10 Beautiful Indian Desserts For Celebrations

Each one is hand-picked to please a crowd. Try one for Diwali, Ramadan, Rakshabandhan or for parties. Some of these Indian desserts are even perfect for gifting to friends and family. Pack them up in beautiful mithai boxes, add a ribbon and offer during celebrations. I promise everyone will love them.

India’s most famous desserts

Ranging from Mishti Doi in the East, Payasam in the South, Shrikhand in the West and Phirni in the North, Indian desserts are as eclectic as the culture itself. Every community has preferences when it comes to the sweet stuff. Depending on regional and seasonal availability, different fruits can be incorporated into Indian desserts. Now there’s an incredible wave of fusion desserts making their way into the Indian dessert world. Innovation and open-mindedness pave a new way for sweet treats we never expected to grace our palates. It’s a beautiful thing to see and something I like to dabble in myself now and again. While the world of Indian desserts is as rich and varied as the dishes themselves, there are some ingredients that play major roles: Milk, ghee, nuts, sugar, spices, rice, wheat and lentils are all common ingredients in Indian sweet recipes.

My love for Indian desserts

Diwali was always a special time in our home. It would warrant us going to Indian sweet shops to stock up on boxes of brightly-coloured treasures to share with family and friends. My dad’s heart is as big as my appetite so he always made sure we bought one of everything. There’d be rows and rows of burfi, penda, mohanthal, halwa, laddoo, gulab jambu, kaju katli, pista rolls, kulfi, soan papdi and jalebi, in every colour under the sun. It was an Aladdin’s cave of milk-based sweets, topped with gold and silver leaf. What can I say, I’m the granddaughter of a mithaiwala!