Raksha Bandhan is an auspicious and cherished Indian festival which is celebrated to cherish and strengthen the beautiful bond between siblings. And what could strengthen this beautiful bond better than the delicious and delightful sweetness of our traditional Indian desserts? Desserts have a very special place in our Indian culture and festivals as they symbolise togetherness, love, joy, and even blessing. Raksha Bandhan is no exception, as, like other festivals, it too brims with detectable desserts that enhance the affection and warmth shared between sisters and brothers. And as you embrace this auspicious festival, we bring you a delicious array of 15 desserts for Raksha Bandhan that will extra dosage of sweetness to your beautiful, cherished bond.
Introduction
Raksha Bandhan, an auspicious festival celebrated all across the country, holds very significant importance in celebrating and strengthening the bond between brothers and sisters. On this vital day, sisters tie a sacred thread around the wrists of their brothers, symbolising their love, protection, and lifelong commitment towards each other. It is also a time when families come together to celebrate, express their heartfelt emotions, and exchange gifts and sweets. And one thing that fills in the sweetness like no other is freshly prepared desserts for Raksha Bandhan. In Indian cuisine and traditions, sweets play a significant role as they signify sweetness, blessing, and togetherness. As a part of the festivities, preparing and serving desserts holds great significance. During the festival of Raksha Bandhan, the siblings offer each other sweets in a manner of strengthening and cherishing their bond. Relishing and sharing delicious desserts for Raksha Bandhan not only adds sweetness and joy to the celebration but also brings in a sense of love and unity among family members.
Just like during the festivals of Holi and Diwali, the sweet aroma of desserts wafts through our homes, even during the festival of Raksha Bandhan. Kitchens and sweet houses become bustling hubs, preparing wide varieties of detectable desserts. According to our beliefs, dessert holds the unique power of strengthening the bond between a brother and his sister through this special day. Your favourite dessert acts as a delicious medium to convey your love, affection, and care. As sisters and brothers indulge in these mouth-watering delights, they create a moment of joy and a lasting memory. It is a tradition to prepare and share delicious desserts for Raksha Bandhan, as our ancestors believed it would not only add sweetness but also make the occasion auspicious and memorable. So, let the delicious and enchanting flavour of dessert fill your Raksha Bandhan celebration with love and togetherness.
15 Desserts for Raksha Bandhan
Now that you have read the significance of desserts for Raksha Bandhan, let’s go through 15 ultimate mouth-watering recipes that will leave you and your loved one enchanted and happy.
- Gulab Jamun: Who among us hasn’t enjoyed these deep-fried brown balls of delights and hasn’t craved more? Gulab Jamun is a sweet dish that is highly enjoyed in every corner of our country because of its simplicity, taste, aroma, and of course, the satisfaction it gives to our taste buds and heart. The melt-in-your-mouth and soft texture, combined with the aromatic sweetness of the sugar syrup, make Gulab Jamun an irresistible and must-add dessert for Raksha Bandhan. It is made with a dough of semolina and khoya, flavoured with saffron and cardamom sugar syrup. Garnished with pistachios and saffron strands, this dessert type is a symbol of flavour and indulgence, as it will surely satisfy your sweet tooth.
- Rasgulla: Winning hearts since its origins, Rasgulla is next on our list of desserts for Raksha Bandhan. Rasgulla is a popular Bengali sweet that is highly enjoyed all over the country for its chewy texture, sweet aroma, and milky flavour. Made from pure and unadulterated A2 Cheena balls, which are cooked in flavoured or pure sugar syrup, this dessert is served widely during weddings, festivals, and major celebrations. The bust of sweetness and the unique texture is what makes Rasgulla a delightful dessert that is loved by people of all age groups and, therefore, an ideal dessert for the Raksha Bandhan celebration.
- Kaju Katli: Kaju Katli is another delicious addition to our list of desserts for Raksha Bandhan, as its creamy taste has made it a popular sweet for offering and gifting. Made from high-quality cashews, A2 ghee, and sugar, kaju Katli is an easy blend of these ingredients whose end product is extremely delicious and satisfying. The cashews are finely grounded into a fine powder which is then cooked with sugar and ghee to form smooth dough. This dough is then rolled out and cut into diamond-shaped pieces and garnished with silver paper and saffron strands. This classic Indian sweet dish is known for its heavenly taste and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Jalebi: Jalebi is another popular Indian dessert that has marked a place for itself beyond Indian borders. This deep-fried pretzel-shaped sweet dish is made from a fermented batter prepared with chickpea flour, all-purpose flour, and water. Once deep-fried, these golden swirls are soaked in sugar syrup, resulting in a syrupy yet crispy delight. This dessert is enjoyed both chilled and warm as it is often served with warm milk, rabbi, or fafdas. Jalebi is one of the ideal desserts for Raksha Bandhan, as its perfect balance of sweetness and unique texture will make spread sweetness, joy, and laughter.
- Barfi: Barfi is a broad term that is used for a variety of desserts prepared from a milk base in India. One can find a wide variety of Barfi across the country, like chocolate, Kesar, mango, badam, anjeer, and more. This sweet dish is usually prepared by cooking condensed milk, A2 ghee, and sugar together until it thickens and sets into a fudge-like consistency. Its milky and unique flavour with its creamy and fudgy texture makes it an ideal dessert for Raksha Bandhan. Barfi is a dessert that is highly enjoyed by all age groups making it a suitable addition to your menu, chocolate Barfi can charm kids, and kesar Barfi will impress adults.
- Rasmalai: Rasmalai is a popular and luscious Bengali dessert made from flattened cheena discs poached in flavoured and sweetened milk infused with rose water, saffron, and cardamom powder. Its unique flavour and melt-in-your-mouth texture has made it popular across the country, and it is now preferred by many during their special occasions and festive seasons. What makes it one of the ideal desserts for Raksha Bandhan is how the creamy and delicate texture of Cheena, along with sweetened and thickened milk, can create such a decadent dish. It is often served chilled with chopped nuts and saffron strands, making it a satisfying and refreshing sweet treat.
- Ladoo: Ladoo is another popular Indian dessert on our list of desserts for Raksha Bandhan, as it has also made a place in our everyday diet. These spherical sweet dishes are commonly made from base ingredients like wheat flour, semolina, chickpea flour, coconut, and chopped nuts. These ingredients are then mixed with sugar, cardamom powder, and ghee before being shaped into small round balls. Ladoos are not only delicious, but they hold a cultural significance, as they are often offered as religious offerings (prasad) in temples. One of the popular ladoo types is boondi or motichoor ke ladoo.
- Malpua: Malpua, popularly addressed as Indian pancakes, is next on our list of desserts for Raksha Bandhan. This dessert is made from wheat or all-purpose flour and milk. To make it more Western, you can add ripped bananas. The batter is cooked in pure A2 ghee and soaked in sugar syrup flavoured with rose water, saffron strands, or cardamom powder. Malpua is usually garnished with chopped nuts and served hot, making it a delightful dessert with a crispy texture and a burst of different flavours. It is a must-add to your Raksha Bandhan celebration as it will impress your children and fill the required sweetness in the sibling’s bond.
- Shahi Tukda: Shahi Tukda, popularly known as Double ka meetha, is an indulgent and rich dessert type made from fried bread slices dipped in sweetened condensed milk flavoured with saffron & cardamom powder. Originating during the Mughal Era, this royal and rich dessert has been a charm of festive celebrations like Eid. It is one of the delicious desserts for Raksha Bandhan as its garnishing, flavour, aroma, and texture will leave your family craving more and more. Shahi Tukda is known for its luxurious and creamy texture, which is well-enjoyed when served chilled.
- Doodh Peda: Doodh peda is another traditional Indian dessert that has been widely enjoyed across the country for its milky flavour and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Made from simmering condensed milk and sugar until it forms a solid consistency and starts thickening. Usually, the mixture is flavoured with saffron strands and cardamom powder, shaped into small disc-like shapes, and later garnished with pistachios and saffron strands. Pedas are not famous because they are made from milk; they are famous because they are creamy, fudgy, and have a rich taste that melts in our mouth, making them top-rated among sweet enthusiasts.
- Gajar Ka Halwa: Gajar Ka Halwa, popularly known as carrot pudding, is another traditional Indian dessert which is highly enjoyed during the winter season. Made from organic carrots, A2 ghee, A2 milk, sugar, and cardamom powder, this dessert type is a must consumed during cold winter nights. This Raksha Bandhan, serve your children and relatives with a warm bowl of freshly prepared gajar ka halwa and see them going all praises and asking for more. This dessert is prepared by slow-cooking grated carrots with little ghee and milk until they soften, resulting in aromatic and rich sweet delight.
- Phirni: Phirni, a popular Punjabi sweet dish, has also made it to our list of desserts for Raksha Bandhan. Popularly known as Punjabi rice pudding or kheer, this dessert is made by cooking rice with milk and sugar until they turn soft and thicken. It is popularly served and enjoyed chilled because it creates a creamy and velvety texture that enchants your taste buds and leaves you craving for more. This dessert is commonly served in earthenware pots known as kulhads.
- Payasam: Payasam is a South Indian version of rice kheer that is made similarly to phirni or rice kheer. It is usually served in a steel bowl along with a traditional South Indian meal to enhance the overall culinary experience. This is an ideal dessert for Raksha Bandhan as it will draw them to their roots and also fill the festive celebration with sweetness and joy. But that’s not all, prepare the dish with pure and unadulterated A2 milk and see how it will enhance the taste of your payasam and leave your kids impressed and all praises for you.
- Modak: Of course, Modak has a place in our list of desserts for Raksha Bandhan as non-other desserts will draw kids to peak continuously in the kitchen like Modak. Modak is a sweet dumpling made from rice flour that is filled with grated coconut, jaggery, and cardamom powder. These dumplings are deep fried or steamed, which gives the dessert its soft exterior with a flavourful and sweet interior. Modak also holds a special place in Maharashtrian cuisine, as it is highly enjoyed during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi[1].
- Sandesh: Sandesh is another Bengali sweet in our list of desserts for Raksha Bandhan. This popular Bengali sweet is made with pure A2 Cheena mixed with cardamom powder, sugar, and preferred flavours; it is then shaped into small cylinders or discs. Sandesh is highly known and enjoyed for its rich essence of milk and subtle sweetness, making it an ideal dessert for Raksha Bandhan celebration.
In a Nutshell
Desserts have a special place in our heart and also in our tradition, as it is always served and enjoyed during festive seasons and special occasions. Raksha Bandhan is a festival that commemorates and cherishes the bond between a brother and sister, this festival marks on strengthening and cherishing the bond, and desserts can play that role well. In this article, we have mentioned 15 desserts for Raksha Bandhan celebration that are ultimately mouth-watering and easy to prepare. Each of these 15 recipes carries a different level of deliciousness along with holding a cultural significance in the realm of Indian cuisine. Indulging in these delightful desserts for Raksha Bandhan will undoubtedly add an extra dosage of sweetness to the celebration making it a joyous and memorable occasion.
Read our Article: 20 Appetizing Indian Sweets Everyone Should Try