Indian sweet, known as “mithai” in Hindi Language, is a dessert from the cuisine of India, which is available in huge number of varieties, with each and every region of the country having its own specialty. The Indian cuisine is known for quite a number of sweets, with kheer, barfi, halwa, laddo, and peda being quite popular in all parts of the country. 

Popular Indian Sweets

Area wise classification of popular Indian sweets has been discussed in the section below:

North India- the north Indian states like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Kashmir, and Rajasthan include the following as the specialties:

• Gulab Jamun- it is fried, syrup based, dessert made with milk, milk powder, unsalted butter, baking soda, sugar, saffron, and cardamom powder. The dough balls are fried in oil, before being poured in sugar based syrup.
• Jalebi- it is a fried, syrup based dessert made with yogurt and all purpose flour (maida).
• Peda- it is milk based barfi.
• Gajar Halwa- it is a dessert made with milk and carrots.
• Motichoor Laddu- it is gram flour (besan) based laddu.
• Mung Halwa- this dessert is made with mung bean, lentil, milk, and dry fruits.
• Ras Malai- it is a dessert made with cheese, pistachio, and reduced milk.
• Kheer- it is prepared with rice, milk, and dry fruits.
• Kalakand- it is milk based barfi.
• Imarti- this Indian sweet is a barfi made with urad dal based batter.

East India- most of the sweets in East India are milk based and contain chhena (un-ripened curd cheese) as one of the key ingredients. East Indian states like west Bengal, Orissa, and Assam include the following sweets:

• Rasgulla- it is milk based dessert with sugar and chhena as the key ingredients.
• Ledikeni- this milk based dessert contains sugar, clarified butter, and chhena as the vital ingredients.
• Pantua- this is milk based mithai containing sugar, clarified butter, and chhena as the essential ingredients.
• Chhena kheeri- chhena, milk, and sugar are the main ingredients used to prepare this dessert.

South India- the following are a few specialties of South Indian states like Chennai, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala:

• Badam halwa- this halwa contains ghee (clarified butter) and almonds as the key ingredients.
• Coconut barfi- butter and grated coconut are the two ingredients used to make coconut barfi.
• Halbai- this Indian sweet is a type of barfi, made with milk and ground wheat.
• Kashi halva- this is a pumpkin based halwa.
• Paayasam- this is milk based dessert available in various types depending upon the use of the ingredients viz. coconut, jaggery, mung bean, and semolina.
• Milk Mysore Pak- this sweet is made with sugar, clarified butter, and skimmed milk powder.

West India- A few popular sweets of western Indian states like Maharashtra, Goa, and Gujarat include the following:

• Shrikhand- it is a yogurt based Indian dessert.
• Modak- coconut stuffing and all-purpose flour (maida) are used to prepare this dessert, made by steaming or frying method.
• Puran poli- this West Indian sweet is a kind of bread made with gram, jaggery, and wheat flour.
• Amrakhand- it is a yogurt based dessert made with yogurt and mango pulp.
• Karanji- it is a baked or fried dessert made with coconut, jaggery, and flour.
• Sweet potato halwa- this Indian sweet is made with ghee, sugar or jaggery, and sweet potato.