13 Indian Sweets That'll Have You Licking Your Fingers ...

By Avantika

You step into a sweet shop in India and you will be faced with a mind-boggling array of sweets or mithai as they’re referred to in the Indian sub-continent. You’ll be spoiled for choice because each one is yummy and unique in it’s own self. I’ve tried to limit my list here to 13 because so many cravings!

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1

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun An all time favorite dessert in India, Gulab Jamuns are made of milk solids that are deep-fried and then dipped in sugar syrup. No festival in the country is complete without at least one plate of these super yummy treat. You can eat them hot, cold, with vanilla ice cream or even flambéed!

2

Rasgulla

Rasgulla Almost synonymous with Bengalis, Rasgullas are spongy little delights made of cottage cheese and cooked in a light sugar syrup. When eaten fresh, rasgullas are super spongy and very refreshing. Warning: it’s near impossible to eat just one.

3

Ghevar

Ghevar A traditional sweet from Rajasthan, ghevar is best described as a sweet that looks like a honey comb and tastes absolutely delicious. Both crunchy and sweet, ghevar is one of my personal favorites!

4

Phirni

Phirni A traditional rice pudding, phirni is another universal favorite. Made by cooking broken rice with milk, sugar, cardamom, saffron and adding shaved almonds as garnish, phirni is usually set in earthen bowls and served chilled. The perfect summer dessert really. Drool!

5

Motichoor Laddoo

Motichoor Laddoo Motichoor laddoos can be found everywhere in India and are actually made by shaping tiny sweet pearls (made of flour and soaked in a saffron infused sugar syrup). They’re usually distinguished by the rich orange color that saffron lends to the dish. No auspicious occasion is complete without a box of edible silver coated motichoor laddoos!

UPD:

Motichoor laddoos are a popular Indian sweet that is often served during special occasions such as weddings and festivals. The traditional recipe for the laddoos calls for gram flour, sugar, ghee, and saffron, and they are often decorated with edible silver foil. The laddoos have a unique texture, with the tiny sweet pearls giving them a crunchy bite. They are also very popular as a gift item and can be found in many Indian sweet shops.

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6

Besan Laddoo

Besan Laddoo Gram flour, sugar and ghee (clarified butter) come together and form one of my childhood favorites – besan laddoos. Simple enough and yet difficult to get it just right, besan laddoos are everyone’s guilty pleasure as far as I know.

7

Moong Dal Ka Halwa

Moong Dal Ka Halwa Moong = split yellow gram. Halwa = soft pudding
A dish that needs immense amounts of patience, loads of ghee and a hearty appetite, moong dal halwa is a winter sweet originating in Rajasthan and is packed with flavor and texture. It also freezes very well and is almost always made in huge quantities because you really can’t have enough of a good thing can you?!

8

Gajar Ka Halwa

Gajar Ka Halwa Another winter favorite, this a pudding made by cooking together grated red carrots, sugar, milk and ghee. Almost every Indian household will have homecooked gajar ka halwa all through the winter months. It’s almost as if red carrots were made for this purpose.

9

Petha

Petha A very interesting sweet, usually associated with Agra (of Taj Mahal fame) in central India, the raw ingredient that goes into making petha is white pumpkin. It’s a translucent sweet and can be both dry as well as dripping in syrup. You also have several flavor variants, ranging from saffron to chocolate (a more modern flavoring). Either way, it’s quite yummy and I love it!

10

Sandesh

Sandesh Another sweet from Bengal, sandesh is made from cottage cheese and sugar or jaggery. Plain, chocolate, rose and saffron are just some of the most popular flavors of this light and airy sweet. And like rasgullas, you can’t stop at one.

11

Jalebi

Jalebi This is a sweet that is very close to funnel cakes except that it’s yummier and prettier. Best enjoyed piping hot, crisp and dripping with delicately made sugar syrup on a cool winter day, it remains one of the most popular sweets across the country.

12

Kulfi

Kulfi An ice cream unique to the Indian subcontinent, kulfi is a childhood favorite of almost everyone I know. Different from western ice cream, kulfi has a thicker density and is traditionally made using flavors like cardamom, pistachios etc.

13

Shrikhand

Shrikhand Extremely popular in the western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra in India, shrikhand is made using strained yoghurt and mixing it thoroughly with sugar and spices like cardamom and saffron and is served chilled. No wedding feast in these states is complete without generous servings of this cool and delicious dessert.

Indians love their mithai and no meal is complete without at least a little nibble at the very end of something sweet. And with the vastness of the country comes a vast array of sweets, each unique and special and as finger licking good as the next. Have you had any Indian sweets? What was your experience?

Feedback Junction

Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

Feeling hungry again 😔

My mouth has started watering now!😍

oh i wish i could try them..I'll definitely visit India for more than the food but it's really growing my wish to come there😍

Yummy love the kulfi, jalebi and galam jaman

Gulab Jamun,just love them.....😜

Warm gulab jaman with vanilla ice cream :)

Feeling wanna eat Gulab Jamun 😉

Because of the comments I got to know that there are so many Indians registered on this app, including me :)

My fave is rasmilli

I'm Indian and I love most of these sweets! Great post :)

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