Indian Desserts
India is a country that mesmerizes you with the sheer vibrancy and diversity of its landscape and culture. The richness of the country’s heritage also reflects in the sweetness of its desserts. India offers a lip smacking range of desserts across the length and breadth of the country.
My travels in India have taken me across the length and breadth of the country, to its modern cities, its small towns and remote villages and wherever I have gone, chances are I have found one unique signature sweet dish which the place claims as its own!
Dear readers I have already introduced you to the ecstasy of Indian desserts through my earlier post – Authentic Indian Sweets – An ecstasy for the tongue
https://imvoyager.com/authentic-indian-sweets-an-ecstasy-for-the-tongue-part-i/
Here are 5 Indian desserts selected from over 170 varieties that are guaranteed to arouse and seduce your palate.
Gajar Ka Halwa
This dessert can be called as a ‘Saffron Seducer’ owing to its saffron color and richness of taste. It is a pudding made from grated carrots, milk, sugar and clarified butter. The origins of this dessert may be traced to the Mughal Period in India somewhere in the region of Punjab, Northern India.
The dessert is prepared in the kitchens of millions of homes of Northern and other parts of India during festivals and other celebratory occasions.
Ras Malai
This dessert can be called a ‘Yellow Temptress’. It lures you with its aroma and enthralls you with its rich and creamy sweetness. The name literally translates into ‘Juice of Cream’. It consists of round and flattened cheese soaked in cream and sugar and flavored with cardamom. The sweet originates from the eastern Indian state of Bengal, which is also the birth place of many of India’s mouth watering desserts including the illustrious Rosogolla.
Kaju Barfi
This dessert can be called as the ‘Cashew Charmer’. It is a dessert that simply melts in your mouth, setting off a million sensory explosions of ecstasy. The name can be literally translated as Cashew Sweet. This dessert is prepared by soaking cashew nuts overnight in water and then grinding into paste. The cashew paste is then mixed with boiled sugar syrup and marinated butter. This mix is quickly spread and flattened in a greased plate or shallow vessel, to be cut into thin diamond shaped slices once the mix cools down. The dessert is also covered with thin and edible silver foil to give it a regal appearance.
Kulfi
This one is the ‘Cool Dude’ of Indian Desserts. It may be called as the traditional ice- cream in India. The flavor and taste of this ice-cream is as unique as India itself. The origins of this dessert can be traced to the Mughal Period as well as Persian influences as the word ‘Kulfi’ is Persian for a ‘covered cup’. The Kulfi is prepared by boiling milk mixed with sugar and desired flavors till it condenses and then freezing the condensed milk in tight sealed containers or moulds. The density of Kulfi is more than normal ice-creams and hence it takes longer to melt. The Kulfi is available in numerous mouthwatering flavors like Mango, Cream, Pistachio, Saffron and Cardamom among numerous others.
Gulab Jamun
The ‘Gorgeous One’ or the queen of Indian desserts is Gulab Jamun. This dessert is prepared in homes across India and available in eateries spanning the length and breadth of the country. The origins of this dessert can be traced to Medieval India. Myth has it that it was prepared by the personal chef of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, by a sweet accident! The word Gulab refers to the rose flavor that goes into the making of this dessert and the word Jamun refers to an Indian fruit which the dessert resembles in shape and color. The Gulab Jamun is prepared by making a dough of solidified milk mixed with a pinch of flour which is then shaped into small circular balls which are then deep fried till they are golden brown. The fried dough balls are then soaked in sugar syrup flavored with rose essence.
The Desserts listed here are just the tip of the “ice-cream’! The wide range of Indian food and its desserts promise the taste of heaven right here on earth.
Have you tasted heaven right here on earth? Do let us know what your favorite Indian Dessert is; through our comments section.
After all this rich sweetness in case you are having a sweet rush, you can relish some spicy snacks by checking out one of our other posts :
Indian food you should definitely try in your lifetime
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I’m not into sweets at all but I’ve noticed that most of my Indian colleagues are sweet-toothed. One day one of the brought gulab jamun and I thought it looks so pretty and perfectly shaped, I tried one bite and it gave me goosebumps! Lol. It was too sweet for me. Since then I avoided it but will always take a photo of it whenever I see one. It’s too pretty! :p
Great round up article! Indian sweets do tend to be a bit sweet for me, despite the fact that there were always around as I was growing up! I do love rasmalai though, because a good one is not overly sweet.
I love indian desserts but i just cannot remember the names. Looking at your photos, Gulab Jamun is one of those. Super sweet but yummy.
I just made my first Indian dish for dinner last night – butter chicken – and now I must try a dessert!
These desserts look so good. All of them I don’t know which one to try first. They Kulfi looks really good I think I will start there.
I’ve never eaten any Indian desserts except for kulfi! I usually don’t indulge in dessert at Indian restaurants because I eat too much naan! But now I will have to experiment some more. That Gulab Jamun looks beautiful!
I love desserts especially the ones with fruits in them. The ice cream pops look really good and refreshing too! Perfect of the hot summer weather! I love how diverse the desserts are!
I love this post! all of them look delicious and for me at the moment on a cleanse diet its a torture to read about anything sweet:)
India is so rich in culture. So many great food choices. I am also pinning this as it is worth sharing
I absolutely love the Gulab Jamun! I remember that I used to order it hot, with ice cream near it. Even if I was full, I would still go for 1 or 2 gulab jamun, if they were available in the menus. The best one I actually had in Varanasi.
Wow, I want to try these desserts. I hope there is an Indian restaurant near us.
I’ve never eaten any Indian desserts now that I think about it. Don’t remember these being on any menu when I’ve ben to Indian restaurants. Kulfi looks especially appetising!
These all look delicious~ dang, that kulfi is calling my name, like now!!!!
I love Indian cuisine and from time to time try the desserts…the ones that I have come across, while tasty are a bit sweet for me. These look very delightful though!
I had Gulab Jamun & Karju Barfi at my friends wedding and I was addicted. It’s super yummy — next time I visit an Indian restaurant I hope they serve some of these treats, I especially want to try Ras Malai.
I would love to try making these desserts! They look very tasty!
Being a Pakistani and lover of Indian food, I’m actually not a fan of Indian desserts. Just toooo sweet for me. I’m a dark chocolate and ice cream kind of guy.
This looks delicious. I’ve never tried Indian desserts before, honestly, but I’ll have to try some now I suppose.
Looks lovely. Thanks for the knowledge and good photography
Wow all of these look so incredibly delicious. I’m dying to get to India at some point!
I LOVE all Indian food, great for vegetarians like me! I will definitely try some of these desserts next time I’m in India! In the meantime. do you have a favourite recipe to share? Thanks!
This stuff looks the business!
All the more reason to get my butt (and stomach) to India!
I’m quite fond of Jalabi as well… in small portions of course!
Indian desserts are amazing. That ice cream popsicle looks so delish. Perfect to cool down on one of those hot summer days!
The only one of these that I tried is the gulab jamin…maybe I need to go back for some of the others, they look tasty!
nyee!! I just had a boring yoghurt after lunch! I would definitely go for the Gulab Jamun! 😀 Sweet post! 🙂
Please sign me up for one of each they all look and sound divine. I would love to try the Ice Cream in either mango or Strawberry (like the one in your picture) and that last one “The Gorgeous One” wow that just looks incredible. Thank you for sharing these with us. Happy Roving!!!
YUM! I never remember the names, but the custards and sticky puddings are the best!
These all look delicious! I just know how to point when ordering, so thanks for sharing the names! Now I’m going to have to find some recipes to make these at home.
These all look so tasty! I wouldn’t know which one to try first. I love the flavours & variety of Indian food, but have to admit that so far I’ve only really explored their savory dishes. Your post has definitely inspired me to change that.
I have never tried any if these Indian desserts, but think I would really enjoy a mango kulfi. Thx for introducing us to this delicious lineup.
I have never tried any Indian dessert yet actually. But from your selection, I definitely would like to try Ras Malai and Kaju Barfi because I’m a fan of cashew and cheese. 🙂 great job for describing them thoroughly!
Mmmm desserts – my favourite! I would love to try all of these!!
Those all look delicious! I enjoyed seeing them, because we sponsor 2 girls in India and I often wonder what they eat. They have mentioned “biryiani” (I may have spelled that wrong). Have you heard of it?
These look absolutely delectable. Indian desserts are so interesting and I love to indulge, whenever I have the chance!
I love Indian food, but have never had their desserts. Although, I would like to try them!
Wow! They’re all so bright and colorful. Delicious and beautiful. I’ve never tried any Indian desserts, but I have to now!
This is the first time I’ve seen some Indian dessert and wow they look delicious. I am particularly curious with Kaju Barfi just because of the silver sheen to it. I wouldn’t even think it’s edible if I didn’t know it’s a type of a dessert.
Looks delish! I’ve only tried Gulab Jamun and its pretty delicious! Very sweet though!
Indian cuisine is probably my favourite in the world, but I must admit that – Kulfi aside, which I have enjoyed several times – I have not really sampled many of the desserts on offer. I have to say that these do look delicious, particularly Gulab Jamun; if it’s good enough for Shah Jahan, it’s good enough for me 🙂
Oh my goodness! These desserts not only look beautiful but sound AMAZING! It looks like dessert making is an art form in India. Love seeing dessert from around the world 🙂 I’d have to say the one that looks the most delicious to me is Gulab Jamun (it was hard to choose!)
I feel so disappointed that I haven’t tried any of these desserts. It sounds like I have seriously been missing out. I think I need to hunt down some Gulab Jamun as my first one to try out 🙂
That yellow temptress and cool dude seems tasty to me. From your tempting description of it I feel like I’m eating way too much of desserts. I only eaten Indian restaurants in Cebu but didn’t try nor have noticed some good desserts I should see to it that I ll have some desserts on my next visit. Restos were owned by native Indians so I bet it’s as the same
Fascinating. So interesting to see how other cultures create desserts. I mean, the Kaju Barfi just looks like metal to me!
This all sounds amazing. Indian food is by far my favorite! I’d try any of these in a heartbeat!
Set me up with a lifetime supply of Kulfi and I would be a happy camper!!
This deserts look so delicious , on the hunt for them
The Cashew Charmer sounds great! I love desserts:)
YUM!!! I recently had kulfi for the first time during a trip to Banff, Canada and it was delicious. We got seconds.
I haven’t been in India, and I won’t even remotely playing ignorant here, but I wasn’t aware with Indian desserts. All I know is the famous curry 😀 Now, this goes on my must try foods when I get there! 😀
I was more than 30 years old when I started to get familiar with Indian food. Although it’s not a dessert, my favorite Indian sweet is lassi!
I love all of them! Gajar ka halwa is my absolute favorite.
awesome piece of writing..enjoyed reading it
Oh my goodness this looks amazing. Indian desserts looks delicious! I would one day want to try some (I mean ALL) of them!
Hmmmm, that frozen fruit pop looks interesting. Never had anything like that in Indian flavors. I prefer the Ras Malai, creamy and rich desserts. 😉
OMG Gamud Jalum is the sweetest thing in the world but I love it. Great post!
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For as long as there are lots of icing, I’m on it…looking forward to trying them soon.
Your dessert list looks fabulous and very rich! I haven’t tried many Indian desserts,I am obviously missing out!
When I think of Indian food, all the colorful and vibrant spices come to mind for main dishes. I never think about desserts for some reason, but now I’m going to have to put it on my list of things to try! Kulfi and Gulab Jamun sound delicious!
Wow, Indian desserts are so different from what we have here. They are so colorful and looks so much more healthy too. If I had to pick one it would be hard but the Gulab Jamun looks delicious!
Wah- so many indian dessers in one article. Hard to choose. Gulab Jamun is my all time fav.
Oh lovely! We did not know Indian desserts look this gooooooooood! We will try to get some in the future, because we know that everything’s delicious!
India has a lot to offer and each region has its own taste to offer. my personal favorite kaju barfi. One thing you missed was Jalebi. There are still place where breakfast is incomplete without hot Jalebi on the plates.
Wow! I didnt know Indian foods can has some sweets too. Thats awesome! I love everything you shared. They all looks so appetizing. Im drooling over those Kulfi…they look great!
I have such a sweet tooth! These beautiful, decadent treats really did have me salivating. I would love to try anything made with cashews, however!
Everything looks so delish and so mouthwatering! I am not particular with the indian foods but hey, they look so yummy. The fact that it is dessert too, I won’t pass of giving this all a try!
These all look absolutely delicious! I’d love to try the Kulfi myself!
Ahhh I Love all of them, the one I ate most because it is easy to fin, on train journeys, etc is Gulab Jamun. But the one I like most it is Cashew Charmer, I am a Kaju lover.
Indian sweets are the best! I absolutely miss Kaju Barfi – it was like the only sweet I would insist on eating as a child (and now – maybe). I’ve never heard of Ras Malai but it sounds interesting!
Wow, this is heaven! I love all the dessert and they looks so tempting and luscious. I haven’t tried any Indian dessert yet and while reading your post, I want to fly to India and try all of them. The ras Malai is really looking so delicious. When I get the chance to visit India, I make sure that I’ll try all these desserts. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.