Healthy Diwali Recipes Just for You!
Diwali is a festival of lights and love and of course not to miss lip-smacking, yummy and delicious foods. Especially in Diwali, we have a tradition of spreading the love by inviting family and friends for “Diwali Faral” (Special Diwali Food) or we go to their place to enjoy special delicacies.
But if you are fitness conscious then you will find all those scrumptious, tasty food your fitness enemy as you don’t want to put on excess weight over this Diwali season. Before you decide to cancel the occasion, or take the high road to weight gain, try these delicious and healthy Diwali recipes – sweets and desserts.
Healthy Diwali Recipes
Festival celebration shouldn’t stop! So don’t worry here I am sharing some recipes which are healthy yet delicious, so you can enjoy eating them without any guilt.
1. Badam Burfi
This looks and tastes very similar to Kaju katli yet far healthier and nutritious. It is made using very minimum ingredients, and is easy to prepare so a perfect choice for Diwali sweets.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cup of Almonds
- ¾ cup of Sugar
- ½ tsp of Cardamom powder
- Nuts for garnishing (optional)
Recipe:
- At first blanch the almonds in hot boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain off all hot water and rinse them under running water. And then put them on a dry cotton cloth to soak water.
- Slightly roast them in a heated pan to make them dry. This can also help in making the skin lose and easy to remove.
- After removing skin grind it in a fine powder form.
- Next, heat the pan, add ¾ cup of Sugar in it along with 5 tsp of Water and ½ tsp of Cardamom powder.
- Once water starts boiling and sugar gets dissolved, slow down the heat and add Almonds powder in it and mix well by taking it off the flame to break all lumps.
- Keep it on the flame again and stir the mixture till it gets thick and moist. Add one tsp of oil in the mixture and let keep it aside.
- Allow it to cool slightly not completely by keeping it a little hot and knead it well to make a proper firm and smooth dough without any cracks. If you feel your dough has become a little dry, you can add 1-2 tsp of milk in it to make it moist.
- Make the square shape of the mixture on butter paper, with your hands or a rolling pin and give the mixture small square shaped burfi cuts and your Almonds Burfi is ready to serve.
2. Kurmure Laddoo
When I was a kid this was my favorite snack recipe. But now I feel it’s a wonderful recipe to satisfy the sweet tooth, yet a low calorie one. This is prepared using Puffed rice flakes and jaggery syrup. It’s a yummy low calorie sweet which you can have it on this Diwali.
Ingredients:
- 4 ½ cup of Puffed rice
- ½ cup of grated Jaggery
- ½ tsp of Cardamom powder
- Little ghee to grease hands
Recipe:
- Clean the puffed rice by checking for any stones or mud particles.
- Take a Kadai (pan) and add grated jaggery into it and pour water just enough to cover the jaggery and melt jaggery completely.
- Add cardamom powder in the jaggery and heat it till it forms the soft ball consistency. It means that when you put a drop of melted jaggery syrup in water then it should form a soft ball after rolling. This consistency is essential as it makes the laddo preparation easy.
- Once this consistency is formed, add puffed rice flakes in it and mix it quickly so that jaggery holds the puffed rice tightly. If you feel jaggery mixture can still hold more puffed rice, and then add it accordingly.
- Once it is mixed well turn off the flame and put the mixture on a plate, grease your hands with ghee and make balls by taking a big portion of the mixture and pressing it tightly to give it a laddo shape.
- Let it cool for a while so that jaggery gets harder and laddoos are ready to serve. One more thing you need to store them in an airtight container for longer use.
Also Read: Happy Diwali 2016: Festival of Lights
3. Low-fat rice kheer
Rice kheer is one of the most popular kheer recipe made in North India along with seviyan kheer and phirni. Dont forget to try this among other healthy Diwali recipes.
Ingredients:
- 300ml milk
- 130gm milk powder
- Half cup rice
- Almonds
- Cardamom powder
Recipe:
- Add 150ml milk to a bowl, and add 130gms of milk powder while stirring. Keep aside.
- Pour another 150ml milk in a deep pan on medium heat. Now add half cup washed and soaked rice to the pan and boil for 8-12 minutes.
- Add the milk mix you’d kept aside and boil for another 5 minutes. Keep stirring.
- Skin about 7-10 almonds (pre-soaked) and cut them into long slivers.
- Add these almond slivers with 3-4 teaspoons of sugar and half teaspoon cardamom powder to the boiling mixture.
- Serve hot, warm or cold.
4. Nutritious and festival-friendly corn kheer
Everybody in my family enjoy eating delectable corn kheer. Whenever you feel like eating something sweet, especially during winters then try making this kheer. This is one of the best healthy Diwali recipes to try this Diwali.
Ingredients:
- Half cup milk
- 300 ml skimmed milk
- 130gm milk powder
- Corn
- Almonds
- Sugar
- Cardamom powder
Recipe:
- Add seeds from three corns to a deep pan along with half cup milk and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, remove from heat and cool. Now grind the mixture and keep aside.
- Add 150ml skimmed milk to a bowl, and slowly stir in 130gms of milk powder.
- Separately, add another 150ml skimmed milk to a deep pan on medium heat.
- Add the corn mixture and boil for 8-12 minutes.
- Add the earlier milk mix to this and boil for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Now add almond slivers, sugar to taste, and half teaspoon cardamom powder to the boiling mix.
- Serve hot, warm, or cold.
5. Sweet rice pudding
Soothing, and satisfying, rice pudding is one of my all-time-favourite foods. And I know I’m not alone. Just the mention of rice pudding elicits more “oohs,” “mmms,” and “aaahs” than other desserts seem to.
Ingredients:
- 2 tsps of oil
- 7-8 Cloves
- Turmeric powder
- 1 cup rice
- Cardamom powder
- Sugar to taste
- Raisins
- Silvered nuts
Recipe:
- Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a deep pan, add 7-8 cloves and stir for a minute.
- Now add 1cup water, half teaspoon turmeric powder, and bring to a boil.
- Add 1cup pre-washed and soaked rice to the pan. Partially cover the pan, and cook the rice for 15 minutes (on low).
- Now add half teaspoon cardamom powder, sugar to taste (about 5 teaspoons) and raisins.
- Keep stirring and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat when all water evaporates.
- Garnish with slivered nuts.
Which of these Healthy Diwali Recipes are you going to make this Diwali?
Hi Sonal,
The title of this intrigued me because I am interested in food and know nothing about Diwali food although I have seen blog posts about detoxing after the festival. From what I’ve read although the food is mainly vegetarian it can include a lot of fried food and sugary snacks.
I like the sound of your Sweet rice pudding but I wonder if it can be made with brown rice or brown basmati? I’ve been using coconut sugar recently when I make desserts or cakes as it does not raise blood sugar. I guess I could use that for the recipes.
Hi Sandy
You are right. Even I read many blog posts on detoxification after Diwali. So just thought to share some of the low cal recipes which I have tried at home. Rice pudding is really one of the best and yes you can try it with brown rice but ofcourse there will be a difference in taste.
Give it a try and lemme know if it works out. I will also try it then!
Happy Diwali 2016!
Hey Sonal,
I have always been a fan of Burfis. I like to eat the sweets and you have mentioned some great recipes here.
Diwali is about to come and people are shopping. But it’s important to maintain the health with the taste.
Thanks for the list.
~Ravi
Ravi Chahar recently posted…How To Become An Expert In Your Field With Power?
Hi Ravi
I also like sweets. Do try Badam Burfi….its yummy!
Yes we need to look after our health also during the festive season.
Thanks for your wonderful feedback.
Happy Diwali 2016!
Sounds delicious!
Thanks for the tips 🙂
Hi Matt
Glad that you liked it!
Happy Diwali 2016!
Hope you enjoy your holiday Sonal.
Very interesting recipes.
Only really familiar to the rice dish you mentioned.
Great to experience different cultures.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Kathryn
Thanks for writing in. Had a great time. Hope you also enjoyed it!
Hi Sonal
Great recipes that you have shared and they look so yummy. Thanks for sharing. Take Care
ikechi recently posted…Making a Difference: BlogFest With Style
Hi Ikechi
Glad that you liked it.
Have a wonderful day!
Looks Delicious ,Sonal
and is healthy as well. I like the Badam Burfi best.
Very nice the spices used in this Diwali recipes .
Thank you ,will try to make some of them
Erika
Erika Mohssen-Beyk recently posted…How To Get Started To Improve Your Self – Self Improvement
Hi Erika mam
Badam burfi is also one of my favourites. I hope you enjoy eating some of them.
Have a nice day!
What’s the alternative for Cardamom powder? I would like to try cooking Indian cuisines but what prevents me from doing so is that the ingredients can’t be easily found in our place.
Lem Enrile recently posted…Ano ang Sintomas ng TB?
Hi Lern
Indian dishes are really delicious! Well cardamom powder is not an essential ingredient. But yes you have an alternative for it. Mix together equal parts cinnamon and nutmeg, and use in place of the cardamom in your recipe. If you don’t ahve nutmeg then, try equal parts cinnamon and ginger or equal parts of cinnamon and ground cloves instead.
Have a nice day!
Hi. I love to learn about different holidays and to explore new recipes. I am most interested in the rice pudding.
Hi Elise
Thanks for writing in. You must try rice pudding. Am sure you will love it!
Have a nice day!