Alma Bax 
There is nothing more loveable than desserts. In fact, desserts are usually the first thing that pops out into our mind when we think about good food. Desserts are an important part of our diet as they not only add extra calories to our diet, but they also fulfill our sweet tooth.
Just because there are over 1 billion people in India does not mean that we eat a different cuisine than the rest of the world. There are hundreds of thousands of different kinds of dishes and sweets that we can indulge in. Depending on where you are, and with whom you are eating, there are several different kinds of sweets that you can try. Some of us can be a little sensitive about this one, but if you are looking for a list of 20 desserts that are very popular in India and have been enjoyed for centuries, then you have come to the right place.
We are all bound to taste different things. Some dishes are everyone’s favourite, while some of us hate it and wish we hadn’t tried it! But there are tons of sweet and dessert recipes that we all love. Some are no doubt the most delicious and mouthwatering, while some of them are too sweet for our taste buds to even try, but they are most definitely loved by many a people.
A dinner isn’t complete without dessert, and we Indians have a particular relationship with our sweet foods.
In Indian cuisine, desserts and sweets play a significant role. Desserts are offered as part of the meal, as snacks, and as a gift to the Gods in the form of Prasadam.
Sweets and pastries are also given to visitors as a symbol of love and friendship at every holiday, including Holi, Diwali, Navratri, and wedding ceremonies.
Milk, sugar, and khoya are the three primary components in the bulk of Indian sweets and desserts. Ghee, almonds, jaggery, coconut, wheat flour, and other basic components are also used.
In this post, we’ll show you how to make some of the most popular and simple Indian sweets and desserts at home.
20 Recipes for Indian Sweets & Desserts
Gulab Jamun No. 1
Time allotted – 30 minutes
Dessert is the recipe type.
North Indian cuisine
12 to 14 servings/yield/yield/yield/yield/yield/yield/y
Components –
- powdered milk
- flour (all-purpose) (Maida)
- Ghee/Oil
- Milk
- Curd/Yogurt/Butter
- Soda (baking)
- Pistachios, chopped
To make sugar syrup, combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Sugar
- Water
- pods of cardamom, green
- Water of roses
We think of hot Gulab Jamun dunked in sweet syrup when we think about Indian sweets. Gulab Jamun is a traditional Indian dessert that is famous both in India and abroad. It’s prepared with deep-fried all-purpose flour balls that are then dipped in sugar syrup. It’s a delectable dessert to serve at the conclusion of a dinner.
To make it healthy, you may always use oil instead of ghee or butter. The living cultures in the yogurt or curd used in this recipe aid in making the dough soft, flexible, and light. If you want, you may use khoya instead of milk powder.
Visit indianhealthyrecipes.com for the whole recipe.
2. Kaju Barfi/Kaju Katli (Kaju Barfi/Kaju Katli)
20-minute total time
Dessert/Sweets Recipe Type
North Indian cuisine
12 to 15 pieces (servings)
Components –
- Cashews/Kaju
- Sugar
- Water
- Coconut oil/ghee
- Rose petals, chopped (Optional)
Kaju Barfi, also known as Kaju Katli, is a famous Indian delicacy made with just two ingredients: cashew nuts and sugar. Other flavorful components include saffron (kesar), rose petals, ghee, and pistachios. It’s a delicious Diwali treat that you may offer to your family and friends.
The consistency of the powdered cashew and sugar syrup that mix to make the cashew dough is one of the most essential things to keep in mind while making Kaju Barfi. To make it light and low in calories, use organic coconut oil instead of ghee.
Visit vegrecipesofindia.com for the whole recipe.
3. Jalebi
Total time: overnight fermentation + 40 minutes of cooking
Sweets/Snacks Recipe Type
North Indian cuisine
15 servings/yield/yield/yield/yield/yield/yield
Components –
- flour (all-purpose) (Maida)
- flour made from corn
- Curd is thick and creamy.
- Soda for cooking
- Ghee
- Food coloring in the color yellow
- Oil
- Ghee
To make sugar syrup, combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Sugar
- Water
- juice of a lemon
- Food coloring in the color yellow
- Elaichi powder/rose essence (optional)
Jalebi is a delicious street snack made by deep frying a flour batter in oil and then soaking it in sugar syrup. It’s delicious hot or cold. The Jalebi’s crispy and crunchy texture, along with its sweet and juicy fillings, makes you immediately fall in love with the flavor. It may be eaten on its own or with crud or rabri.
The key secret here is to prepare and ferment the dough, which gives the Jalebi its crunchy and crispy texture. The active microorganisms in the curd aid in the lightness and fluffiness of the dough. If you wish to keep the calories low, you may entirely substitute the ghee with oil.
Visit rakskitchen.com for the whole recipe.
Kalakand is number four.
3 hours 15 minutes total time
Sweets/Dessert Recipe Type
Rajasthani cuisine
8 servings/yield/yield/yield/yield/yield/y
Components –
- Milk
- Chenna Chenna Chenna Chenna Chen (coagulated milk solids)
- Khoya Khoya Khoya Khoy (reduced milk)
- Ghee
- Sugar
- powdered cardamom
- Pistachios/Almonds
Kalakand is a delicacy among Indian desserts, and it is traditionally served during festivals such as Diwali, Holi, and Navratri. Kalakand is a milk-based fudge with a smooth, thick, and creamy texture. The chenna and khoya mixture has been sweetened with sugar and flavored with cardamom.
This is a rather nutritious dessert dish that incorporates calcium, protein, and other minerals found in milk products. To keep it healthful and low in calories, decrease the quantity of ghee and replace sugar with stevia. This dessert is ideal for diabetics.
Visit – sailusfood for the whole recipe.
5. Laddu made with besan
35-minute total time
Sweets/Snacks Recipe Type
Indian cuisine
8 servings/yield/yield/yield/yield/yield/yield
Components –
- Gram flour (also known as besan or chickpea flour) is a kind of flour made from ground chickpeas.
- Ghee
- sugar in powdered form
- strands of saffron
- powdered cardamom
- powdered nutmeg
- Almonds, sliced
- Pistachios, sliced
Laddu is an Indian dessert that may be prepared with a variety of ingredients. For example, the Besan Ladoo is prepared using besan or chickpea flour that has been roasted till golden brown, then combined with sugar and nut slices before being formed into spherical balls. It’s absolutely tempting and delicious because of the strong fragrance of ghee, saffron, and cardamom.
Roasting the chickpea flour over a low heat, stirring continuously, is the key to creating perfect Besan Lasso. Continue roasting until the dough becomes golden brown and smells like mice. Instead of silky gram flour, coarsely ground chickpea flour may be used to make the texture crunchy.
Visit – foodviva for the whole recipe.
6. Mysore Ghee Pak
35-minute total time
Sweets/Snacks Recipe Type
South Indian cuisine – Mysore
6-8 pieces yielded/serves
Components –
- Besan, besan, besan, be (Chickpea flour)
- Ghee
- Sugar
- Water
Ghee Mysore Pak is a popular Indian dessert prepared with just three ingredients: besan, ghee, and sugar. It’s very simple to prepare and tastes fantastic. One of the most essential things to remember while making Mysore Pak is to keep an eye on the viscosity of the sugar syrup and to stir the mixture often to prevent it from burning. To get rid of the raw besan scent, toast the besan in a nonstick pan before combining it with ghee.
To make it low in calories, use a combination of oil and ghee instead of fully making it with ghee. You may modify the sweetness of the dish to your preference by lowering the sugar content.
Visit erivumpuliyumm for the whole recipe.
7. Gajar Ka Halwa (carrot halwa)
Time allotted: 40 minutes
Dessert/Snack Recipe Type
Punjabi cuisine (North India)
2 bowls (yield/servings)
Components –
- Carrots, grated
- milk that has been boiled
- Sugar
- Ghee
- Khoya, unsweetened (reduced milk)
- powdered cardamom
- Nuts, chopped
Gajar Ka Halwa, also known as Carrot Halwa, is a popular Indian delicacy made by boiling shredded carrots in milk and sugar until they reach the consistency of a pudding. The dish is then topped with chopped nuts. A few strands of saffron may be added to the Halwa to improve the taste.
Carrot Halwa is a one-pot meal that may be prepared in a pressure cooker. Sautéing grate carrots in ghee is the greatest method to get rid of the raw carrot scent. To avoid the ingredients from adhering to the utensil and bring out the flavors, cook everything on a low to medium heat.
Visit sharmispassions.com for the whole recipe.
Puran Poli is number eight.
Time allotted: 50 minutes
Desserts, snacks, and main courses are all types of recipes.
Indian cuisine
6 Poli (yield/servings)
Components –
Stuffing Ingredients
- Toor dal, also known as Chana dal, is a kind of lentil.
- Water
- Jaggery/Sugar
- powdered cardamom
- strands of saffron
For the Outside Cover:
- flour made from whole wheat
- Salt
- Oil
- Water
- Ghee
Puran Poli is a delicious flatbread that originated in Maharashtra and South India. The flat bread’s Poli, or outside covering, is filled with a sweet lentil filling and then shallow fried in ghee. It is given with warm milk or ghee before a meal. The secret to making excellent Puran Poli is to master the sweet lentil filling. It’s preferable to cook the mashed lentil and sugar combination for a long period over a low or medium heat. To keep the mixture from sticking to the pan as it thickens, constantly swirling it.
To make it healthier, you may replace the sugar with jaggery. This recipe’s health quotient is boosted by using whole wheat flour (Atta) instead of all-purpose flour (Maida). Whole wheat flour (Atta) also adds some complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber to the meal.
Visit spiceupthecurry.com for the whole recipe.
Rava Appalu / Rava Appam (No. 9)
Time allotted – 30 minutes
Dessert/Snack Recipe Type
Andhra, South Indian cuisine
12 servings/yield/yield/yield/yield/yield/yield
Components –
- Rava is a kind of rava that (Sooji)
- Sugar
- Water
- coconut grated (Dry)
- powdered cardamom
- Ghee
- Oil
Rava Appalu is a traditional South Indian sweet dish served on special occasions. It has a light and fluffy texture and is made with a few simple ingredients including rava, sugar, shredded coconut, and ghee. Before making the dough, dry roast the rava to give it a crumbly texture and a pleasant fragrance. It is critical to ensure that the dough is free of lumps. To keep the Appalu from burning, cook it on a low to medium heat.
Although this is a deep-fried dish, the excess oil may be soaked off by putting the Appalu on tissue paper after it has been cooked. It has a wonderful nutty flavor and a somewhat chewy texture because to the coconut.
Visit ranjaniskitchen.com for the whole recipe.
10. Vermicelli Kheer/Semya Payasam
20-minute total time
Dessert is the recipe type.
South Indian cuisine
2 Bowls/Yield/Serves
Components –
- Vermicelli
- Milk
- Water
- Sugar
- powdered cardamom
- Raisins and Cashews
Payasam is a must-have for every South Indian dinner. Semiya Payasam, also known as Vermicelli Pudding, is a creamy and delectable delicacy made by dry roasting vermicelli in ghee and then boiling it in milk till it reaches a pudding consistency. The cardamom gives the meal a delicious fragrance.
The key to making Semiya Payasam is to roast the vermicelli till golden brown, which gives it a wonderful chewy texture and fragrance. Because vermicelli burns easily, you need be extra cautious while roasting it.
Visit – blendwithspices for the whole recipe.
Shahi Tukda is number eleven.
Time allotted – 30 minutes
Sweets/Dessert Recipe Type
Mughlai cuisine
2 servings/yield
Components –
- Slices of bread
- Sugar
- Water
- Almonds
- Ghee
Rabri’s case:
Shahi Tukda, also known as Double Ka Meetha, is a rich and creamy bread pudding prepared of charred crisp slices soaked in milk cream and topped with almonds and dried fruits. It is a famous Hyderabadi dessert with origins in Mughlai cuisine. This dish is very easy to make yet tastes incredible.
When cooking the bread pieces, you must be very cautious. It’s best to lightly fry them on low or medium heat to get a golden brown, crispy finish. Because of the quantity of ghee, milk cream, and sugar used in this dish, it is a high-calorie meal that should only be enjoyed on special occasions.
Visit yummytummyaarthi.com for the whole recipe.
Phirni is 12 years old.
Time required: 4-5 hours
Sweets/Dessert Recipe Type
Indian cuisine
4-5 servings/yield
Components –
- Full-fat milk/full-cream
- Rice
- Sugar
- Saffron
- Cardamom pods
- Almonds, cashews, and pistachios are examples of nuts.
Phirni is a sweet, rich, and creamy dessert that may be eaten hot or cold. Rice pudding made with rice flour and sugar cooked in milk cream and flavored with saffron and cardamom. Phirni is traditionally served in clay bowls known as “Sakoras.” The extra moisture is absorbed by the clay bowls, which thickens the Phirni.
To make the Phirni thicken quicker, use a mix of condensed milk and full cream milk. It’s simpler to grind rice if you soak it for a while. To make the almonds and pistachios easier to peel and chop, soak them in water.
Visit – food-dee-dum for the whole recipe.
Malai Kulfi (Malai Kulfi)
Total time: 55 minutes plus 6 to 8 hours of freezing
Dessert/Ice cream recipe type
Mughlai cuisine
6 Kulfi Kulfi Kulfi Kulfi Kulfi Kulfi Kulfi Kulfi
Components –
- milk (whole)
- cream with a lot of fat
- Khoya
- powdered dried milk
- Almonds, cashews, and pistachios, finely chopped
- Sugar
- Cardamom pods, green
Creamy and rich Malai Kulfi is a cardamom, saffron, and nut-flavored Indian ice cream. It’s made by evaporating sweetened and flavored milk and freezing it in airtight molds. Malai, rose, mango, saffron, cardamom, and pistachio are just a few of the flavors found in kulfi. It may be served plain or with faluda and rose syrup on top.
To make excellent Kulfi, boil the milk on low to medium heat until it thickens to your liking. It’s important not to burn the milk. To speed up the milk reduction process, use condensed milk instead of whole milk.
Visit cookwithmanali.com for the whole recipe.
Malpua rabdi (14).
1 hour and 5 minutes total
Dessert/Snack Recipe Type
Indian cuisine
Malpua – 12-14 Malpua – 12-14 Malpua – 12-14 Malpua – 12-14 Malpua –
Components –
In the case of Malpua:
- flour (all-purpose)
- Khoya/milk powder
- Milk
- Saffron
- powdered cardamom
- Seeds of fennel
- Water
- Salt
- To make sugar syrup, combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Water
- Sugar
- Saffron
- powdered cardamom
Serving suggestions:
Malpua is a classic Indian dish made using an all-purpose wheat combination. The light and crispy crepes are dipped in sugar syrup after being deep fried in oil. Rabdi, or thickened sweetened milk, is often served with it. The tastes are enhanced by the addition of saffron and cardamom powder in the recipe.
To ensure that the Malpua comes out crispy, make sure the batter is thin and free flowing. The Malpua will come up dense if the batter is excessively thick or dense. To give the Malpua a gritty creamy texture, crumbled khoya may be used instead of milk powder.
Visit cookclickndevour.com for the whole recipe.
Moong Dal Halwa is a dessert made with moong dal.
Time required: 8 hours to 1 day
Dessert/Sweets Recipe Type
Rajasthani cuisine
4 servings/yield
Components –
- Moong Dal (yellow split)
- Ghee
- Sugar
- Milk
- Ghee-roasted cashews and raisins
- powdered cardamom
- strands of saffron
Creamy and delicious Moong Dal Halwa, also known as Yellow Lentil Pudding, is a popular Indian dish eaten during festivals such as Holi, Diwali, and weddings. The Halwa has a silky and creamy texture because to the slow simmering of the Moong dal paste in ghee. The saffron and cardamom give the meal a delicious fragrance.
Sautéing the lentil paste on low heat for a long time requires a lot of patience, else the paste would burn. Because of the heavy usage of ghee, this is a high-calorie meal that should only be eaten on special occasions.
Visit – chefinyou for the whole recipe.
Doodh Peda is number sixteen.
17-minute total time
Dessert/Sweets Recipe Type
Mathura, Uttar Pradesh cuisine
10-12 Peda Peda Peda Peda Peda Peda Peda Peda Peda Peda
Components –
- Ghee
- condensed milk with added sugar
- powdered milk
- strands of saffron in hot milk
- powdered nutmeg
- powdered cardamom
- Water of roses (Optional)
- 1 teaspoon of salt (Optional)
Doodh Peda is a traditional Indian sweet served as a Prasadam at festivals. Saffron and cardamom seeds are used to flavor the sweet, which is prepared with khoya, milk, and sugar. It has a semi-soft texture and a sweet, mellow flavor. Pistachio and almond spices are used to decorate the sweets.
To speed up the cooking process, sweetened condensed milk and milk powder were used for khoya in this recipe. However, it is critical to thoroughly combine the milk powder; otherwise, a lumpy dough may result. You can keep it in the fridge for 5 to 6 days because it’s a semi-dry sweet.
Visit – flavorsofmumbai.com for the whole recipe.
17. Rasgulla Bengali
Time allotted: 50 minutes
Dessert/Sweets Recipe Type
Bengali/Odisha cuisine
20 tiny Rasgullas (servings)
Components –
- Full-fat dairy
- Vinegar/lime juice
- Sugar
- Water
- Pistachios, crushed
Rasgulla is a famous Indian delicacy prepared from chenna (Indian cottage cheese) that has been formed into balls and steeped in sugar syrup. Creating the chenna is the most essential stage in making Rasgulla. Curdling milk and separating the cheese from the whey is how it’s done. After that, the chenna is mashed and formed into balls.
If you prefer a tighter and denser consistency, you may prepare the dumplings using pure chenna or with all-purpose flour. Rasgulla are ready when coarsely crushed or chopped pistachios are sprinkled on top. Rasgulla may be served immediately or kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Visit – cookingandme for the whole recipe.
Rasmalai is number eighteen.
1 hour total time
Dessert/Sweets Recipe Type
West Bengal cuisine
6 servings/yield/yield/yield/yield/yield/y
Components –
For Paneer, write:
For Malai, write:
- Water
- Sugar
- Patties of paneer
For Ras:
- Milk
- Sugar
- crushed cardamom
- strands of saffron
- Pistachios with Almonds
Rasmalai is a classic Indian dish with a West Bengal provenance. Now that you know how to create Rasgulla, making Rasmalai is a piece of cake. Rasmalai is Rasgulla steeped in sweetened milk that is luscious and creamy. The chhana dumplings or patties are scented with cardamom and saffron and soaked in malai (cream).
In order to make soft and spongy dumplings, the paneer or chhana must be kneaded to a smooth paste. To get a smooth and lump-free consistency, kneed the paneer with your hands or blend it in a food processor. strands of saffron and almond and pistachio shavings may be used to decorate the Rasmalai.
Visit malabar-ruchi.com for the whole recipe.
Shrikhand Kesar Elaichi
Time allotted: 40 minutes
Dessert/Sweets Recipe Type
Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan cuisines
4 servings/yield
Components –
- Curd is thick and creamy.
- powdered sugar
- powdered cardamom
- powdered nutmeg
- a glass of warm milk
- Saffron strands
- Pistachios, chopped
Shrikhand is an Indian sweet dessert made with strained yogurt or hanging curd. Saffron, nutmeg, and nuts flavor the hanging curd, which is combined with milk and sugar and flavored with saffron, nutmeg, and nuts. Mango Shrikhand, Fruit Shrikhand, Kesar Shrikhand, and Elaichi Shrikhand are some of the most popular Shrikhand variants. Shrikhand is best served chilled.
Shrikhand is one of the most straightforward and straightforward desserts to prepare. To make the hanging curd, use full-fat yogurt or thick curd since it gives the Shrikhand a rich and creamy texture. Shrikhand has a long shelf life and may be kept in the fridge for up to a week.
Premascook has the whole recipe.
Kozhukattai (Sweet Coconut Kozhukattai) No. 20
1 hour total time
Prasadam/Dessert/Sweets are the many types of recipes.
Tamil Nadu, South Indian cuisine
15 servings/yield/yield/yield/yield/yield/yield/y
Components –
To make a dumpling:
Stuffing Ingredients
- coconut flakes, shredded
- Jaggery powder
- powdered cardamom
- Salt
- Ghee
- Nuts of cashew
- Dal made with fried gram
The primary Prasadam of Ganesh Chaturthi is Sweet Coconut Kozhukattai, a famous South Indian sweet dish. This dessert is made by stuffing rice flour dumplings with a cardamom-flavored coconut and jaggery filling. Nuts and lentils are also used in the filling. The dumplings are cooked for 7 to 8 minutes after being placed in a mold to give them a conical form.
It’s made healthier by using powdered jaggery instead of sugar. This delicious dish is minimal in sugar and calories, making it ideal for diabetics and others who are health-conscious. When served warm or at room temperature, kozhukattai is at its finest.
Visit kannammacooks.com for the whole recipe.
So, make these classic Indian sweets and sweet treats at home and offer them to your family and friends during parties and celebrations.
Sweetness can seem like one of the most important elements in a meal, but few Indian sweet recipes include the sweetness you might expect—fruits, dates, and dried fruits. These carbohydrate-based sweets can be found throughout the country, though, and are made with the same ingredients as Indian desserts.. Read more about indian desserts list and let us know what you think.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are popular Indian sweets?
Indian sweets are a wide variety of sweet dishes made in India. Some popular ones include gulab jamun, rasgulla, and kulfi.
What is the most famous dessert in India?
Indian desserts are known for their large variety of sweets and desserts. The most famous dessert in India is probably the gulab jamun, which is a fried dough ball soaked in sugar syrup.
What are top 10 desserts?
The answer to this question is too long for a single answer.
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- indian desserts
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