18 Quick & Easy Authentic Indian Dessert Recipes

Authentic Indian dessert recipes that are quick & easy to make and simply delicious. These Indian sweets recipes can be made ahead and are perfect for dinner parties, festivals like Diwali and Holi, or any special occasion.

These easy Indian desserts are a great way to get kids involved in festivities, and also come in real handy when festivals fall on a weeknight!

Indian festivals and celebrations are incomplete without sweets, also referred to as Mithai or Meetha (in Hindi). Much like the variations in food, Indian desserts also vary by region.

Locally produced ingredients, weather, and historical influences form the key flavors in these recipes.

From semolina and coconut flavors in the south to the use of palm jaggery (unrefined cane sugar) in Bengali sweets, to the north, where mithais share Persian and Mughal influences.

Common sweets include nuts or Mawa (Khoya) based sweets with cardamom and saffron, and are adorned with an edible silver leaf, called 'Vark'.

Despite the variations, one thing is common in all these desserts- it is impossible to stop at one serving 🙂

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Weeknight-Friendly Quick Indian Sweets

All the recipes are simple to follow, can be made ahead, and refrigerated 3 to 4 days in advance. I make most of these sweet treats in 30 minutes or less.

These quick Indian dessert recipes are perfect for dinner parties, or when festivals fall on a weeknight. Whether it's a traditional Carrot Halwa, Moong Dal Halwa, Besan Ladoo, Kalakand, or Indian-inspired desserts like Kulfi Ice Cream, and Mango Cheesecake, or the incredibly easy Indian dessert with milk, Rasmalai, you're sure to find a favorite here!

These Indian sweets recipes include step-by-step pictures and video, but do read the recipe notes for tips to achieve an authentic taste in a short amount of time.

I hope you enjoy this Indian dessert collection as much as my family does!

Easy Indian Dessert Recipes

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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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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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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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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Rava Laddu (Rava Ladoo)

Rava laddu, or Rava Ladoo, is a popular Indian fudge made with semolina (suji), ghee, sugar, nuts and cardamom. Here's an easy 30-minute recipe for this creamy, crunchy Indian sweet also called Suji ke laddu.

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Carrot Burfi (Carrot Fudge)

Carrot Burfi is a fun variation of the classic Carrot Halwa. Grated carrots are cooked in flavored milk, then sautéed with almond flour for a fudge-like consistency.

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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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Moong Dal Halwa

Moong Dal Halwa is a rich and decadent Indian dessert made with split mung beans, ghee, saffron, cardamom, and lots of love. Enjoy this much-easier Instant Pot recipe.

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Kada Prasad- Atta Halwa

Kada Prasad, or Atta Halwa, is a rich, velvety-smooth halwa (pudding) made with whole wheat flour, ghee, and sugar in just 10 minutes.

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Carrot Halwa

Easy Instant Pot recipe for Carrot Halwa, or Gajar ka Halwa, a traditional Indian dessert made with grated carrots, milk, sugar, nuts, and cardamom!

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Kheer - Indian Rice Pudding

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

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Baked Gujiya

Easy oven-baked recipe for Gujiya using store-bought pie dough. These Indian Dessert Empanadas are filled with khoya (mawa), sugar, nuts, and shredded coconut.

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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 with Pistachio Crust

Sweet mango blended with a custard-like cream cheese filling and baked in a crushed pistachio & cardamom crust. Enjoy this easy Instant Pot 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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Til Chikki (Sesame Brittle)

15-minute recipe for crisp Til chikki, the popular Indian sesame brittle made to celebrate the harvest festivals of lohri and Makar Sankranti.

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I hope you enjoy making these recipes and sharing them with family and friends. These sweets fill any occasion with a little bit more love and lot more flavor to make some beautiful memories.

If there's a recipe you would like to see in this post, simply comment below and let us know! Happy celebrations!

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