Milk-Based Indian Sweets and Desserts

By
Petrina Verma Sarkar
Petrina Verma Sarkar
Food writer Petrina Verma Sarkar is a native of India with extensive knowledge of the country's regional cuisines.
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Updated on 01/4/23

Most Indians will confess to having a sweet-tooth. Can you blame them? The delicious variety available is too much to resist! Indian desserts are made with ingredients ranging from fruits and vegetables to grains and legumes. Here are some made predominantly with milk and milk products.

  • 01 of 14

    Rasgulla

    Rasgulla Indian dessert

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

    Soft, spongy balls of cottage cheese soaked in chilled sugar syrup—nicely made Rasgulla melts in your mouth and leaves you wanting more ... always! The Bengalis (from eastern India) sure know their sweet making.

  • 02 of 14

    Ras Malai

    Ras Malai

    Uzma Alam / EyeEm / Getty Images

    A favorite dessert, Ras Malai is dumplings made from cottage or ricotta cheese soaked in sweetened, thickened milk delicately flavored with cardamom. Serve it chilled and garnished with slivers of dried fruit.

  • 03 of 14

    Gulab Jamun

    Easy and Delicious Indian Gulab Jamun

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

    This delicious gulab jamun dessert consists of dumplings traditionally made of thickened or reduced milk, soaked in rose flavored sugar syrup. It gets its name from two words: gulab which means rose (for the rose flavored syrup) and jamun which is a kind of deep purple colored Indian berry (the cooked dumplings are dark brown in color). Serve gulab jamun warm or at room temperature and by itself or topped with ice cream!

  • 04 of 14

    Creamy Kheer Rice Pudding (Payasam or Payesh)

    Indian Rice Pudding (Kheer)

    Faraz Hyder / Getty Images

    This creamy kheer rice pudding is delicately flavored with cardamom and full of nuts. It's a great dessert for any time of the year. In the south and east India versions of it are made for certain festivals. In the South, Kheer is called Payasam and in the east, it is known as Payesh.

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  • 05 of 14

    Cham-Cham

    Cham cham
    uniquely india / Getty Images

    We've heard of them being called "Pleasure Boats" and know people who use the name as a term of endearment for their loved ones! Not surprising because Cham-Chams are truly delicious and very sweet indeed! Cham-Cham is a typically Bengali (East Indian) sweet.

  • 06 of 14

    Mishti Doi

    Mishti Doi

    Kirti Poddar / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

    Mishti Doi is synonymous with Bengal in East India. The Bengalis are famous for their sweet preparations and Mishti Doi is among their most well-known desserts. Mishti Doi tastes great but is amazingly simple to make!

  • 07 of 14

    Sandesh Mishti

    Sandesh Mishti dessert

    Sandesh Mishti / Creative Commons BY 2.0 

    No Bengali meal is complete without mishti or sweets and none is more loved by the Bengalis than Sandesh. It is surprisingly easy to make. Being a milk-based sweet, Sandesh mishti doesn’t last long so consume it as soon as possible. Given how tasty it is, that shouldn’t be a problem.

  • 08 of 14

    Easy Mango Kulfi

    Kulfi - Indian ice cream with pistachios
    Joff Lee / Getty Images

    This easy mango kulfi recipe for this delicious dessert is so simple, kids can make it! It's perfect for when you want a luxurious dessert but don't want to spend hours cooking.

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  • 09 of 14

    Shahi Tukra

    Shahi Tukra

    Divya Kudua / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

    Truly a royal dessert, as its name suggests, Shahi Tukra is a rich bread pudding with dry fruits, flavored with cardamom. It's simple to make and a great dessert for times when you're in a hurry.

  • 10 of 14

    Sitaphal Ice Cream

    Ice Cream
    Emilie Duchesne / Getty Images

    You will love the slightly grainy texture of Sitaphal ice cream! This recipe is so simple to make that kids could easily make it themselves. Don't be surprised if you come into the kitchen and see them hard at work making this dessert!

  • 11 of 14

    Sitaphal Cream

    Custard apples on decorative metal tray

    The Picture Pantry / Julie Benz / Getty Images

    Sitaphal cream is the kind of dessert that makes you feel you've died and gone straight to heaven!! We feel like we need not say more on the subject. Try it!

  • 12 of 14

    Shahi Falooda

    Falooda Indian dessert
    luknaja / Getty Images

    Shahi falooda is a popular dessert not just in Mumbai (Bombay) where it is thought to have originated but also in the rest of the country. This chilled drink-dessert is the perfect way to cool off in the summer heat.

    Continue to 13 of 14 below
  • 13 of 14

    Caramel Custard

    Creme caramel served on a plate with a spoon
    Dorling Kindersley / Getty Images

    This easy-to-make caramel custard pudding is popular all over India but made especially well by the Parsis, Mangaloreans (both from Western India), and the Anglo-Indians. It can be steamed in a pressure cooker or baked in the oven.

  • 14 of 14

    Quick and Easy Microwave Milk Barfi

    Quick and easy microwave milk barfi

    PhotosIndia / Getty Images

    When we first learned how to cook this delicious quick and easy microwave milk barfi, we were so taken up by how easy it was, we made it every time we could! You'll see why if you try it.