 2019–20 | Abinas Nayak | Oindrila Bala | ₹25 lakh |
| 7 | 2023 | Nayanjyoti Saikia | Shanta Sarmah | ₹25 lakh |
Season 1 (2010): Pankaj Bhadouria
MasterChef India 1 aired from 16 October to 25 December 2010 on StarPlus. Akshay Kumar, Kunal Kapur and Ajay Chopra fronted the show, and Pankaj Bhadouria won it. Pankaj, a home cook and professor from Lucknow, became the first MasterChef India champion and took home ₹1 crore. Runner-up: Jayanandan Bhaskar.
Judges/Hosts: Akshay Kumar, Kunal Kapur, Ajay Chopra
Season 2 (2011–12): Shipra Khanna
Season 2 was judged by Vikas Khanna, Kunal Kapur and Ajay Chopra, and it was won by Shipra Khanna. Shipra, a single mother from Shimla, won ₹1 crore. She later built a career as a chef, author and content creator. Runner-up: Salma Shazia Fathima.
Judges: Vikas Khanna, Kunal Kapur, Ajay Chopra
Season 3 (2013): Ripudaman Handa
Season 3 moved to weekdays and ran for a long 70 episodes. Ripudaman Handa, a Delhi-based home cook, won ₹1 crore and later appeared on Nach Baliye. Runner-up: Navneet Rastogi.
Judges: Vikas Khanna, Kunal Kapur, Sanjeev Kapoor
Season 4 (2015): Nikita Gandhi
Season 4 introduced a pure vegetarian format for the first time in the show’s history, with Sanjeev Kapoor, Vikas Khanna and Ranveer Brar as judges. Nikita Gandhi, from Mumbai, won ₹1 crore. Runner-up: Neha Deepak Shah.
Judges: Sanjeev Kapoor, Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar
Season 5 (2016): Kirti Bhoutika
Kirti Bhoutika, a young home cook, won this season. The prize money dropped to ₹50 lakh, the first cut in the show’s history. Runner-up: Ashima Arora.
Judges: Vikas Khanna, Kunal Kapur, Zorawar Kalra
Season 6 (2019–20): Abinas Nayak
Season 6 aired from December 2019 to March 2020, with Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar and Vineet Bhatia as judges. Abinas Nayak won, and Oindrila Bala was runner-up. Abinas, from Odisha, took home ₹25 lakh, the new standard prize for later seasons.
Judges: Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar, Vineet Bhatia
Season 7 (2023): Nayanjyoti Saikia
Season 7 was the first on Sony Entertainment Television, with streaming on SonyLIV, and it ran for 65 episodes. The winner was Nayanjyoti Saikia, a student from Tinsukia, Assam, who won ₹25,00,000. Runner-up Shanta Sarmah, a homemaker from Guwahati, and second runner-up Suvarna Bagul, a homemaker from Mumbai, each received ₹5,00,000.
Judges: Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar, Garima Arora
MasterChef India Prize Money: How It Changed
- Seasons 1 to 4: ₹1 crore each
- Season 5: ₹50 lakh
- Seasons 6 and 7: ₹25 lakh, plus the MasterChef trophy and title
MasterChef India Judges Across Seasons
Vikas Khanna appeared on most seasons as a judge. Kunal Kapur, Ranveer Brar and Sanjeev Kapoor were regular faces, and Garima Arora, Vineet Bhatia, Zorawar Kalra and Ajay Chopra each joined for a season or more. There was no separate host in most seasons, because the judges hosted the show themselves. Akshay Kumar fronted Season 1.
What Happened After Season 7?
Season 8 (2023) was won by Mohammad Ashiq and streamed exclusively on SonyLIV. Season 9 (2026) introduced a pairs format and was won by the duo Ajinkya and Vikram Gandhe. Both had ₹25 lakh in prize money.
FAQs
Who was the first MasterChef India winner? Pankaj Bhadouria, in 2010.
Which seasons gave ₹1 crore? Seasons 1 to 4.
Who won MasterChef India Season 7? Nayanjyoti Saikia from Assam.
Which season was fully vegetarian? Season 4, won by Nikita Gandhi.