15 desi Indian sweets you can try at home

India is known for its delectable desserts. Popularly called Mithai, we have a rich heritage of traditional sweets that are made in desi ghee or clarified butter (Gulab Jamun, Ghevar, Balushahi, Imarti, Jalebi), baked ( Orissa’s special Chhana Podo), made with mawa like( Burfi, Milk Cake), chhana or paneer based sweets(Sandesh, Chanar Jilipi, Chhana Murki) and lentil, flour, fruits and veggie based (Ghiya Burfi, Carrot Burfi, Besan Laddu, Atta Pinni).

We have inherited these sweets from the Khansamas who churned out delicacies in the royal kitchens and the home chefs who thought of putting to best use the readily available kitchen ingredients. No meal is complete here without a bite of these amazing desserts. If you have a sweet tooth, this is the best country to be born. Here is a list of traditional mithais that form and integral part of the Indian culinary culture.

Mishti Doi is a popular sweet dish of Bengali cuisine. This dessert recipe looks very simple but has a rich taste of sweetened yogurt and is prepared with caramelized sugar, warm milk and and plain yogurt. It is rich, creamy and got perfect texture. You can have this special dessert after meal and enjoy the divine taste. The Bengalis are famous for their sweet preparations and Mishti Doi is among their most well known desserts. Making this mouth drooling recipe is really easy. This makes for a great dessert option when entertaining guests over an Indian meal. Serve the Mishti Doi at a dinner party or for a weekend post-meal treat. You can also pair this yoghurt recipe with parathas of your choice.

Considered ‘King of Indian sweets’, Rasgulla or roshogullas (in Bengali) is a very popular traditional Bengali dessert made with fresh paneer. All the festivals and special occasions are incomplete without this sweet dish. Loved by people of all age groups, you can easily prepare this dessert recipe at home for your loved ones! The trick in making the perfect rasgullas is in kneading the paneer well. You can also make paneer at home by boiling two liters milk and cuddling it with lemon juice. If you do not like the flavour of lemon juice, you can use vinegar. Rasgullas taste best when served chilled. There is always a fear of rasgullas getting dissolved in the sugar syrup while they are being simmered. Keep the flame low to avoid this. We bet everyone in your family is going to love these soft, delicious balls of sweetness! Indulge!

Also known as khubani ka meetha, Qubani Ka Meetha is a traditional dessert recipe made with apricots in Hyderabadi cuisine. Truly delicious, it is an easy-to-make sweet dish that you can prepare for your family and friends on special occasions and festivals. During the hold month of Ramadan, people who are fasting tend to be low on energy. This sweet dish recipe is supremely enriching and will provide you with an instant energy in the evening while breaking the fast. You can also prepare this mouth-watering dessert recipe on pot lucks and kitty parties, your guests will love it for sure. Try out this quick dessert recipe that can be prepared in minutes! Enjoy!

Bengalis are known for their sweet language and sweet desserts. One of the most popular Bengali sweet recipe is ”Pista Sandesh” . The lip smacking sweet is prepared mostly during festivals. The sweet is made with milk, citric acid, pistachios, and sugar. You can adjust the amount of sugar according to your taste. You can also switch to a low calorie sweet by replacing sugar with brown sugar or jaggery (cane sugar). Serve during pot luck, buffet, game night, kitty party, road trip to yoyr friends and family to enlighten their tastebuds.

Phirni is a very popular North Indian dessert made with ground rice and milk during festivals like Diwali and Holi. It is an aromatic dish that has been part of the Indian tradition through generations. Unlike kheer in which whole rice is used, in Phirni, broken or semi ground rice is cooked with milk.

Mysore Pak is a South Indian recipe made using gram flour (besan), sugar and ghee. This dessert recipe is South India’s most iconic sweet and gets its name from its city of origin – Mysore. You can prepare this delicious and rich sweet recipe on auspicious occasions like Diwali, Janmashtami and even Rakhi. Try this scrumptious dessert recipe and give your meal a perfect ending! This minimal ingredients recipe will require some practice to perfect, but in the end it is worth it all. Make sure that you fry the gram flour properly so that the raw smell of besan goes away. This scrumptious dessert recipe is sure to be loved by people of all age groups.

Seviyans can be made in a number of ways. This mithi seviyan recipe uses khoya, condensed milk, dry fruits and cardamom powder to give a unique taste to this delightful dish. Specially made during Eid, Seviyan can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge in serving dishes, so that you don’t have to bother when guests pour in. You can make this dish richer by adding more dryfruits and frying them in ghee before mixing them with the seviyan. If you want you can also add some whipped cream to this delectable preparation while serving.

Malpua is a popular North Indian recipe made during festivals and special occasions. Prepared with maida and semolina, this is a quick dessert recipe that you can make for your loved ones. These small pancakes are fried in ghee and then dunked in sugar syrup. This Indian dessert recipe is popular in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Bengal, however each region has a different of making these. These different versions include ingredients like fruits, milk and even coconut. This is usually served with rabri but you can also eat malpuas without it. This easy and quick recipe makes soft and fluffy pancakes with crisp outer edges. If you have sudden guests coming over, worry not! Just prepare this easy batter and a delightful dessert will be ready in minutes. Apart from festivals, you can also prepare this sweet recipe on occasions like kitty parties and house parties and your guests will surely be impressed.

Jalebi is a popular Indian dessert made with maida and sugar syrup. Served during festivals and special occasions, this dessert recipe is loved not just by kids but adults too. The crisp sugary spirals taste brilliant when served piping hot along with chilled rabri. Traditionally a muslin cloth with a hole in it is used to make the spirals in hot oil, but using a squeezy bottle makes it much simpler. Its batter has to be well fermented to get that perfect taste. For a twist, this simple recipe can also be served as a breakfast with milk or curd. This easy and quick dessert recipe is paired with different dishes in different regions. In Gujarat, Jalebi is often paired with Fafda, whereas in other regions it is served with rabri. It is mostly prepared on festivals like Diwali and Holi, though you can make it as per your mood and cravings. It is also perfect as a delightful evening snack when paired with samosas and hot masala tea. Try this delicious recipe

Gulab Jamun is a quintessential Indian sweet made during special occasions and festivals. It needs some basic ingredients like khoya, milk and sugar and unlike Rasgulla which needs to be cooked with a lot of care, Gulab Jamun can be prepared easily and pairs well with a number of dishes like samosa, kachoris and even custards and ice-creams. Follow this easy recipe and become a pro in making Gulab Jamuns.

Gujiya is a popular sweet dish made on festivals like Diwali and Holi. Filled with a mixture made with khoya, almonds and green cardamom, this dessert recipe is loved by everyone. Try this delicious recipe which is easier to serve and can be packed to picnic and road trips.

A famous Hyderabadi dessert which gets its richness from the saffron milk and dry fruits. The crisp of the bread and the flavourful bread, fragranced with rose water coated with condensed milk is quite a treat to the palates. It has a crunchy dry fruit topping that enhances the taste even further.

Balushahi is that traditional Indian sweet which is an inalienable part of Indian weddings and celebrations. As per the ritual, in most parts of India, the bride carries this sweet when she goes to her in-laws home for the first time after marriage. Packed in large bamboo baskets and decorated with coloured paper, this delicious sweet is a symbol of joy and festivity. Made in desi ghee, Balushahi might be rich in calories, but is that perfect sweet that gives you pure joy! Melt-in-the mouth it is also called Makkhan Vada in many regions. You can make Balushahi at home by following this simple recipe. Try out this special recipe on festivals like Holi, Diwali, Janamashtami, Durga Puja and even get togethers and parties and impress your family and friends.

Rasmalai is an easy and delicious Indian sweet recipe made during various festivals and special occasions. This dessert recipe is made using milk, paneer and dry fruits. Try this easy and yummy sweet dish!