12 Traditional Gujarati Diwali Sweets

Prashant Dhingra

Gujarati Diwali sweets are rich in ghee and gram flour: mohanthal, magaj and sukhdi are made at home in big batches, alongside ghughra, kopra pak and the winter-warming adadiya pak.

By Prashant Dhingra

See all 12 sweets Keeping guide

Chart titled 12 Traditional Gujarati Diwali Sweets, showing Mohanthal, Magaj, Sukhdi / Golpapdi, Ghughra, Adadiya Pak, Kopra Pak, Suterfeni, Basundi, Shrikhand, Lapsi, Dudhi Halwo, Kansar

In short

Gujarati Diwali sweets are rich in ghee and gram flour: mohanthal, magaj and sukhdi are made at home in big batches, alongside ghughra, kopra pak and the winter-warming adadiya pak. Suterfeni, basundi and shrikhand round out the festive table. Lapsi and kansar are cooked for auspicious starts, including Bestu Varas, the Gujarati New Year the day after Diwali.

Diwali sweets in Gujarat

In Gujarat, Diwali runs straight into Bestu Varas, the New Year, when families visit each other with boxes of homemade sweets and farsan. Many of these sweets set in a thali and are cut into squares, which makes them easy to pack and share.

The 12 sweets

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

01 of 12
Mohanthal
Barfi & fudgeKeeps 2+ weeks
Coarse gram flour roasted in ghee, cooked with syrup and khoya, set in a tray and cut into squares. Rich, grainy and fragrant with saffron.

Made with: Coarse gram flour, ghee, milk, sugar syrup, khoya, saffron, cardamom
02 of 12
Magaj
Barfi & fudgeKeeps 2+ weeks
A gram-flour fudge made without syrup: roasted besan and ghee are mixed with powdered sugar and set. Simpler than mohanthal.

Made with: Gram flour, ghee, powdered sugar, nuts
03 of 12
Sukhdi / Golpapdi
Barfi & fudgeKeeps 2+ weeks
Wheat flour roasted in ghee and stirred with jaggery off the heat, then set and cut. Ready in about 15 minutes.

Made with: Wheat flour, ghee, jaggery
04 of 12
Ghughra
Stuffed pastry & flatbreadKeeps 2+ weeks
Gujarat's karanji: a crimped pastry filled with roasted semolina or khoya, coconut, sugar and nuts, then fried.

Made with: Maida, semolina or khoya, coconut, sugar, nuts
05 of 12
Adadiya Pak
Barfi & fudgeKeeps 2+ weeks
A dense, spiced fudge of urad dal flour, ghee and edible gum, eaten through winter for warmth and strength.

Made with: Urad dal flour, ghee, edible gum, dry ginger, nutmeg, sugar
06 of 12
Kopra Pak
Barfi & fudgeKeeps about a week
Coconut barfi cooked with sugar and milk, soft and fragrant with cardamom.

Made with: Coconut, sugar, milk, cardamom
07 of 12
Suterfeni
Fried & crispKeeps 2+ weeks
Fine, thread-like nests of layered pastry, fried and dusted with sugar. Eaten as is or soaked in warm sweetened milk.

Made with: Maida, ghee, rice flour, powdered sugar
08 of 12
Basundi
Milk & chhenaRefrigerate, 2 to 4 days
Slow-reduced sweet milk with nuts and cardamom, served chilled with puri or on its own.

Made with: Full-fat milk, sugar, cardamom, nuts
09 of 12
Shrikhand
Milk & chhenaRefrigerate, 2 to 4 days
Chilled, silky strained yogurt with saffron and cardamom; a Gujarati thali favorite with puri.

Made with: Hung curd, sugar, saffron, cardamom, pistachios
10 of 12
Lapsi
Halwa & puddingBest eaten fresh
Broken wheat roasted in ghee and cooked with jaggery or sugar. Considered auspicious, it is made for new beginnings such as Bestu Varas.

Made with: Broken wheat, ghee, jaggery or sugar, cardamom
11 of 12
Dudhi Halwo
Halwa & puddingRefrigerate, 2 to 4 days
Grated bottle gourd cooked down in milk and sugar until glossy and pale green.

Made with: Bottle gourd, milk, sugar, ghee, cardamom
12 of 12
Kansar
Halwa & puddingBest eaten fresh
A traditional sweet of coarse wheat cooked with jaggery, served hot with ghee and sugar poured on top at the table.

Made with: Coarse wheat flour, jaggery or sugar, ghee

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
Mohanthal	Barfi & fudge	Keeps 2+ weeks
Magaj	Barfi & fudge	Keeps 2+ weeks
Sukhdi / Golpapdi	Barfi & fudge	Keeps 2+ weeks
Ghughra	Stuffed pastry & flatbread	Keeps 2+ weeks
Adadiya Pak	Barfi & fudge	Keeps 2+ weeks
Kopra Pak	Barfi & fudge	Keeps about a week
Suterfeni	Fried & crisp	Keeps 2+ weeks
Basundi	Milk & chhena	Refrigerate, 2 to 4 days
Shrikhand	Milk & chhena	Refrigerate, 2 to 4 days
Lapsi	Halwa & pudding	Best eaten fresh
Dudhi Halwo	Halwa & pudding	Refrigerate, 2 to 4 days
Kansar	Halwa & pudding	Best eaten fresh

Related sweets in other states

Ghughra: a sealed half-moon pastry with a dry sweet filling, fried crisp. Related: Karanji (Maharashtra), Kajjikayalu (Andhra Pradesh), Karjikai (Karnataka), Somas (Tamil Nadu), Pedakiya (Bihar).
Suterfeni: hair-fine fried pastry nests, eaten dry or with milk. Related: Feeni (Rajasthan).
Mohanthal / Magaj: besan roasted in ghee and set with sugar. Related: Mysore Pak (Karnataka), Mysore Pak (Tamil Nadu), Mohanthal (Rajasthan), Besan Chakki (Rajasthan), Besan Burfi (Burfi).
Basundi: milk cooked down for hours into kova, peda or kunda. Related: Palakova (Andhra Pradesh), Palkova (Tamil Nadu), Dharwad Peda (Karnataka), Belagavi Kunda (Karnataka), Basundi (Maharashtra).

Frequently asked questions

What are the most popular Gujarati Diwali sweets?

Gujarati Diwali sweets are rich in ghee and gram flour: mohanthal, magaj and sukhdi are made at home in big batches, alongside ghughra, kopra pak and the winter-warming adadiya pak. Suterfeni, basundi and shrikhand round out the festive table. Lapsi and kansar are cooked for auspicious starts, including Bestu Varas, the Gujarati New Year the day after Diwali.

Which Gujarati Diwali sweets keep longest for gifting?

Mohanthal, Magaj, Sukhdi / Golpapdi, Ghughra, Adadiya Pak and Suterfeni 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 Gujarati Diwali sweets need to be made last or refrigerated?

Basundi, Shrikhand, Lapsi, Dudhi Halwo and Kansar 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?

Crimped crescent pastries: Karanji (Maharashtra), Kajjikayalu (Andhra Pradesh), Karjikai (Karnataka), Somas (Tamil Nadu), Pedakiya (Bihar). Fine pastry threads: Feeni (Rajasthan). Gram flour and ghee fudges: Mysore Pak (Karnataka), Mysore Pak (Tamil Nadu), Mohanthal (Rajasthan), Besan Chakki (Rajasthan), Besan Burfi (Burfi). Slow-reduced milk sweets: Palakova (Andhra Pradesh), Palkova (Tamil Nadu), Dharwad Peda (Karnataka), Belagavi Kunda (Karnataka), Basundi (Maharashtra).