It’s that time of the year when the air fills with the scent of marigolds and homes shimmer with diyas. It is also the time when families and friends get together and celebrate with something as deeply emotional as mithai. While these traditional sweets and desserts remain at the heart of every Indian celebration, what is changing is how brands, bakers, and chefs are giving them a wellness makeover. They are crafting products that not only honour heritage but also embrace modern dietary preferences. In doing so, they are also rising to the challenges of the new-age consumer who is no longer choosing between indulgence and wellness—she is demanding both.
So, as you take your pick from sugar-free ladoos to millet or anjeer barfis and vegan pedas this Diwali, remember that you’re not only reimagining your festive treats but also sprinkling them with health, flavour, and creativity.
Mild to moderate
According to recent research by Mintel, nearly two-thirds of Indian adults now prefer their desserts to be mildly or moderately sweet. Health consciousness is influencing food choices like never before, and desserts are no exception. With sugar aversion steadily rising, from 21% in 2021 to 27% in 2025, consumers are seeking sweets made with natural alternatives like jaggery, coconut sugar, dates, and figs, instead of refined sugar.
“Mithai is deeply emotional in India, it marks every celebration. But now, people are demanding sweets that are not just nostalgic, but also nourishing,” says Tulsi Joshi, principal food and drink analyst, India, Mintel.
One of the key ways sweets are being renewed is through ingredients that enhance nutrition but without compromising on flavour. Brands are now taking mithai to a new level by blending organic superfoods with classic recipes.
Lucknow-based bakery and cafe shop Butter Story is using ragi instead of refined flour. Health and celebration go hand in hand, says its founder Harsh Batham. “We’ve replaced sugar with jaggery and dates; refined flour with ragi and millet. These ancient grains not only improve digestion but also support wellness across age groups, keeping the flavours intact while prioritising customer’s well being. Ragi and millet offer high nutrients whereas jaggery is good for digestion. They also add valuable nutrients like iron, calcium, protein packed nuts, seeds and dietary fibres in mithai,” added Batham.
Butter Story’s sugar-free anjeer, a unique sweet made with nutrient rich figs and nuts; sugar-free dry fruit made from dried fruits; and sugar-free date delight made from chopped nuts, are high in fibre and essential nutrients for guilt-free indulgence.
Dipti Sawalka, founder of Kolkata-based luxury mithai brand Varak, has a similar strategy. “We use ingredients like besan, pure khoya, figs, dates, and Kashmiri saffron. Each sweet is a balance of tradition and nutrition,” she adds.
Varak’s ‘petite mithai’ collection, bite-sized sweets that are portion-controlled yet flavourful, caters to mindful consumers who want just a taste of indulgence without going overboard. Among a few latest innovations, the brand has launched Varak slabs, fusion bars that combine chocolate with Indian elements like puffed rice, almonds, gond, and pistachios. These not only offer a unique treat but also make for trendy, healthier gifting options.
Healthy, not boring
Healthy doesn’t mean boring anymore. There’s more experimentation with familiar flavours adding contemporary flair. Handcrafted mithai brand Bombay Sweet Shop, for instance, has a guilt-free sweets box, a festive favourite, made with natural sweeteners and no refined sugar.
“Our nutty date barfi, dark chocolate and coffee barfi, and hazelnut besan barfi are a celebration of flavour, health, and imagination,” says Bombay Sweet Shop’s chief mithaiwala, Girish Nayak. “Our approach is simple. We borrow from what’s always existed and imagine what else it could be,” he adds.
Luxury hotels are also leaning into the healthy mithai trend, crafting sweets that suit both festive occasions and wellness goals. At the outlets of Meetha by Radisson, a culinary venture by Radisson Hotels South Asia that curates and sells a premium range of Indian sweets, over 100 varieties of mithai, with a strong focus on health-forward ingredients, are on offer.
Rakesh Sethi, corporate executive chef, says: “Our rose petal gulkand, cranberry delight, and chocolate almond barfis are not only indulgent but also sugar-reduced and made with natural ingredients. There is also a growing demand for zero refined sugar, jaggery/ dates sweetened mithai, diabetic-friendly, high fibre, lower calories, so we use ingredients like dates, figs (anjeer), nuts, seeds like flaxseed to replace part of sugar or to enrich nutritional value. We also have a range of vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free options on Diwali displays,” he explains.
Similarly, Crowne Plaza Greater Noida has launched khajur til peda, a guilt-free festive sweet made with a nutritious blend of dates (khajur), sesame seeds (til), figs (anjeer), pistachios (pista), almonds (badam), cashews (kaju), and a hint of brown sugar with a touch of organic ghee.
“We also have a khajur til coconut peda which is a naturally sweet and nutritious treat made from dates (khajur), sesame seeds (til), fresh coconut, and a hint of green cardamom. It is rich in fibre and healthy fats, offering a burst of festive flavour without any refined sugar,” says Arun Vats, executive chef, Crowne Plaza Greater Noida.
There is a shift towards mindful indulgence. Chef Astik Oberoi, Pastry Chef, The Leela Palace New Delhi, says, “Traditional mithai is being reimagined with natural sweeteners and what is equally significant is the move away from palm oil, replaced by healthier alternatives like ghee. This enables us to honour tradition while staying aligned with modern values of balance, responsibility, and mindful celebration.”
Mithai makeover
Consumers are moving away from large, sugar-heavy boxes and turning to curated hampers with health-conscious assortments. Mumbai-based patisserie and custom cake studio Toujours has introduced ‘conscious indulgence’, a range of wellness-forward treats. These vegan, refined flour-free, refined sugar-free and guilt-free treats are crafted for mindful celebrations. The range includes sugar-free boxes of spiced cashews, assorted truffles, dark chocolate chip and date walnut millet brownies, and assorted millet cookies in flavours such as hazelnut, pistachio, double chocolate, chocolate walnut; vegan boxes that have plant-based financiers, date squares, brownies, assorted cookies and truffles; guilt-free boxes that have truffles, assorted millet brownies, assorted millet cookies and chocolate chip tea cake. “People want sweets that feel intentional, not impulsive. Our products let them gift with care, both for the recipient and for themselves,” says co-founder Natasha Pereira.
In the process, consumers are placing a premium on authenticity, artisanal craft, and clean ingredients. At Khoya Mithai, sugar-free creations like anjeer barfi, badam ladoo, and pink coconut ladoo sell well and so do their experimental treats like white chocolate aam papad barfi and coffee peda. Their sugar-free mithai box is a mindful curation of traditional sweets, crafted without added sugar, featuring pink coconut ladoo, Bikaneri barfi, roasted besan ladoo, kesar barfi, walnut peda.
“Mithai continues to hold its place at the heart of every occasion, but today’s consumer seeks creations that are conscious and refined while still rooted in legacy. So we have reimagined our sugar-free collection in pink coconut ladoo, slow-roasted besan ladoo, Mathura peda, and khoya peda. We have also introduced Khoya Bars, available in three variants —orange, oats, and pistachio. The orange and pistachio bars are naturally sweetened with Medjool dates and honey, while the oats bar combines oats with a nourishing texture,” says founder Sid Mathur.
Global brands are also adding a local twist to join the mithai makeover. Carvel, the American soft-serve ice cream franchise, has recently expanded into India through its master franchisee, Unify Foodworks, with plans to open numerous stores across the country and introduce localised flavours alongside American classics. Their Diwali specials include Gulab Jamun Lava Sundae, Filter Coffee Dasher, and Tutti Frutti Carvelanche. “Our goal is to be locally relevant while staying true to Carvel’s legacy of joy,” says Sumer Sethi, founder of Unify Foodworks, adding: “Indian flavours are reimagined in global formats to help create new traditions.”
