Substitutes to Add in Chhath Puja Cadbury Desserts No Maida and Vegan Options
Written by jheelum basu | October 15, 2025
In India, sweets and desserts carry the onus of uplifting the festive spirit.. Be it the traditional Indian sweets or the fusion items with a modern twist, no celebration is complete without eating and sharing the sweet treats. But what about the detrimental health hazards that come with excess intake of unhealthy ingredients found in desserts and sweets? This Chhath Puja, let’s take a pledge to take care of our health as well, while enjoying the festive flavor palettes.
To give a
modern twist to Chhath Puja Prasad with Cadbury, consider replacing milk or white chocolates with dark chocolates, the high-fat, high-carb, animal-based ingredients, like flour, refined sugar, and butter, with healthier and plant-based alternatives like wholegrains, jaggery, and coconut oil. Also, dairy-based milk can be replaced by plant-based milk substitutes like almond milk and coconut milk.
These inventive recipes with healthy substitutes do not compromise the fun. Instead, they make the festive eating enjoyable and guilt-free.
For better health this festive season, we have crafted a few tried and tested healthy alternatives to add that healthy yetmodern twist to Chhath Puja Prasad with Cadbury. Let’s explore!
Substitutes to Add in Chhath Puja Cadbury Desserts
General tips to follow
Use dark chocolates:
Replace milk and white chocolates with dark chocolate for its added health benefits. With potent antioxidants from flavanols, dark chocolates are a healthier optionto improve heart health, boost brain function, and reduce inflammation. The intense flavor of dark chocolate can also cut down cravings for other sweets.
Replace deep-frying with baking:
In order to take better care of your health by cutting down oil consumption,you may consider baking (wherever possible) Chhath Puja sweets like thekua instead of deep-frying them in ghee or oil.
Add more fruits, nuts, and seeds:
To improve the nutritional value of your desserts, don’t hesitate to add more and more of chopped almonds, raisins, cashews, pistachios, coconut, and healthy seeds.
Use Plant-based milks:
I n this era, whenvegan dietary preferences are on the rise, you may consider almond, soy, or oat milk to replace regular milk. These unsweetened, low-fat, dairy-free milk serves well for both the vegan and non-vegan individuals.
Flour Substiutes
Oats:
Oat flour is an efficient, gluten-free, and whole-grain substitute for refined flour. In any kind of Chhath Puja desserts, oat flour can easily replace the all-purpose flour. Additionally, to add a chewy texture to your Cadbury dessert, you can also include rolled oats in the batter.
Almond flour:
Made from blanched, finely slivered almonds, Almond flour is a suitable gluten-free, low-carb substitute with high protein, healthy fats, and fiber content. It is known for lending a moist texture and nutty flavor to chocolate desserts like brownies and cakes.
Coconut flour:
This all-purpose flour substitute is rich in fiber and protein content. However, owing to its characteristic high absorbance of liquids, the batter of your chocolate dessert may require more liquid oreggs in recipes.
Butter Substitutes
Vegan Butter:
Nut-based vegan butters like peanut butter, cashew butter, and almond butter are great substitutes for regular high-fat dairy butter. These alternate options bring in creamy textures with a signature nutty flavor. Adding them in a 1:1 ratio also increases the moisture content in the chocolate dessert batter.
Greek yogurt:
Great for texture and flavor due to its added moisture content, Greek yogurt can be added to your batter to replace regular butter. Added protein content is an additional benefit of using Greek yogurt, alongside that signature tangy aftertaste. For every cup of butter, use about half a cup of Greek yogurt.
Applesauce:
If you are looking for a substitute that provides a moist, tender, and low-fat result, unsweetened applesauce can be an extremely efficient choice. This works especially well in cakes, muffins, and quick breads.
Refined Sugar Substitutes
Use natural sweeteners to replace refined sugar:
To avoid the long list of health hazards caused by the industrially processed refined sugar,you may consider natural sweeteners, such as jaggery or dates. While jaggery ensures a rich, caramel-like flavor and contains minerals, dates act as a great source of natural sweetener, which also acts as a binder. Puréed dates are a natural sweetener rich in fiber and minerals, and act as an ideal substitute. Besides, date paste can also be combined with nuts, melted chocolate, and jaggery in a food processor to make healthy, no-bake energy balls.
Stevia:
This is a plant-based, zero-calorie substitute for refined white sugar, and it also takes good care of your blood sugar levels.
Mashed bananas:
This plant-based, fruity substitute works great as a replacement for high-fat butter or oil. While adding natural sweetness to the recipe, mashed bananas also lend moisture, a subtle fruity flavor, and creaminess perfect for muffins and chocolate cakes.
Maple syrup:
This liquid sweetener can replace refined sugar in a 3:4 ratio while adding moisture and a subtle yet distinct flavor.