Diwali is more than lights and crackers, it’s about sharing sweets with family and friends. In 2025, many households are looking for ways to enjoy Traditional Indian Sweets while keeping them healthy and quick to prepare. By using organic ingredients like traditional millets, flattened rice (poha), natural sweeteners, and pure cow ghee, you can make sweets that are both delicious and nourishing.
These recipes are family-friendly, festive, and even suitable for diabetic patients in moderation when prepared with palm sugar or country sugar.
10 Traditional & Healthy Indian Diwali Sweets Recipes
Traditional Sweets in India with a Healthy Twist
1. Sathumaavu Laddus (Energy Balls)
Ingredients: Health Mix Powder, Palm Sugar, A2 Cow Ghee.
Method: Dry roast 2 cups of Ulamart 53 ingredients health mix powder. Boil water and add 1½ cup of palm sugar to prepare syrup and put off the flame. Then mix the roasted powder in the syrup along with 2 spoons of ghee and prepare a soft dough. Add crushed nuts for added taste and roll into laddus.
Why healthy: Protein-rich, filling, and great snacks for kids. Safe for diabetics in small portions.
2. Thinai Halwa
Ingredients: Foxtail Millet (Thinai), Country Sugar, Cow Ghee.
Method: Roast 1 cup of Foxtail Millet and grind to powder. Add 2 spoons of ghee, mix 2 cups of water with the flour and start cooking. Then add 3/4 cup of country sugar and keep cooking. Add ghee in between and keep stirring until the mixture doesn’t stick to the sides of the pan. Add soaked saffron for added flavour and roasted almonds for added taste. Serve the delicious millet halwa hot or cold.
Why healthy: Gluten-free, mineral-rich, lower GI than sooji.
3. Poongar Rice Peda
Ingredients: Poongar Rice Flour, Jaggery, Milk or Coconut milk, Cardamom powder & Ghee.
Method: Dry roast 1 cup of Poongar Rice Flour & keep aside. In a pan, mix 1 cup of Jaggery with 1 cup of water and heat it up. Once it starts to thicken, keep the flame low & add 1 cup of boiled milk or coconut milk and bring to a boil. Simmer the flame and start adding the roasted poongar rice flour & mix well without lumps. Once it forms like a soft dough add 2 spoons of pure a2 cow ghee, cardamom powder. Take small portions and shape them like a peda.
Why healthy: A true traditional Diwali sweet, rich in heritage. Poongar rice flour is well known for its benefits especially for women’s health & a unique earthy taste.
4. Ragi Manni or Ragi Jelly
Ingredients: Finger Millet Flour, Coconut milk & Country Sugar
Method: Mix 1 cup of Ragi Flour with 1 cup of Water without lumps. Mix 1 cup of coconut milk, 1 cup of country sugar with the ragi flour mixture in a pan and bring to boil in low flame. Keep stirring to avoid lumps. Put down the flame once the mixture starts thickening & the color becomes dark. Pour the mix in a greased tray and let it set for 1 to 2 hours. Cut it into cubes and enjoy the jiggly wobbly ragi manni.
Why healthy: High calcium, strengthens bones. Good for kids and safe for diabetics in moderation.
5. Karuppu kavuni Aval Payasam
Ingredients: Karuppu kavuni Flakes (aval / poha), milk, country sugar, cardamom and ghee.
Method: Roast 1 cup of Karuppu kavuni Rice aval in ghee. Add 2 cups of boiled milk and let it cook for 10 minutes in a slow flame. Then mix ¾ cup of country sugar powder, 2 crushed cardamom pods and let it boil for a couple of minutes. Garnish with ghee roasted cashews, raisins and serve hot.
Why healthy: Light, iron-rich, quick to make.
6. Saamai Millet Burfi
Ingredients: Little Millet (saamai), jaggery, Cow Ghee.
Method: Roast 1 cup of millet in 1 spoon of ghee and let it cool. Mix 1 cup of jaggery with ¾ cup of water and filter. Then bring it to a boil until the syrup becomes thick. To check the consistency, take ¼ cup of water and add a drop of jaggery syrup in it. If you are able to roll & take the syrup with your hands then put off the flame. Add the roasted little millet to this syrup and mix. Flatten this mixture in a rice flour dusted pan and cut into cubes. Let it settle for a couple of hours.
Why healthy: Kids friendly & diabetic-friendly snack
7. Poha Laddu | Aval Laddu
Ingredients: Pearl Millet Flakes or Finger Millet Flakes, grated coconut, country sugar & ghee.
Method: Roast 1 cup of your favourite millet poha (aval) in a thick bottomed pan & keep aside. Add 1 spoon of ghee in the pan, and roast 1/2 cup of grated coconut. Once it’s cooled down, add the roasted flakes, coconut, cardamom powder and ¾ cup of country sugar into a blender and roughly grind for 20-30 seconds. Transfer it to a bowl and add 2 spoons of melted ghee, mix and make ladoos.
Why healthy: Quick recipe, iron and fiber rich.
8. Sweet Murukku (Sakkarai Murukku)
Ingredients: Mappillai Samba rice flour, fried gram, country sugar, white sesame seeds, salt & wood pressed groundnut oil.
Method: Mix 1 cup of mappillai samba rice flour, ¼ cup of powdered fried gram, a pinch of salt, ½ spoon of white sesame seeds. Then add 1 tablespoon of hot oil and mix with spatula. Start adding water little by little and make it into a soft dough. Heat pure wood pressed groundnut oil in a deep pan. Put the dough in a murukku press and squeeze directly into the hot oil pan in big circles (like one large size murukku). Turn sides after 30-40 secs. Once the bubbles settle, take it out and let it cool. In another pan, add ¼ cup of country sugar, dilute it with a little water and let it boil. Then break the large murukku into small pieces and toss it in this sugar syrup. Mix until the sugar syrup dries and covers all the pieces. Sweet murukku is ready to serve.
Why healthy: Uses traditional rice flours and natural sweeteners, giving a festive spin to the usual murukku.
9. Ghee Millet Mysore Pak
Ingredients: Kodo Millet, Gram flour, pure cow ghee, groundnut oil, palm sugar or country sugar.
Method: Wash 1 cup of kodo millet and dry roast it for 2-3 minutes. Add 4 spoons of gram flour to it. Transfer to a blender and powder the millet. Then mix ½ cup of groundnut oil with the flour without lumps and keep. In a pan, Mix ¾ cup of palm sugar or country sugar in water and bring to boil. Add the flour paste to this and keep mixing. Add 2 spoons of melted hot ghee or hot oil at regular intervals for 2 to 3 times. Then the absorbed oil starts whooshing out. Now transfer the mix to a greased tray and let it cool down for 2 hours. Then cut into rectangles and serve.
Why healthy: Unlike store-bought Mysore Pak made with refined sugar and vanaspati, this version uses healthy millet, pure cow ghee and natural sweeteners, making it lighter, more aromatic, and easier to digest.
A true royal Diwali sweet, safe to enjoy in moderation even for diabetic patients when made with palm sugar.
10. Mappillai samba Adhirasam
Ingredients: Bridegroom Rice Flour, jaggery, white sesame seeds, ghee.
Method: Mix 1.5 cups of jaggery with water and bring to boil. Check the consistency by adding a drop of the jaggery syrup in ¼ cup of water. If you are able to roll & take the syrup with your hands then put off the flame. Add 2 spoons of ghee, ½ spoon cardamon powder, ½ spoon dry ginger powder and 1 cup of Mappillai samba rice flour and mix well. Make into soft dough and let it rest in an airtight container for 1 – 3 days. After resting, heat oil in a deep pan. Take small balls of the dough and flattened it into disc shape and fry until golden brown. Press the athirasam with a flat bottomed cup or spatula to remove excess oil. Tasty mappillai samba adhirasam is ready to serve.
Why healthy: Known for its stamina-boosting properties, Bridegroom rice flour makes this adhirasam more wholesome while keeping the festive taste intact.
Why These Recipes Work in 2025
- Tradition + Health: Uses millets, poha, and natural sugars instead of refined ones.
- Family-Friendly: Loved by kids, safe for elders, diabetic-friendly in moderation.
- Quick Cooking: Most recipes are ready within 30 minutes.
In 2025, enjoying traditional Diwali sweets doesn’t mean choosing between taste and health. With organic flours, millets, poha, and natural sweeteners, you can prepare sweets that honor heritage while keeping your family’s health in mind.
