Can we do pūjā at home without a priest?

yes — daily pūjā has always been done by the family itself; priests help with larger rituals and saṁskāras.

Daily worship at home is your own relationship with God, and no intermediary is needed. In the Bhagavad Gītā Kṛṣṇa says that whoever offers him a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water with devotion, he accepts it. That is the heart of home pūjā.

A simple daily pūjā can follow the pañcopacāra, the five offerings: sandal paste or kumkum (gandha), flowers (puṣpa), incense (dhūpa), a lamp (dīpa) and food (naivedya), followed by a prayer or ārati. You can say the deity’s name with “namaḥ” at each step, in Sanskrit or your own language.

Priests are valuable for saṁskāras such as marriage and upanayana, for large homas, śrāddha and vows with detailed procedure, where precise Vedic recitation is part of the rite. For everything else, begin yourself — our step-by-step guides are written for exactly this.

Source: Bhagavad Gītā 9.26 (“patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam”) · Pañcopacāra: the five-offering pūjā

Dharma Q&A — worship at home · Ask a Jyotishi your own question