25+ Easy Diwali Recipes

Here are some quick, delicious, and Easy Diwali Recipes for a bright and joyous festival of lights! Enjoy this festive collection that includes traditional and contemporary recipes for snacks, sweets, and popular drinks. These recipes are easy to plan ahead and most of them come together in 30 minutes or less.

Whether you're planning a cozy dinner or hosting your family and friends, these recipes will add a ton of flavor to your festivities and Diwali parties.

What is Diwali?

Diwali is short for Deepavali, meaning "Row of Lights" in Sanskrit. This festival of lights is the most popular festival in the Hindu community and falls in either late October or early November, on a new moon night.

It marks the beginning of the Hindu new year. Diwali signifies the triumph of good over evil, humility over pride, knowledge over ignorance, and light over darkness.

How is Diwali celebrated?

5 days of Diwali: Diwali is typically celebrated over 5 days. We observe the five days as follows; the celebrations may differ regionally though.

• Dhanteras (day 1)
• Chotti Diwali (day 2)
• Lakshmi Puja -Diwali Day (day 3)
• Govardhan Puja (day 4)
• Bhai Dooj + Vishkarma Day (day 5)

While each home has its own rituals, Diwali is most commonly celebrated by lighting diyas (tea lights), cooking and exchanging indulgent sweets (mithai) and snacks, and lighting fireworks.

Since food is such an integral part of Diwali, the preparations start weeks in advance. Today, I'm excited to share some of my family's most cherished, special Diwali recipes.

All these sweet and savory recipes are vegetarian since that's what we eat during the 5 days of celebrations. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Diwali Dinner Recipes: For menu ideas and tips on how to plan a Diwali party, check out this detailed post with sample menus: Indian Dinner Party Menu

On behalf of the Spice Cravings team, I wish you a Happy & Prosperous Diwali!

Diwali Sweets Recipes

Check out some popular traditional mithai recipes made simple, and doable even on weeknights:

Besan Ladoo

Easy, fail-proof recipe for Besan Ladoo or Besan Laddu, a popular Indian sweet made with gram flour, powdered sugar, ghee & cardamom powder.

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Coconut Ladoo (Nariyal Ladoo)

Easy microwave or stovetop recipe for Coconut Ladoo (Indian coconut fudge) with desiccated coconut & condensed milk. Ready in 10-15 minutes!

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Rava Laddu (Rava Ladoo)

Easy 30-minute recipe for Rava laddu, or Rava Ladoo, a popular Indian sweet made with semolina (rava/ suji), ghee, sugar, nuts & cardamom.

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Easy Kalakand Recipe

This Easy Kalakand recipe makes soft, creamy milk fudge perfumed with cardamom and adorned with chopped nuts for a satisfying sweet treat, ready in 25 minutes. 

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Sugar-Free Kalakand | Keto Kalakand

This Keto Kalakand is a sugar-free, low-carb version of a traditional Indian dessert! It's soft, creamy, flavored with rose water and cardamom, and topped with slivered pistachios.

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Indian Milk Cake Recipe

This 15-minute Indian Milk Cake, or Alwar Ka Mawa, is a rich and decadent, caramelized milk fudge, made with ricotta cheese and milk powder, and flavored with pistachios, cardamom, and rose water.

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Easy Rasmalai Recipe

This Easy Rasmalai Recipe features rasgulla balls in a silky smooth cream perfumed with nuts, saffron and cardamom ready in 25 minutes!

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Badam Halwa (Almond Pudding)

Quick and easy recipe for Badam halwa, a rich and decadent Indian dessert made with ground almonds, sugar and ghee, delicately flavored with saffron and cardamom! 

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Instant Pot Moong Dal Halwa (Indian Lentil Pudding)

Moong Dal Halwa is a rich and decadent Indian dessert made with split mung beans (moong dal), ghee, saffron, cardamom, and lots of love. Here is my easier take, a pressure cooker version of a cherished family recipe.

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Suji Halwa | Sooji Halwa

Easy 15-minute recipe for Sooji Halwa, or Suji Halwa, a creamy Indian pudding made with roasted semolina, ghee, sugar, milk & cardamom.

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Baked Gujiya

Gujiya, or Karanji, are Indian Dessert Empanadas made with khoya (mawa), typically made for Holi & Diwali. In this easy & healthy Baked Gujiya recipe, I bake (not fry) these dumplings using store-bought pie dough!

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Gajar ki Burfi | Carrot Burfi (Carrot Fudge)

Carrot Burfi, or Gajar ki Burfi, is a fun variation of the classic Indian dessert, Carrot Halwa. Grated carrots are cooked in flavored milk, then sautéed with almond flour for a fudge-like consistency. In this easy recipe, I reduce the cooking time and effort considerably, using an Instant Pot.

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Kulfi Ice Cream (No-Churn Indian Ice Cream)

This Kulfi Ice Cream is an eggless, no-churn Indian flavored recipe perfumed with saffron, cardamom, rosewater, and assorted nuts, that's ready to freeze in 10 minutes.

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Mango Cheesecake in Instant Pot (Gluten-Free Cheesecake)

If you love mangoes and cheesecake, this gluten-free Instant Pot Mango Cheesecake will blow your mind!  Sweet mango blended with a custard-like cream cheese filling and baked in a crushed pistachio & cardamom crust. YUM!

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Easy Kheer (Rice Pudding) Recipe

This creamy Indian rice pudding, Kheer, transforms rice, milk and sugar into a delicious, comforting treat infused with aromatic cardamom.

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Diwali Snacks Recipes

Diwali food would be incomplete without some crowd-pleasing savory snacks. Here are some easy recipes for Diwali snacks to add a ton of flavor to your Diwali celebrations.

Samosa Recipe - Air Fryer, Fried & Baked

Sharing my fail-proof samosa recipe with step-by-step instructions on the dough, filling and fold in the air fryer, oven or deep-fried.

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Dahi Bhalla (Dahi Vada)

Easy & authentic recipe for Dahi Bhalla, or Dahi Vada, a popular Indian street food. Soft lentil fritters are served in yogurt sauce topped with zesty chutneys.

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Samosa Chaat

This fun and festive Samosa Chaat recipe is bursting with color, flavor and texture. Crispy Samosa served with Chana masala made in the Instant Pot, this popular street food is easy to prep ahead.

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Pinwheel Samosa

This Samosa Pinwheels recipe is a crispy take on the popular Indian chaat that's wrapped in puff pastry and baked in the Oven or AirFryer.

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Samosa Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

These Samosa Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers are an Indian inspired take on the popular American appetizer that gets baked in the AirFryer, Crisplid or Oven.

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Samosa Chaat Phyllo Cups

These Samosa Chaat Phyllo Cups are a bite-size version of popular Indian street food baked until crisp in the Oven, AirFryer or Crisplid!

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Paneer Tikka- Air fryer| Oven| Grill

This Paneer Tikka recipe is smokey and spicy with a zingy finish prepared in the Air Fryer, Oven or Grill served as an appetizer or meal.

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Bombay Potatoes - Instant Pot/ Air Fryer/ Oven

Baby potatoes coated with a potpourri of Indian spices, and cooked till they are golden crisp, these Spicy Bombay Potatoes make for a finger-licking good appetizer, and are a perfect sidekick to any curry or roasted entree. Make them in the Instant Pot, Air Fryer or oven and enjoy this gluten-free and vegan side dish.

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Drinks

Enjoy these popular drinks including a crowd-pleasing Indian cocktail recipe!

Mango Lassi

Sweet and creamy mango lassi recipe using just five ingredients. Here's an easy 5-minute blender recipe for this delicious Indian mango smoothie!

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Nimbu Pani / Shikanji (Indian Lemonade)

Easy recipe for a refreshing Indian lemonade known as Nimbu Pani or Shikanji. Made with fresh lime, salt, sugar and water, and spiced with cumin and chaat masala.

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Jaljeera - Cumin Spiced Indian Lemonade

Jaljeera is a refreshing Indian lemonade made with fresh coriander and mint, spiced with roasted cumin, chaat masala and dry mango powder.

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Jal Jeera Mojito | Indian Spiced Mojito Cocktail

In this recipe, I pair the minty and spicy Indian beverage, Jal Jeera, with a classic mojito.  There is nothing more refreshing than a Jal Jeera Mojito (Indian Spiced Mojito) on a hot summer day. Refreshing, chilled, minty and spicy! Yum!

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Fun Facts about Diwali

Here are some interesting facts about Diwali:

• Approximately 15% of the world's population celebrates Diwali.
• It's an official holiday in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, Myanmar, and Fiji, just to name a few.
• Hindus, Jains, and Sikh communities also celebrate Diwali, each having a different significance in this festival.

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