We use affiliate links. If you purchase something using one of these links, we may receive compensation or commission.
Ladoo
Toasted Coconut Ladoo
This 6-ingredient toasted coconut ladoo is ready in about 20 minutes. Sweet, fudgy coconut balls are a simple dessert perfect for Diwali or any other holiday celebration! Makes 8 to 10 balls.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups dried shredded coconut , or fresh shredded coconut
- seeds of 2 green cardamom pod, or use 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, or other flavors as vanilla, cinnamon, lemon zest etc.
- 2 tablespoons almond flour, optional, but recommended
- 1 cup oat milk or , or full fat coconut milk or cashew milk
- 1/2 cup or more sugar, Or coconut sugar or jaggery powder or date sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vegan butter
Instructions
- If using dried shredded coconut that is not a small shred, pulse the coconut shreds in a blender to make small shred or coarse meal size shreds and set aside. Pulse for a few seconds, 3 to 4 times. Crush cardamom seeds in a mortar and pestle or press to crush using the flat edge of the knife and set aside.
- Dry toast the coconut shreds in a skillet over medium low heat. Toast until most of the coconut is golden. 3 to 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. Add in the almond flour and mix in and remove the pan from the heat.
- Make the condensed milk: Combine the milk, sugar, salt and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Bring to a boil and continue to cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until it starts to thicken a bit.
Vegan malai ladoo – sweet, cardamom-scented, Indian fudge balls – are a festive treat perfect for Diwali, Holi, or any holiday gathering! (gluten-free, soy-free with oil-free option)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for at least 20 minutes
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 tablespoons vegan cream cheese
- 7 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour, or use 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon oil or vegan butter, omit for oil-free
- 5 tablespoons fine almond flour
- seeds from 2 cardamom pods, crushed coarsely
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- shredded coconut, chopped pistachios, or other toppings of choice, optional
Instructions
- Drain the soaked cashews, and blend them with the water for a minute. Add the vegan cream cheese, sugar, salt, and coconut flour, then blend again until smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to a skillet. Use 2 tablespoons water to rinse out the blender, and add that to the skillet, as well, along with the vegan butter. Cook over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture will get lumpy then thicken evenly
- Mix in the almond flour and cardamom, then continue to cook for another 10 minutes, or until the mixture pulls away from the sides and bottom of the pan.
- Cool, then chill for an hour before shaping into 12 balls. Coat in shredded coconut or top with chopped pistachios or other decoration if you wish. Serve chilled.
For a sweet holiday treat that is naturally sweetened, try my Whole Wheat Date Ladoo recipe. A wholesome vegan twist on a traditional Indian sweet made with whole wheat flour, almond flour, nuts, and dates! Soy-free + Gluten-free option.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, I use atta
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter or oil
- 1 tablespoon flax meal
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or seeds from 2 green cardamom pods crushed lightly
- 2 tablespoons chopped raw or roasted unsalted cashews
- 8-10 dates, soft medjool dates are the best
- good pinch of salt
Instructions
- Roast your wheat flour in a skillet over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Keep stirring so that the flour doesn’t burn. Stir occasionally for the first 5 minutes. It will get evenly hot and will tend to burn faster after 5 mins so keep stirring frequently then
- Once the flour starts to smell fragrant and has changed color to a significantly darker shade evenly, you can add the flax meal, almond flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and mix and add in the vegan butter.
- Continue to roast for another 3-4 minutes over medium heat and then take off heat.
- Add the dates and the cardamom to a food processor and process until the dates break down.
- Then add in the cashews and wheat flour mixture and process until the mixture is well combined into fat crumbs.
- Check to see if you can make it into even ladoo balls.
- If it’s not sticking as much, add 1 or 2 more dates or a few sprinkles of water and then process again. Shape into balls of preferred size and store.
- You can store this on the counter for up to 5 days or refrigerate for a longer life for up to a month.
Notes
- Use other flours to make Glutenfree, such as oat flour or sorghum flour
- Add pistachios or hazelnuts instead of cashews, if you want
- Nutfree: omit the almond flour and cashews. Use 2 tbsp more wheat flour
Mango Coconut Ladoo
Mango Coconut Ladoo. Fudgy balls made with Mango Puree, Coconut and almond meal. Vegan gluten-free recipe. Easy soy-free dessert. Use sunflower or sesame seeds to make nut-free. Makes 8 balls
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut, dried
- 1/4 cup almond meal
- 1 cup or more mango puree, thick puree from can or ripe mango
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutritional yeast, optional – it adds a bit of khoya kind of flavor profile which is in dairy based ladoos
- sugar or other sweetener if needed
- 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch or other starch
- shredded coconut for garnish
Instructions
- Add coconut, almond meal and pureed mango to a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes until bubbling away.
- Add the salt, nutritional yeast. Taste and add sugar or sweetener if needed. At this point you can also add other ground nuts or seeds or protein powder.
- Mix starch into the coconut flour really well and add to the mixture. Mix in really well and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Continue to cook until the mixture becomes stiff and leaves the sides of the pan. The cooking time depends on the moisture in the mango puree.
- Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for half an hour. Shape into balls or press into parchment lined loaf to cut into bars. Roll the balls in shredded coconut. Store on the counter for the day, or refrigerate for upto 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Coconut Ladoo
These fudgy Coconut Ladoo are super simple, have just 5 ingredients and perfect for Indian Festivals like Diwali or Dussehra. Vegan and Gluten-free
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut dried
- seeds from 4 to 5 cardamom pods
- 1/3 cup full fat coconut milk
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 2/3 cup ground raw sugar or jaggery, use a Tbsp less for less sweeter
- a pinch of salt
- 2 Tbsp coconut flour
Instructions
- Grind or blend 2 cups coconut flakes in a blender or processor to make small powdery flakes. Blend a few short cycles, move the coconut around and pulse more to avoid making coconut butter. Pound the cardamom seeds in a mortar and pestle to break into a coarse mixture and mix with the coconut.
- Heat the coconut milk in a small skillet at medium heat. Add oil, sugar and salt and mix in. Bring the mixture to a bubbling boil (about 4 mins). continue to boil for another 4 minutes or until the mixture can form a half thread. (220 to 225 deg F temperature). Take off heat.
- Immediately add 1.5 cups of the shredded coconut and cardamom and mix in. Add the coconut flour and mix in. If the mixture appears too wet, let it cool for a minute, Then add more shredded coconut 2 Tbsp at a time. Do not add more than 4 Tbsp else the laddoos will be dryer. The mixture becomes less wet as it cools. Let the mixture cool for 2 minutes then shape into balls by picking up 1 to 2 Tbsp of the mixture, pressing and shaping with one hand. Roll the ball in the remaining shredded coconut and serve. Cool completely before storing. Store in an airtight container on the counter for upto 3 days or refrigerated for a week.
Notes
If you are not fond of cardamom, use other flavors like cinnamon or saffron.
Use more shredded coconut if you do not have coconut flour.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Burfi
Vegan Almond Burfi
Keep this vegan almond burfi recipe at hand for whenever you need an easy yet special treat for the holidays! This 4 ingredient Indian Almond Fudge is totally fool-proof to make within minites and makes for a great gift too. Gluten-free, soy-free.
Layered Carrot Halwa Coconut Burfi Bars Vegan
Layered Carrot Halwa Coconut Burfi Bars are two of my favorite Indian desserts combined into one delicious moist and chewy bar! They are portable, look sersiously impressive and make for the perfect edible gift for the holidays. Vegan Dairyfree Glutenfree Nutfree option
Vegan Malai Burfi (Milk Cake)- Indian Fudge Bars. Dairy free Burfi For Indian Festivals. Creamy Cardamom Fudge. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe. Just 8 ingredients. Make 16 small bars
Vegan 7 Cup Burfi – Chickpea flour & Coconut Fudge Bars
Vegan 7 Cup Burfi – Diwali Sweet with Chickpea flour and Coconut veganized with almond milk and oil. 6 Ingredients. Easy Traditional Indian Sweet 7 cup cake for Diwali or other festivals. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe. Nut-free option. Makes 12 to 14 small bars
Kaju Katli is Cashew Fudge. It is a favorite Indian dessert. There are several ways to make the fudge, but the key to a great fudge is a good sugar syrup and well ground cashews. This recipe takes just minutes! Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe. Makes a dozen or more pieces depending on the size.
Gujiya Peda (Indian Almond Fudge With Coconut Pistachio Raisin Swirls)
Gujiya peda — Indian cardamom fudge with a swirl of sweet, saffron-scented coconut pistachio filling — is a fusion dessert that tastes absolutely amazing! Dairy-free vegan gluten-free
Vegan Mango Burfi. Mango Fudge Bars. Indian Recipe
Mango Burfi. Fudgy Mango Bars with Ripe mango puree, oat flour, coconut flour and Cardamom, saffron or cinnamon. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe
Besan Burfi with Condensed Milk (Dairy-free) – Chickpea flour fudge
Besan Burfi with Condensed Milk. Indian Chickpea flour fudge with Condensed non dairy milk. Besan Burfi for Diwali. Fudge Sweet Gluten free Vegan Indian Recipe. 5 Main ingredients. Omit the oil ot make oil-free. Makes 12 to 16 pieces.
Kesar Peda – Saffron Infused Almond Cookie
Kesar Peda is fudge type cookie made with milk solids. This recipe is dairy-free and uses almonds for this Saffron infused Almond cookie. Vegan Gluten-free Recipe. Easily doubled.
Halwa
Vegan Almond Halwa (Instant Pot Badam Halwa) Oil-free
Instant Pot Gajar Halwa – Indian Carrot Halwa Vegan Dairyfree Recipe
Instant Pot Gajar Halwa / Gajrela – Vegan Carrot Halwa Recipe. Carrot Halwa is an Indian dessert, a flourless Carrot Cake Crumble/pudding that is spiced with cardamom and served during festivals. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Dairyfree Recipe.
Instant Pot Sooji Halwa – Rava Sheera
Instant Pot Sooji Halwa – Rava Kesari / Sheera. Vegan Indian Spoon Fudge. Add pineapple or bananas for Pineapple or Banana Sheera. Can be nutfree, glutenfree
Mango Semolina Pudding Mango Sheera / Kesari / Halwa
Mango Sheera Recipe. Mango Kesari or Mango Halwa. Semolina Mango Pudding. Easy Vegan Indian Dessert Recipe. 20 minutes 1 pan. How to make Mango Sheera
Besan Halwa – Chickpea flour fudge
Besan Halwa is a fudgy dessert made with chickpea flour or besan. Chickpea flour Spoon fudge with cardamom and nuts. Besan Ka Halwa Recipe. Use other grain or bean or lentil flours for variation. Vegan Gluten-free Grain-free Dessert Recipe.
Cakes and Cookies
Vegan Rasmalai Tres Leches Cake
This Vegan Ras Malai Tres Leches Cake is the ultimate make-ahead dessert! A light sponge soaked in cardamom and saffron-scented nut milk. Dairyfree Eggless. It only gets better with time, so perfect for holidays, and Indian festive season!
No-Bake Carrot Halwa Cheesecake
This carrot halwa cheesecake is grain-free and doesn’t need to be baked! You make the carrot halwa crust with cardamom spiced shredded carrots on the stove and the cheesecake mixture in your blender. Then chill this cake to set it up, then slice and serve. Nut-free option
Kulfi Tiramisu (Indian Cardamom Pistachio Tiramisu)
Kulfi Tiramisu – this Indian tiramisu fusion combines creamy, cardamom-scented kulfi with coffee infused cake to create a showstopping, layered dessert. It’s absolutely epic!
Vegan Rasmalai Cake
Vegan Rasmalai Cake is a dairy-free spin on the popular Bengali Dessert Rasa Malai that is typically served for Diwali! Moist almond and cashew flour cake squares immersed in a rich and creamy cashew pistachio “milk” scented with saffron and cardamom. Soyfree Glutenfree
Carrot Halwa Cake
Carrot halwa cake is a fusion carrot cake recipe that uses a traditional Indian dessert -Gajar Halwa(Indian carrot fudge) as the topping for a flavorful cake. It has such an incredible mixture of flavors and textures! Glutenfree option
Vegan Cardamom Cookie – Cardamom Snickerdoodles
Easy Vegan Cardamom Cookies. These soft cookies are a cross between cardamom shortbread and Snickerdoodles. Vegan Soyfree Palm Oil free Recipe. Glutenfree option
Rabri and Puddings
Shahi Tukda (Crisp syrup soaked toasts with Rabri pudding)
Try Shahi Tukda – a royal dessert that’s easy to make! Baked buttered slices of bread soaked in cardamom-scented syrup and topped with custard.
Vegan Rabri – Indian Milk Pudding
For an easy yet impressive holiday dessert try my vegan spin on Indian rabri, a thick, creamy milk pudding. My vegan rabri recipe is made with nut milk and flavored with cardamom and saffron. Gluten-free and soy-free.
Carrot Pudding with Cardamom – Carrot Kheer Recipe
Indian Carrot Pudding with Cardamom – Carrot Kheer Recipe. Shredded Carrots slow cooked with almond milk, roasted nuts and cardamom. Serve as is or top with toasted nuts, seeds and chia. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Nut-free option
Thandai Phirni – Spiced Rice Flour Pudding
Thandai Phirni – Spiced Rice Flour Pudding for Holi Festival. Vegan Phirni Recipe with Thandai Masala mix. Vegan Indian Dessert Gluten-free Soy-free Refined oil free.
Serves 4 as a dessert helping. 2 otherwise.
Brown Rice Kheer Recipe. Vegan Rice Pudding
Brown Rice Kheer Recipe. Vegan Rice Pudding. Indian Kheer for Diwali festival. Brown Rice simmered in almond cashew milk with cardamom, roasted nuts and currants or raisins. Vegan Gluten-free Recipe.
Vermicelli Pudding – Seviyan Kheer
Vegan Vermicelli pudding or Semiyan Kheer is a pudding made with roasted vermicelli noodles. Indian, Vegan , gluten-free option, nut-free option.
Doughnuts and Jalebi
Indian Vegan Gulab Jamun Donuts Dry Mix
Learn how to make Vegan Gulab Jamun using my simple dry mix. this festive Indian sweet consists of soft cardamom-scented donut balls soaked in rose water syrup. Dairy-free and with gluten-free option! Makes 22 to 26 balls
Vegan Jalebi
Jalebi is an Indian Sweet which is basically deep fried batter in pretzel kind of shape and dipped in sugar syrup
Kulfi – Ice creams
Pistachio Almond Cardamom Popsicle – Pista Kulfi – vegan glutenfree
Indian Pista Kulfi Dessert. Creamy Pistachio Almond Cardamom Popsicle. Non Dairy Ice Cream. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe.
Kesar Kulfi Recipe – Saffron Cream Popsicles. Vegan Kulfi with saffron, coconut milk, cashews and starch to thicken. Makes 4 to 6 popsicles
Sweet Drinks
Kesar Pista Masala Milk Mix – Saffron Pistachio Beverage
Kesar Pista Masala milk mix or powder. Grind and keep in a jar. Blend with chilled non dairy milk and serve. Vegan gluten-free Soy-fee Recipe
Turmeric Lassi – Golden Yogurt Drink
Turmeric Lassi – Golden Yogurt Drink. Lassi is a yogurt based drink served as a beverage in India. This version uses non dairy yogurt, turmeric, black pepper and ginger for a cooling Lassi. Vegan Gluten-free Recipe.
Vegan Mango Lassi
Vegan mango Lassi – Indian Mango Yogurt smoothie with ripe mango, non dairy yogurt and cardamom or saffron. Dairy-free, gluten-free.
Thandai (Spiced Almond Milk) and Thandai Lassi (Yogurt Drink). vegan glutenfree
a spiced almond milk served during the festival of Holi. Creamy and refreshing, it is vegan and gluten free.