10 Diwali Snack Recipes You Need To Try This Festive Season

Plans are in motion, festive-shopping is at the top of the to-do-list, and soon the skies will be shining with kandils and lights. It’s Diwali time when India lights up with joy, enthusiasm, rangolis, decors, and Diwali snacks. India is famous for its authentic, traditional, and mouth-watering festive recipes. This festival of lights is traditionally famous for its incredible authentic treats and Diwali snack recipes (faral). It’s the best time of the year to devour palatable delights with friends and family.

10 Delicious Diwali Snack Recipes For You To Prepare

1. Balushahi

This is a traditional Indian doughnut recipe that has a soft texture on the outside and is crispy on the inside. Give your family a gastronomical delight with this wonderful dessert.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients: 

• 1 and ½  cup all-purpose flour (maida)
• ¼  teaspoon baking soda
• 4 tablespoons ghee
• 2 cups of sugar
• 6 tablespoons whisked curd (dahi)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• A few finely chopped pistachios

Method:

1. Take a bowl and mix maida and baking soda. Add ghee into it.
2. Knead the mixture with your fingertips.
3. Add dahi to this mixture and knead it in a soft dough.
4. Cover the dough with a moist cloth for about 45 minutes.  
5. Divide the dough balls into 12 portions. Make a tiny dent like impression on the 12 dough balls with the thumb and keep it aside.
6. Place a pan on the heat and keep it on medium flame. Add ghee into the pan. Put the dough balls one by one and deep-fry on low heat.
7. Take the balls out on a kitchen tissue once the balushahi balls turn golden brown. Now, let it cool for about 40 minutes.
8. Take another pan and add sugar and 1 cup water to prepare a chasni. Keep stirring it occasionally. Add 2 tablespoons of milk while cooking the chasni.
9. Once the chasni is ready take it off the heat and soak the balushahi balls in it for about 2 hours.
10. Remove balushahis from the chasni and let it rest for 3 hours. 
11. Serve your Diwali sweet by garnishing it with chopped pistachios.

2. Anarsa

Anarsa is a Maharashtrian hard-to-resist delicacy. Try out this delightful Diwali snack that’s hatke!

 Preparation Time: 4 days

 Cooking Time: 1 hour

 Ingredients: 

• 1 cup of rice
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon ghee + some more for frying
• ½  tablespoon curd (dahi)
• 4 tablespoons poppy seeds (khus khus)

 Method:

1. Soak the rice for approximately 3 days. Do change the water every day. On the 4th day, drain the rice and shift it into a strainer. 
2. Rest it for about 2 hours then grind it into a fine powder. 
3. Sieve the rice powder.
4. Reserve approximately 50 grams of rice flour and add powdered sugar to the remaining rice powder.
5. Now, add dahi and 1 tablespoon and knead the mixture. Let the dough rest for about a day.
6. On the next day, take a plastic sheet and sprinkle khus khus on it.
7. Roll smaller size balls out of the dough and press it on khus khus. Press the dough ball into a round disc-like size. (Apply ghee on your palms if the dough is sticky.)
8. Meanwhile, place a pan on the heat and keep the flame on low-medium. Add 4 tablespoons ghee to it. 
9. Now fry the anarsa and make sure to keep the khu khus side up. Fry until it turns golden brown. 
10. Store it in an airtight container.
11. Enjoy these traditional Maharashtrian yummy and sweet Diwali snacks.

 3. Puran Tarts

Give the usual tarts recipe an Indian twist with a stuffing of jaggery and coconut powder (puran). This festive season, indulge in some healthy Diwali snacks with puran tarts.

 Preparation Time: 5 hours

Cooking Time: 50 minutes

 Ingredients:

• puff pastry sheets
• ¼  cup all-purpose flour (maida)
• ½  cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup ghee 

For The Chana Dal Base:

• 1 cup chana dal
• 1 cup powdered jaggery
• 4 and ½  cups water
• ½  tablespoon cardamom powder (elaichi)
• ½  cup dry coconut powder 

Method:

1. Defrost the puff pastry sheets at room temperature for 5 hours. 
2. Cook the chana daal with 4 cups of water in a pressure cooker for about 6 whistles. Once done let it cool.
3. Remove the excess water from the chana daal and grind it into a smooth paste.
4. Mix the powdered jaggery with 1/2 cup water and bring it to a boil. Sprinkle elaichi powder and stir well to combine.
5. Now add chana daal paste into the jaggery mixture.
6. Add coconut to it until it thickens and turns into a dough. Remove it from the heat and let it cool. 
7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
8. Sprinkle the working surface with maida. For making the tarts, roll the puff pastry sheet into a rectangle. 
9. By using the fingers, seal the edges by forming a rim and then prick the center of the puff pastry about 10-12 times with a fork. 
10. Fill it with the filling and drizzle some ghee onto it. 
11. Bake the puran tarts for 15-20 minutes until the tarts turn golden brown.
12. These delicious Diwali snacks are ready to serve and relish.

4. Bhajani Chakali

We all love to nibble on butter chaklis. But this Maharashtrian Diwali chakli recipe is a bit hatke with a delightful, scrumptious, and crunchy taste that will make your Diwali tastier.

 Preparation Time: 15 minutes

 Cooking Time: 1 hour

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup of rice flour
• ½  cup gram flour (besan)
• 2 and ½  tablespoon oil 
• ¾  cup water 
• ¼  teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½  teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
• ½  teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (safed til or kale til)
• Oil for deep-frying
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix the rice flour, gram flour, carom seeds, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, asafoetida, and salt in a bowl.
2. Heat oil in a pan and a spoonful of hot oil (mohan) to the flour mixture. Mix the oil into the flour mixture with the fingertips.
3. Meanwhile, heat water until it starts boiling. Add this hot water to the flour mixture and mix with a spoon. 
4. Knead it into dough. Let it rest for about 35 minutes.
5. Apply some water to the chakli maker and place a portion of the dough inside it.
6. Tighten the lid and press the chakli maker to prepare the chakli. 
7. Place a plastic sheet and move the chakli maker in rounds to get a spiral shape. 
8. Break the dough towards the end of the spiral shape and press it to the last end of the spiral.
9. Heat the oil and lift the chakli gently off the plastic sheet and slid into the hot oil.
10. Cover the remaining chaklis with a dry kitchen napkin, so that they don’t dry out.
11. Fry the chaklis till golden.
12. Savour this traditional namkeen Diwali recipe.

5. Poha Chivda

While store-bought chivdas are delicious, nothing can beat the taste of homemade patal poha chivda. This dry snack recipe is a great chai time snack!

 Preparation Time: 10 minutes

 Cooking Time: 25 minutes

 Ingredients:

• ¼  cup oil
• 250 grams thin poha (patal poha)
• 4 green chillies 
• 10-12 curry leaves (kadipatta)
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
• ¼  cup dry coconut flakes
• ½  cup groundnut 
• ½  cup cashew nuts 
• 1 teaspoon raisins
• 1 and ½  cup powdered sugar
• ¼  teaspoon turmeric powder
• salt to taste

Method:

1. Roast poha for about 5 minutes or until it becomes a little crunchy.
2. Remove the poha from the heat and spread it on a plate to cool. 
3. Take a small pan and add 1 teaspoon oil. Fry the coconut flakes until it becomes a little brown.
4. Now, take a kadhai and heat the remaining oil, and add mustard seeds, curry leaves, and green chillies to it. 
5. Add groundnuts, cashews, and raisins and roast them for about 2 minutes until they are well fried. Add turmeric powder, powdered sugar, and salt.
6. Now add the poha and roasted coconut flakes. Mix well and take it off the heat.
7. Shift it to a large bowl and mix well.
8. Patal poha chivda is ready to serve.

6. Chocolate Barfi

Your festive occasion will be a glamorous and extravagant affair with these lip-smacking barfis. 

 Preparation Time: 10 minutes

 Cooking Time: 20 minutes

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup milk powder
• 1 and ½  tablespoons ghee
• ¼  cup milk
• 1 and ½  tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 and ½  tablespoons cocoa powder
• Chopped pistachios 

Method:

1. Take a pan and place it on heat over a low flame, add ghee to it. Once, the ghee melts, add milk.
2. Add milk powder and keep stirring to avoid lumps. Once the mixture is well combined add sugar and cocoa powder to it.
3. Keep stirring the mixture till it thickens. Once it starts leaving the sides of the pan, take it off the flame.
4. Grease a tin with ghee and line it with parchment paper. Transfer the mixture to the tin.
5. Tap 2-3 times to level the mixture. 
6. Garnish the barfi mixture with chopped pistachios
7. Let it cool at room temperature or refrigerate it for about 2 hours.
8. Cut it into a small square or diamond-like shape. 
9. Chocolate Barfi is ready to serve.

7. Karam Gavvalu

There are several Diwali namkeen recipes but this Diwali, try Karam Gavvalu, a unique and native snack from Andhra Pradesh which resembles the shape of shells.

 Preparation Time: 10-12 minutes

 Cooking Time: 30 minutes

 Ingredients:

•  1 cup of rice flour
• 1/2 cup semolina (rava)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (maida)
• 3 teaspoon oil
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep-frying

Method:

1. Take a bowl and add the rice flour, rava, maida, red chilli powder, and hot oil, salt and mix well.
2. Add water to it and knead it into slightly stiff dough. Let it rest for about 20 minutes.
3. Pinch out small balls of dough. Roll over the board to form the shells.
4. To give the dough balls a shell-like shape press it with slight pressure and roll it forward, the stiff dough will roll inwards to form a shell. 
5. Take a kadhai and heat the oil. Deep-fry the shells until it turns golden brown. 
6. Relish your Diwali treat of Karam Gavvalu.

8. Namkeen Mathri

Mathri is a crunchy style cracker famous in the northern parts of India. It’s one of the classic Diwali dry snacks namkeen recipes to relish in the festive time.

 Preparation Time: 30 minutes

 Cooking Time: 60 minutes

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (maida)
• 2 and ½ ghee
• salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns
• Water to knead
• Oil for deep-frying 

Method: 

1. Mix maida, ghee, ajwain and mix it well till the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 
2. Add water to the mixture gradually and mix till the flour forms a soft dough.
3. Knead the dough lightly and cover it with a damp cloth. Let it rest for half an hour.
4. Take a kadhai and heat oil for deep-frying on medium heat. Pinch out small portions into balls out of the mathri dough.
5. Roll the mathri dough into small discs. 
6. Prick the disc using a fork to avoid the mathri from puffing up like a puri.
7. Fry the disc-shaped mathris till they turn golden brown.
8. Drain out the oil from the mathris and put them on kitchen tissues.
9. Sprinkle chaat masala over the mathris.
10. Store the yummy mathris in airtight containers.

9. Gathiya

Spicy, tangy sev is an all-time desi favourite. Gathiya is one of the types of sev that are crispy, spicy, and definitely an amazing recipe to try out in the festive season.

 Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

•  3 cups gram flour (besan) 
•  2 tablespoons lemon juice 
•  ½  teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons hot oil (mohan)
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep-frying
• Water 

For Masala:

•  2 tablespoons black peppercorns (kali mirch)
•  1 tablespoon carom seeds (ajwain)

Method:

1. Take a pan and dry roast peppercorns and ajwain. Grind it into a powder.
2. Now, take a bowl and mix besan, lemon juice, soda, salt, ground powder, and oil altogether. Add water and knead into smooth dough.
3. Grease sev machine with ghee and use a disc with big holes and fill the machine with the dough.
4. Take a kadhai and heat oil for deep-frying.
5. Hold the machine over the kadhai and press in a circular motion to form a circle (remember do not overlap).  
6. Fry until light brown. Drain the sev onto a tissue paper.
7. Once all the gathia is fried, allow it to cool and break into pieces. 
8. Store in airtight containers.
9. This Diwali dry snack is ready to relish.

10. Choco Pedas

Wrap your all-time beloved pedas with chocolate. This super recipe with ghee, milk and chocolate loaded pedas is simply irresistible.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

 Cooking Time: 15 minutes

 Ingredients:

• ¾  cup milk powder
• 1 and  ½  tablespoons cocoa powder
• ½  cup condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon ghee 
• chopped nuts 

Method:

1. Place a pan on low flame. Add ghee, condensed milk, milk powder, and cocoa powder.
2. Stir the mixture and cook till it thickens.
3. Once it starts leaving the sides of the pan, switch off the flame and add ½ teaspoon ghee and mix it well.
4. Let the mixture rest for about 5 minutes.
5. Now, grease your hands with ghee and make small round balls out of the mixture.
6. Make a small hole in the centre using your thumb and fill it with chopped nuts.
7. Delicious Diwali dessert is ready to serve.   

This plethora of mouth-watering delicacies is definitely worth a try this festive season. From mithai to namkeen, savoury to desserts and Diwali dry snacks to must-try authentic foods, there is something for everyone. Relish these yummy and tempting Diwali snack recipes with your loved ones. Also, here are 10 quick and easy DIYs that teach you how to make lantern to add to the festive mood in your home this Diwali.