A party ready treat, chikoo mousse! Plus, enjoy 25 more homemade Diwali sweets recipes; from traditional mithai to Diwali cakes and other Indian fusion ideas!
A roundup of Indian sweets and Indian desserts to inspire you to whip up a tasty treat for all the Diwali festival celebrations!
I’ve included my favorite traditional recipes and Indian fusion creations. I hope this post gives you some new inspiration to create in the kitchen. Whether you are a pro or a beginner, there is something here for everyone.
All recipes are vegetarian on my site. All bakes are eggless. Where possible, I also offer alternative vegan options.
Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights is celebrated over a period of four days. You can read more about the holiday at my post on Wilton.
Traditional sweets and mithai for Diwali are always in abundance during Diwali and the festive season. It’s customary to give boxes of sweets to friends and family as a Diwali gift.
Indian cuisine is varied across Indian so Diwali food is as well. There are lots of sweets and a HUGE variety of Diwali desserts.
This list includes some easy Indian sweets and desserts, including Indian fusion ones you may have not seen before because I love creating them 😊
Scroll through to find a traditional Diwali dessert recipe or one of my Indian fusion creations for your dessert table. Each has an individual recipes link with further details.
Happy Diwali, wish you and your loved ones a beautiful year filled with love and a belly filled with Diwali mithai 😊
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Traditional Deepavali Sweets – Including some of the most popular Indian desserts found at the sweet shop such as jalebi, kesar peda, gajar halwa and kaju katli.
Easy Kesar Peda recipe! Makes delicious bites of kesar peda with notes of cardamom that melt in your mouth! Pedas are a popular traditional Indian sweet.
Kaju katli, a very popular dessert, tastes amazing and melts in your mouth with this homemade sweet recipe!
How to Make Easy Kaju Katli (Kaju Barfi) Mithai
This recipe for homemade, kaju katli (kaju barfi) is delicious. It is smooth, creamy and halwai jaisa texture and made with only 5 ingredients. It’s one of those sweets you can’t just have one of! Boxes of kaju katli, amongst other Indian sweets are often gifted during Indian holidays.
Delicious bites of ricotta cheese peda with notes of cardamom that melt in your mouth! Made with 5 ingredients. Pedas are a popular traditional Indian sweet.
If you are looking for a healthy-ish treat, this dry fruits barfi will hit the spot!
Easy Khajur Burfi or Dry fruit barfi (Date Nut Roll)
Dry fruit barfi or khajoor barfi or date roll burfi is so easy and a healthy sweet treat. It is a dates sweet or date burfi that is sweet, crunchy and delicious. This dry fruit burfi is made of nuts, dates, cardamom and coconut. There is no added sugar and it comes together in minutes! Great option for a healthier mithai option to serve.
Using my mother’s traditional recipe, once you try these homemade instant jalebis you will never go back to store-bought! They come out crispy, juicy and so flavorful every time. With only 30 minutes of time required, this recipe is easy to prepareand so delicious!
Gajar halwa or carrot halwa is one of the most common sweets made across all special occasions.
Gajar Ka Halwa – Indian Carrot Pudding
Gajar ka halwa is a traditional India dessert made of shredded carrots flavored with cardamom and sugar. Made with no khoya. The carrot halwa is a easy dessert that can be served on its own or even with ice cream.
This creamy and quick kesar pista ice cream recipe can be made with just a few ingredients and time. It has a light saffron/floral taste that is the star of the treat with bits of pistachio for some contrast. It is a popular Indian ice cream recipe that is saffron and pistachio flavored. It is no churn so you don't need an ice cream maker!
Shrikhand is a popular Indian sweet from Western India that is yogurt based and easy to make! I love making it with greek yogurt. Best served chilled and to give the flavors some time to soak in.
Instant Homemade Mawa Kulfi or Khoya Kulfi with condensed milk (Malai Kulfi)
Instant and delicious homemade mawa kulfi with khoya that gives you the texture and taste you crave at a fraction of the time! Kulfi is a traditional frozen Indian dessert made with milk, evaporated milk solids and a hint of cardamom.
15 Minute Delicious Fruit Chaat Recipe (Spicy Fruit Salad)
Fruit chaat is a simple snack using fresh fruits and a few spices to make a delicious tangy, sweet and spicy fruit salad. Great way to use seasonal fruits for a healthy snack!
Diwali celebration isn’t complete without some gulab jamun. Try it out a new way with this gulab jamun flavor inspired ice cream.
Creamy and Easy Gulab Jamun Ice Cream
Creamy and dreamy gulab jamun ice cream takes the very popular flavor profile of gulab jamuns and adds it to ice cream for an Indian fusion treat! This is lightly saffron and rose flavored with a hint of cardamom.
Easy 3 ingredient recipe makes a quick dessert using the delicious taste of chikoo fruit, which is also known as sapodilla. This hits the spot for a creamy chikoo dessert and takes about 10-15 minutes active time. It is perfect to make ahead the day before a party and refrigerate, or even whip up for last minute guests without much stress.
Add this to your list of must try Diwali recipes! My recipe was also featured in Metro UK.
Cookies and Cream Burfi – Indian Fusion Dessert
Classic Indian milk burfi meets a favorite American cookie to make an Indian Fusion treat, cookies and cream burfi! Cookies and cream is a popular ice cream flavor that combines vanilla ice cream with creme filled cookie sandwiches.
An easy, delicious moist, milk soaked cardamom cake with layers of rasmalai topping and rose cardamom whipped cream. It actually has rasmalai in it! This cake can be made either completely homemade or semi-homemade.
An Italian twist to the traditional milk barfi for a fun Indian fusion twist! Espresso soaked cookies, topped with melt in your mouth barfi and finished with cocoa powder. If you are looking for a fun new Indian dessert to shake things up at your next party, this is it!
A yummy gulab jamun inspired cake topped with amazing rose water whipped cream!
Yummy Eggless Gulab Jamun Cake
Gulab jamun cake, always a party hit, is an easy, delicious,moist, saffron simple syrup-soaked cardamom cake with gulab jamun baked inside!The cake is layered with a light rose whipped cream or can be made without it.Read on to learn more about this yummy moist cake!
Kesar Pista – Saffron Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Kesar pista cookies (shortbread) are the perfect treat with delicate saffron flavors and ground pistachios! These pistachio saffron cookies taste delicious paired with chai for a tea time snack. Butter pista cookies melt in your mouth and come together quick.
A very easy and fun dessert, kaju katli ice cream sandwiches with a variety of toppings that kids can get in on! This dessert can be completely made from store bought ingredients or you can make the kaju katli at home! This would be a great kid friendly party dessert where everyone can add toppings to their own sandwiches.
Indian fusion coconut jalebi cake or cupcakes! Easy coconut cupcakes with a saffron pudding filling and topped with toasted coconut flakes and topped with a jalebi
A party ready treat, chikoo mousse! Plus, enjoy 25 more homemade Diwali sweets recipes; from traditional mithai to Diwali cakes and other Indian fusion ideas!
8ozheavy whipping creamcan substitue coconut cream for dairy free version
1cupsugar
pistachiosoptional, garnish
whipped creamoptional, garnish
Instructions
Puree chikoo 12 oz with sugar and set aside. Puree other 6 oz and keep in separate bowl.
Whip heavy cream on low-medium until stiff peaks form, about 5-6 minutes
Gently fold in 12 oz chikoo puree into heavy cream. Whip slow about 30 seconds, or briefly longer until mixed into mousse.
Use remaining 6 oz chikoo puree and layer on bottom of serving glasses.
Gently layer the mousse on top and refrigerate atleast 1 hour and preferably until ready to serve to give it time to set. Great make ahead dessert.
Optionally garnish with pistachios and whipped cream dollops
Notes
Note you can definitely make smaller servings of these and get 10 smaller desserts out of this recipe, just depends on size of cupFor a prettier look, create more layers of puree, mousse and whipped cream
