14 Famous Sweets in Delhi Visitors Should Try
You’ll find delicious desserts across India, but Delhi is famous for its sweets. Traditional sweets are integral to Indian culture, so indulging your sweet tooth is actually an authentic Delhi experience!
Indian sweets are nothing like the usual desserts in Canada and the USA. They are rich and cloyingly sweet, but usually small – just a bite or two. Main ingredients are milk solids, chickpea flour, dried fruit and nuts, spices, sugar and clarified butter.
Famous Sweets in Delhi
These are the most popular sweets in Delhi you must try, but don’t limit yourself! There are many delicious types of desserts in Delhi. If you see something else that looks good, try it. Remember, it’s part of the cultural experience!
1. Gulab Jamun
If you try one sweet in Delhi, it must be gulab jamun! Gulab jamun are delicious little dough balls, infused with cardamom, simmered in sweet syrup and served warm. They have a soft, spongy texture, and unlike many Indian sweets, are not overly rich.
This is the most famous dessert in India, and you’ll find it in every Indian restaurant and numerous sweet shops.
2. Kaju Barfi
Barfi (also called burfi) is what I consider Indian fudge. It’s super rich and sweet. It comes in many varieties and shapes, with and without edible silver leaf.
The most popular barfi in Delhi is kaju (cashew) barfi. Other popular flavours are bedam (almond), pista (pistachio), kesar (saffron) and my favourite, coconut.
Khoya is the main ingredient in barfi, which is a milk solid. Barfi keeps very well, I’ve never had to refrigerate it, except during monsoon season.
3. Halwa
Halwa is a heavy dessert, sort of like a super rich pudding. There are many kinds of halwa, but the most popular ones in Delhi are gajar (carrot), mung dal (lentil), semolina, and bottle gourd.
I know they sound weird, but try them, because they’re really good!
Halwa is made by boiling down milk, sugar and spices with the main ingredient (such as carrots) for hours and hours. Nuts and raisins are often added.
I’ve made gajar halwa many times at home. It’s easy to make but takes a long time.
4. Laddu (Ladoo)
Laddu are another sweet you’ll see everywhere in Delhi. Laddu come in many varieties, but they are always shaped as balls.
They are made with a lentil flour (like chickpea), sugar and ghee. Many have nuts and dried fruits. Since they’re not milk based, they’re better for anyone lactose intolerant.
Favourite varieties in Delhi are besan (chickpea flour), motichoor and moondi, which are made from tiny balls of besan. They come in flavours like coconut, mango, dry fruit and saffron.
5. Jalebi
Another wildly famous sweet you’ll see all over Delhi are orange, deep fried swirls called jalebi. I often see big vats of these cooking at street food stands, especially in Old Delhi.
Jalebis get their orange colour from soaking in a saffron infused syrup. These crispy treats are even popular for breakfast!
If you’re in Old Delhi, look for black jalebis at Rehmatullah Hotel. Black jalebis have the same swirl as the orange ones, but are thicker, softer and mildly flavoured. I find orange jalebis too sweet, but I love black jalebis.
6. Ghevar (Ghewar)
If you see this during your trip to Delhi, try it! It’s a very famous dessert, but only available during monsoon.
It’s my favourite of the milk based sweets, and I always buy it during the rainy season.
Ghevar are discs (bigger than a donut), with a crisp porous base and a rich malai or rabri topping (akin to a super thick, sweet custard), sometimes garnished with nuts and silver leaf.
The crispy base needs humidity to become sponge like, that’s why ghevar are only made during monsoon.
7. Rasgula
Rasgula are soft cheese balls (made from the same base as paneer) flavoured with cardamom and soaked in a sugar syrup.
Even though they’re paneer based, they don’t taste like cheese or cheese cake. The flavour is very mild.
Rasgula are a favourite dessert in Delhi, and you’ll see them at every sweet shop. There’s usually a section for the syrup based treats, where they are kept in metal containers behind the counter. Look for rasgula there.
You can even purchase rasgula in cans by the well regarded brand Haldiram’s.
8. Rasmalai
Every Indian loves these spongy little dumplings made from rasgula balls. Instead of being soaked in a sugar syrup like rasgula, they are flattened slightly and soaked in a saffron infused milky syrup. Rasmalai are a favourite way to end a heavy meal.
Like rasgula, these are not as widely available in restaurants as gulab jamun, but just about every Delhi sweet shop sells them.
9. Kulfi
Kulfi are traditional ice cream sticks. Kulfi is to India what gelato is to Italy.
Kulfi is always served on a stick and comes in a long, conical shape. They’re dense and flavourful due to a slow cooking process. Many are made with a blend of cow and buffalo milk.
Typical flavours are pesta (pistachio), kesar (saffron), and mango, but there’s lots of varieties.
10. Chikki
Chikki is India’s version of peanut brittle, but instead of sugar it’s made with jaggery. Jaggery is a natural product of sugar cane and contains vitamins and minerals, making chikki almost healthy!
There are different types of chikki, but the most common is peanut (called groundnut in India). Sesame seeds, almonds, cashews, pistachios and coconut are also used for chikki.
11. Kheer
Kheer is another hugely popular dessert in Delhi, famous all over India. It’s the Indian version of rice pudding. But this rice pudding in always cooked slowly on the stove, never baked in an oven.
Traditionally kheer is flavoured with cardamom, but it can also be served with nuts, raisins, rose water or saffron.
12. Gujiya
These half moon pastries are traditionally served at Holi, the festival of colours. Gujiya are filled with a mixture of khoya (a milk solid used in barfi and may other Indian sweets), nuts and coconut. Sometimes they are round.
If you have a chance to try these little pastries, do! They are delicious and not always available.
13. Peda
Peda are made with the same base as barfi (milk solids and sugar), but flavoured with cardamom and/or saffron. They are usually round and indented with a thumbprint.
It’s basically a fancy, dressed up version of barfi.
14. Modak
These delicious morsels are eaten during the religious festival Ganesh Chaturthi (the birthday of Ganesha, the elephant-headed god). You should not miss an opportunity to try these because they’re hard to find outside of August or September.
Modak are different from other traditional sweets, because they’re made with rice flour and steamed. Usually they are filled with coconut and jaggery, but I’ve seen chocolate modak, mango modak and dry fruit modak.
They have a distinctive pear shape with pleats and are easy to spot. Sometimes they’re deep fried, but I prefer the soft chewy texture of the steamed ones – plus they’re more healthy.
Which is the Best Sweet to Take Home From Delhi?
Most traditional sweets pack and travel very well. The best ones are the mithai (barfi, laddu, modak and peda), or chikki. These don’t spoil easily, are fairly solid, and don’t require refrigeration (unless super hot or humid).
Many Delhi sweet shops sell pre-packaged gift boxes, or you can have a box of your favourites made up.
Why are Sweets so Important to Indians?
Sweets play an important role in Indian culture. They are exchanged on religious holidays, used as offerings at temples, and gifted by families of brides and grooms to seal an engagement.
Even the last wedding invitation I received in Delhi arrived with a huge box of sweets!
Many religious holidays are also associated with certain sweets, like modak on Ganesh Chaturthi (Ganesha’s birthday) or gujiya on Holi, the festival of colours.
Where to Eat and Buy Sweets in Delhi
Practically every Indian restaurant offers some sort of Indian dessert. Almost all serve gulab jamun, and if you’re lucky they’ll have kheer or rasmalai.
For buying sweets, I think the best shops in Delhi are Haldiram’s, Kaleva and Om Sweets, but most are pretty good.
You can also order gift boxes online and have them delivered. I like the online gourmet mithai shop Khoya.
If you’re flying out from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi’s most famous sweet shop, Haldiram’s, has a kiosk in the international departures area on the way to the gates. It’s really convenient, and I’ve stopped there myself!
The Wrap-up on the Famous Sweets in Delhi
Whether you have a sweet tooth or not, you have to try Delhi’s famous sweets. Not only are they delicious, they are a huge part of the culture.
You’ll have no problem finding them. Practically every market has a shop, and all the Indian restaurants serve at least one traditional dessert.
Looking for More? You Might Also Like…
- 10 Special Foods of Delhi You Have to Try
- 22 Best Bakeries in Delhi for a Sweet Tooth
- Delhi for Foodies: 13 Unique Food Experiences You’ll Never Forget
Don’t forget travel insurance! It’s always a good idea to carry travel insurance just in case something goes wrong. I really like and use SafetyWing
