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25+ Best Diwali Recipes | Easy Diwali Sweets and Snacks

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Looking for the Best Diwali Recipes to make at home? This collection of 25+ easy, delicious Diwali recipes includes traditional sweets and mithai, crispy snacks and namkeens, and festive foods perfect for celebrating with family and friends.

From popular favorites like kaju katli, besan laddu, plain white milk barfi, gujiya, and balushahi to savory snacks like roasted cashews and crispy samosas, these recipes are perfect for Diwali celebrations. Whether you are preparing a homemade mithai box, planning a Diwali party, looking for easy recipes for beginners, or want to make something special like fusion desserts for your family, you will find plenty of ideas here.

Browse the recipes below and choose your favorite Diwali snacks, sweets, and festive food to make this festival extra special.

Diwali Recipes: Traditional Homemade Diwali Sweets, Snacks, and Mithai Gift Box Recipes.

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I have already shared a collection of 100 + Easy Diwali Sweets recipes and 50+ Simple Diwali Snacks Recipes that you can try for your Diwali Party. The only thing that is different in this post is that I am sharing traditionally made Diwali festive foods - sweet and snack recipes both in the same post that even beginners can try for Diwali.

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Best Diwali Sweets (Desserts)

Some popular Diwali recipes to try first include kaju katli, milk burfi (milk powder barfi), besan ladoo, balushahi, Bombay halwa, dry fruit chikki, motichoor ladoo, gujiya, vermicelli kheer, and mohanthal. These sweets are perfect for festival celebrations, sharing with family and guests, and also for gifting.

Best, simple, and easy Badam Halwa sweet recipe (Indian almond halwa pudding dessert)

Easy Badam Halwa

Badam Halwa is a popular Indian sweet recipe that is rich and melts in the mouth with aromatic flavor. This halwa is made using almonds (badam), ghee(clarified butter), milk, and sugar and flavored with cardamom and saffron(kesar). Almond halwa dessert can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.
Badam Halwa Recipe
Homemade kaju katli or kaju barfi slices - Best Indian sweet or dessert recipe.

Kaju Barfi (Kaju Katli)

Kaju Katli or Kaju Barfi is a traditional and classic, popular Indian sweet recipe that has a smooth texture and nutty flavor made with only 3 ingredients and will literally melt in your mouth.
Kaju Katli Recipe
Indian Milk Barfi Sweet Recipe | Milk Powder Burfi | Popular Indian Dessert.

Milk Barfi

Milk Barfi or Milk Powder Burfi is a popular, easy to make melt in mouth Indian dessert recipe prepared using five basic ingredients from your kitchen in less than 30 minutes—a perfect Indian sweet recipe to make for Diwali, Raksha Bandhan, Holi, or any special occasion.
Plain White Barfi Recipe
Best Besan Ladoo Recipe (Besan Ke Laddu or Bandar Laddu) - Popular Indian Sweet.

Besan Laddu

Besan Ladoo or Besan Laddu is a popular, best, and easy Indian sweet recipe prepared using gram flour (besan or chickpea flour), ghee, and sugar. These laddus are served or distributed to friends and family during special occasions and festivals such as Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, and Holi.
Besan Ladoo Recipe
Mohanthal : best traditional Gujarati danedar halwai style sweet recipe for Diwali.

Danedar Mohanthal

Mohanthal Sweet is a traditional and popular sweet recipe from Gujarat, India, that has a rich and melt-in-mouth texture prepared mainly using besan flour (chickpeas), ghee, sugar, and garnished with nuts of your choice.
Mohanthal Recipe
Balushahi or badusha - Best Indian sweet recipe or Pastry dessert for Diwali and other festivals.

Balushahi Recipe

This balushahi recipe gives you the perfect halwai-style badusha sweet that is crispy on the outside with melt in the mouth and a soft and flaky interior—one of the best Indian pastry-style dessert recipes for Diwali.
Balushahi Sweet Recipe
Bombay halwa, karachi halva, how to make halwa sweet at home, Diwali mithai recipes #halwa

Bombay Halwa | Karachi Halwa

Bombay Halwa or Karachi Halwa is a melt-in-mouth Indian sweet recipe that you should try during this Diwali festival.
Bombay Halwa Recipe
best dry fruit chikki, mixed nut brittles, popular Indian sweets, desserts with kaju, badam, pista

Dry Fruit Chikki

Dry Fruit Chikki is a crunchy, delicious, and nutritious Indian brittle prepared using mixed nuts, flavored with saffron and/or cardamom powder. The mixed nuts brittle can be served as a mid-day snack or after-meal dessert.
Chikki Recipe
recipe for best and easy homemade carrot halwa or gajar ka halwa Indian sweet and dessert.

Carrot Halwa

Carrot Halwa, popularly known as Gajar Ka Halwa or Gajar Halwa, is a classic and rich, decadent melt-in-mouth Indian pudding dessert packed with dry fruits and nuts. A dessert that will impress everyone.
Gajar Halwa Recipe
Traditional Semiya Payasam (Vermicelli Kheer, Seviyan Kheer) - Easy Indian Pudding Dessert Recipe.

Semiya Payasam

Semiya Payasam (Vermicelli Kheer) is a classic Indian dessert made with vermicelli (seviyan), milk, sugar, nuts, and cardamom in under 20 minutes. You can serve this sweet hot, warm, or chilled.
Vermicelli Kheer Recipe
Rabdi (Rabri) - Indian sweet dessert made with milk, sugar, cardamom, saffron and nuts.

Rabdi (Rabri)

Rabdi (Rabri) is a traditional Indian dessert recipe in which milk is simmered on low heat until it reduces to a thick and creamy consistency. It is flavored with saffron, cardamom, and nuts. This rabdi dessert can be served alone or with gulab jamun, jalebi, shahi tukda, malpua, rasgulla, or even poori.
Traditional Rabdi Recipe
Perfect, best and easy to make motichoor ladoo, motichur laddu recipe

Motichoor Ladoo

Motichoor Ladoo is a popular Indian sweet recipe that is soft, flavorful, and will melt in your mouth. This Indian dessert is mainly prepared during special occasions and festivals like Diwali, Navratri, and Raksha Bandhan.
Motichur Laddu Recipe

Tips for Making Diwali Sweets At Home

  • Use good-quality ghee and nuts when making the sweets.
  • Cook on the right heat and in the right pan.
  • Look for recipe consistency cues rather than relying only on cooking time, especially when making barfis and ladoos.
  • Allow sweets to cool completely.
  • Store each sweet as the recipe instructions say.

Diwali Snacks

Crispy, savory snacks or namkeens are an important part of Diwali celebrations. These snacks are perfect with a cup of coffee or tea while entertaining guests and adding variety to your festive menu. Some popular snacks for Diwali include samosa, kachori, aloo bonda (batata vada), dahi aloo chaat or dahi bhalla, mirchi bajji, and some faral snacks like chakli, chivda, chips, namkeens, and more. You can check the full list of Deepavali snacks.

Samosa recipe, how to make best and perfect Indian samosa with video, #sambusa #singara #Streetfood #snack #appetizer

Crispy Samosa

Make crispy and flaky samosas with melt-in-mouth filling at home any time of the year when you are craving these delicious bites following this simple samosa recipe. This samosa recipe is vegetarian/vegan and can be served as an appetizer, snack, or finger food with mint chutney, dates chutney, or tomato ketchup.
Homemade Samosa Recipe
Crispy onion pakoda, Onion fritters (kanda bhaji), Evening snack, party appetizer, and finger food.

Onion Pakoda

Onion Pakoda is a popular, quick, and easy-to-make Indian fritter, crispy on the outside and soft inside, packed with flavor. These bite-sized onion bhajis are perfect as a snack with a hot cup of tea or coffee, or as an appetizer for cocktail, mocktail parties, Super Bowl, and game nights.
Crispy Onion Bhaji
street style dahi aloo chaat recipe with mint (pudina) & tamarind (imli) chutney #chaat #indiansnack

Dahi Aloo Chaat

Dahi Aloo Chaat is a popular, lip-smacking Indian street-style snack recipe that has sweet, spicy, and tangy – all flavors in every single bite.
Dahi Aloo Chaat Recipe
Best batata vada - street-style, crispy aloo bonda, potato dumplings - popular Indian snack recipe.

Batata Vada / Aloo Bonda

Batata Vada (Aloo Bonda) is an Indian street-style snack made with a spiced potato filling coated in a gram flour batter and deep-fried until golden and crisp. This vada, or ambade, is popular as a Mumbai street food and is often served with chutney and a cup of tea, or inside a pav to make the famous vada pav.
Batata Vada Recipe
Roasted Cashews, Masala Kaju with 3 flavors Best snack, gift box ideas for Diwali and Christmas.

Roasted Masala Kaju Recipe

Roasted Cashews or Indian Masala Kaju are a crispy and delicious snack that you can make in 20 minutes. In this post, you will learn how to roast cashews and three interesting flavors. Serve these as an evening snack or include them in a gift box for the Diwali and Christmas holidays.
Roasted Cashews Recipe
Crispy corn pakoda (corn fritters) - Evening tea time snack or party appetizer and finger food.

Crispy Corn Fritters

Corn Pakoda (Fritters) is a crispy, flavorful, and addictive Indian tea-time snack ready in less than 30 minutes. These corn fritters are vegan, and also one of the best finger foods and appetizers for your party.
Corn Pakoda Recipe
Indian Murukku Recipe | Crispy and crunchy Chakli | Evening tea-time and Diwali party snack.

Chakli Recipe

Murukku or Chakli is a crunchy, highly addictive, savory Indian snack made with five ingredients. It is traditionally prepared during festivals like Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, and Navratri and is frequently served at home as a tea-time snack.
Chakli Murukku Recipe
Aloo Pyaz Kachori / Indian Snack / Indian Street Food / Indian Chat

Aloo Pyaz Kachori

Aloo Pyaz Kachori or Onion Potato Dumplings are popular Indian snack with crispy and flaky texture on the outside and spicy, delightful and flavorful filling on the inside. A perfect snack item to prepare during Diwali and Holi!
Kachori Recipe
Mini Veg Puff / Bakery Style Curry Puffs Bites - Best evening snack or puff pastry appetizer.

Veg Puff Bites

Veg Puffs or Curry Puffs are bakery-style mini snack bites that are golden, crispy, and flaky with flavorful vegetarian filling inside. A perfect evening snack, appetizer, or finger food recipe using puff pastry sheets.
Vegg Puff Recipe
Crispy paneer popcorn (vegetarian nuggets or paneer bites) - best evening snack or party appetizer.

Paneer Popcorn Bites

Paneer Popcorn is a crispy, golden, and addictive bite-sized paneer (cottage cheese) packed with flavor. These vegetarian nuggets are perfect for kids, as a party appetizer, or as an evening snack with tea.
Paneer Popcorn Recipe
instant dahi bhalla or dahi bread #Indiansnacks #chaats #eveningsnacks #dahichaat #diwali #holi

Instant Dahi Bhalla

Instant Dahi Bhalla or Dahi Bread is a super easy to make yet delicious, addictive, and filling Indian chaat recipe that you should try whenever you have a craving for street food.
Easy Dahi Bhalla Recipe

Under 20 Minutes

Want to make Diwali delicious without spending extra time in the kitchen? Try some shortcut recipes that come together quickly with minimal effort and basic ingredients. From festive sweets like gajar halwa with condensed milk, coconut ladoo, sheera (suji halwa), and vermicelli kheer to crunchy and savory snacks like roasted makhana, masala cashews, corn pakoda, and onion pakoda, these are perfect for busy festive days.

Best coconut ladoo (easy nariyal ke laddu), Stack of Indian coconut balls - coconut sweets.

Coconut Ladoo

Coconut Ladoo, popularly known as Nariyal Ke Laddu, is a quick & easy to make, soft & melt-in-mouth instant Indian sweet prepared using three simple ingredients from your kitchen in less than 15 minutes. These laddus or coconut balls are gluten-free and can be easily made vegan.
Coconut Ladoo Recipe
Sheera recipe (Suji ka halwa or rava sheera). Traditional Indian dessert recipe for festivals.

Sheera (Suji Halwa)

Sheera Recipe is a popular and rich Indian pudding dessert with delicious flavor, ready in less than 20 minutes. Sheera or Sooji Ka Halwa is prepared using ghee, rava (sooji, semolina), sugar, and dried fruits & nuts.
Sheera Recipe
Roasted phool makhana recipe. Easy Indian evening snack or trail mix. Masala makhana namkeen.

Roasted Makhana

Roasted Makhana Recipe is a crispy, crunchy, easy-to-make Indian trail mix or evening snack prepared in less than 20 minutes. This masala makhana is vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free.
Roasted Makhana Recipe

Dietary Friendly Recipes

Looking for some Diwali recipes that fit dietary preferences?  Try festive favorites made with wholesome ingredients like coconut burfi with jaggery, no-sugar dry fruit ladoo, ragi ladoo, naturally sweet dates kheer, oven-baked sweet potato fries, aloo tikki, baked chakli, and more. These lighter alternatives will help you enjoy Diwali while making mindful ingredient choices, without compromising on taste.

Best Indian coconut burfi with jaggery (thengai burfi, nariyal barfi).

Coconut Burfi with Jaggery

Coconut Barfi is a melt-in-mouth, flavorful, and addictive Indian sweet recipe prepared using just 2 ingredients - fresh coconut and sticky jaggery in less than 30 minutes.
Coconut Jaggery Barfi recipe
Easy energy balls with dates or dry fruit laddu (ladoo) on a plate.

Energy Dry Fruit Laddu

These energy balls, also called dry fruit laddu, are easy-to-make healthy no-bake sugar-free energy bites prepared using dried fruits and nuts of your choice. You will need less than 15 minutes to make these energy bites. These energy balls or laddu can be served for breakfast, as a mid-day snack, or after-meal dessert.
Dry Fruit Ladoo Recipe
Dates Kheer Khajoor Payasam Kharjura Payasa healthy sugar free diabetic friendly weight loss desserts

Date Kheer

Dates Kheer or Khajoor Payasam or Kharjura Payasa is a classic and rich, sugar-free, creamy, and delicious dessert recipe prepared using dates as the main ingredient along with nuts and milk of your choice.
Date Kheer Recipe
Ragi Laddu (Nachni Ladoo) - Classic and traditional Indian sweet recipe with jaggery.

Ragi Ladoo Recipe

Ragi Laddu is an easy-to-make, delicious, and nutrient-dense Indian sweet recipe made with ragi flour, jaggery, ghee, and nuts. If you are looking for a quick and healthy festive ladoo recipe for Diwali, Navratri, and Ganesh Chaturthi for prasadam and naivedyam, then try this ragi ladoo. This mithai can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.
Ragi Ladoo Recipe

Traditional Diwali Recipes

Diwali has no restrictions on the food you prepare, unlike Navratri and Ganesh Chaturthi. Every family has their own favorite sweets, snacks, and festive recipes.

Traditional recipes passed down through generations are especially meaningful during the festival because they bring family and memories together.  For us, it is always batata vada or veg bonda, sheera, and karkala cake(atta halwa, kada prasad).

When planning a Diwali menu, include a mixture of family favorites and new recipes. You can also check out our 100+ Indian desserts and sweets and simple Indian snack recipes.

Make-ahead Diwali Recipes

Planning can make Diwali more enjoyable. Many Indian sweets and snacks can be prepared before the main celebration, allowing you to spend more time with family and friends. When preparing a Deepawali menu, prioritize recipes that:

  • Keep well when stored correctly.
  • Can be prepared 2-3 days in advance
  • Work well for gifting.
  • Can be prepared in batches.

Diwali Sweet Box and Mithai Gift Ideas

Sweets are commonly exchanged during Diwali festivities. You can make all the sweets mentioned above in advance at home and pack them nicely in a box.

Individual sweets like kaju katli and milk barfi can be gift-packed in a box, or a combination of sweets that include balushahi, gujiaya, and laddo can be added along with burfis to the mithai box.

Everything is a personal choice.

Classic Diwali Mithai Box

Choose

  • One nut-based sweet
  • One Laddu
  • One Barfi
  • One traditional sweet

What is Diwali

Diwali, also known as Deepawali (Deepavali) in South India, is a popular Indian festival celebrated all across India and is a festival of lights.

Diwali symbolizes the victory of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and light over darkness. During this festival, the goddess of prosperity, i.e., Goddess Lakshmi, and the one who removes all obstacles, God Ganesha, are worshiped.

Diwali also celebrates the day Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya with Sita and Lakshman after defeating the demon Ravana.

How is Diwali Celebrated?

Diwali is typically celebrated by cleaning and clearing old unwanted stuff from your home, and then wearing new clothes, decorating your homes with diyas (traditionally with oil, although candles can be used) and drawing rangoli (colorful Indian art), performing pooja to Goddess Lakshmi and then lighting fire crackers and enjoying lots and lots of mithai (Indian sweets ) and exchanging gifts with family and friends.

When is Diwali Celebrated?

The date changes every year because it follows the Hindu lunar calendar, and it generally falls in October or November.

Diwali Main Day (Lakshmi Puja) falls on Sunday, November 8, 2026, in India, the USA, and worldwide.

Five-Day Schedule: Diwali 2026

Day 1 (Dhanteras): Friday, November 6, 2026

Day 2 (Choti Diwali/ Narak Chaturdashi): Saturday, November 7, 2026

Day 3 (Main Diwali/ Lakshmi Puja): Sunday, November 8, 2026

Day 4 (Govardhan Puja / Bali Pratipada): Monday, November 9, 2026

Day 5 (Bhai Dooj): Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

Recipe FAQs

What are the most popular Diwali recipes?

Traditional Diwali sweets include gulab jamun, kaju katli, and laddus, which are easy to make with basic ingredients, along with savory snacks like crispy samosas, bhujia, and roasted masala kaju.

What are some Diwali recipes that you can make ahead of time?

You can prepare dry snacks like chips, roasted cashews, and chakli 1-2 weeks in advance. You can make milk-based sweets 4- 5 days in advance.

Fusion Diwali Food Recipes

Recipe card

Diwali Recipes: Traditional Homemade Diwali Sweets, Snacks, and Mithai Gift Box Recipes.

Best Diwali Recipes | Easy Diwali Sweets and Snacks

Kushi
Looking for the best Diwali Recipes to make at home? This collection of 25+ easy, delicious Diwali recipes includes traditional sweets and mithai, crispy snacks and namkeens, and festive foods perfect for celebrating with family and friends.
5 from 48 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Desserts, snacks, sweets
Cuisine Indian

Ingredients
  

Diwali Sweets & Desserts

Diwali Snacks

Instructions
 

  • Choose your favorite Diwali sweet or snack recipe from the recipes listed above.
  • Click the individual recipe link to view the ingredient list, step-by-step instructions, and more.
  • Prepare your chosen recipes and serve them at your Diwali celebration, family gathering, or festive party.
  • For gifting, make Diwali snacks and namkeens in advance and arrange them in a homemade mithai box.

Notes

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More Best Diwali Recipes: Flavorful, Festive, and Traditional Dishes for the Festival of Lights

Comments

  1. Ann says

    5 stars
    These look so yummy. I want to have them all year round.

    Reply

  2. Andrea says

    5 stars
    What marvelous sweets and snacks for the Holiday. They all sound fabulous and I can't wait to try all of them.

    Reply

  3. min says

    5 stars
    Such a well rounded compilation of recipes to celebrate diwali! Love it!

    Reply

  4. Anjali says

    5 stars
    I made the kaju barfi this weekend and they turned out perfectly!! They were sweet but not too sweet, and had great texture!

    Reply

  5. Gianne says

    5 stars
    I'm exploring international cuisines, and this one makes me excited. Such a well-rounded compilation of recipes. Can't wait to try it all!

    Reply
5 from 48 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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