7 delicious Holi sweets for the perfect celebration

The most colourful day of the year is here! Known as the festival of spring, Holi is a day of joy, frolic and non-stop celebration. Colours are not the only thing that are thrown around in a frenzy - ingredients in the kitchen are too! From savoury pakoras to mouth-watering special Holi sweets, the kitchen table is often brimming with delicious dishes and the air is laden with wonderful aromas.

Holi is usually a day of indulgence, and if you’re not in a food coma by the end of your afternoon, eliciting the need for a much-needed siesta, then you’re missing out! Here is a list of Holi sweet dishes to make at home for the perfect celebration -

1. Gujiya
It isn’t Holi if there aren’t any gujiyas to snack on. Savoury on the outside and sweet on the inside, this Holi-special sweet is a deep-fried dumpling, made with maida or suji, and filled with a mixture of chopped nuts and khoya. You can choose to bake these in an oven, but most often, they are fried in a kadhai .

2. Malpua
Considered to be one of the most traditional Holi sweet dishes, malpua is a type of Indian pancake, popular right from the Mughal era. Made with khoya, mawa, milk or even coconut, there are different variants of this sweet dish across the country, each equally delicious. Malpua is made by deep-frying it in ghee in a pan and is then dipped in a sugary syrup. This dish is best enjoyed with a rich garnish of pistachios. You can use a chopper to ensure you get finely chopped pieces to spread out evenly on the dish.

3. Ras malai
When a dessert is from Bengal, you can trust it will be a sweet you won’t be able to get enough of! These delicate, soft dumplings are soaked in sweetened milk with strings of saffron and finely chopped nuts. This can be served chilled or hot, and with its explosion of flavours each time, it will always leave you wanting more.

Check out our mango twist to this dish in the video below!

4. Puran poli
Some know this as holige , and others know it as obbattu or vedmi . The number of names that this dish has, proves that it is loved across states. Served with a dollop of ghee, these Holi-special sweets are flatbreads made of different types of daal , cardamom, sugar or jaggery, ghee, and nutmeg powder. The daal is initially cooked in a pressure cooker , and sugar is added later. The mixture is then ground into a fine consistency to sprinkle over dough, which is then rolled and flattened into its final form.

5. Laddoo
Motichoor, besan, til, coconut, ragi, rava… the list of different ladoo recipes is endless. And no Indian festival or celebration is complete without some type of ladoo, and a plate of Holi sweets is no exception. Holi sees more of besan and boondi ladoos being made because they are sweeter, and add colour to any plate. Shaped into balls, these irresistible sweets can be garnished with slivers of pistachio, almonds or a few raisins. For best results, follow the recipes in the video!

6. Kheer
This type of Indian pudding is most often made of rice, tapioca, vermicelli, or even shredded carrots, boiled in milk and sugar, and then flavoured with chopped nuts, dry fruits, and saffron or cardamom. Kheer needs to be attended to, stirred frequently to ensure the dish does not become scorched at the bottom. However, you will not face this problem when cooking in an instant pot .

Check out how much easier making kheer is in an instant pot below:

7. Thandai
After playing Holi for several hours under the sun, cool off indoors with a tall, refreshing glass of thandai. Milk and sugar are mixed with saffron, fennel seeds, almonds, pistachio, vetiver seeds, and rose petals, all making for a silky and creamy combination. Some people choose to use flavoured milk instead of plain milk to add extra flavour.

Sweets are a vital part of any Indian celebration as they mark the love and happiness of our best moments. So gear up for this colourful festival and celebrate joyous moments with your loved ones this Holi with these wonderful sweets. Check out Wonderchef’s range of premium cookware to make your time in the kitchen a delight.