Holi Temptations – Let’s Enjoy the Festival of Color with these Deserts!

Green hands, red nose, pink cheeks, yellow forehead, Holi dabs one and all in its myriad colors. It is not just about the bevy of colors that is loved about this festival but also Holi sweets and desserts that add to the flavor.

Mostly known for delicious Gujiyas, the festival brings various opportunities to relish a host of lip-smacking delights. This year, move over Gujiyas and Bhaang and try these Indian desserts for Holi.

No doubt that Holi re-unites people. It is also an opportunity to do some fun with your loved ones. It is that festival when you are free to douse faces in colors and gobble lots of deserts and food items.

As there is a wide variety of colors that paint Holi, there is no dearth of Holi food items that are equally diverse. You can prepare these delicacies in their original form or can give them a twist and present them in a new way to your guests.

You can also try vegan delights or fusion desserts to add a zest of uniqueness to your plate. Although, savory items are salivated upon but the actual temptations of Holi platters are always the desserts like Gujiya, Malpua, etc. So, here are some of the Holi sweets and fare that are sure to enhance the flavor of your festive fervor.

Holi Temptations!

Although some of us don’t like playing Holi because of colors and some other social reasons, but still Holi is one of the most popular festivals of India. It is not like that all of us like colors, there are some people out here who simply don’t even like colors, but still playing Holi with your friends, relatives, and loved ones is a nice feeling.

The best thing about Holi is that it is played in different ways in India. If you go to Mathura you can enjoy the different types of Holi over there, if you go to Delhi, you can see some other types of Holi, but in total there is one thing which is common in between all and that is colors and not to forget the food items. So, let’s get back to our discussion.

Let us discuss some of the Holi Temptations which can surely bring water in your mouth:

1. Peas Payesh or Peas Pudding

This delicacy is a peas pleasure for those in love with this versatile veggie. Peas is known to enhance any food item, whether flatbreads, snacks, starters, or desserts! When this emerald delight is added to creamy kheer, the preparation becomes more nutritious. Do try it this Holi and watch your loved ones relishing it!

2. Apple Kheer

Give a fruity makeover to your favorite Indian dessert. Deviate from the obvious with a dash of grapes and cinnamon, and a generous dollop of grated or mashed apples added to the milk, once it has cooled down. Top it with nuts of your choice. Drool worthy!

3. Malpua

These succulent fried Indian pancakes soaked in flavored syrup have always tempted taste buds. Different parts of the country have a special liking of this dessert, at some place it is also called as Pua and used without flavored syrup too. No wonder, this delicious dessert becomes one of the much loved Holi food items.

4. Payesh or Rice Pudding

Savor a Bengali style rice pudding this time as a dessert for Holi. Chaler Payesh, also known as Bengali Rice Pudding, is a lovable item that is like kheer. Served chilled, this delicacy thickens as it cools down, adding to the savory experience of epicureans.

5. Thekua

Thekua is popularly known as the revered prasad of the famous Chhath Puja. Although it is a sweet snack popularly from Bihar, which comprises of humble ingredients like wheat flour, melted sugar, and ghee with dry fruits. Sometimes jaggery is used as an alternative to sugar that adds to the aroma or even mixed with sugar too. The dish is deep fried, needs no preservatives, and can be enjoyed for several days.

This Holi you can even try Delicious Thekua’s made by my wife Punam.

6. Puran Poli

A delectable mix of jaggery and chanadaal grinded and roasted with spices to perfection, stuffed in a flatbread with ghee on top is salivating! A hot favorite to satiate your most greasy cravings, this dish is native to Maharashtra but also liked in other parts of the country. Perfect enough to be a Holi sweet.

7. Kesar Malai Peda

Kesar Malai Pedas are made with condensed milk, dehydrated milk, and ghee. It normally takes a lot of time to process. Thankfully these days with the help of instant powdered milk, pedas are a bit easy to prepare. Although, be alert while eating Peda during Holi, as it might have a bit of Bhaang and you never know the outcome 🙂

8. Kesar Badam Kulfi

As Holi marks the onset of summers, gorging on kulfi during the celebrations is a great idea. Serve kesar badam kulfi among your favorite sweets for Holi during your Holi party and get famous with your guests.

9. Tahiri

Among Holi sweets and desserts, Tahiri imparts you the much-needed sugar rush with rice cooked in spices like cardamom, and saffron. A bit of sugar syrup is also used in it. This Sindhi sweet dish is topped with raisins, dried fruits, and chopped nuts for an explosion of flavors.

10. Thandai

Holi is incomplete without thandai. This simple looking drink is packed with goodness of saffron, dry fruits, sugar, and milk with various herbs. Every Holi special thandai is made with bhaang for extra effect.

Vegan Wonders

Although, ardent foodies look forward to explore international desserts, traditional sweets of India know no bounds. As a matter of fact, our palates are blindly in love with the magic of the marvelous mithais. What makes our food culture so lovable is its variety. Every sweet treat can be easily transformed into a vegan version. vegantravel.guide makes it easier to discover great vegan spots while traveling.

So, here are a few of the vegan Holi delights to boost the flavor of the festival. These gourmets are sure to suit the texture and taste, thereby making the celebrations more tasteful.

1. Coconut Balls

These fudgy balls of coconut have just 4 ingredients – shredded coconut, cardamom, sugar, and a bit of coconut milk. Those looking forward to vegan desserts for Holi, these coconut charms are great to celebrate the festivities. You can also use other flavors of your own choice like vanilla, or even lemon zest to make lemon coconut snowballs.

2. 6 Cup Burfi

Among vegan Holi sweets, 6 cup burfi is another irresistible delight. 1 cup besan, 1 cup shredded coconut, 1 cup dairy-free milk, and 3 cups sugar with a bit of variation here and there in the amounts makes a quick sweet. Add cashews, pistachios, and almonds for richness.

3. Sweet Potato Ras Malai

This dairy-free dessert for Holi comprises of sweet potato, almond meal, tapioca starch, and cardamom dumplings. Make sure to make the cream a day before so that flavors can marry adequately.

4. Oats Laddoo

Serve these delectable balls of rolled oats, grated jaggery or powdered sugar, grated coconut, and cardamom to gain a lot of appreciation of guests.

Fusion Feasts

Fusion is the way of life. And most especially in the country like India, where food is given the foremost importance, fusion creates wonders. When food items marry, new traditions are bound to emerge. Then, dishes change and the result is a delicious destiny. Every palate wins when cultures clash and flavors mash.

So, here are a few fusion sweets for Holi. Each combines exciting flavors from different culinary traditions. Try these to taste the future on this Holi.

1. Thandai Cheesecake Mousse

When you are investing efforts for unique delicacies, try some Holi themed fusion desserts. This no-bake, eggless cheesecake mousse with a graham cracker crust, topped with gulkand whipped cream is an ultimate one. Make individual servings, refrigerate overnight, and serve your guests the next day.

2. Chocolate Kalakand

Give a chocolaty twist to this much loved traditional Indian sweet and serve a Holi special dessert to your guests this time. Start with its main ingredients – milk, paneer, and sugar and add chocolate and nuts to make it more irresistible.

3. Baked Boondi Parfait

Prepare rabri at home by thickening and sweetening milk. Throw in some boondi and pop it in microwave to bake it. Garnish with chocolate strips and pistachios for an irresistible affair! Be prepared to give away the recipe as your guests will ask while savoring every bite of it.

4. Kesar Badam Cupcakes with Shrikhand Frosting

Cupcakes are all time favorites. How about adding these to your Holi festivities this time? Bake kesar badam cupcakes and top up with shrikhand frosting before serving to your guests. Heaven!

Spicy Savories

Surrender your taste buds to the mix and match of spices. Munch on these spicy surprises along with gobbling on sweet temptations. These spicy Holi foods are sure to win you laurels of your guests this time.

1. Masala Mathri

In addition to sweets, try this simple yet lovable Holi food item. Masala mathri is spicy and savory, seasoned with a variety of spices. Easy to store and quick to serve, this tasty snack is sure to earn you appreciation.

2. Dhuska

Relish this crunchy and mildly sweet snack made up of rice flour and chana dal with aloo curry and green chutney.

3. Kanji ke Vade

Deep fried balls of lentil batter fermented in water, mustard seeds, and asafoetida, kanji ke vade are light and spicy treat for Holi. These balls are then dropped in a flavored water of salt, red chillies, and mustard seeds. Light, refreshing, and savory!

Food is integral to every festival in India. So, while you prepare yourself to enjoy this colorful festival – take a note of plates piled with Holi festival goodies, making the festival even more special for you and your loved ones. Talk about Holi celebrations and think of sweet treats, crisp papads, masala kachoris, and a lot more.

Hope these Holi sweets have got you covered. These are easy to pop into your mouth when you are off to chase one of your friends to douse them with colorful water.

Although, these dishes are mouthwatering, but if you are diabetic, I won’t suggest you to eat most of them. Mostly all of the above mentioned dishes are bad from Diabetic point of view. So if you are diabetic, you can taste them, but don’t try to have these in much quantity.