Healthy & Trending Sweets for Dussehra: No-Maida, Vegan, and Nutritious Recipes

With the arrival of October, the air in India changes, bringing lights, rituals, and splurge festivals. Immediately after Navratri and Durga Puja, on 2nd October this year, Dussehra will be celebrated, where Lord Rama defeated Ravana and good will triumph over evil. Roads nationwide illuminate with processions, Ramlila performances, and temple tours. Families gather and, as in the case of every other festival in India, sweets are at the core of the celebrations.

In the past, Dussehra tables overflowed with laddoos, barfis, halwas, and kheer, usually laden with ghee, sugar, and maida flour. While these classic sweets evoke memories and love, most look for solutions to make this indulgence guilt-free, yet festive in nature. That's where the idea of healthy & trending sweets for Dussehra steps in. Imagine sweets made without maida, recipes based on natural sweeteners, vegan dairy alternatives, and healthful grains that don't give up on taste.

Festivals are all about coming together, and homemade sweets guarantee not only purity of ingredients but a personal touch as well. Using the right ingredients and with some changes here and there, your Dussehra thali can be loaded with body-light yet celebration-rich sweets. Here are seven such recipes that are easy to make, contemporary in style, and ideal for festive sharing.

Jaggery-Sesame Laddoos

These laddoos are a winter-friendly sweet, but they also suit the Dussehra season with their wholesome energy. Roasted sesame seeds are mixed together with melted jaggery, creating a nutty, earthy laddoo that is naturally sweet and iron-rich. To make them vegan, replace ghee with a light drizzle of coconut oil. The key is heating the jaggery until it reaches the perfect sticky stage so it holds the sesame firmly. These laddoos not only sustain energy levels but are also a healthy substitute for sweets made from maida. Serve them with masala milk or green tea to keep the balance going during festive nights.

Coconut-Oats Barfi

Barfis are quintessential in festive boxes, and this one is a hot new version. Rolled oats are roasted, powdered lightly, and then blended with grated coconut and jaggery syrup to create a chewy and healthy sweet. In contrast to the conventional maida-based barfis, oats provide fiber, so they're filling and easy on the stomach. Make it vegan by substituting almond milk for dairy milk during the binding process. Cut into neat diamond pieces and top with chopped pistachios. This barfi is healthy, easy to make, and perfect when you desire a low-fuss but elegant mithai on your Dussehra platter.

Ragi & Dry Fruit Halwa

Halwa is a festival essential, but this time, try making it with ragi or finger millet. With its calcium and iron content, ragi provides a rich base to the halwa. Sugar is replaced with dates paste as the sweetening agent, while roasted cashew nuts, almonds, and raisins provide the crunch. To make it vegan, sauté the ragi in coconut milk or oat milk in place of regular milk. This gives a rich, slightly nutty halwa that keeps you going while remaining healthy. It's best served warm and is perfect for family poojas on Dussehra evenings.

Brown Rice Vegan Kesar Phirni

Phirni is a favorite Indian sweet, but here's a healthier and new version of it. Instead of white rice, use brown rice, soaked and coarsely ground. Substitute dairy milk with cashew milk, which has a creamy texture, and sweeten with jaggery syrup rather than sugar. Saffron strands steeped in lukewarm water add color and fragrance. Refrigerate before serving in earthen cups.

Chia Seed & Mango Shrikhand

A refreshing dessert, shrikhand too tends to weigh heavily with thick curd and sugar. To make it a healthy festive hit, mix hung curd (or almond yoghurt for vegans), fresh mango pulp, and a spoonful of soaked chia seeds. Chia provides a superfood flavor with omega-3s and keeps you satiated, while mango adds freshness. Top with almond slivers and saffron strands.

Quinoa & Dry Fruit Laddoos

Quinoa is not ancient, but it has entered Indian kitchens as a popular grain. Dry roast quinoa and grind it. Then, combine it with jaggery syrup, chopped nuts, and a small amount of ghee (use coconut oil for vegan). The laddoos are easy to make and last for days. They are high in protein and fiber and can be used as a gift or served during parties. Their nutty flavor complements cardamom so well that they are now a contemporary addition to the festive mithai tray without using maida and processed sugar.

Sweet Potato Kheer

A healthy twist on conventional kheer, this recipe uses boiled and mashed sweet potatoes as the foundation. Cooked in coconut milk with a pinch of cardamom and jaggery syrup, the kheer is creamy and subtly sweet. Top with roasted cashews and raisins for richness. Sweet potatoes add natural sweetness and fibre to make the kheer rich yet light on the stomach. Served warm or cold, it is a celebratory dessert that tastes seasonal, wholesome, and one of the healthiest & voguish sweets for Dussehra in homes today.