# List of Indian sweets and desserts

This is a list of Indian sweets and desserts, also called mithai, a significant element in Indian cuisine. Indians are known for their unique taste and experimental behavior when it comes to food. Many Indian desserts are fried foods made with sugar, milk or condensed milk. Ingredients and preferred types of dessert vary by region. In the eastern part of India, for example, most are based on milk products. Many are flavoured with almonds and pistachios, spiced with cardamon, nutmeg, cloves and black pepper, and decorated with nuts, or with gold or silver leaf.

## North

| Name | Main ingredients | Category |
| Arisa Pitha | Rice flour, Jaggery | Fried, jaggery based |
| Apple Halwa | Apple, Milk, Ghee | Halva |
| Boondi | Gram flour (besan), ghee, sugar. | Sugar syrup based |
| Gajar Paak | Carrots, milk, sugar, ghee, cashews and raisins. | Halva |
| Ghevar | Flour, ghee, kewra, milk, clarified butter, sugar, almonds, pistachio, saffron, green cardamom. | Fried, sugar syrup based |
| Gulab jamun | Fried milk balls soaked in sweet syrup, such as rose syrup or honey. | Fried, sugar syrup based |
| Imarti | Sugar syrup, lentil flour. | Fried, sugar syrup based |
| Jalebi | Dough fried in a coil shape dipped in sugar syrup, often taken with milk, tea, yogurt, or lassi. | Fried, sugar syrup based |
| Kaju katli | Cashews, ghee with cardamom and sugar. | Barfi |
| Kalakand | Milk, cottage cheese. | Burfi |
| Kheer | A rice pudding made with milk, rice, sugar and dried fruits | Pudding |
| Khirmohan | Chhena, sugar, semolina, water. | Sugar syrup based |
| Kulfi | An ice cream made with milk and sugar, with a variety of flavours such as mango, saffron, or cardamom. | Ice cream |
| Laddu | Gram flour (besan), ghee, sugar. | Laddu |
| Lassi | Yogurt, milk, nuts, can be made with mango. | Yogurt drink |
| Motichoor laddu | Besan flour, sugar. | Laddu |
| Makhan Bada | Maida flour, yogurt, oil, sugar. | Sugar syrup based |
| Malpua | Wheat or rice flour. | Fried, sugar syrup based |
| Nankhatai | Refined flour, besan, ghee, powdered sugar, yogurt green cardamom seeds. | Baked |
| Petha | Firm white pumpkin, sugar, kitchen lime, alum powder. | Sugar syrup based |
| Phirni | Rice, sugar, nuts. | Pudding |
| Rabri | Boiled condensed milk, sugar, spices and nuts. | Pudding |
| Sheera | Semolina, ghee, nuts, milk. | Pudding |
| Singori | Khoa, coconut, molu leaf. | Milk-based |
| Sohan halwa | Corn flour, ghee, dry fruits. | Halva |
| Sohan papdi, pateesa | Besan flour. | Barfi |
| Bihari Makuti | Moong Dal, milk | Pudding. |

## East

| Name | Main ingredients | Category |
| Amriti | Deep fried vigna mungo, sugar syrup. | Fried, sugar syrup based |
| Cham cham | Flour, cream, sugar, saffron, lemon juice, coconut flakes. | Milk-based |
| Chandrapuli | Khoa, sugar, ghee, coconut flakes. | Coconut and milk based |
| Chhena gaja | Chhena, sugar, ghee. | Milk-based |
| Chhena jalebi | Chhena, sugar, ghee. | Milk-based |
| Chhena Jhili | whole milk, refined flour, powdered sugar, cardamom, oil/ghee for deep frying | Milk based |
| Chhena kheeri | Chhena, sugar, milk. | Milk-based |
| Chhena poda | Sugar, chenna cheese. | Milk-based |
| Chuda Ghasa | Rice Flakes (Poha), Sugar powder or Jaggery, Desi Ghee, Grated fresh Coconut, Pepper Powder, big cardamon powder, Dry fruits Optional | Flatten rice/rice flakes, sugar/jaggery, ghee based |
| Coconut Barfi | Made from coconut, fine ground sugar, ghee, cardamom powder and milk. | Coconut and milk based |
| Jaynagarer Moa | gur, cow ghee, Kanakchur khoi | Fried and Rice-based |
| Kheer sagar | Chenna, condensed milk, sugar, saffron, cardamom. | Milk-based |
| Kolar Bora | banana, coconut, maida, sugar, oil | Fried and Banana-based |
| Labanga latika | maida, khoa, nutmeg (powdered), grated coconut, ghee, nuts, raisins, cardamom, cloves and sugar | Fried and sugar-syrup based |
| Ledikeni | Chhena, sugar, ghee. | Milk-based |
| Lyangcha | Flour, fried milk powder, sugar syrup. | Milk-based |
| Malapua (dessert) | Yogurt, refined flour, ghee, fennel seeds. | Milk-based |
| Mihidana | Besan flour, sugar, ghee. | Fried, sugar syrup based |
| Misti doi | Yogurt, jaggery. | Milk-based |
| Pantua | Chhena, sugar, ghee | Milk-based |
| Pithe | Rice flour. | Milk-based |
| Puri Khaja | Refined flour (maida), pure ghee, sugar, refined cooking oil for frying (Pure ghee may also be used for frying) Salt to taste | Ghee and refined flour-based |
| Rabri | Sweetened milk. | Milk-based |
| Rasabali | Chenna, sweetened milk. | Milk-based |
| Ras malai | Chhena, reduced milk, pistachio | Milk-based |
| Rasgulla | Chhena, sugar | Milk-based |
| Sandesh | Made from cheese, kneaded with fine ground sugar and molasses. | Milk-based |
| Sarpuria | cream, sugar, maida, gheecardamom powder | Fried and Milk-based |
| Sirir naru | jaggery and gram flour, mustard oil for deep fry | Jaggery based |
| Shorbhaja | sugar, cream, ghee, maida | Fried, milk and sugar syrup-based |
| Sitabhog | Chhena, rice flour, sugar, vermicelli/rice | Fried, rice, and sugar-syrup based |

## South

| Name | Main ingredients | Category |
| Ada | Rice flour, grated coconut, jaggery or sugar | |
| Ada pradhaman | Rice Ada, coconut milk, jaggery, nuts, raisins, cardamom | |
| Adhirasam/Khajjaya/Ariselu | Rice flour, jaggery, ghee, vegetable oil, elachi | |
| Arcot Makkan Peda | Khoa, Maida, Sugar, cardamon powder, stuffed with nuts | Similar to Gulab Jamun but stuffed with nuts. Famous in Arcot, Tamil Nadu |
| Bandar laddu | Besan, jaggery, cardamom powder, ghee, cashews and raisins, jaggery syrup, sugar | Laddu, popular in Machilipatanam, Andhra Pradesh |
| Boorelu | Chana dal, jaggery | |
| Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai | Nuts (usually peanuts), jaggery | |
| Dharwad Pedha | Milk, Sugar, Dharwadi buffalo milk | Burfi |
| Double ka Meetha | Loaf bread, milk | |
| Gavvalu | Rice flour | |
| Jaangiri | Black gram | Fry syrup based |
| Kakinada Kaaja | Wheat flour, sugar | |
| Kozhukkattai | Rice flour, Ground Nut, Jaggery, grated coconut | Similar to Modak in Tamil Nadu |
| Kuzhi paniyaram | Black lentils and rice | |
| Mysore Pak | Besan flour, sugar, ghee | Burfi |
| Obbattu / Holige / Bobbatlu / Pappu Polelu / Boli | Maida flour, Coconut or Channa Dal/Toor Dal, Jaggery | Bread |
| Srivilliputtur Palkova | Milk, Sugar | Famous in Srivilliputhur, Tamil Nadu |
| Palathalikalu | Rice flour, milk | |
| Pongal | rice, jaggery, cashews, ghee | |
| Pootharekulu | Rice flour, powdered sugar/ghee | |
| Tirunelveli Halwa | wheat flour, sugar, ghee, nuts, cardamom | A famous sweet in Tamil Nadu . |
| Khubani ka meetha | Apricots, sugar syrup | |
| Kesari bat | Rava (semolina, ghee, sugar) | |
| sheer khurma | Vermicelli, pudding, milk | |
| Unni Appam | Rice flour, banana, jaggery, coconut | |
| Kajjikaya | Rice flour, jaggery, coconut | |

## West

| Name | Main ingredients | Category |
| Aamras | Mango, milk | |
| Anarsa | Slightly fermented rice flour, jaggery, khus-khus seeds | |
| Basundi | Sugar, milk | |
| Bebinca | Flour, sugar, ghee, egg yolk, coconut milk | Baked layered Christmas sweet |
| Dhondas | Cucumber, rava | Baked cake |
| Doodhpak | Milk, rice, sugar, dry fruits | Milk-based |
| Kaju katli | Cashews, ghee | |
| Mahim halwa | Semolina, sugar | |
| Modak | Rice flour, coconut jaggery stuffing | Fried |
| Mohanthal | Besan, ghee, sugar and nuts | |
| Patoleo | Rice flour, coconut jaggery and grated coconut stuffing | Wrapped in turmeric leaves and steamed |
| Puran poli | Wheat flour, gram, jaggery | Bread |
| Shankarpali | Sugar, ghee, maida flour, semolina | |
| Shrikhand | A creamy dessert made out of strained yogurt, often served with dried fruits such as mangoes. | Yogurt-based |
| Sutar feni | Maida, sugar, ghee | |

## Pan-Indian

| Name | Main ingredients | Category |
| Barfi | Milk Powder | Barfi |
| Halva | Corn Flour | Boiled |
| Kheer | Milk, vermicelli, sugar, nuts | Milk-based, called Payasam in Southern parts of the country |
| Laddoo | Milk, flour | Laddu |
| Peda | Milk (khoya), sugar, saffron | Milk-based |