South Indian Diwali Sweets and Snacks Recipes

South Indian Diwali sweets and snacks recipes collection featuring traditional homemade treats, festive savouries and a complete Diwali breakfast menu with idli, vada, sambar and chutney. Celebrate Diwali with these foolproof festive recipes!

Here is the list of South Indian Diwali sweets and snacks recipes commonly prepared in every Indian house. Most of them shared here are Traditional South Indian sweets and there are very few North Indian recipes as well.

Diwali has arrived and its just 1 day to go ! I am so much excited to celebrate this year’s Diwali as we are celebrating it in our own house. “Its a very special Diwaliiiiii !! for me “, Full of fun, new dress, mehandi ( I put mehandi every year only during Diwali) , sweets, crackers and special TV programmes. This is what comes to my mind when I think about Diwali.

As I am celebrating here for the first time on my own, I asked Diwali pooja/celebration procedure from my MIL and shared the same here along with collection of South Indian diwali sweets & snacks recipes from my blog.

Coming to Diwali celebration procedures : On the eve of Diwali, we burn crackers till 8.30 night and then we start to prepare suzhiyan, adhirasam & stack it in a box. We wash & decorate the diyas and other pooja items, put rangolis in house entrance and in pooja room & keep everything ready. In a big plate, we arrange all the new dress by keeping turmeric & kumkum in a corner of the dress.

On Diwali day, we ladies wake up early in the morning around 4 AM, wash the face, light the lamp and keep a small bowl of oil & shikai powder in pooja room. The elder ( my FIL) in our home apply little oil and keep a pinch of shikai on our head for sastram. Then we take bath and wear some old clothes. We ladies enter the kitchen and start to make vada, bajji, idli & sambar. In the mean time, my FIL keep flowers for all the idols and decorate the pooja room.

After making all neivedyam recipes,we place 2 banana leaves (one for veetu theivam and another one for magamaayi). We serve all the sweets along with vada, suzhiyan, adhirasam and Idli. No need to keep sambar.We also keep some fruits & thamboolam. Then eldest person(my FIL) in the family do the pooja and give dresses to everyone.

We wear the new dress and start to burn crackers. After burning crackers for an hour, we have breakfast( Idli sambar) along with diwali sweets & savouries in banana leaf. In the above picture, I have shared our last year’s Diwali breakfast menu.

After breakfast, we watch all the special programmes in TV & enjoy the whole day without cooking. Every body will have the sweets, snacks, vadai suzhiyan & adhirasam as food for the whole day. This is how we celebrate our Diwali.

Coming to Diwali recipes list, here I have shared the links of all the traditional sweets, savouries & diwali neivedyam recipes like idli, vada, bajji with chutney and sambar recipes & Inji legiyam /Ginger lehiyam in one page for easy refernce. I am yet to post some sweets & snacks . I will include them here as soon as I post it. Most of these sweets need preparation time of 15 to 45 minutes. Lets see the diwali recipes collection below.

Here is the video for 4 easy sweets & snacks recipes for beginners:

4 easy diwali snacks video:

South Indian Diwali Sweets Recipes

Kaju Katli (Cashew Fudge)

Kaju Lotus (Cashew Flower Sweet)

Easy Cashew Badam Burfi

Chocolate Khoya Burfi

Suryakala & Chandrakala

Besan Ladoo

Badam Halwa

Adhirasam (With Video)

Sweet Samosa

Gud Papdi (Sukhdi)

Coconut Burfi (Thengai Burfi)

Rava Ladoo (Sooji Laddu)

Shahi Tukra (Low Calorie)

Moong Dal Ladoo (Nei Urundai)

Coconut Ladoo

Sweet Maida Biscuit (Diamond Cuts)

Suzhiyan (Seeyam)

Butter Badusha (Balushahi)

Corn Flour Halwa (Bombay Karachi Halwa)

Dates & Nuts Roll (Khajoor Katri)

Kasi Halwa (Ash Gourd Halwa)

Paneer Ladoo (Malai Ladoo)

Easy Atta Ladoo (Wheat Flour Laddu)

Gulab Jamun With Khoya

Tirunelveli Halwa (Wheat Halwa)

Ashoka Halwa (Thiruvaiyaru Halwa)

South Indian Diwali Snacks Recipes (Savouries)

Tirunelveli Spicy Thukkada

Kai Murukku

Spicy Diamond Cuts (Kara Maida Biscuit)

Ribbon Pakoda (Ola Pakoda)

Omapodi (Plain Sev)

Thattu Vadai (Thattai)

Rice Murukku & Thattuvadai Combo

Manapparai Murukku (Arisi Murukku)

Garlic Kara Sev (Poondu Kara Sev)

Pulippu Murukku (Lemon Murukku)

Magizhampoo Murukku (Mullu Murukku)

Diwali Breakfast & Neivedyam Recipes

Soft Homemade Idli (Idli Dosa Batter)

Crispy Medhu Vadai (Urad Dal Vada)

Crispy Onion Bajji (Vengaya Bajji)

Hotel Style Coconut Chutney (Thengai Chutney)

Hotel Style Tiffin Sambar

Spicy Onion Tomato Chutney

Diwali Marundhu & Inji Legiyam Recipes

Last but not the least, Inji legiyam & Diwali marundhu recipes for easy digestion of diwali snacks & sweets:

Ginger Legiyam (Inji Lehiyam)

Diwali Marundhu (Diwali Legiyam)

Quick Notes for US & Abroad Kitchens

• Pantry Ingredients: Essential South Indian ingredients such as idli rice, raw rice flour, urad dal flour, roasted gram (pottukadalai) and readymade khoya are easily found in Indian grocery stores like Patel Brothers, Subzi Mandi or online.
• Stovetop Heat Control for Deep-Frying: When using electric coil or glass induction cooktops, maintain oil temperature on medium heat (around 350°F / 175°C). Drop a tiny piece of dough into the hot oil; if it rises steadily without turning dark immediately, the oil is at ideal temperature.
• Advance Prep Schedule: Prepare dry savouries like ribbon pakoda, thattai, omapodi and firm sweets like kaju katli, mysore pak or ladoos 3 to 4 days ahead. Keep them stored in airtight steel containers so Diwali morning cooking stays relaxed.
• Diwali Breakfast Planning: Grind idli-dosa batter 24 hours in advance and allow it to ferment in a warm oven with the pilot light on. On Diwali morning, steam fresh soft idlis alongside medhu vadai and hot hotel sambar.

Wish you all a very happy & safe Diwali celebration. Hope you try these recipes & COMMENT your feedback !