Diwali recipes
Plan a delicious Diwali with our recipes that celebrate the Hindu festival of lights. Our Diwali recipes include festive curries, Indian side dishes, special biryanis, fluffy Indian flatbreads and plenty more feasting dishes to feed a crowd.
We’ve also included recipes from some of the UK’s leading chefs and restaurateurs with Indian heritage, including Vivek Singh, Ravinder Bhogal, Chetna Makan and Rohit Ghai.
And check out popular Diwali sweet dishes like kheer, carrot halwa and gulab jamun, too.
Happy Diwali!
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Diwali recipes
Hazelnut cocoa burfi
Sanjana Modha's cocoa burfi with roasted hazelnuts and salted brown butter is the perfect sweet treat for Diwali and special occasions.
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Indian side dishes
Mirchi pakode ki chaat (potato-stuffed chilli chaat)
Food writer Maunika Gowardhan shares her recipe for potato-stuffed chillies chaat. This street food snack is popular across India.
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Diwali recipes
Ragda patties chaat
In this Mumbai favourite, a dal-like base of yellow peas (ragda) is topped with spicy fried potato patties and finished with chaat garnishes.
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Sweet potato recipes
Shakarkandi (sweet potato) chaat
Chef Romy Gill shares her recipe for shakarkandi chaat. This fragrant sweet potato chaat with lime and mint is a Punjabi classic.
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Fennel recipes
Fennel and onion pakoras
Acclaimed chef Aktar Islam shares his recipe for the best pakoras you'll ever cook. Golden, light and crisp - these fritters hit the spot.
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Curry recipes
Maunika Gowardhan’s vegetable korma (Navratan Korma)
Maunika Gowardhan's rich vegetable korma is packed with cashews, vegetables, ginger and tangy pineapple. Perfect for Diwali celebrations.
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Diwali recipes
Maunika Gowardhan’s Sindhi fish pulao (Sindhi machhi jo pulao)
Maunika Gowardhan's recipe for fragrant Sindi fish pulao, made with sea bream, is perfect for serving as part of a big Diwali spread.
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Diwali recipes
Maunika Gowardhan’s spicy potato fry (Chettinad Urulai)
Maunika Gowardhan shares her recipe for authentic Chettinad potato fry. This spicy potato dish sings with chilli, mustard and black pepper.
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Diwali recipes
Maunika Gowardhan’s lamb fry (Kolhapuri kaala lamb sukka)
Maunika Gowardhan shares her recipe for lamb fry, a classic dry curry in Kolhapuri cooking. A kaala masala spice blend adds fiery warmth.
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Diwali recipes
Pakora
Super quick and versatile, you can put pretty much any vegetable into pakora – just finely slice anything firm so it can cook quickly.
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Diwali recipes
Coconut, saffron and pistachio barfi
Cooking and sharing Indian sweets are the essence of Diwali, says Maunika Gowardhan, who shares her creamy pistachio barfi recipe.
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Indian side dishes
Green coriander chutney
Whizz up a batch of green coriander chutney in just 10 mins. This zingy fresh chutney has a chilli kick. Spoon it over fish or chicken.
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Indian side dishes
Papdi chaat
Vivek Singh shares his recipe for papdi chaat. This colourful snack dish includes crispy papdi, coriander chutney, spiced potato and yogurt.
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Non-alcoholic drink recipes
Thandhai (spiced milk cooler)
Vivek Singh shares his recipe for thandai, a traditional Indian cold drink made with almonds, milk and spices and often drunk during Holi.
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Lamb curry recipes
West Bengali lamb curry (khela kalia)
Vivek Singh shares his recipe for West Bengali lamb curry. This rich, celebratory dish is also known as Sunday special or holiday curry.
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Indian side dishes
Mixed vegetable pilau (Subz mutter pulao)
Vivek Singh's mixed vegetable pilau (subz mutter pulao) is packed with cauliflower, carrots and peas. Serve with lamb or goat curry.
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Easy
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