12 Traditional Andhra Diwali Sweets

Prashant Dhingra

Andhra's Deepavali sweets mix jaggery-rich home classics with famous town specialities.

By Prashant Dhingra

See all 12 sweets Keeping guide

Chart titled 12 Traditional Andhra Diwali Sweets, showing Ariselu, Pootharekulu, Kakinada Kaja, Bandar Laddu, Sunnundalu, Boorelu (Poornalu), Bobbatlu, Bellam Gavvalu, Madatha Kaja, Rava Laddu, Palakova, Kajjikayalu

In short

Andhra's Deepavali sweets mix jaggery-rich home classics with famous town specialities. Homes make ariselu, sunnundalu, bellam gavvalu, boorelu and bobbatlu; Kakinada kaja, Atreyapuram pootharekulu and Machilipatnam's bandar laddu are bought or gifted. Many of the fried and jaggery sweets also return at Sankranti.

Diwali sweets in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra sweets lean on jaggery, rice flour, urad dal and ghee. The East Godavari district alone gives two of the best-known: the paper-thin pootharekulu of Atreyapuram and the juicy kaja of Kakinada. Long-keeping sweets such as ariselu and sunnundalu are made in bulk and shared across the season.

The 12 sweets

What each one is, what it is made of, and how long it keeps.

01 of 12
Ariselu
Fried & crispKeeps 2+ weeks
Rice-flour and jaggery discs topped with sesame, fried and pressed between two ladles to squeeze out excess oil. Andhra's cousin of anarsa and adhirasam.

Made with: Soaked rice flour, jaggery, sesame seeds, ghee
02 of 12
Pootharekulu
Layered specialtyKeeps 2+ weeks
'Paper sweet' from Atreyapuram: tissue-thin rice starch sheets layered with ghee and sugar or jaggery, folded into rolls. Making the sheets is a specialist craft.

Made with: Rice starch sheets, ghee, powdered sugar or jaggery, nuts
03 of 12
Kakinada Kaja
Syrup-soakedKeeps about a week
A layered fried pastry from Kakinada, soaked so the inside stays juicy with syrup while the outside is crisp.

Made with: Maida, ghee, sugar syrup
04 of 12
Bandar Laddu
LadooKeeps 2+ weeks
A rich, coarse-textured laddu from Machilipatnam (Bandar), made with gram flour pounded with jaggery and plenty of ghee.

Made with: Gram flour, jaggery or sugar, ghee, cardamom
05 of 12
Sunnundalu
LadooKeeps 2+ weeks
Ladoos of roasted and ground urad dal with jaggery and ghee. Protein-rich and long-keeping; often made for new mothers too.

Made with: Roasted urad dal, jaggery or sugar, ghee
06 of 12
Boorelu (Poornalu)
Fried & crispBest eaten fresh
Balls of sweet chana dal and coconut filling dipped in rice and urad dal batter and deep-fried. Crisp outside, soft inside; best eaten warm.

Made with: Chana dal, jaggery, coconut, rice and urad dal batter
07 of 12
Bobbatlu
Stuffed pastry & flatbreadRefrigerate, 2 to 4 days
Andhra's puran poli: a thin flatbread stuffed with sweet chana dal and jaggery, roasted with ghee.

Made with: Chana dal, jaggery, maida, ghee
08 of 12
Bellam Gavvalu
Fried & crispKeeps 2+ weeks
Small shell-shaped pieces (gavvalu means cowrie shells) rolled on a fork or comb, fried and coated in thick jaggery syrup.

Made with: Wheat flour or maida, jaggery syrup
09 of 12
Madatha Kaja
Syrup-soakedKeeps 2+ weeks
A folded, many-layered kaja (madata means fold), fried crisp and coated in syrup that sets. Drier than Kakinada kaja and keeps longer.

Made with: Maida, ghee, sugar syrup
10 of 12
Rava Laddu
LadooKeeps about a week
Roasted semolina and coconut ladoo with cashews and raisins, quick to make on the festival morning.

Made with: Semolina, coconut, sugar, ghee, cashews
11 of 12
Palakova
Milk & chhenaRefrigerate, 2 to 4 days
Milk slowly reduced to a grainy, caramel-tinged kova with a little sugar. Simple ingredients; the skill is in the stirring.

Made with: Milk, sugar
12 of 12
Kajjikayalu
Stuffed pastry & flatbreadKeeps 2+ weeks
Andhra's karanji: a crimped crescent pastry with a dry coconut or semolina filling, fried until crisp.

Made with: Maida, dry coconut or rava, sugar, cardamom

At a glance: type and keeping time

Make the long-keeping sweets first and the milk-based ones last. Keeping times are typical for homemade sweets in an airtight container in a cool kitchen; shop-bought sweets may differ.

Sweet	Type	Keeps
Ariselu	Fried & crisp	Keeps 2+ weeks
Pootharekulu	Layered specialty	Keeps 2+ weeks
Kakinada Kaja	Syrup-soaked	Keeps about a week
Bandar Laddu	Ladoo	Keeps 2+ weeks
Sunnundalu	Ladoo	Keeps 2+ weeks
Boorelu (Poornalu)	Fried & crisp	Best eaten fresh
Bobbatlu	Stuffed pastry & flatbread	Refrigerate, 2 to 4 days
Bellam Gavvalu	Fried & crisp	Keeps 2+ weeks
Madatha Kaja	Syrup-soaked	Keeps 2+ weeks
Rava Laddu	Ladoo	Keeps about a week
Palakova	Milk & chhena	Refrigerate, 2 to 4 days
Kajjikayalu	Stuffed pastry & flatbread	Keeps 2+ weeks

Related sweets in other states

Ariselu: soaked rice flour and jaggery dough, rested, then fried. Related: Anarsa (Maharashtra), Adhirasam (Tamil Nadu), Anarsa (Bihar).
Kajjikayalu: a sealed half-moon pastry with a dry sweet filling, fried crisp. Related: Karanji (Maharashtra), Karjikai (Karnataka), Ghughra (Gujarat), Somas (Tamil Nadu), Pedakiya (Bihar).
Bobbatlu: chana dal and jaggery filling inside a thin flatbread. Related: Puran Poli (Maharashtra), Obbattu / Holige (Karnataka).
Kakinada Kaja / Madatha Kaja: many thin layers fried crisp, then sugared or soaked. Related: Chirote (Maharashtra), Chiroti (Karnataka), Khaja (Bihar).
Palakova: milk cooked down for hours into kova, peda or kunda. Related: Palkova (Tamil Nadu), Dharwad Peda (Karnataka), Belagavi Kunda (Karnataka), Basundi (Maharashtra), Basundi (Gujarat).

Frequently asked questions

What are the most popular Andhra Diwali sweets?

Andhra's Deepavali sweets mix jaggery-rich home classics with famous town specialities. Homes make ariselu, sunnundalu, bellam gavvalu, boorelu and bobbatlu; Kakinada kaja, Atreyapuram pootharekulu and Machilipatnam's bandar laddu are bought or gifted. Many of the fried and jaggery sweets also return at Sankranti.

Which Andhra Diwali sweets keep longest for gifting?

Ariselu, Pootharekulu, Bandar Laddu, Sunnundalu, Bellam Gavvalu, Madatha Kaja and Kajjikayalu keep for two weeks or more in an airtight container, so they can be made first and are the safest to gift or courier.

Which Andhra Diwali sweets need to be made last or refrigerated?

Boorelu (Poornalu), Bobbatlu and Palakova are milk-, chhena-, curd- or fresh-coconut based or best served warm. Make them a day or two ahead at most, refrigerate, and serve within a few days.

Which other states make similar sweets?

Rice and jaggery fried discs: Anarsa (Maharashtra), Adhirasam (Tamil Nadu), Anarsa (Bihar). Crimped crescent pastries: Karanji (Maharashtra), Karjikai (Karnataka), Ghughra (Gujarat), Somas (Tamil Nadu), Pedakiya (Bihar). Sweet-stuffed flatbreads: Puran Poli (Maharashtra), Obbattu / Holige (Karnataka). Layered fried pastries: Chirote (Maharashtra), Chiroti (Karnataka), Khaja (Bihar). Slow-reduced milk sweets: Palkova (Tamil Nadu), Dharwad Peda (Karnataka), Belagavi Kunda (Karnataka), Basundi (Maharashtra), Basundi (Gujarat).