10 Indian Sweets for Diwali Explained - Plus Recipes

Editor's Note: Article Updated 12.11.20

When you are first introduced to Indian food it's not uncommon to be surprised when dessert arrives at the table. Indian sweets bear little resemblance to traditional Western desserts, and not having a point of reference can make it hard to decipher what's on your plate and how to eat it.

While it’s easy to be perplexed about that plate of diamond-shaped barfi or a bowl of syrupy gulab jamun, an adventurous foodie quickly discovers the addictive quality of Indian sweets. Just one bite and those fragrant and exotic Indian desserts suddenly become something you crave, especially during festive occasions like Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights that takes place during the new moon between October and November.

^{Photo @Anshu, Flickr}

Traditionally, most Indian sweets aren’t baked, instead they are cooked on the stove top or over an open fire. What are they made of? Well, it depends on the region, but the usual suspects are milk, chickpea flour, semolina, coconut and rice. On their own these ingredients may not sound too appetising but a knowledgeable cook can easily transform them into delectable sweets flavoured with cardamom, saffron and rose water.

Milk is incredibly important in India, especially for making desserts. Whether tuned into cheese dumplings, fudge, pudding, ice cream or sauce, milk takes on countless forms to satisfy even the most discerning palate. Below you’ll find a list of the most commonly enjoyed Indian sweets during Diwali.

Take a tour through 10 popular sweets for Diwali festival in our video below:

10 Indian Sweets For Diwali - What are they and how to make them  

1. Gulab Jamun

Often referred to as Indian donuts, gulab jamun are deep-fried dumplings that are soaked in a sugar syrup laced with rose water. Intensely sweet, just one small dumpling will be enough to satisfy your craving (unless, of course, you have a major sweet tooth).

Find out how to make gulab jamun in our step-by-step recipe guide. 

^{Photo @seventyoneplace, Flickr}

2. Jaleebi

Sweet, sticky and irresistible, jaleebi are deep-fried Indian sweets that are soaked in sugar syrup. The batter is commonly made of chickpea flour and the yellow colour is derived from saffron or - sometimes - artificial colourings.

Find out how to make delicious, homemade jaleebi flavoured with saffron syrup.

^{Photo Nadir Hashmi, Flickr}

3. Kheer 

A creamy Indian rice pudding laced with cardamom, kheer is often prepared with sliced blanched almonds and raisins. It is commonly enhanced with saffron for very festive occasions such as Diwali or weddings.

Check out our step-by-step guide to making kheer, plus a recipe for mango kheer. 

4. Ladoo

These ball-shaped sweets are often made of either chickpea flour, semolina or ground coconut depending on the region. The batter is cooked into a paste and rolled into balls once cooled.

Try making super easy coconut ladoo at home. 

^{Photo Basheer Olakara, Flickr}

5. Rasmalai

An intoxicatingly aromatic dish of cottage cheese dumplings steeped in cardamom-infused milk syrup. Rasmalai hails from West Bengal but is enjoyed throughout much of India.

6. Barfi

Usually cut in a diamond or square shape, barfi is a fudge-like Indian sweet made with condensed milk and sugar (but not only). Coconut, almonds, pistachios and edible silver leaf are common additions.

Find out how to make kaju barfi with our easy to follow guide and recipe.

^{Photo Jagisnowjughead, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons}

7. Kesar Peda

Basically Indian milk fudge, pedas are made with condensed milk, ghee and dehydrated milk. It used to be a time-consuming process but thanks to instant powdered milk, pedas are extremely easy to make.

^{Photo Sameer Goyal, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons}

8. Boondi Ke Ladoo

These boondi are similar to the ladoos mentioned above with one exception: they are deep-fried. Small drops of a batter are dropped into hot oil then soaked in a simple syrup and formed into balls.  

Watch how boondi ke ladoo are made on a huge scale in the video below:

9. Agra Ka Petha

A specialty of the city of Agra, whose claim to fame is the Taj Mahal, these translucent soft candies are made with a local gourd and are often flavoured with spices and rose water.

Watch how they are made from start to finish with white pumpkin in the video below.

10. Kulfi

Intensely sweet and dense, kulfi is to Indians what gelato is to Italians. Since it is not churned, kulfi freezes as a solid mass so it is best to let it sit for a minute before eating.

Discover how to make four types of kulfi in the video recipe below: