Easy Diwali or Deepavali Recipes - A delectable collection of sweet and savory recipes that are sure to light up your Diwali and add to the fun and festivity this season!
No festival in India is complete without some scrumptious snacks; sweet or savory (homemade or store bought) spread out on the dining table! The whole house; actually the whole country is lit up with beautiful oil/ghee diyas, colorful lights and the sounds of crackers bursting all around.
After enjoying all the religious pujas and devouring the gourmet spread of jalebis, ladoos, chiwdas, chaklis etc., we head to the terrace to enjoy the colorful fireworks displayed all around our house!
I am sure all of you have your own unique way to enjoy Diwali with special sweets and savories, recipes that have been passed on from our mothers/grandmothers and so on!
Here are some delectables we enjoy during this festive season.
Have a wonderful and enjoyable Diwali with friends and family and HAPPY DIWALI from our family to yours!!
For festive deliciousness, please click on the title of the dish to get the recipe.
Some of these recipes are easy and instant with ready made ingredients and some need a bit of preparation. Nevertheless, I am sure you will be able to make and enjoy some of these with your loved ones this Diwali!
Sweet Delights:
GULAB JAMUN DOUGHNUTS/DONUTS:
Using a ready made gulab jamun mix or even making your own dough, an iconic Indian dessert gets an American twist!
Super decadent, juicy and a showstopper kinda milk based sweet with the flavors of cardamom and saffron scented sugar syrup in every juicy, melt-in-mouth bite,
This quintessential Indian gulab jamun, traditionally made into balls, gets into a new donut shaped avatar guaranteed to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth and floor your friends and family; perfect to make and share at any special occasion!
EASY INSTANT RASMALAI (literally a 3 in 1 treat)
It is made using ready made rasgullas (fluffy, spongy and sweet soft paneer or cottage cheese balls) simmered in thick sweet milk mixture called rabri, flavored with cardamoms, saffron and garnished with chopped nuts; ready in 15 minutes!
You will need only milk and sugar or condensed milk and some milk along with saffron, nuts and if you have, ready made badam mix powder to make it more decadent and scrumptious!
This is the only way I make rasmalai in my house!
Like I said, you can make 2 more treats with this one recipe using leftover sugar syrup and leftover rabri! Check the next 2 recipes.
Make some more rabri if making Instant Rasmalai and you have another dessert...juicy gulab jamuns in saffron flavored thick sweet rabri for a quick and exotic dessert!!! Make your own gulab jamuns or feel free to use store bought ones.
SHANKARPALI (USING LEFTOVER SUGAR SYRUP):
What do you do with the leftover sugar syrup from making Instant Rasmalai?
How about some crisp, flaky sweet shankarparas/cookies (cut in diamond or square shapes) made by deep frying a sweet flour-semolina dough using that leftover rasgulla tin sugar syrup?
A simple milk powder fudge, soft, rich, moist and with the flavors of Horlicks, which comes together in less than 5 minutes!
Yes, so tasty and so quick and delicious.
SUJI MANPASAND/SEMOLINA-COCONUT FUDGE
Easy semolina coconut fudge with clarified butter or ghee and freshly ground cardamom with saffron.
This is my prize winning burfi recipe which you must try.
EASY BESAN BURFI/CHICKPEA FLOUR FUDGE:
Another easy, one-pan Indian chickpea flour/besan fudge made with just ghee, sugar and chickpea/gram flour, always enjoyed during festivals and special occasions!
No need to make sugar syrup, no milk powder and no mawa or khoya needed!
This is a super easy burfi for those who are wary or afraid of making their own sugar syrup. Just roast besan in ghee until light brown in color, stir in powdered sugar and cardamoms and set into melt-in-mouth fudgy burfis!
Easiest besan burfi you can make!
So easy to make, a traditional Indian sweet; delicious 3-ingredient coconut fudge using fresh coconut and sugar
RAVA/SEMOLINA LADDO:
Made in a jiffy with just semolina/rava, sugar and ghee - mouthwatering, easy to make and a total favorite of every Indian.
NANKHATAI/CARDAMOM FLAVORED INDIAN SHORTBREAD:
The first Indian cookie ever made, this melt-in-mouth Indian eggless shortbread or cookie traditionally enjoyed during any festival or get together is perfect to add on your Diwali thali and enjoy with family and friends!
GUR PAPDI/WHOLE WHEAT INDIAN FUDGE:
This is a super easy 3-ingredient Indian fudge made with just whole wheat flour, jaggery (unrefined cane sugar) and ghee/clarified butter.
Just roast whole wheat flour in ghee, add jaggery; mix well and set in pan! That is it!
Enjoy it as a healthy snack or dessert this Diwali or any time!
BREAD GULAB JAMUNS:
Have you tried this? So easy and tastes as good as the regular gulab jamuns!
When short on time but still need that sweet craving satisfaction, these gulab jamuns made with soft bread slices are the perfect dessert, dunked in a lovely and delicious jaggery syrup
A quick and easy Indian dessert using just bread slices, milk and jaggery/sugar!
KARACHI BISCUITS/EGGLESS CANDIED FRUIT COOKIES:
This is one of my family favorite cookies!
Crunchy, crispy and healthy biscuits (with multigrain flour) studded with candied fruits and nuts; perfect with tea, coffee or milk; great to gift family and friends.
MARBLED CHOCOLATE GUJIYAS:
Crispy, crunchy marbled chocolate gujiyas/hand pies/empanandas filled with a coconut, chocolate and walnut filling; these are super delicious snacks to enjoy any time, at festivals or any special occasion in you life!
Saat or Konkani style Badusha is a flaky deep fried pastry coated in a thin sugar syrup, tinged with a hint of cardamom.
Although takes some time to make (mostly hands off!), it is my mother's recipe and was always in demand from all family and friends whenever she was around.
Another quick, no-bake dessert which needs only heavy cream, condensed milk and lemon/lime juice along with some salty crackers like Ritz or Monaco. Yes, you will be surprised at this combination.
Sweet, creamy, tangy, slightly salty and absolutely decadent no-bake pudding with just 4 ingredients! This is the perfect make-ahead easy dessert to share with friends and family!
CARROT CAKE PARFAIT
A perfect and beautiful dessert with layers of creamy vanilla custard, chunks of moist, delicious carrot cake or any cake (homemade or store bought)and ruby red berrylicous strawberry compote!
You can make this with any fruit and using any cake you like! Custard is of course every Indian's favorite.
HOW ABOUT SOME COOKIES OR CAKES?
BEST EGGLESS PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES:
My 1 1/2 years old grand daughter's favorite and of course my whole family's, these Eggless Peanut Butter Cookies; crunchy, eggless and with whole wheat flour in them have some healthy sugar in them too!!! With jaggery and whole wheat, there is no reason not to bite into one or two of these beauties, is there?
Bake these up and give your Diwali thali a different twist along with Indian sweets!
EGGLESS GULAB JAMUN CAKE (using ready made gulab jamun mix):
An absolutely scrumptious cake with the flavors of gulab jamun (a deep-fried milk-based Indian sweet or dessert soaked in sugar syrup) but without the extra sugar, fat or guilt of eating something fried and tasty but high in calories!!!
Do try this one; another big favorite on my blog!
ROSE AND PISTACHIO GULAB JAMUN CAKE:
Here is another version of gulab jamun cake but using fresh ingredients which you all most probably have in your pantry or kitchen!
Flavored with cardamom and rose water, using whole wheat flour and glazed with a lemony saffron icing, the crumb comes out so fudgy and delicious, you will be tempted to cut up more slices to enjoy; a perfect cake to celebrate any occasion (Diwali, Christmas, Thanksgiving etc.) or just as an indulgence for you and your family.
SUPER MOIST EGGLESS COCOA CUPCAKES:
Super quick, super fluffy, healthy (with whole wheat flour), with no butter, totally vegan (egg free) and so easy to make, this is one of my most treasured chocolate cupcake recipes.
No butter, no beaters needed and totally scrumptious and decadent that you can wow your family and friends with these along with other Indian sweets!
SAVORY SNACKS:
DRY FRUITS AND CORNFLAKES CHIWDA
Indian snack mix, a spicy and savory mélange of nuts, roasted cornflakes and spices along with sweet raisins!
Indian spiced fried peanuts is a super addictive teatime snack; deep fried skin-on peanuts laced with Indian spices like red chili powder and hing/asafetida.
Chaklis or murukkus; crisp, crunchy and spicy, made with moong dal and rice flour!
SPICY KHARA BISCUITS/INDIAN SPICED SAVORY COOKIES (EGGLESS):
Tender, flaky, buttery, melt-in-your mouth Indian spiced savory eggless cookies to enjoy anytime!!
BAKED MADDUR VADA:
A crispy, crunchy baked version (oven and air fryer) of the quintessential snack Maddur Vada, a deep fried spicy and super crispy fritter from the town of Maddur in the southern part of India, mostly enjoyed as a snack with evening tea or coffee!
The same dough can be used to make fried, traditional maddur vadais too!
HOMEMADE CHOCOLATES YOU CAN MAKE:
EASY 2-INGREDIENT CHOCOLATE CRUNCH BARS:
Yes, just 2 ingredients - chocolate and store bought cereal!
I love making quick and easy treats which come together in no time! These bars are so easy, you can ask your kids to make them!
Easy Chocolate Bark Recipe (White and Dark)
Easiest homemade chocolate you can make; no special equipment or talent needed!
CHOCOLATE COVERED STUFFED DATES:
Healthy juicy dates, stuffed with roasted almonds and peanut butter and covered with dark chocolate for a no-bake quick dessert bite!!
NAMA CHOCOLATES:
2-ingredient homemade chocolate made with the best quality chocolate and fresh cream; no bake, decadent, smooth, rich and absolutely scrumptious!
CHOCOLATE WALNUT ROCKS WITH CHERRIES:
Scrumptious bites of walnut cherry chocolates and chocolate dipped crackers; easy and fun to make and enjoy with family and friends.
And many, many more snacks, sweets and desserts you can find on my blog!
Hope you get to try some of these and share and enjoy with family and friends!!
HAPPY DIWALI!!!
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Have fun cooking, eating and sharing!!!!
Ashima Goyal Siraj
Very nice collection! And handy to easily come up with ideas for any festive gathering and not just Diwali! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Vanitha Bhat
Thank you dear Ashima 🙂 🙂
Sasmita Sahoo Samanta
What a fabulous collection di !!! Love each entry here 🙂 HAppy Diwali
Vanitha Bhat
Thanks so much dear 🙂 Happy Diwali to you too!!
Jagruti Dhanecha
What a fantastic and droolworthy collection of Diwali recipes, I want to eat all of them 🙂 Happy Diwali!
curryandvanilla
Thanks so much Jagruti 🙂 🙂 Happy Diwali to you dear!!
Mayuri Patel
Just love your collection of Diwali treats. I've never tasted gulab jamun with rabri, a new recipe for me. Bookmarked your lime cracker pudding. Looks so delicious.
Vanitha Bhat
Thanks Mayuri 🙂 🙂 Hope you get to try all of these dishes! Gulab jamun with rabri was just a last minute dish I came up with when I had lot of leftover rabri. Turned out superb! Do try the lime cracker one; it amazed us too, despite having salty crackers!