As the festival of lights, Diwali is approaching, your little ones must be excited to eat a lot of delicious sweets. If your child is above the age of 2 years, then you can happily introduce them to any sweets. Most people prefer homemade sweets rather than buying them. For those, here are some tasty homemade Diwali sweets recipes that your child will love to eat.
As you all know, the Sanskrit Epic Ramayana narrates that Lord Rama, his wife Sita, and his brother Lakshmana headed back to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana during a pitch-black night. The people of Ayodhya celebrated their arrival and welcomed them on that dark night by lighting diyas in rows from the forest to Ayodhya. We follow this tradition of lighting lamps to celebrate the victory of good over evil.
Now coming to our main interest – food!! Every Indian festival is celebrated with lots of homemade traditional sweets. I prepare sweets for every Indian festival without fail.
Here are 21 Diwali sweets recipes you can make at home.
21 Homemade Diwali Sweets Recipes for Kids
Homemade sweets have their own benefits. If we make sweets at home, we can be sure of the quality of the ingredients, especially ghee that we use generously in all Indian sweets. The quantity of the ingredients can also be used according to our preference and health. We can replace unhealthy ingredients like sugar with better choices like jaggery or dates. So here are a few of the Indian sweets you can make at home with ingredients easily available in any Indian Kitchen.
#1. Dry fruits laddu
It is a nutritious Diwali sweets recipe for kids that can even be enjoyed by adults who are on diet. This sugar-free recipe is tasty and beneficial for health as well.
- 1 cup of Aval or flattened red poha
- 1 cup of dry fruits including, walnuts, almonds, pistachio, raisins, and more
- ½ cup of powdered jaggery
- a pinch of cardamom powder
- 4-6 tablespoon of ghee
Instructions
- Take a thick bottomed pan and heat ghee in it, add dry fruits and fry them well for 2-3 minutes.
- Now add poha and roast well on a medium flame for 4-5 minutes. Once it becomes crisp, switch off the gas.
- Now grind the roasted poha and dry fruits in a mixer to obtain a powder.
- Then add cardamom and jaggery powder to the mixture and mix them well.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee and add it to the mixture and keep mixing it for a minute.
- Now take a small amount of mixture and roll it to make a ball or laddu.
Click here are the step by step pics for this recipe.
#2. Milk Peda
- 200 gms – 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1tbsp ghee
- ¾ cup of milk powder
- few threads of saffron
- A pinch of nutmeg powder
- 4 green cardamoms or ¾ tsp cardamom powder
Instructions
- Mix the condensed milk, milk powder, and ghee together in a non-stick pan.
- Add the cardamom powder, the nutmeg powder, and saffron. Mix.
- Cook the mixture until it starts to leave the sides of the pan. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
- When the mixture cools down a bit, shape into small balls. Make sure to grease your hands with ghee, as the mixture is sticky.
#3. Carrot halwa
This carrot halwa recipe replaces sugar with jaggery and hence is a healthier version you can make for kids.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of grated carrot
- ¼ cup of crushed jaggery
- ¼ cup of milk
- 2 tablespoons of ghee
- a few raisins
- 5 cashew nuts
- 1 tablespoon of wheat flour
- ¼ teaspoon of cardamom powder
Instructions
- First, take two medium-sized carrots, peel and wash them properly, then finely grate them using a grater.
- Take a pressure cooker and heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in it. Now add the grated carrots and sauté it well.
- Now add milk and pressure cook until 2 whistles. Once cooked, add jaggery and continue cooking on low flame.
- Add 1 tablespoon of wheat flour to it until the mixture becomes thick.
- Now add 1 tablespoon of ghee and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes while stirring.
- Take a separate pan and heat ghee in it, then add raisins and cashew to it and fry well.
- Add the fried raisins and cashew to the carrot halwa and serve it warm.
#4. Coconut ladoo
There are many Diwali sweets recipes that are made with coconut as the main ingredient and this coconut ladoo is the simplest I can say.
- Coconut – 1 cup, freshly grated
- Powdered sugar – ½ cup (adjust according to your taste)
- Split roasted gram (Tamil: pottukadalai) flour – 1/4 cup (you can use besan also)
- Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
- Melted ghee – little or as required
Instructions
- Dry roast the grated coconut in a pan for a minute.
- Grind roasted coconut and sugar to a smooth mixture.
- Take some roasted split gram and powder it in a mixer.
- Combine coconut sugar mixture, roasted gram powder, and cardamom powder.
- Heat ghee in a pan over a low flame and melt it.
- Once cool enough to handle the melted ghee, pour into the above mixture and mix well to form a smooth dough. Make small ladoos from the dough and serve.
- Store them in an airtight container. It will stay for good 2-3 days
#5. Chocolate sago laddu
Kids love anything chocolaty. So I have added cocoa powder to make these ladoos. I promise you, both you and your little one are going to love these crunchy ladoos.
Ingredients
- ½ cup of sago
- 1/3 cup of grated coconut
- ½ cup of powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ tablespoon of dry ginger powder
- ½ tablespoon of cardamom powder
- ¼ cup of melted ghee
Instructions
- Take a pan and dry roast sago on low flame for 20-25 minutes. Once it becomes light brown add cocoa powder and mixes them well.
- Transfer it to a pan and dry roast grated coconut in the same pan.
- Now grind the roasted sago, coconut, and sugar to obtain a fine powder.
- Add dried ginger and cardamom powder to the mix.
- Now heat ghee and pour it over the mixture and mix it well to obtain a smooth dough.
- Take a small portion of it and roll to make a ball or laddu.
You can also store these amazing Diwali sweets recipes for kids in an airtight jar for 3-4 days.
#6. Pistachio kulfi recipe
Pistachio kulfi is very popular among kids. This one of the Diwali sweets recipes that will surely satisfy their ice cream cravings too.
Ingredients
- ½ cup of sugar
- 3 liters of milk
For preparing Kulfi paste, you will need
- ¼ cup each of cashews, pistachios, and blanched and peeled almonds
- ½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder
- 2 tablespoon of cardamom powder, and poppy seeds
- 8 to 10 whole black peppercorns
Instructions
- To prepare, grind all the ingredients of kulfi paste in a mixer along with water to achieve a thick consistency.
- Now take a heavy bottom saucepan and boil the milk in it. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes to make it half its quantity.
- Now add kulfi paste and sugar to it. Mix and whisk it well.
Now turn off the heat and let it cool. - Take some kulfi molds and pour the mixture until ¾th full and refrigerate it for 15 to 20 hours.
#7. Shankarpali using whole wheat flour
Here is our recipe expert Geetu’s shakarapali recipe using whole wheat flour. You can find the step by step pictures in her article here.
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ cup of wheat flour
- ¼ cup of powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon of powdered cardamom
- Salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons of oil + oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Heat milk in a pan, then add powdered sugar and cardamom to it and keep it aside.
- To prepare the dough, take a bowl and add wheat flour, oil, and the milk, sugar, and cardamom mixture and mix it well to make a stiff dough.
- Divide it into two parts and roll it on a flat surface. While rolling, you may see cracks in it. Restore it with your finger and continue rolling it.
- Now take a knife and cut the dough into diamond shapes.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry shankarpali in it until it becomes a golden crown.
- Remove excess oil using tissue paper and serve it to your kids.
#8. Puran Poli
- 200 grams of chana dal
- 125 grams of jaggery
- 1 tablespoon of nutmeg powder
- 2 tablespoons of powdered Cardamom
- 400 grams of wheat flour
- 100 grams of maida
- 1 tablespoon of ghee
Instructions
- To prepare the stuffing, wash chana dal and cook it in a pressure cooker until two whistles. Once cooked, transfer it to a saucepan
- Now add jaggery to it and keep stirring on a medium flame until jaggery dissolves
- Transfer the mixture to a plate and let it cool. Now add cardamom and nutmeg powder to it and mix it well
- Not transfer the mixture into a grinder and make a smooth paste.
- To make the outer cover make a soft dough of wheat flour and maida and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Take the dough and divide it into 6 equal parts to make a ball.
- Make the ball flat and fill the stuffing in it and roll it well to make a ball.
- Now using a rolling pin, flatten the balls to round chapati like shape
- Heat a non-stick Tawa and cook Pural Poli until it becomes golden brown on both sides
Here is a paal poli recipe/milk poli recipe for Diwali desserts.
#9. Karanji
“Karanji” a Maharashtrian sweet dish prepared with fresh coconut and jaggery fillings. Crunchy karanjis are a must in the Diwali sweets thali. Here is the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of wheat flour
- 1 ½ cup of coconut
- ½ cup of jaggery
- a pinch of cardamom
- dry fruits crushed
- water for kneading dough
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Take a pan and dry roast wheat flour in it. Transfer it to a plate then roast coconut and jaggery in until the jaggery melts.
- Now add cardamom powder and crushed dry fruits to the pan and mix them well.
- Next, take a bowl and add roasted flour to it. Knead it using water to get a firm dough. Rest it for 30 minutes.
- Take a small ball of the dough and roll it to make a medium-sized poori.
- Stuff the mixture on one side of the dough and fold it to get a semicircle shape.
- You can use a fork to seal the edges and trim the excess dough
- Now take a pan and heat oil in it, take the karanji and fry it well until it becomes golden brown.
- Remove excess oil using tissue and serve warm to your kids.
#10. Water chestnut flour halwa
Water Chestnut Flour good source of potassium, fiber, and is low in sodium. It is high in carbohydrates and ideal for toddlers.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of water chestnut flour
- 1/3 cup of ghee
- ½ cup of sugar
- 1 cup of water
- a pinch of cardamom powder
- 3-4 teaspoons of nut mix
Instructions
- Take a kadai and heat ghee in it, now add the water chestnut flour and roast it well for 7-8 minutes until it becomes light brown.
- Keep stirring to avoid lumps, then add nut mix and continue to cook for a few seconds
- Now add water, cardamom powder, and sugar to it and stir it well
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, transfer to a bowl and sprinkle nut mix before serving
#11. Badam halwa
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups of blanched almonds
- 1 cups of water
- ½ cup of sugar
- ½ cup of water or milk
- ¼ cup of coconut oil
- 4 strands of saffron
- 5-6 crushed cardamom
Instructions
- Take a mixer and blend almonds with water to make a smooth paste.
- Now take a heavy bottom pan and cook the almond paste until it thickens.
- Then add sugar and mix it well. Add water or milk and keep stirring.
- Now add coconut oil and stir well till the mixture becomes lumpy and thick. Once it is ready, add cardamom and saffron and stir again.
- You can offer the halwa straight away or cool it to cut and make diamond shape sweet.
#12. Sesame laddu
This no-sugar Diwali sweet recipe is one of the excellent healthy snacks for kids.
Ingredients
- ½ cup of white sesame seeds
- ½ cup of roasted chana dal
- ¾ cup of chopped dates
- ½ cup of grated dry coconut
- ½ cup of ghee
Instructions
- Remove the seeds from the date and chop them well.
- Take a thick pan and dry roast sesame seeds and roasted chana dal on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
- Pulse the sesame seeds and chana dal in a mixer to get a coarse powder
- Grind the dates in a mixer and add it to the sesame-chana mixture.
- Now add one-fourth cup of melted ghee along with grated coconut and mix it well.
- Once ready take a small amount of mixture and roll it to form a ball or laddu.
#13. Thinai halwa
Ingredients
- 1 cup of thinai/ foxtail millet
- 1/2 cup of moong dal
- 1 cup of ghee
- 2 cups of jaggery
- 3 tablespoons of coconut finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons of cashew
- 2 pinches of Cardamom powder
Instructions
- Wash and soak thinai and moong dal for 2 hours.
- Grind both in a mixer to make a fine paste
- Take a thick bottom vessel and heat ghee in it, add the paste and jaggery to it and sauté it well until the jaggery melts
- Now take a separate pan and roast coconut and cashew in it, add it to the mixture in the vessel, and keep stirring on low flame.
- Once ghee starts coming off the edges, halwa is ready to be served
#14. Beetroot halwa
This is one of the healthy Diwali sweets recipes that can be made to sneak in some vegetables even in the sweet box.
Ingredients
- One big sized beetroot
- 2 teaspoons of homemade dry fruits powder
- 2 tablespoons of split yellow moong dal
- 3-4 teaspoons of ghee
- sugar to taste
Instructions
- Add beetroot and moong dal in a pressure cooker and cook until 5 whistles. Once cooked let it cool and mash it well
- Take a pan and heat ghee in it. Add mashed beetroot moong dal mixture, dry fruits powder, and mix it well.
- When it starts coming off the edges switch off the heat and serve it.
Note: You can also use jaggery instead of adding sugar for preparing this Diwali sweet recipe.
#15. Shahi Tukda
#16. Malpua
Ingredients
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of crushed fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon of baking soda
- 4 crushed cardamom pods
- 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons of milk powder, yogurt, and crumbled khoya
- Ghee for frying the ingredients.
For preparing sugar syrup, you will need
- ¼ cup of water
- ½ cup of sugar
- 1/2 lemon juice
- 3 strands of saffron.
Instructions
- Take a bowl and mix flour, milk, fennel seeds, milk powder, and crushed cardamom pods.
- Now add khoya and yogurt to the mixture and stir well.
- Add water to obtain a smooth consistency, then leave aside it for 30 minutes.
- Now take a heavy bottom pan and add water, sugar and let it simmer to make the sugar syrup.
- Once the sugar dissolves, add the saffron strands and lemon juice. Stir well until sugar becomes sticky.
- Now take a pan, add 2 tbsp of ghee and make small pancakes of the malpua batter. Cook until it turns golden brown.
- Finally, take the cooked malpua and dip it in the sugar syrup.
I made this amazing Diwali sweets recipe last year and my children loved it a lot.
#17. Kaju katli
This is yet another most famous Diwali sweets recipes for kids that is easy to make.
Ingredients
- ½ cup of sugar
- 1 cup of cashews
- 1 tablespoon of ghee
- 5 tablespoons of water
- 8-9 strands of saffron
Instructions
- Grind the cashews in a mixer to obtain a fine powder. Now take a thick bottom pan and heat sugar and water in it to make syrup, then add powdered cashew in it and stir well.
- Cook it for 10 minutes to make the mixture thick and then add ghee and saffron to it and stir well.
- Now take the thickened cashew mixture and flatten it on a greased tray. Let it cook then cut diamond shapes and refrigerate for 4 hours.
#18. Besan Laddoo
This is one of the simplest recipes in Diwali sweets recipes for kids. All you need is besan, ghee, sugar, and dry fruits for this healthy Indian sweet.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of besan
- ½ cup of ghee
- ¾ cup of powdered sugar
- 3-4 crushed cardamom
- 1 tablespoon of raisins
- 1 tablespoon of chopped cashew
- cashew halves for garnishing
Instructions
- Take a wok and heat ghee in it then add besan to it and roast for 6-7 minutes till the color changes and a nice aroma comes.
- Now add sugar and mix it well. Ensure that the mixture does not stick to the wok.
- Add dry fruits and cardamom powder and stir well.
- Let it cool then make small balls of the mixture and serve it to your kids.
#19. Badam barfi
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup of sugar
- 1 ½ cups of blanched almond
- ¼ teaspoon of powdered cardamom
- 90 ml of water
- nuts for garnishing
Instructions
- To prepare it, dry roast the blanched almonds in a pan then grind them in a mixer.
- Now take a saucepan and add cardamom powder, almond powder and sugar in water and boil it.
- Cook it on medium flame and keep stirring. Once it becomes thick, turn off the heat and let it cool.
- Take a plate and transfer the mixture into it and knead to make a smooth dough.
- Place the smooth dough on parchment paper and roll it with a rolling pin to half-inch thickness.
- Take a greased knife and cut diamond shapes and refrigerate it for 4 hours.
#20. Rava Kesari Halwa
Here is the recipe for a quick Rava Kesari halwa.
#21. Chocolate barfi
Kids love to eat chocolates and including it in Diwali sweets recipes for kids would be a great choice.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups of crumbled khoya or condensed milk solids
- ¾ cup of sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon of cardamom powder
- 1 teaspoon of rose water and cocoa powder
- a few drops of vegetable oil.
Instructions
- To prepare it, take a thick bottomed pan and heat khoya while stirring it continuously.
- Once it gets warm, add powdered cardamom powder, sugar, and rose water. Cook it until the sugar dissolves to obtain a halwa like consistency. Once it becomes thick and leaves the sides of the pan, turn off the heat.
- Now take a pan and transfer the dough to it. Divide it into two parts.
- Take one part and knead the mixture to achieve a smooth dough.
- Use a rolling pin and flatten the dough to about 1cm thickness.
- Take another part of the dough and add cocoa powder to it and knead to make a dough. Flatten it too using a rolling pin to about 1 cm thickness.
- Now place the cocoa layer on the other layer and gently press. Freeze it for 30 minutes then cut it into small pieces.
These were the tasty Diwali sweets recipes for kids that kids and adults both will love to eat. Try these and let us know in the comment section if your child liked it. Also, share your signature Diwali sweet recipes in the comments. What are the must include sweets in your Diwali sweet box?
Have a happy and safe Deepavali.
A Note of caution: Try to cut down the number of fireworks and protect our nature!
1 Comment
Nice post Jaya 🙂 all delicious recipes!!!