15 Essential Diwali Recipes with Phoran Masala (2026): Sweets, Snacks & Mains

Diwali is the one time of year when the kitchen becomes the centre of the house. The sweets start a week before. The savoury snacks follow. By the day itself, every surface is covered with something — barfi cooling on a tray, chakli draining on paper, the biryani resting under a lid..

This guide covers 15 essential Diwali recipes across sweets, snacks, and main courses — all tested with Phoran Masala spices that are freshly stone-ground and packed in small batches.

🍬 Sweets (Mithai)

1. Gulab Jamun

Soft milk dumplings soaked in cardamom-rose syrup — the non-negotiable Diwali sweet.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk powder
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour (maida)
• 2 tbsp ghee
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 3–4 tbsp warm milk (to bind)
• Oil or ghee for frying
• Syrup: 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water, 4 green cardamom pods (crushed from Phoran Green Cardamom), 1 tsp rose water

Method: Mix milk powder, flour, ghee, and baking soda. Add just enough warm milk to form a soft, smooth dough. Do not knead hard. Rest for 10 minutes. Roll into smooth balls (no cracks). Heat oil on low-medium and fry slowly until deep golden brown — about 8–10 minutes. Meanwhile boil sugar and water into a thin syrup, add cardamom and rose water. Drop hot jamuns into warm syrup and soak for minimum 2 hours. Garnish with slivered pistachios. Tip: Low heat frying is essential — rushed jamuns are raw inside.

2. Besan Ladoo

Nutty, ghee-roasted gram flour balls that keep for 10 days — ideal to make in advance.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups besan (gram flour)
• ¾ cup ghee
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ½ tsp cardamom powder (from Phoran Green Cardamom)
• 2 tbsp chopped cashews and raisins

Method: Heat ghee in a heavy pan on low flame. Add besan and roast, stirring continuously for 20–25 minutes until it turns golden and smells deeply nutty. This step cannot be rushed — raw besan will make the ladoos taste bitter. Remove from heat, cool for 10 minutes. Add powdered sugar, cardamom, cashews, and raisins. Mix well. While still warm (not hot), shape into firm balls. Store in an airtight container. Tip: If the mixture is too crumbly, add a teaspoon of warm ghee.

3. Kheer (Rice Pudding)

Slow-cooked milk pudding scented with cardamom and saffron — a Diwali classic.

Ingredients:

• 1 litre full-fat milk
• 3 tbsp basmati rice, washed and soaked 30 mins
• 4–5 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp cardamom powder (from Phoran Green Cardamom)
• A pinch of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
• 1 tsp rose water
• Slivered almonds and pistachios for garnish

Method: Bring milk to a boil in a heavy pan. Reduce heat to low. Add drained rice and simmer, stirring every few minutes, for 45–50 minutes until the milk thickens and rice is completely soft. Add sugar, cardamom, saffron milk, and rose water. Stir and cook 5 more minutes. Serve chilled, garnished with nuts. Tip: The long slow cook is what gives kheer its depth — do not use condensed milk shortcuts for Diwali.

4. Coconut Barfi

Quick 30-minute barfi that sets firm and cuts cleanly — great for gifting.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups desiccated coconut
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• ½ tsp cardamom powder (from Phoran Green Cardamom)
• 1 tbsp ghee
• Chopped pistachios for topping

Method: Heat ghee in a non-stick pan. Add coconut and condensed milk. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly, for 12–15 minutes until the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of the pan. Add cardamom. Pour into a greased tray, press flat, top with pistachios. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Cut into diamonds. Keeps for 1 week refrigerated.

5. Malpua

Lacy, syrup-soaked pancakes from Rajasthan — less common than ladoo, more memorable.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp semolina (sooji)
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• ½ cup milk
• A pinch of cardamom powder (from Phoran Green Cardamom)
• Ghee for frying
• Syrup: 1 cup sugar, ½ cup water, cardamom, a pinch of saffron

Method: Whisk flour, semolina, banana, milk, and cardamom into a smooth thick batter. Rest 15 minutes. Heat ghee in a flat pan. Pour spoonfuls of batter and fry until golden and lacy at the edges — flip once. Soak immediately in warm syrup for 2 minutes. Serve warm with rabri (thickened sweetened milk) or chilled cream.

🥨 Savoury Snacks (Namkeen)

6. Chakli (Murukku)

The crunchiest, most addictive Diwali snack — keeps for 2 weeks in a tin.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rice flour
• ½ cup urad dal flour (roasted)
• 2 tbsp butter or ghee
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Phoran Garam Masala
• Salt to taste, water to bind

Method: Mix all dry ingredients. Rub in butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add water gradually to form a smooth, pliable dough. Fill a chakli press and pipe spirals directly onto a plate. Deep fry on medium heat for 4–5 minutes until crisp and golden. Drain on paper. Cool completely before storing. Tip: Test one chakli first — if it breaks while pressing, add a tiny bit more water to the dough.

7. Mathri

Flaky, spiced crackers that shatter when you bite them — a North Indian Diwali essential.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
• ½ tsp black pepper, coarsely crushed
• ½ tsp Phoran Garam Masala
• Salt to taste
• Water to bind (approx ½ cup)

Method: Rub ghee into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs — this is what makes mathri flaky. Add ajwain, pepper, garam masala, and salt. Add water gradually to form a stiff dough (stiffer than roti dough). Rest 20 minutes. Roll thin (2–3mm). Cut into rounds. Prick all over with a fork. Deep fry on low heat for 8–10 minutes until pale golden and completely crisp. Tip: Low heat, long fry — if the oil is too hot, mathri browns outside but stays soft inside.

8. Namak Para

Diamond-shaped, tangy snacks with Jeeravan Chaat Masala — impossible to stop eating.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp Phoran Jeeravan Chaat Masala
• 1 tsp ajwain
• Salt to taste

Method: Rub ghee into flour. Add chaat masala, ajwain, and salt. Bind with water into a stiff dough. Roll thin, cut into diamond shapes. Deep fry on medium-low until golden. The chaat masala gives these a tangy, addictive quality. Keeps 2 weeks in an airtight tin.

9. Aloo Bhujia

Homemade potato sev with chaat masala — far better than the packaged version.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed smooth
• 1 cup besan
• 1 tsp Phoran Jeeravan Chaat Masala
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• Salt to taste, oil for frying

Method: Mix mashed potato, besan, chaat masala, chilli, and salt into a smooth lump-free dough. Heat oil to medium-high. Press dough through a sev/bhujia press directly into the oil. Fry for 2–3 minutes until crisp and golden. Drain well. Toss with extra chaat masala if desired. Cool completely before storing.

10. Masala Peanuts

Crunchy besan-coated peanuts with Kashmiri chilli colour and garam masala warmth.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw peanuts
• ½ cup besan
• 1 tsp Phoran Garam Masala
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• ½ tsp chaat masala
• Salt to taste, water to coat

Method: Mix besan, garam masala, chilli powder, chaat masala, and salt. Add just enough water to make a thick batter. Toss peanuts in the batter until evenly coated. Deep fry in batches on medium heat for 3–4 minutes until the coating is crisp and golden. Drain and cool completely — they crisp up further as they cool. Tip: Fry in small batches to avoid sticking.

🍛 Main Course

11. Paneer Makhani

The vegetarian centrepiece of any Diwali dinner table.

Ingredients:

• 400g paneer, cubed and lightly pan-fried
• 2 large onions, 3 tomatoes, 15 cashews
• 2 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1½ tsp Phoran Garam Masala
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder (for colour)
• ½ cup cream, salt and sugar to taste
• Fresh coriander to finish

Method: Sauté onions, tomatoes, and cashews until soft. Cool and blend into a smooth paste. Strain through a sieve. Heat butter and oil, add ginger-garlic paste, cook 1 minute. Add the strained gravy, garam masala, and chilli powder. Simmer 15 minutes. Add cream, paneer, salt, and a pinch of sugar. Simmer 5 minutes. Finish with butter and coriander. Serve with naan or paratha.

12. Dum Aloo

Baby potatoes cooked dum-style in a spiced yogurt gravy — a Kashmiri classic.

Ingredients:

• 500g baby potatoes, parboiled and peeled
• 1 cup yogurt, whisked smooth
• 2 onions, finely sliced and fried golden
• 1½ tsp Phoran Garam Masala
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• ½ tsp fennel powder, ½ tsp ginger powder
• Oil, salt

Method: Prick potatoes all over with a fork. Shallow fry in oil until golden on all sides. Set aside. In the same pan, add more oil and cook onions until deep golden. Add garam masala, fennel, ginger, and chilli — stir 1 minute. Add whisked yogurt slowly on low heat, stirring constantly to prevent splitting. Add 1 cup water and the fried potatoes. Cover and cook on dum (very low heat) for 20 minutes. The potatoes absorb the spiced gravy completely.

13. Chicken Biryani

The showstopper main — sealed dum biryani with Phoran spices.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg chicken, cut into pieces
• Marinade: 1 cup yogurt, 2 tsp Phoran Garam Masala, 1 tsp Phoran Tandoori Masala, salt, juice of 1 lemon — marinate 4 hours or overnight
• 3 cups basmati rice, soaked 30 mins and parboiled to 70%
• 3 onions, thinly sliced and fried golden (birista)
• A pinch of saffron soaked in ¼ cup warm milk
• Handful of fresh mint and coriander
• 4 tbsp ghee

Method: Cook marinated chicken in a heavy pot until 80% done. Layer parboiled rice over the chicken. Top with fried onions, saffron milk, mint, coriander, and ghee. Seal the pot tightly with foil and then the lid. Cook on high heat for 3 minutes, then lowest heat for 25 minutes. Rest 10 minutes before opening. The sealed pot forces flavours to meld — this is what separates dum biryani from plain rice with curry.

14. Dal Makhani

Best made the day before Diwali — it improves dramatically overnight.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole black urad dal
• ¼ cup rajma (kidney beans)
• Soaked overnight, pressure cooked until completely soft
• 3 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil
• 2 onions finely chopped, 3 tomatoes pureed
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1½ tsp Phoran Garam Masala
• ½ cup cream, salt to taste

Method: Sauté onions in butter and oil until golden. Add ginger-garlic paste, cook 2 minutes. Add tomato puree and garam masala, cook until oil separates (15 minutes). Add the pressure-cooked dal (mash some of it for body). Simmer on the lowest heat for 1–2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed. Add cream in the last 10 minutes. The long simmer is non-negotiable. Reheat gently the next day — it will taste better.

15. Shahi Paneer

Richer and more luxurious than makhani — the dish that earns compliments.

Ingredients:

• 400g paneer, cubed
• 2 onions, 20 cashews, 4 green cardamom pods (from Phoran Green Cardamom)
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp Phoran Garam Masala
• A pinch of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
• ½ cup cream, 2 tbsp ghee, rose water (optional), salt
• Slivered almonds and rose petals to garnish

Method: Boil onions and cashews together until soft. Blend with cardamom into a very smooth, creamy paste. Heat ghee, add ginger-garlic paste, cook 1 minute. Add the onion-cashew paste, garam masala, and saffron milk. Simmer 10 minutes. Add cream and a splash of rose water. Add paneer and cook gently 5 minutes — do not boil hard or the cream will split. Garnish generously with almonds and rose petals. Serve with naan or sheermal.

📅 Diwali Kitchen Planning Guide

Sequence your cooking to avoid last-minute stress:

• 1–2 weeks before: Make chakli, mathri, namak para, masala peanuts — store in airtight tins
• 3–5 days before: Make besan ladoo and coconut barfi — keep in cool, dry place
• Day before: Make dal makhani, gulab jamun (soak overnight), kheer
• Diwali morning: Make aloo bhujia, prep biryani marinade, make malpua batter
• Diwali evening: Cook biryani on dum, finish paneer/shahi paneer, fry malpua fresh

The Phoran Festive Masala Gift Pack covers the core spices for most of these recipes and makes a thoughtful Diwali gift. Explore the complete masala range and stock your kitchen before the festival season begins.