Indian Dessert Recipes: Dishes to Enjoy on Special Occasions!

An Indian meal is incomplete without a delicious and flavorful dessert. We can also say that you cannot expect any Indian party or occasion without something sweet with the meal or at the end of the meal. Hence, we Indians have our own special Indian dessert recipes for festivals and special occasions!

Whether it is gulab jamun, rice pudding, sooji halwa, jalebi, or your other favorite dessert, they are always a reason to perk up a smile on your face. There are many Indian dessert recipes that can be prepared within just a few minutes, while many take more time to get a perfect sweet dish. But, it is worth spending hours in the kitchen once your sweet is ready.

Moreover, you need not wait for some special day or occasion, you can prepare and enjoy these Indian dessert recipes whenever your heart desires. Also, when it comes to craving a sweet treat, Indian desserts always tops the list of sweet dishes. These are not just a part of our staple fare, but they are also prepared to offer in the worship places to seek the blessings of God.

Here, we have collected some of the popular Indian dessert recipes that make you go weak in the knees. You will not look for any reason to try these desserts 

• Saffron Paneer Recipe
• Sooji Halwa Recipe
• Rice Pudding Recipe
• Instant Jalebi Recipe
• Gulab Jamun Recipe
• Besan Laddu Recipe

1.Saffron Paneer Recipe

Let’s use your favorite food in some different way and prepare a melt in mouth dessert. This saffron paneer dessert is made with paneer, saffron, cream, and dry fruits; this can be prepared and enjoyed in any occasion or festival.

Quick Stats:

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cooking time: 30 minutes
• Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 250 grams of paneer
• 1 teaspoon of roasted semolina
• 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of crushed cardamom seeds
• 1 tablespoon of almond powder
• One tablespoon of crushed pistachio nuts
• 1 tablespoon of raisins 
• 1 tablespoon of cream or milk

For topping:

• 2 tablespoons of cream
• 1 teaspoon of soaked saffron strands
• One tablespoon of dried fruits
• 1 cinnamon stick
• One leaf of paan
• 1 piece of coal
• 1 tablespoon of pure ghee

Method to Prepare:

• Take a large bowl and add paneer. Now, beat it with your hands gently until it turns smooth.
• Next, you have to add semolina, powdered sugar, crushed cardamom seeds, and almond powder, and mix all ingredients well.
• Take a large saucepan and transfer this mixture into it. Cook this mixture over low heat for 5-6 minutes.
• Now, add crushed pistachio nuts and raisins and stir them perfectly.
• The next step involves binding this mixture with cream or milk (whatever you have taken) and transfer it in a heatproof bowl.
• For topping:
• Pour the cream on the mixture and sprinkle soaked saffron strands and dried fruits over the cream.
• Now, keep one paan leaf over it.
• Heat coal and place a cinnamon stick on it to give an ultimate flavor to the dessert, and keep it onto the pan leaf.
• Now, pour one tablespoon of hot pure ghee and seal the bowl with a foil for 5-6 minutes.
• Next, remove the foil, cinnamon stick, coal, and paan leaf from the bowl and serve this delicious dessert.

2.Sooji Halwa Recipe

Sooji Halwa is a popular Indian dessert that is mostly prepared for religious ceremonies. Moreover, cardamom powder, raisins, or other dried fruits of your choice add flavor and taste to this sweet dish. Easy and quick recipe that encourages sweet lovers to prepare sooji halwa anytime to satisfy their hunger for something sweet.

Quick Stats:

• Prep time: 2 minutes
• Cooking time: 15 minutes
• Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• Half cup of sooji/semolina
• One-third cup or 5-6 tablespoons of sugar
• 6 tablespoons of ghee 
• Half teaspoon of cardamom powder
• 10-12 cashews, you can cut them into halves or can use whole
• 2 tablespoons of raisins
• 1 teaspoon of chironji (optional)
• Water 1 cup
• 1 pinch of edible camphor (optional)

Method to Prepare:

• Take a Kadai or a pan and heat it on a low flame. Add ghee and let it heat.
• In the meantime, take another pan and add sugar and water in it and heat this sugar mixture from medium to high heat and let it come to a boil.
• Now, get back to the first pan, ghee has been heated, add semolina and cashews (halves or whole, whatever you want) and stir both ingredients well in the ghee 
• Make sure not to take the stirring step lightly, it should stir continuously to avoid getting it to stick on the surface of the pan or fried unevenly. Make sure that semolina should be cooked evenly.
• Meanwhile, don’t forget the sugar solution. Stir it occasionally and when it starts boiling, simmer the flame and let it cook until the sugar dissolves completely and the solution becomes a little thick, for around 4-5 minutes on low heat.
• On the other side, keep on stirring the semolina for 7-8 minutes or until it starts changing its color.
• Once it is done, add cardamom powder, chironji (optional), raisins, and edible camphor (optional). Mix all these ingredients well with the cooked semolina.
• Now, it’s time to add the hot sugar solution to the cooked semolina. At this step, you need to be very careful, because while adding the hot solution, the mixture may get splutter.
• So, stir it continuously with another hand, and semolina starts absorbing water quickly and will begin to swell.
• Stir the mixture until it becomes thick and start leaving the edges of the pan.
• Serve this sooji halwa hot or let it cool at room temperature.

3.Rice Pudding Recipe

Wondering what to do with leftover rice? Here, you have one of the delicious Indian dessert recipes i.e. Rice Pudding, that will surely be loved by all family members including kids. This pudding is a great treat to enjoy a bowl full of creamy rice cooked in milk and your favorite dried fruits.

Quick Stats:

• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Cooking time: 20-40 minutes
• Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of white rice or 3 cups of cooked rice
• 3-4 cups of milk
• One-third cup of granulated sugar
• 2 pinches of salt
• 1 and a half teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter (optional)
• Half cup of raisins
• 2 pinches of cinnamon powder

Method to Prepare:

• Take a large saucepan and add 1 cup of uncooked white rice and 4 cups of milk in it. If you are using cooked rice then take 3 cups of it and 3 cups of milk and add both to the saucepan.
• Now, you have to add granulated sugar and salt. After this, add 1 and a half teaspoon of vanilla extract. It will add a great flavor to your rice pudding.
• Once all these ingredients are mixed well, it’s time to cook this mixture. So, once it comes to the boiling point, bring the mixture to the medium heat and make sure to stir it continuously to avoid sticking this mixture to the bottom of the pan.
• Reduce the heat to the simmer and cook it uncovered while stirring the mixture occasionally. It needs to be cooked until the rice tender and the mixture turns thick. It will take around 20-25 minutes if you are using uncooked rice or 10-12 minutes if you are using cooked rice.
• Once the rice is cooked properly, remove the saucepan from the heat and add 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter. Taste it and check for the sweetness, add more sugar if you want this pudding sweeter.
• Always keep in mind that rice pudding will always thicken as the mixture cools. So, cook it accordingly and you can add more milk as per the required consistency.
• The rice pudding recipe is ready; it can be served warm or cold with raisins and cinnamon powder at the top.

4.Instant Jalebi Recipe

The sweetness of the jalebi and saffron flavor is something that attracts food lovers to prepare this Indian dessert at home. You must not miss this easy to prepare instant jalebi recipe and surprise your family with something sweet for lunch.

Quick Stats:

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cooking time: 40 minutes
• Servings: 15-20

Ingredients:

• All-purpose Flour
• 2 Cups of Sugar
• A spoonful of Rangkat / hydro methanesulfonate
• Half tablespoon of Baking powder
• Three sliced lemon wedges
• Milk
• Kesar
• Oil

Method To Prepare:

• To prepare the syrup for the jalebi, add two cups of sugar in a saucepan and fill it with nearly three to four cups of water for stirring and heating it until the syrup begins to boil.
• Since we’ll be preparing it without any added flavors so as to retain the originality of taste, add milk to the odd colored boiled sugar syrup and heat it on a low flame until the syrup looks cleaner.
• Now we’ll be adding Kesar/Saffron into the syrup at low flame to imbibe both fragrance and taste into the syrup. It is advised to add lemon wedges if you desire for the syrup to appear golden in color or else continue stirring it until the saffron is well blended which also implies that your syrup is ready.
• Getting onto the crucial part of preparing the batter for Jalebi, get a bowl to mix a pinch of ‘Rangkat’ with one cup of flour and a third of a cup full of water. Use your hands to mix it well for a few minutes for the batter to become thick and stiffer. Upon this prepared batter, add half a tablespoon of baking soda and again mix it thoroughly.
• Get a piping bag with a singular nozzle at the hole and fill it with batter. On the other hand heat oil at low heat in a deep saucepan and pour the stiff batter by squeezing the bag in circular shapes onto the oil.
• Fry the batter in oil until they’re crisp on both sides and allow the oil to be drained out of them after taking them out onto a paper towel for immediately dipping them into the warm sugar syrup. Do this in batches and let both sides be properly immersed into the sugar syrup for the best taste.
• Finally, remove them again and serve them on a plate for friends and family.

5.Gulab Jamun Recipe

It is one of the most popular Indian dessert recipes which is quite soft and melt in mouth sweet. The rose flavored syrup adds real fragrance and taste to the dumplings. Moreover, you can enjoy this dessert warm or at room temperature.

Quick Stats:

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cooking time: 5 minutes
• Servings: 3

Ingredients:

• 6 cups of water
• 3 cups of granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon of cardamom powder
• 2 tablespoons of rose water
• 3 cups of powdered milk
• One and a half cups of all-purpose flour
• One and a half teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• Oil of frying

Method to Prepare:

• Take a deep pan and add water and granulated sugar in it. Boil the water until the sugar gets dissolved completely and you get a thick mixture.
• Now, turn off the flame and keep a pan aside. After this, add cardamom powder and rose water. Mix them well in the mixture.
• Take a large bowl and add powdered milk, all-purpose flour, and baking powder. Mix everything all together.
• Now, start adding a little portion of heavy cream and knead to make the dough. Make sure that it should be soft, not sticky. Add the cream to get the desired consistency
• Next, you have to make small balls by greasing your palms with oil. Make sure that there should be no cracks in the balls, otherwise they will not come out in the way they should be. So, make the perfect balls.
• In the meanwhile, take oil in a large pan for deep frying and heat it on a low to medium flame.
• Now, you have to fry the balls until they brown. Always remember that they should be fried on a low flame so that the balls will get cooked from inside perfectly.
• Once they are fried, transfer them into the rose syrup.
• Let the balls get soaked in the syrup for around 2-3 hours and serve them.

Must Read: Delicious Modak Recipes: Toothsome Ganesh Chaturthi Recipes!

6.Besan Laddu Recipe

Besan Laddus are one of the most toothsome Indian dessert recipes, which is loved by most of the Indians and is usually prepared during celebrations. You can prepare these laddus anytime you want and enjoy them whenever you crave something sweet.

Quick Stats:

• Prep time: 35 minutes
• Cooking time: 10 minutes
• Servings: 24

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of chickpea flour (besan)
• 1 cup of ghee
• 1 cup of white sugar
• 2 teaspoons of finely chopped pistachio nuts
• 1 teaspoon of finely chopped cashews

Method to Prepare:

• Take a saucepan and add besan and ghee in it. Now, heat them over a medium flame and cook the besan until you get a smell of the mixture. It may take around 10-12 minutes.
• Once it is prepared, keep it aside and add sugar, chopped pistachio nuts, and cashews. Mix all these ingredients well with the besan and ghee mixture.
• Now, make small balls of the mixture, something like the size of the large cherries. To make perfect balls, you have to use some pressure so that they do not get apart.

Final Words

Do you always crave having something sweet with or after an Indian meal? If yes, then try these Indian dessert recipes and satisfy your sweet craving with delicious, tasteful, and flavorful sweet dishes. If any occasion is arriving, serve your guests a homemade sweet this time.