Diwali Recipes: 85+ Sweets, Snacks and Desserts for Deepavali
The Diwali Preparations
Indian kitchens light up their stoves even long before the festive mood begins. Every household will have its own list of preferred sweets and snacks for the festive season, along with easy additions to enhance the list of so called Diwali Bakshanam.
Then comes the menu for the day, and last but not the least, finishing off the heavy fed day with Diwali Lehyam, a homemade digestive aid.
What Is Diwali Bakshanam? (தீபாவளி பட்சணம்)
Diwali, also called Deepavali, is the festival of lights, and food sits at the very heart of it. In Tamil homes, the sweets and savouries made for the day are known as Bakshanam or Palagaram.
A typical Diwali Bakshanam platter balances sweets such as ladoo, halwa and Mysore Pak with savouries such as murukku, mixture and sev. Many families add a milk based dessert and the traditional Diwali Lehyam to round off the feast.
My Diwali Memories
When it comes to Diwali Bakshanam and Diwali, a long forgotten painting pops up into my mind, a family preparing Diwali sweets and snacks. While ransacking through the net with various search results, I was able to find it. The painting had left a deep remark in my mind.
I have seen the women folk take meticulous measures to prepare Diwali sweets and snacks in our neighbourhood. Right from buying the ingredients, cleaning, soaking, drying, to their long walks to the nearby flour mills, not to mention the never ending queue there along with power cuts.
I have even heard discussions about which oil would be perfect for deep frying, one that doesn’t bubble up frothing out of the wok, and if it happens, adding a marble of tamarind to cut it down, and so on. Random and scary anecdotes of splattered oil while frying murukkus and seedai were never in short supply. Once my classmate Vijayalakshmi came with a puffed up and scalded hand after Diwali.
Recently, I saw an Instagram post from a home kitchen stating that they even make a Pillayar with the dough they use to make snacks, so as to ensure that what begins for a goodness should reach all with pureness. So much of mind work for simple preparation of snacks and sweets. May be a tradition that a generation to come would brush off, or may not even be aware of.
In the midst of new clothes, crackers, not to mention the Diwali bonus, I have always found the food to be a fascinating aspect of every festival. It is not that I am a hard core foodie, but the involvement and ideas every household incorporates to brighten up the festive mood always fascinate me.
Diwali day comes along with platters of sweets and savouries from the neighbourhood. Though murukku would be a default must have savoury of every household, followed by athirasam, I have always loved to have Shanthi aunty’s coconut burfi and boondi ladoo, and Lenin’s mother’s special Gothumai Halwa.
Sharadha Shenoy aunty’s white and perfectly shaped chaklis were another delight. Jayashree aunty, who was a working woman, would put together a large spread on Diwali day, and what I remember the most having at her home are Vermicelli Payasam and Malpua.
To the latest, my local friend Santhini sends her tasty, soft and crispy murukkus prepared with instant murukku flour every Diwali.
But the real mood of a festival comes along with all these anticipations, preparations and nostalgia related to it. I have tried to add 80+ Diwali Recipes for this festive season: Sweets, Savouries and Desserts.
Tap any picture below to open the full recipe and its story.
Why You Will Love This Diwali Collection
80+ Recipes in One Place: Sweets, snacks, savouries and desserts from my own kitchen, so your whole Diwali platter is planned on a single page.
Classic and Quick: Traditional favourites like Mysore Pak and murukku sit beside instant versions for last minute cooking.
Every Region on One Platter: Tamil murukku, Bengali rasagulla, Punjabi lassi and Karachi halwa, all in one festive spread.
Easy to Browse: Pictures, short names and one tap to the full recipe, on desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile.
Collection Overview
Festival: Diwali, also known as Deepavali
Cuisine: Indian, with South Indian, North Indian and Bengali favourites
Recipes: 85+ Sweets, Snacks and Savouries, and Desserts
Author: SM @ Essence of Life - Food
Diwali Sweets: Easy Mittai & Indian Sweets Recipes
Celebrate Diwali with the taste of sweetness. A collection of simple and easy sweet recipes can be a quick addition to your Mittai or sweet platter. Most of the recipes here are less time consuming too.
Gulab Jamun and Syrupy Sweets
Soft, golden and soaked in fragrant syrup, these are the sweets that vanish first from the platter.
Ladoos, Burfi, Peda and Mysore Pak
Ghee rich classics that are perfect for gift boxes and the neighbourhood sweet exchange.
Halwas for Diwali
Slow stirred, glossy and rich, from the everyday Carrot Halwa to the Karachi and Kasi favourites.
Kesari Varieties
The quickest festive sweet to put together, in five easy avatars.
Chilled Creamy Sweets
Milk based favourites, creamy yogurt sweets and a Hyderabadi Shahi Tukda to close the sweet platter.
Diwali Snacks and Savouries: Murukku, Mixture and More
Murukku is a default savoury in South India when it comes to Diwali, followed by South Indian mixture or chivda, and a few quick savouries like fried nuts can simply spice up the Diwali platter. I have added a few simple murukku recipes prepared with readymade murukku flour and idiyappam flour in this collection.
Murukku Recipes
From classic urad dal and coconut milk versions to tapioca, potato, garlic and spicy twists, plus a shortcut with readymade murukku mix.
Mixture, Sev, Boondi and Ribbon Pakoda
Crunchy, spicy and made for munching, these tea time savouries fill the festive snack tins.
Namkeens and Nuts
Quick additions to the platter, ideal when time is short.
Diwali Desserts: Kheer, Kulfi, Firni, Rabri and More
Though a large spread of dishes along with sweets and savouries felicitates the festival, a meal is incomplete without a dessert. Desserts serve as a delectable delight to food lovers. Complete your meal with wonderful Indian desserts.
Serve rich and creamy Rabri or Basundi, or keep it simple with lassi or ice creams. Go regional with desserts like Kesaribhath and Kulfi, or traditional with kheers and payasams. Treat your sweet tooth and indulge in the festive mood.
Rabri, Basundi, Firni and Falooda
Rich, creamy, slow cooked and reduced desserts, decadent and perfect for a festive treat.
Kulfi and Ice Cream
Cool, creamy endings for a heavy festive meal.
Payasam and Kheer
Traditional milk based desserts from across India, from Tamil payasam to Manipuri black rice kheer.
Lassi and Cooling Drinks
A cool sip to balance all that spice, ghee and sugar.
Diwali Platter Planning, Pro Tips & Notes
Start with Dry Savouries: Murukku, Mixture, Boondi and Sev keep the longest, so make them first.
Ghee Sweets Next: Ladoos, Mysore Pak and Burfi can be made two to three days ahead.
Save Milk Sweets for Last: Rasagulla, Ras Malai, Rabri and Kheer taste best fresh and chilled.
Balance the Platter: Pick one syrupy sweet, one dry sweet, one crunchy savoury and one cool dessert.
Diwali Sweets and Snacks: Storage Suggestions
Dry Savouries (Murukku, Mixture, Sev, Boondi): Cool completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2 to 3 weeks.
Ghee Sweets (Ladoo, Mysore Pak, Burfi): Keep in an airtight container in a cool place for about a week, or refrigerate for longer storage.
Milk Sweets (Rasagulla, Ras Malai, Peda): Refrigerate in a covered container and finish within 2 to 3 days.
Halwas and Kesari: Refrigerate for 3 to 4 days and reheat gently with a spoonful of ghee or milk.
Kheer, Payasam and Rabri: Refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat on low heat with a splash of milk, or serve chilled.
Kulfi and Ice Cream: Keep covered in the freezer for up to 2 weeks and rest for a few minutes at room temperature before serving.
Every recipe post carries its own storage advice, so please check the individual recipe for exact timings.
FAQ
What is Diwali Bakshanam?
Diwali Bakshanam, also called Palagaram (and Faral in Maharashtra), is the collection of sweets and savouries prepared at home for Diwali, such as ladoo, halwa, murukku and mixture.
How many Diwali recipes are in this collection?
This pillar post gathers more than 80 recipes from my blog, covering sweets, snacks and savouries, and desserts.
Which Diwali sweets can I make ahead?
Ghee based sweets like Mysore Pak, ladoo and burfi, and dry savouries like murukku, mixture and sev, can be made a few days ahead and stored airtight.
Which Diwali recipes are quick for last minute cooking?
Instant Murukku with Readymade Murukku Mix, Ras Malai with Readymade Rasagullas, Aval Kesari and Rava Kesari are good picks when time is short.
What is Diwali Lehyam?
Diwali Lehyam is a homemade digestive aid traditionally taken to settle the stomach after the rich festive food.
Are these Diwali recipes vegetarian?
This collection is made up of Indian sweets, snacks and desserts, and most use ingredients like milk, ghee, curd and flours, so please check the ingredient list of each recipe for your dietary needs.
Recipes You Might Like for a Complete Diwali Festive Treat
Soft Idli Recipe with Mutton Curry Recipes Fluffy idlis with a rich mutton kuzhambu, the Diwali morning breakfast in many homes.
Mini Tiffin: South Indian Breakfast Menu A vegetarian festive morning spread of vadai, kesari and pongal.
A Special Lunch Menu: Ghee Rice, Mutton Kola Urundai Fry and Kuzhambu A festive non vegetarian lunch platter with a fresh salad on the side.
Light a Lamp, Share a Platter
Diwali is never only about the lamps. It lives in the hiss of a murukku press, the slow stir of a halwa pot and the plates that travel between neighbours, carrying sweetness from one doorstep to the next.
Cook some of the classic Indian sweets and savouries this festive season. Or if you are short of time, there are a few recipes which can be incorporated even at the last minute: instant versions of sweets, savouries and desserts.
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