Indian Dessert Recipes — Traditional Sweets Made Vegan

Indian dessert recipes are often full of dairy, spices, nuts, and coconut, but aren’t usually vegan. Fortunately, I have adapted many of my family’s favorites to be fully vegan.

Every family has its own equation with desserts. Growing up, desserts were special treats for us and enjoyed on holidays, festivals, and birthdays, but we did have fruit after dinner most nights. However, for my husband, desserts were an everyday affair. He has a small bite of dessert after dinner everyday.

Growing up in Delhi, we always had a cake for birthdays. For festivals, there was always sooji ka halva and mithai (which was always store-bought). My mom and grandmother would also often make laddos out of besan (chickpeas) or whole wheat flour, or they would make burfi.

India is a huge country and has many many regional desserts that are rooted in regional and family traditions. North Indian desserts are very dairy and wheat heavy while the desserts from the south are rice and coconut milk based. Indian desserts almost always have two main ingredients, dairy (milk and/or kheer) and a sweetener (jaggery or sugar). As a child, I loved china, which are Indian cottage cheese based desserts from east India. Indian desserts are always egg-free as mithai and desserts are a big part of religion and often offered as offerings in the temples.

When I switched to a vegan lifestyle, Indian desserts were the hardest to adapt to vegan Indian desserts. Finding a replacement for ghee was a huge challenge and involved a lot of trial and error. I experimented with various products including vegan butters and coconut oil. I found cacao butter to be a wonderful alternative. Cacao butter has richness without feeling heavy, and has floral undertones and a very subtle toasty, nutty, and warm taste. I have used cacao butter as a butter/ghee substitute from many vegan cake recipes.

I experimented a lot with nut milks and nut creams to find a good substitute for dairy as well. I worked with walnuts (not creamy enough), pistachios (which did not give me a sweet cream), and almonds (which resulted in a very nutty cream). Cashews come closest texturally as they become very creamy but they lack that cooked-milk depth. They are delicious in so many vegan desserts including my frozen mango cashew coconut cupcakes for added creaminess. When coconut milk reduces down, it gets closer in richness but pulls the flavor profile toward Southeast Asia rather than India. If you are looking for Indian dessert recipes to adorn your table that also happen to be vegan, you will find a delicious mix below from fluffy cakes to creamy puddings and more.

Table of Contents

• Traditional Indian Mithai (Sweets)
  • Vegan Besan Ladoo
  • Burfi (Vegan)
  • Carrot Halwa Trifle
  • Rava Ladoo
• Indian Puddings & Creams
  • Vegan Rice Kheer Pudding
  • Low-Carb Chia Pudding Parfait
  • Chocolate Avocado Pudding
• Cakes & Bakes
  • Fresh Fig Cake
  • Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake
  • Vegan Carrot Cake
  • Orange Cake With Coconut
• Chocolate & No-Bake Treats
  • Vegan Coconut Chocolate Truffles
  • Chocolate Mousse
  • Vegan Brownies
• Tips for Making Vegan Indian Desserts
• Storage & Make-Ahead
• FAQs

Traditional Indian Mithai (Sweets)

If you are looking for easy Indian desserts to make at home, there are several types you can try. Indian desserts, otherwise known as mithai, often include ingredients like fragrant spices like saffron and cardamom, chopped nuts, coconut, and sugar syrups. The following list of Indian mithai recipes is a series of common desserts that you will find in any Indian home for special occasions.

Vegan Besan Ladoo

This vegan besan ladoo recipe is a traditional Indian dessert that is made with chickpea flour (otherwise known as besan flour), sugar, cardamom, chopped almonds, and more. I love the roasted nutty flavor of besan with cardamom, saffron, and coconut. This ladoo brings up childhood memories for me. Taking a bite of these causes me to go back to my young self and takes me back to India with the warm feeling, and the aroma of the spices and coconut. This recipe involves combining the mixture into little balls so that they are almost like chocolate truffles that you can pick up and eat by hand. While this dessert often uses ghee, this one is completely vegan as it uses melted cocoa butter or coconut oil for the fat component instead.

Burfi (Vegan)

Burfi is a classic Indian dessert that is often served for Indian celebrations or given as gifts. It has a combination of earthy, nutty, and sweet flavors from semolina flour, coconut flour, almonds, and pistachios, along with a fudgy texture due to how finely chopped the ingredients are. Traditionally, this dessert includes dried evaporated milk solids (khoya) but the combination of semolina, coconut flour, and coconut oil take its place to create that signature fudgy texture.

Carrot Halwa Trifle

Carrot halwa trifle is my take on a traditional north Indian dessert that is made in winters when fresh red carrots are in season. This recipe is complex and has a lot of ingredients that add layers to this recipe. This recipe involves simmering the carrots in cashew milk along with nuts and spices. It is a sweet, slow-cooked dish that offers winter warmth and is served with whipped cream made with coconut and topped with more nuts. Assembled in tall glass dessert glasses, this is an Indian-inspired dessert that you will be unlikely to forget!

Rava Ladoo

This rava ladoo recipe is an incredibly easy Indian dessert to make using semolina and coconut flour as the base. Similar to besan ladoo, this recipe involves shaping a sweet mixture into small balls so that you can enjoy them for Indian festivals like Diwali. This dessert isn’t always 100% plant-based, but this version is suitable for a vegan diet as it uses coconut oil in place of the usual ghee.

Indian Puddings & Creams

Indian puddings often include grains like rice along with sophisticated flavors and textures including nuts, citrus, aromatic spices, and citrus. Ranging from being cooked on the stove to requiring no cooking at all, here are some puddings that you can make at home.

Vegan Rice Kheer Pudding

Kheer is a traditional rice pudding in India that is served for special occasions; it includes basmati rice, coconut milk, chopped nuts, spices, and raisins. Vegan rice kheer is my favorite traditional Indian dessert. I have such great memories of have some cold kheer on hot summer days. After a lot of experimenting, I found that a mix of coconut and almond works really well for replacing the full fat whole milk in this recipe. All other ingredients are pretty standard for a kheer. This creamy rice pudding dessert can be served warm off the stove or chilled from the refrigerator depending on your preference. Often, kheer will use whole milk but this is a vegan rice kheer pudding by using plant-based coconut milk instead.

Low-Carb Chia Pudding Parfait

Chia puddings are popular as they are no cook and easy to make, and this low-carb chia pudding parfait is no different. The chia seeds helps thicken the almond milk mixture into a creamy mixture, which is Indian-inspired with the inclusion of cardamom pods and golden saffron threads. All you have to do is mix all of the ingredients together and allow the mixture to gel in the fridge before serving it garnished with fresh berries, nuts, and seeds.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Creamy and healthy with fresh avocado and cocoa powder, this chocolate avocado pudding will be sure to satisfy any chocolate lover. It is a creamy pudding that has the sophisticated addition of orange zest for some added citrus notes.

Cakes & Bakes

Layer cakes and loaf-style cakes can be enjoyed all year round for special occasions or simply because you and your family would like something sweet. The following list includes an array of cake recipes that anyone will enjoy whether they are vegan or not.

Fresh Fig Cake

This beautiful fresh fig cake includes a fluffy lemon scented cake, vegan cream cheese frosting, fresh figs, and walnuts. If you are fortunate enough to have access to fresh figs, this is the place to use them as they get arrange on top so that you can see their beautiful pink centers. The walnuts add the perfect amount of crunch to contrast the softer texture of the cake.

Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake

If you have ever wanted to marry a chocolate cake with fragrant banana bread, now is your chance! This vegan chocolate banana cake recipe is a fluffy cake that is sweet from the banana flavor and rich from the addition of cacao powder. The inclusion of healthful ingredients like flax seed, applesauce, and walnuts makes this a cake that is just as suitable for breakfast as it is for dessert.

Vegan Carrot Cake

Soft and fluffy with a delicate crumb, sweet and creamy coconut cream cheese frosting, and spiced undertones, this vegan carrot cake is a favorite for a reason. The pineapple adds sweetness and moisture while the fresh ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg imparts a spiciness to the cake.

Orange Cake With Coconut

Orange cake with coconut is a loaf-style cake that can easily be sliced and served whenever you and your family need something sweet. The shredded coconut in the batter adds a nice contrast to the earthy spelt flour while the orange juice brightens up all the flavors with its fragrance and tanginess. This cake is wonderful served for dessert, an afternoon snack with cups of tea, or toasted for breakfast with vegan butter. For another recipe that contains coconut and citrus, you may enjoy my citrus coconut macaroons recipe which are chewy and delicious.

Chocolate & No-Bake Treats

Chocolate has a complex flavor profile with both sweetness and bitterness, making it appealing to enjoy on its own or infuse into desserts. Whether you have a penchant for creamy chocolate truffles or chewy brownies, you will find a recipe here for you.

Vegan Coconut Chocolate Truffles

Classic chocolate truffles include a chocolate ganache filling with heavy cream and chopped chocolate along with a cocoa powder coating. However, these vegan coconut chocolate truffles are a little different as they use coconut cream for the ganache instead. The results are rich chocolates that you will not forget anytime soon.

Chocolate Mousse

This chocolate mousse only requires five ingredients and is completely vegan. It uses silken tofu as the base, which helps achieve that silky mousse-like texture without the need for milk, cream, or eggs. An added bonus is that it is higher in protein and lower in sugar than your average dessert.

Vegan Brownies

If you have been looking for the best vegan brownie ever, then try these vegan brownies, which are chocolaty and sweet. They include flax and water as replacements for whole eggs, applesauce in place of the usual butter, and vegan chocolate chips instead of chocolate that may include dairy. Plus, you can adjust the baking time depending on whether you like your brownies more chewy or cake-like.

Tips for Making Vegan Indian Desserts

If there are particular Indian sweet recipes that you love that you would like to adapt to a vegan diet, rest assured that it is easier than you think. From replacing your traditional dairy milks with plant-based milks or cashew cream to swapping maple syrup for honey, here are some ways you can make your family’s Indian desserts into healthy Indian desserts and suitable for a vegan diet:

• Dairy Swaps: Many Indian desserts use cow’s milk along with other animal milks, yogurt, and ghee (a type of clarified butter). Fortunately, if you follow a vegan diet, you can easily replace dairy milk with plant milks like soy, coconut, almond, and cashew milk. Meanwhile, you can swap traditional yogurt with coconut yogurt, and ghee with coconut oil or vegan butter.
• Sweetener Options: Most of the sweeteners that are used in Indian desserts will be ok for a vegan diet. However, if you are preparing something that typically uses honey, such as honey barfi, ladoo, or gajar ka halwa, you will want to replace it with a vegan syrup such as maple syrup or agave syrup.
• Cashew Cream Basics: Indian mithai recipes often rely on yogurt and milk for creaminess. Fortunately, if you are following a vegan diet, you can make cashew cream as a replacement for creamy elements in your vegan Indian desserts. For example, consider replacing milk or yogurt with the cashew cream in any dessert you choose to make such as parfait-style desserts or kheer rice pudding. To make cashew cream, you simply soak cashews in water for several hours to soften them before pureeing them to a smoothy, creamy consistency.

Storage & Make-Ahead

There are so many Indian sweet recipes but if you want to store them or make them ahead, you definitely could! For desserts like burfi or ladoo, you can place them in airtight containers and store them at room temperature for a few days or in the fridge where they will stay fresh for a few weeks. Meanwhile, puddings that you make like the carrot halwa trifle of vegan rice kheer pudding are best covered and stored in the fridge where they should keep for a few days.

Frosted cakes or ones glazed with ganache, like my vegan chocolate cake recipe, should be loosely wrapped and refrigerated where they will keep for a few days. If you like a softer icing, you can then pull it out of the fridge to come up to room temperature before serving. Cakes that don’t include icing, like my orange cake with coconut, can be covered at room temperature where it will stay fresh for up to 4 days. It can also be tightly wrapped and placed in the freezer for up to 4 months.

FAQs