Guilt-Free Tricolor Sweets: Celebrate Independence Day With Natural, No-Refined-Sugar Recipes

Festivals in India offer a variety of sweet treats. Whenever there is a festival, it is important to celebrate it with a homemade sweet. Without sweets, no festival will feel like a celebration. Every festival is marked by its unique sweet treat, which makes the day feel special and like no other. For Diwali, you get besan ladoo and barfi, for Holi, you get gujiya, and for Christmas, you get plum cake. The sweet treats are fun to enjoy; however, they can raise health concerns since all of them are made with sugar. When sugar is eaten in large quantities, it works as a poison for the body. This can make the sweet treats a guilty pleasure,, and you will hesitate to indulge in the festive treats.

Independence Day is also one of the festivals where you would like to indulge in sweet delights. However, for Independence Day, which is one of the most important festivals in India, there is no traditional sweet that is unique to the festival. This is when you can try giving the existing recipe a twist with the addition of the Independence Day flair. Additionally, you can make the treats healthier than the traditional variations, allowing you to enjoy them as much as you like. By adding healthy ingredients and incorporating the colors of the flag, you can make Independence Day treats truly memorable.

This article features three healthy dessert recipes with healthy and wholesome ingredients, along with colors reminiscent of the flag. The colors can be added in natural ways so you don't have to worry about artificial coloring. Check out these ideas and make the Independence day feast memorable.

1. Tricolor Barfi

Barfi is a frozen fudge that allows you to play with layers and flavors. You can layer different fudge pastes together to make a stunning layered delight. For the tricolor version, you can use carrots, cashews, and pistachios as the base ingredients. Carrot fudge paste will become the orange part, cashew paste will make for the white part, and pistachio paste will become the green. Altogether, these parts make a fun tricolor barfi with complementary flavors. For sweetening, you can use date paste or honey as a healthy substitute for sugar.

2. Tricolor Ladoo

Ladoo is a fun dessert that symbolizes festivals. In almost every festival, you can see ladoos on the festive platter. There are several different types of ladoos you can make but for the tricolor variation with besan, khoya, or just coconut. Making with coconut is easier since you can color the shredded coconut with natural foods and then just bind it with the addition of condensed milk. For besan ladoo, add a few sprinkles or dry fruits like cashews and pistachios to bring the white and green color to the orange base color. For khoya, just mix 1 part of khoya with saffron and the other with matcha, then just bind it with some white khoya and make tricolor ladoo. Sweeten the ladoo with jaggery for a healthier version.

3. Tricolor Fudge

Similar to barfi, fudge is made with contemporary ingredients and turns out richer but lighter than the traditional recipe. For a modern version, you can use almond flour for the base instead of khoya if you want to avoid dairy and make the fudge naturally sweet with a nutty flavor. For the orange layer, use frozen mango pulp or carrot juice. For the white part, just add coconut to the almond flour, or you can skip it and keep it as it is. For the green layer, use matcha powder or pistachio paste. A pinch of sea salt will bring all the flavors together, and with the nutty essence of almond, this fudge will be extremely comforting.

4. Tricolor Chia Pudding Parfait

A parfait is a layered treat that you serve in beautiful, small glasses. It is made with a variety of different ingredients, each with distinct textures and flavors. A parfait can feature a crumble base, a paste filling, and a creamy topping to create a delightful layered delight that looks appealing and tastes delicious. For a healthier version, make a parfait with chia seeds soaked in almond or coconut milk, and then layer it with papaya or mango pulp, along with kiwi or spinach blended into a banana. This layered delight is healthy and naturally sweet; you can enjoy it to your heart's content.

5. Tricolor Modak

Modak can also be made in a tricolor variation. For this, simply blend saffron and pistachio paste into two batches of khoya, flavor it with cardamom, and shape it using a modak mold.