Holi 2025 Homemade Recipes: With Holi around the corner, we can’t wait for the array of mouthwatering sweets and snacks to go back to our childhood. While store-bought treats may tempt, there’s nothing quite like the joy of crafting your own festive delicacies. Homemade Holi sweets and snacks not only carry the magic of tradition but also allow you to control the ingredients, making them healthier and more personal. This Holi, bring your creative flair to the kitchen, blending age-old recipes with a modern twist with these Holi 2025 recipes.
From crisp gujiyas to the delicate, melt-in-your-mouth Malpuas, these homemade delights promise to elevate your celebration without the artificial colours or preservatives. After all, why settle for store-bought when you can have a festival of flavours, straight from your kitchen?
Holi 2025 Recipes to make your Holi party a success
The following recipes are by Niraamaya Wellness Retreats, an Ayurvedic-inspired luxury wellness resort.
Traditional Mawa Gujiya
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour – for the dough
2 tbsp ghee – for richness and crispness
Water (as needed) – to form the dough
1 cup khoya (mawa) – for the filling
2 tbsp powdered sugar – for sweetness
2 tbsp chopped nuts (almonds, cashews) – for crunch
1 tsp cardamom powder – for aroma and flavor
Oil for frying – for deep frying
Method:
Prepare the dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and ghee. Rub them together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Gradually add water and knead into a firm, smooth dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Prepare the filling: In another bowl, crumble the khoya and mix it with powdered sugar, chopped nuts, and cardamom powder. Mix well to create a uniform filling.
Shape the gujiyas: Divide the dough into small equal-sized balls. Roll each ball into a thin disc. Place a spoonful of the filling in the center. Fold the disc into a half-moon shape and seal the edges by pressing firmly or using a gujiya mold.
Fry the gujiyas: Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, gently place the gujiyas and fry until they turn golden brown and crisp.
Cool and store: Remove from oil, drain excess oil on paper towels, and let them cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Puran Poli
Ingredients:
1 cup wheat flour – for the dough
1/2 cup chana dal – for the filling
1/2 cup jaggery – for natural sweetness
1/2 tsp cardamom powder – for aroma
Ghee for cooking – for richness and flavour
Method:
Cook the dal: Rinse the chana dal and pressure cook it with enough water until soft. Drain the excess water and mash the dal until smooth.
Prepare the filling: In a pan, combine the cooked dal and jaggery. Cook on low heat until the mixture thickens and becomes dry. Add cardamom powder and mix well. Let it cool.
Make the dough: In a mixing bowl, combine wheat flour and water. Knead into a soft dough and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Shape the poli: Divide the dough into equal-sized balls. Roll each ball into a small disc, place a spoonful of the filling in the center, and seal it. Roll out gently into a thin, round shape.
Cook the puran poli: Heat a tawa (griddle) and cook the poli on medium heat, applying ghee on both sides, until golden brown.
Serve: Serve hot with more ghee or yogurt.
Namak Pare
Ingredients:
1 cup flour – for the dough
2 tbsp semolina – for crispness
1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain) – for flavor
Salt to taste – for seasoning
Oil for frying – for deep frying
Method:
Make the dough: In a mixing bowl, combine flour, semolina, carom seeds, and salt. Add 2 tablespoons of hot oil and mix until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Knead the dough: Add water little by little and knead into a stiff dough. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
Shape the pare: Divide the dough into small portions. Roll each portion into a thin sheet. Cut into strips or diamonds using a knife or pizza cutter.
Fry the pare: Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Carefully drop the cut pieces into the oil and fry until golden brown and crisp.
Drain and store: Remove from oil, drain on paper towels, and let them cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Kokum Thandai
This recipe by Novotel Goa is the perfect way to beat the heat this Holi.
Ingredients:
500 ml milk
250 ml Thandaai Syrup
100ml sweet kokum syrup
80 gms chopped almonds
50 gms chopped cashewnuts
50gms pistachio
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar (or to taste)
Ice cubes
Garnish
Dried fruit for garnish
Method
-Combine the milk, kokum syrup and all the ingredients and blend it, keep it rustic
-Add the sugar as desired
-Garnished with chopped dried fruit and top it up with ice.
Malpua with Rabri
This classic Holi 2025 recipe by Double Tree by Hilton, Panaji, can never stop being a favourite in Indian households. A childhood favourite, Malpua with Rabri will always be an instant hit.
Ingredients
For Malpua:
1 cup all-purpose flour (maida)
¼ cup semolina (sooji/rava)
½ cup milk
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp fennel seeds (saunf), crushed
½ tsp baking powder
Water (as needed, to adjust consistency)
Ghee or oil (for frying)
For Sugar Syrup:
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
½ tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp lemon juice (to prevent crystallisation)
Few saffron strands (optional)
For Rabri:
1 litre full-cream milk
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp chopped nuts (almonds, pistachios, cashews)
Few saffron strands (optional)
Method
-Heat milk in a heavy-bottomed pan and bring it to a boil.
-Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the milk thickens and reduces to half.
-Add sugar, cardamom powder, saffron strands, and chopped nuts. Mix well and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
-Turn off the heat and let it cool. Refrigerate for a chilled rabri.
-In a pan, dissolve sugar in water and bring it to a boil.
-Add cardamom powder and saffron strands.
-Simmer for a few minutes until the syrup reaches a slightly sticky consistency (one-string consistency).Add lemon juice to prevent crystallisation and keep warm.
-In a bowl, mix flour, semolina, sugar, fennel seeds, cardamom powder, and baking powder.
-Gradually add milk and water to form a smooth, flowing batter (not too thick or runny). Let the batter rest for 30 minutes.
-Heat ghee in a flat pan over medium heat.
-Pour a small ladle of batter into the ghee and let it spread naturally.
-Fry until golden brown on both sides, then remove and dip in the warm sugar syrup for a few seconds.
-Drain excess syrup and place it on a plate.
-Serve warm Malpua topped with chilled Rabri and garnished with chopped nuts.
