Party Ready Menu With Sugar Free Sweets For Festivals
Written by jheelum basu | October 20, 2025
From north to south, and east to west, India, being a melting pot of diverse religions, ethnicities, and cultures, rarely finds a breather between the festivities lined up all around the year. And here, festive celebrations are incomplete without parties, gatherings and gorging on delicious sweets. But what about the downsides of excess sugar intake? Well, there’s nothing to worry about at all. The sugar-free alternatives won’t let your plan to cut back on sugar dilute the festive feeling.
The true essence of a festival lies in sharing the joy with your near and dear ones. And sweets indeed are an integral part of the exuberant festive celebrations in India. However, this year, let’s take a pledge to opt for the healthier, sugar-free sweets for festivals, while sharing the same laughter and joy with friends and family without compromising on health.
With Navaratri, Durga Puja and Diwali around the corner, almost every Indian household is gearing up to prepare the festive delicacies. Be it the dates and nut ladoos, and besan ladoos with jaggery or coconut burfi and keto kalanad, there are plenty of sugar-free sweets for festivals to keep the guilt of eating too many sweets in check.
While these are the twisted alternatives of the traditional recipes, that, for sure, does not take away the yummylicious factor in them. Instead, they make enjoying the festive eating guilt-free.
So here we have assembled a few healthier and sugar-free sweets for festivals. Let’s explore.
Besan Ladoo with Jaggery
The healthy version of the traditional besan laddoos can be prepared easily by replacing sugar with jaggery. To make the delicious laddoos, roast besan (gram flour) in ghee until it turns golden brown. Next, mix the powdered jaggery, cardamom powder, and chopped nuts once the besan-ghee mixture cools down. Take a few handfuls of the mixture and shape them into small balls, and allow them to set.
Oats Kheer
In India, kheer is an integral part of any auspicious ceremony for most households. The quintessential rich and creamy Indian dessert is typically made from rice, thickened milk and spices.
However, the traditional recipe can be tweaked a bit by replacing rice with oats and sugar with honey. The creamy dessert also gets a crunchy twist with the goodness of fruits and nuts.
Coconut Burfi With Jaggery
Coconut burfi is an integral part of the Indian festive season. But here, it comes with a healthy twist as we are replacing sugar with jaggery. To prepare these little coconutty wonders, take freshly grated coconut and sauté it in a pan with jaggery until it melts and combines well, and add cardamom powder to enhance the flavor. Once the mixture thickens, spread it evenly on a greased plate and let it cool before cutting it into squares and serving.
Dates And Nut Ladoo
While the traditional laddoo recipes are full of sugar and ghee, these healthy recipe brings an alternate delicacy made with chopped nuts and seeds, all merged with the natural sweetness of dates.
To make these balls full of natural goodness, start by chopping nuts like almonds, walnuts, and cashews and lightly roasting them. Next, add finely chopped dates and mix all the ingredients well on medium heat. Let it cool slightly, and then shape the mixture into small balls and garnish them with shredded coconut for extra flavor and texture.
Anjeer Barfi
Anjeer, or fig, comes loaded with essential health benefits due to high concentration of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It is another alternative to replace the traditional sugary ingredients to make a decadent barfi with the goodness of figs and cashews, and devoid of sugar. The healthy and tasty recipe is gaining popularity during festivals like Diwali and other special occasions.
Keto Kalakand
While we all love to gorge on the granulated, yet creamy texture of Kalakand during festivals, this time, let’s switch to a sugar-free, low-carb version of a traditional Indian dessert. This diabetic-friendly keto version, flavored with rose water and cardamom, and topped with pistachios, is just as delicious as your classic kalakand recipe. Only they help take care of the blood glucose level.