20 Most Popular Indian Sweets To Have

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Most Indians are known for having a sweet tooth. When it comes to having 'something sweet', we are all equally guilty. That is why there is an amazing variety of popular Indian sweets. These Indian desserts are in high demand all over the world. All the different popular Indian desserts hail from various parts of India. Almost every state in this country has its own variety of 'mithai' or sweetmeat.

For example, rasgulla is a popular Indian sweet from Kolkata. Bengal is the hub of many popular Indian sweets. But none can beat the popularity of rasgullas. This special Indian dessert was invented in Kolkata and you will get the softest melting in the mouth rasgulla only here. Another perfect example would be Mysore pak. This sweetmeat which is dripping in ghee hails from the city of Mysore. People all over the country have now developed a taste for this popular Indian sweet.

The list of popular Indian sweets is almost never-ending. Some of these mithai enjoy global popularity. For example laddoos and jalebis are famous in very corner of India. Each of these of Indian desserts come in many different varieties. Laddoos can be made of boondi, atta, sattu etc. Here are some of the most popular Indian sweets that enjoy legendary status, and also check out the best places to have them.

Rasgulla

Rasgullas are white balls of sponge that are dipped in a sweetened syrup. A famous sweet shop owner N C Das invented rasgullas. His recipe is still followed in all the old 'mishti' shops of Kolkata,

Rabri

Rabri is a specialty of Banaras. It is basically thickened milk with dry fruits and kesar. Enjoying a plate of rabri while sitting on the ghats of the Ganga is an ethereal experience.

Sandesh

Sandesh is a type of sweetmeat that is made out of milk cakes. Sandesh also is a popular Indian sweet from Bengal. You get different types of sandesh like korapak (with jaggery), ice cream sandesh, mango sandesh etc.

Kaju Katli

Kaju Katli is a Marwari sweet that is famous all over India. These diamond shaped sweets are filled with rich flavour of cashew nuts.

Laddo

Laddos are basically round sweetmeats that are rolled by hand. The bright orange motichur laddos are the best known varieties.

Barfi

Barfi is composed of condensed milk and sugar cooked together. They are of various shapes and sizes and hail from Northern India.

Mysore Pak

As the name suggest, Mysore pak is a sweetmeat from the royal city of Mysore. It is yellow in colour and literally dripping with ghee.

Rasmalai

Rasmalai is a sweet dish that is popular in the Northern belt. You can enjoy these sweets in Haridwar, Kanpur etc.

Malpua

Malpua is a fried sweet dish that is popular all over India. It is a type of pancake that is deep fried and then soaked in sugar syrup. You will find the best Malpuas in Bengal.

Peda

Peda is a sweetmeat that is usually served to the gods. It is extremely sweet and comes in small rounded shapes.

Ghewar

Ghewar is a sweet that distinctly hails from Rajasthan. Ghevar is prepared with khoya and it is made on auspicious occasions.

Modak

Modak is a sweet filled dumpling that is made in Maharashtra. Modak is the favourite sweet of Lord Ganesha and thus enjoys special status among Marathi people.

Phirni

If you want to have the best phirni, then you have to wait till Ramzan or Eid. This sweet dish is prepared by thickening milk and freezing it in earthen pots.

Halwa

Halwa is a term that covers a very wide variety of sweets. The one thing common in it is that the ingredients are boiled in milk. Gajar ka halwa or carrot halwa is the most popular variety of this sweet.

Petha

Pethas are popular sweetmeats from the city of Agra. If you go to Agra then make sure you grab some pethas apart from gazing at the Taj.

Soan Papdi

Soan papdi is sweet dish that hails basically from Gujarat. This flaky sweet is for people who like a little less of sugar in their sweets.

Kalakand

Kalakand is a white coloured sweet that is almost totally made up of khoya and garnished with dry fruits. It is very sweet and melts in the mouth.

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamuns actually have nothing to do with roses. They are deep fried soft balls of khoya that have been dipped in sugar syrup.

Gujiya

Gujiya is again a deep fried sweet snack that is prepared in north India. A filling of coconut and jaggery is stuffed inside dough balls. Then the sweet batter is fried and dipped in sugar syrup.

Jalebi

The jalebi batter has urad dal, chenna and sugar syrup. Jalebis are criss-crossed web of of lines that are hand-made and then deep fried. They are served hot with rabri or sweet curd sometimes.