Durga Puja Dessert Recipes: Festive Sweets to Make and Share

As Durga Puja rolls around the corner, it’s time to cook and prepare a batch of sweets for your loved ones, even if it's just for yourself or your family. A bowl or a piece of warm or chilled Bengali desserts or mishti, during Durga Pujo is a must, and you’ll know exactly what goes into its making and can add, subtract, or substitute ingredients to your liking.

Why Desserts Are Special During Durga Puja

Bengal is known for its ‘mishtis’ (sweets). And when it comes to the biggest festival of Bengalis, how is it even possible to imagine the celebration without sweets and desserts? From melt-in-the-mouth shondesh and creamy mishti doi to syrupy roshogollas and chhanar jilapi, the list of Durga Puja-special desserts is literally endless. Whether you are offering them to Ma Durga or simply spreading sweetness amongst all, it is always the sweets and desserts that bring in the festive vibe during Durga Puja. Especially, gifting sweet boxes and serving sweets to guests during ‘Bijoya Doshomi’ is a staple courtesy.

Festive Durga Puja Dessert Recipes

Rajbhog

(Makes 10 pieces)

For the Paneer Balls

• 1 ½ liters milk
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp semolina
• A pinch of saffron
• A pinch of cardamom powder
• 2 tbsp crushed dry fruits (cashews, pistachios, almonds)

For the sugar syrup

• 300 gm sugar
• 2 liters of water
• 2 tbsp saffron water

Instructions:

1. Boil the milk in a heavy-bottomed pot, on medium heat, and stir occasionally to prevent it from burning and forming milk skin on top
2. Once it starts boiling, add the lemon juice and reduce the heat to low
3. Stir occasionally until the milk curdles
4. Turn off the heat once the water and milk solids separate
5. Strain the milk solids through a colander, squeezing out most of the water
6. Reserve the nutritious whey to cook or bake something else
7. Rinse with water to get rid of the lemon juice in it and again squeeze out the water from it, not too hard; you need a little water content
8. Squeeze just enough to get rid of the wetness
9. Hang in a muslin cloth to let the excess water drip off for 20 minutes
10. While the cheese gets ready, use your fingertips to crush the saffron strands in a teaspoon of milk and set aside to infuse
11. Remove the cheese and knead it for 5 minutes to get a smooth yet grainy dough
12. Then add the semolina, saffron milk, and cardamom powder
13. Knead for 5 more minutes to get the dough
14. Pinch out a small ball and flatten it with your palms
15. Add the dry fruits to its center, then use your fingertips to pinch shut the edges and roll them into a ball with a flawless surface
16. Check for cracks, and fix them if any
17. Repeat with the rest of the dough and the filling
18. Take a wide saucepan, add the sugar, water, and saffron water, and bring to a boil on medium heat
19. Let the sugar dissolve, the saffron infuse the liquid, then reduce the heat
20. Drop the prepared balls in the bubbling sugar syrup and cover with a lid, letting it simmer for 15 minutes
21. The balls will double in size, so make sure to use a wide vessel for the syrup
22. Keep aside to cool, then refrigerate or serve warm with a few saffron strands as garnish

Bhapa Doi

(Serves 10)

Ingredients

• 800 gm yogurt
• 400 gm condensed milk
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 2 pinches of saffron strands
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp almonds, chopped
• 1 tbsp pistachios, chopped

Instructions:

1. Soak a pinch of saffron in a ¼ cup of warm milk, chop the pistachios and almonds, and set aside
2. Take a mixing bowl and add the yogurt, saffron milk, condensed milk, and cardamom powder
3. Whisk to get an even mixture with a smooth and pourable consistency
4. Apply ghee to a big heatproof bowl and pour the yogurt mix into it
5. Sprinkle the chopped nuts and some saffron on top
6. Cover the bowl with a sheet of foil to avoid condensation falling into the yogurt
7. Fill a steamer with water and let it boil
8. Carefully lower the bowl into it and steam on medium heat for 20 minutes
9. Switch off the heat and let it stand for 2-3 minutes
10. Then remove it from the heat and let it cool
11. Once the concoction is cool, refrigerate for 2-3 hours
12. After the curd sets, shake it a little to loosen it and unmold it on a serving plate, scooping out or slicing it into portions as needed
13. Garnish with nuts

Lyangcha

(Makes 10 pieces)

Ingredients

For the dough

• 125 gm chhana
• 1 tsp sooji
• A pinch of baking powder
• 1 tbsp maida
• A pinch of cardamom powder
• ½ tbsp ghee

For the sugar syrup

• 200 gm sugar
• 235 ml water
• 3-4 cardamom pods

Instructions:

1. Boil the sugar in water in a saucepan first to make the sugar syrup
2. Once the sugar dissolves, strain to discard any impurities
3. Crush the cardamom pods, add them, and keep boiling until You achieve a one-string consistency
4. This takes 8-10 minutes
5. Keep aside
6. Take the channa on a plate and knead until it is soft with no lumps
7. Add sooji, maida, ghee, baking powder, and cardamom powder, and knead until it releases oil and is smooth
8. Cover the bowl and let it set for 15 minutes
9. Once rested, divide it into 10 equal portions and roll into balls
10. Then roll them into cylinders, exactly like how a Lyangcha looks
11. Heat any refined oil for deep frying
12. You can add a tablespoon of ghee for flavor in a kadhai until it reaches its smoking point
13. Then reduce the heat
14. Carefully release each dough cylinder into the hot oil
15. Fry until the lyangcha turns a beautiful shade of sienna brown
16. Drain them from the oil, and transfer them to the now warm sugar syrup
17. Let them soak in the syrup for 2-3 hours
18. Garnish with chopped nuts of your choice and serve warm or cold

How To Choose The Right Durga Puja Dessert

During Durga Puja, sweets and desserts play many roles. They are offered as sacred ‘naivedya’ to Goddess Durga and her children. They are served at the end of almost every meal to end it on a sweet note. When the festival comes to an end with Ma Durga’s immersion (visarjan), it is shared with friends and family as a symbol of exchanging cordial gestures.

Based on the purpose, it is essential to choose the right kind of sweets. For puja offerings, it is ideal to pick some chhena-based shondesh. If you are planning to gift sweets to your loved ones, pick dry mithais like korapaker shondesh or jolbhora shondesh. If it is being served at the end of a lavish lunch at your home, go with the scrumptious mishti doi and syrupy snow-white roshogollas, pantuas, kalo jaam, and komola bhog. The other festive delicacies also include chhanar payesh, chhanar jilapi, roshmalai, rabri, and more.

Tips For Preparing Durga Puja Desserts at Home

• Use full-fat milk: If you are making dairy-based payesh, roshogolla, or shondesh. Always pick full-cream cow's milk to get a rich, creamy texture.
• Focus on temperature: While making chhena from full-fat milk, make sure you turn off the heat before adding lemon juice or vinegar. Overboiling the milk often makes the chhena hard and rubbery.
• Knead well: For sweets like chhena-based shondesh and roshogolla, it is mandatory to knead the chhena with your palm until it becomes smooth.
• Refrigeration is a must: For all the dairy-based sweets, refrigeration is the best storage method. As they contain high moisture and dairy content, they are prone to spoiling at room temperature.
• Garnish generously: Once the Durga Puja desserts are ready, generously garnish them with silver vark, golden vark, edible flowers, and toasted nuts, for an authentic festive look.

Serving and Gifting Ideas for Durga Puja Desserts

Kulhads for mishti doi: To add an earthy tone to your presentation, serve the chilled, sweet, and creamy mishti doi in earthen kulhads and garnish them with some crushed pistachios.

‘Kanshar Bati’ for payesh: This milky, creamy delight is best served in brass bowls, popularly known as ‘kanshar bati’. Top it with some melted n olen gur (date palm jaggery) and serve it warm. Other brass utensils can be used for dry sweets like shondesh, laddus, borfi (barfi), and more.

Sandesh Platter: To serve the endless shondesh options, you may opt for a large brass thali (Kanshar thala) where all the variations can be plated in a visually striking manner.