May 31, 2024, Updated Aug 19, 2024 Dive into my round-up of Indian sweets and treats, many of which are enjoyed around festivals and special celebrations like diwali in India and around the world.
Chai Apple Cake
After a steaming Butter Chicken or succulent Chicken Tikka, there is nothing more refreshing than a homemade fruity or creamy ice cream. This is a summer hit and is the perfect way to end off a heavy meal like a cookout or a spread of Indian dishes. Kids love the rich mango sweetness and the pretty color! While not truly a dessert, you must also try my creamy Mango Lassi recipe! Best part? This easy banana ice cream has only 3 ingredients!
Thandai Gulkand Ice Cream
I love this beautiful Thandai Gulkand ice cream from Ruchis Kitchen. This is a celebratory sweet treat that embodies Holi, the celebration of spring, colors and love. This Thandai ice cream is a smooth, rich, and luscious treat made with the perfect balance of subtle flavors and studded with the hints of thandai powder for an irresistible crunch in every bite. Rosepetal jam, thandai powder and saffron strands feature in this standout recipe. Thandai is a spice powder blend including saffron, rose, fennel and cardamon. “Pista” means “pistachio” in and “kesar” means “saffron” in Hindi. The flavor blend is warming, rich and ultra-addictive. It’s a lux ice cream that needs to be on your list of Indian sweet treats to try. It also has a 20 minute prep time! What’s not to love..? Its made with condensed milk instead of sugar syrup – so easy and perfect for any time of the year! You’ll love the texture of this pistacho, saffron and nutmeg laden Indian ice cream. It is another no churn recipe by the way. This ice cream is impossibly rich and deeply creamy. The chopped nuts add a sensational flavor and crunch to this summery dessert. If you can get your hands on cute little terracotta pots like these, the ice cream can be frozen straight into them. Or scooped and served in them later.
Other Indian Dessert Recipes
Now that we’ve established my soft spot for Indian ice creams, let’s move on to the puddings, dumplings, cookies and cakes! Good rice kheer pudding like this is creamy and YUM! It’s loaded with cardamon and saffron. Perfect for a cooler evening when you want a bowl of warm goodness, it’s sweetened with raisins—super tasty.
Rice Pudding with Raisins
This cozy and comforting Cinnamon Raisin Rice pudding is as delicious warm as much as served cold.
Gulab Jamun
Indian sweet dumplings are like syrup-soaked donuts. They’re known as gulab jamun. My gulab jamun recipe delivers on soft, sweet dumplings steeped in a cozy home of syrup. Your family and friends will polish these off! Serve it up with a steaming cup of masala chai, chai coffee, or karak chai.
Rose Shrikhand
Try this recipe from Cooking With Sapana. It’s a 10-minute, 4-ingredient rose Shrikhand that is full of flavor. It is a fragrant and sweet yogurt-based dish made with hung curd and rose petals syrup. It tastes wonderful when served chilled. It features light ingredients. I love the pink color (mainly from the beet juice). This is essentially an easy homemade jelly recipe—it’s really easy to make. The flavors center around basil, coconut, oats, dates, pistachios, and rosewater. Mawa cake is a very simple cake to make. If you want to try an easy Indian cake, this is the one. It tastes of cardamon, pistachio, mawa, and, of course, toasty almonds. This buttery, rich cake is a great snack, dessert, or teatime treat. It’s pretty dense (in a good way) and the base recipe can also be turned into little cakes or cupcakes! I also love that it is not too sweet.
Cardamom Almond Cookies
Pistachio Cookies
These Lemon Pistachio Cookies are another fusion favorite. Pistachios are a well-loved addition to many Indian dessert recipes and they’re perfect in a lemon zested, soft and chewy American cookie.
Besan Hawa
Try this easy recipe from Piping Hot Curry for Besan Hawa. It is made with basic ingredients like gram flour or chickpea flour, ghee, and sugar. It is a rich and fragrant cardamom laced Besan Halwa recipe. Great as a speedy dessert that can be made and ready in a couple of minutes. Made with fresh chopped guava, chaat masala, sweet basil seeds, and a little sugar. I mean, what could be easier and prettier? The basic ingredients include ghee, milk powder, pistachios, milk powder, and other staples. It is an easy to make milk-based Indian sweet that comes out squishy and so tasty. This no-bake fudge recipe can be made in less than 30 minutes using only 6 ingredients from your cupboard. You’ve GOT to try it. It features soft, dreamt cottage cheese paneer balls or dumplings in a sweet, thick milk. This is a Bengali specialty is made with rasgulla (sweetened balls of paneer) soaked in sweetened, thickened milk that has been scented with cardamom and saffron. You will scoop and spoon every piece and drop of this dreamy treat as it melts away on the tongue. You will love it for the classic Indian flavors of cardamon, rose water, cashew nuts, and maple syrup. Keep it for a special occasion and especially if you need a vegan dessert. NEXT READING: Indian Sweet Recipes (That’ll Steal the Show!)
The Chicken Korma that he says will change your life. Best-Ever Creamy Butter Chicken (one of the most popular recipes on the Foodess website!) Easy Homemade Butter Paneer (the vegetarian version) Saag Paneer (the tastiest way to eat a pound of spinach) Flaky Homemade Potato Samosas, Chicken Samosas and Samosa Pie (we really love samosas) The Butter Naan Recipe that went totally viral Creamy Madras Lentils (the ultimate vegetarian comfort food) Amma’s special Masoor Dal and Indian Chickpea Curry Recipe Malai Kofta (paneer and potato balls in creamy tomato sauce). It’s my favorite dish to order in an Indian restaurant and even better homemade! Indian Chai (tea the authentic Indian way) Paratha (flaky, layered Indian flatbread)
