Celebrate the festival of colors with these best holi recipes. From traditional thandai drinks to holi sweets like gujiya and snacks like kachori, I have covered all the recipes you can easily make at home.
March is the season of colors. If it is the colors of spring in the United States, it's the colors of holi in India welcoming spring. The Holi festival is celebrated over two days. Choti holi or Holi Dahan and Rangwali Holi. Holi marks the victory of good over evil, positive over negative, and light over darkness.
Holi Special Dishes
Holi dishes are specially prepared in the Northern parts of India. This festival is incomplete without thandai or gujiya.
To celebrate the festival of colors, Indian chaats, puran poli, dahi vada, malpua, and chana masala are made for the holi party. You can plan your menu ahead of time so that you can make preparations in advance and be stress-free on the day of the event. For example, Thandai powder which is a common ingredient in holi recipes, can be prepared ahead and stored for at least 1 week.
Sweets and Drinks
As mentioned earlier, holi means drinking refreshing glasses of thandai and snacking on an endless supply of different varieties of gujiya, the two important traditional food items that are a must for this occasion. However, other delicacies include kalakand, gulab jamun, milk barfi, puran poli, kheer, and ladoo.
I have given detailed steps for all of these, plus make ahead and storage instructions for each of these recipes. If you try holi mithai from our list, do let us know if you liked it in the comment section below.
Thandai - Traditional Holi Drink
Thandai or Shardai is a traditional and refreshing Indian drink made using dry fruits, seeds, and aromatic spices. This drink is specially prepared during Indian festivals like Holi and Maha Shivratri in the North Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Punjab. This drink can be prepared in less than 30 minutes!
Check out this recipe.
Gujiya or Karanji
Gujiya is an addictive, flavorful, and delicious Indian sweet recipe that is crispy and flaky on the outside with melt-in-mouth filling on the inside. Gujiya is specially prepared for Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Teej, and Diwali.
Check out this recipe.
Kalakand
Kalakand is creamy and delicious mouth watering milk cake or Indian cheesecake with a soft and grainy texture that is a perfect treat for any special occasion. This is one of the easiest Indian sweet recipes to prepare and requires only two main ingredients everything else is optional and can be varied as per your liking.
Check out this recipe.
Thandai Milk Barfi
Thandai Burfi or Thandai Milk Barfi is a delicious Indian Holi festival sweet recipe prepared using fresh homemade thandai powder, milk, milk powder, powdered sugar, and ghee. This burfi can be prepared in 20 minutes!
Check out this recipe.
Thandai Nankhatai
Thandai Nankhatai is a classic and rich, melt-in-mouth Indian cookie or bakery-style biscuits that are a perfect treat for Holi this year.
Check out this recipe.
Puran Poli
Puran Poli (Obbattu, Holige) is a traditional Indian sweet lentil stuffed flatbread recipe that is soft, light, and highly addictive. This dessert is prepared using chana dal (split yellow chickpeas or kadle bele), jaggery (brown sugar), cardamom powder, and flour.
Check out this recipe.
Besan Ladoo
Besan Ladoo or Besan Laddu is a popular, ball-shaped Indian sweet recipes prepared using gram flour or chickpea flour as the main ingredient. Laddus are distributed among friends and relatives, during festivals like Diwali, Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Janmashtami, Holi, Raksha Bandhan (Rakhi), Christmas, Ramzan, etc., or during special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, etc.
Check out this recipe.
Traditonal Kheer
Doodhpak or Kheer is a delightful and luxurious, traditional old fashioned Indian rice pudding prepared using rice, milk, nuts, and aromatic spices. This is dessert meant for the royals!
Check out this recipe.
Gulab Jamun
Gulab Jamun is a very popular, soft and melt-in-mouth milk-based Indian sweet recipe that consists of deep-fried dumplings or doughnuts that are prepared using khoya or milk powder and soaked in saffron cardamom flavored sugar syrup. One of the best desserts or mithai served during Indian festivals like Diwali, Navratri, Holi, Ramzan and Christmas or during any special occasions and parties .
Check out this recipe.
Easy 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 are gluten-free and can be easily made vegan. Make this traditional coconut ladoo for Raksha Bandhan, Independence day, Janmashtami, Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Varamahalakshmi, or any special occasion any time of the year. It is very simple and easy to make and loved by all.
Check out this recipe.
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.
Check out this recipe.
Easy 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.
Check out this recipe.
Atta Halwa
Atta Halwa, popularly known as Karkala cake or Khada Prasad, is a soft and delicious, melt-in-mouth Indian style pudding prepared using wheat flour or atta, desi ghee (brown butter), and sugar as the main ingredients. This dish can be prepared in less than 20 mins.
Check out this recipe.
Falooda
Falooda is a layered delicious summer dessert or ice cream float that one must not miss to try! This is a crowd pleaser and has got unique flavors which will make you go for second servings 🙂
Check out this recipe.
Milk Burfi - Sweet for all occasion.
Milk Barfi or Milk Burfi is a super delicious, quick, and easy-to-make, melt in mouth Indian sweet or fudge recipe prepared using 5 ingredients in less than 30 minutes. A perfect sweet to make on Diwali, Navratri, Holi, Rakshabandhan, Christmas, or any special occasion.
Check out this recipe.
Snacks
Colorful snacks for a colorful festival make your table looks bright and beautiful. The first thing that comes to my mind for colorful food is definitely Indian chaats like dahi bhalla, dahi aloo, chana chaat, kachori, and vada pav. But we also have samosa, chole bhatura, pakora, dhokla, and more. Plan your menu with these easy recipes for your holi party.
Dahi Bahlla (Vada)
Dahi Bhalla or Dahi Vada is a popular and delicious Indian snack recipe where vadas or lentil fritters are soaked in lightly sweetened thick yogurt and then garnished with chutney, sev, coriander leaves, pomegranate and spices.
Check out this recipe.
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.
Check out this recipe.
Easy 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!
Check out this recipe.
Pakoras
Banana Pakora is an easy-to-make, spiced and crisp Indian fritter that is addictive and so delicious that you just can’t stop eating one. This recipe is vegan. gluten-free, dairy-free, and keto friendly.
Check out this recipe.
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.
Check out this recipe.
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.To make this chaat, all you need is the bread of your choice, green mint chutney, and tamarind or date chutney with sev, onion, and pomegranate for garnish. Instant Dahi Bhalla is one of the best and easiest snack recipes to try for your Holi and Diwali parties.
Check out this recipe.
Aloo Chana Chaat
Aloo Chana Chaat or Potato Chickpea Salad is a sweet, spicy and tangy - all in one Indian chaat recipe that can be served as a starter or even had as an evening snack. One of the best dishes that you can make this Diwali, Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Check out this recipe.
Chana Masala (Chole Bhatura)
Chana Masala or Chickpeas Curry or Chole is a vegan and gluten free, flavorful and delicious Indian dish where the chickpeas (channa) is cooked in aromatic onion tomato masala gravy.
Check out this recipe.
Dhokla
Dhokla or Khaman Dhokla is a soft and spongy, instant steamed dish made using gram flour or chickpea flour (besan) and a few spices. This savory cake is a popular recipe from Gujarat, India, that can be served for breakfast, snack, main course, or side dish for lunch or dinner – yes it can be served for any meal.
Check out this recipe.
Vada Pav
Vada Pav is a popular street food snack from Mumbai, India. It has a fantastic combination of flavors where batata vada or fried potato dumpling is sandwiched between pav or bread rolls with a spread of green mint chutney, garlic chutney, and dates or tamarind chutney, green chili.Some occasionally refer to this snack as an Indian slider or Bombay burger 🙂
Check out this recipe.
Pav Bhaji
Pav Bhaji is a very popular Indian street food where spicy and irresistibly delicious curry (bhaji) prepared using mixed vegetables is served with homemade warm rolls or pav that are toasted in butter.
Check out this recipe.
FAQs
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Recipe card
Holi Recipes
Celebrate the festival of colors with these best holi recipes. From traditional thandai drinks to holi sweets like gujiya and snacks like kachori, I have covered all the recipes that you can easily make at home.
Ingredients
Thandai masla powder
- 15 to 18 Almonds or Badam
- 15 Cashews
- 15 to 20 Black peppercorns (Kali mirch)
- 12 to 15 Green Cardamom pods (Elaichi)
- 1 tablespoon Fennel seeds (Saunf)
- 1 tablespoon Poppy seeds (Khas Khas or khus khus)
- 1 ½ tablespoon Watermelon seeds (Magaz)
- 1 ½ tablespoon Dried rose petals
- ⅛ teaspoon Saffron strands (Kesar)
Instructions
- Soak almonds or badam overnight or 20 minutes in hot water before you start making thandai.15 to 18 Almonds or Badam
- Peel the almonds, add them to the blender or mixie jar along with cashews, peppercorns, cardamom pods, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, watermelon seeds, dried rose petals, saffron and blend it to a coarse powder or add 2 or 3 tablespoon of milk and make a smooth paste.15 Cashews, 15 to 20 Black peppercorns (Kali mirch), 12 to 15 Green Cardamom pods (Elaichi), 1 tablespoon Fennel seeds (Saunf), 1 tablespoon Poppy seeds (Khas Khas or khus khus), 1 ½ tablespoon Watermelon seeds (Magaz), 1 ½ tablespoon Dried rose petals, ⅛ teaspoon Saffron strands (Kesar)
- Thandai masala is ready.
Video
Notes
- Vary the amount of nuts, and spices to taste.
- Poppy seeds are used to get that creamy texture. But if it is not available, substitute it with cashews or skip it.
- Cardamom seeds for their flavor, peppercorns for heat, fennel seeds for cooling effect are commonly used to make the thandai masala powder. You may increase or decrease the spices and adjust depending on how strong flavors you prefer in the drink.
Nutrition
Calories: 61kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.004gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 104mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.3gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Amy Liu Dong
All these recipes are so good and tasty, and I can't wait to make these recipes one at a time. Yummy!
Cathleen
Such a good roundup! Will definitely be making some of these recipes soon 🙂
Elizabeth
Wow, look at that collection of recipes! I haven't decided which one to try first, I want to try them all!