These Mehndi Dessert Recipes Are So Good, You’ll Never Stop Making Them

Raj Desai | 10/22/22

Writer, designer, and walking encyclopedia for South Asian weddings.

Diwali is just around the corner, which means it’s the perfect time to talk party desserts. 😋

Specifically no-bake party desserts, because A) it’s 2022 and who has the time for that anyways?? And B) I am the world’s worst baker. And for a high-pressure situation like a party featuring guests like my mom, MIL, and hordes of Aunties, I need a dessert that I can’t eff up.

That’s why I love no-bake desserts. A little mixing of this, a little refrigeration of that, and voilà! Patisserie-worthy confections.

Test them out at your Diwali party and let them shine at your wedding events., Here’s a look at some delightfully easy, delectable desserts.

Cookies N' Cream Burfi

I found this recipe from popular food blogger Some Indian Girl. and instantly tested it out on my husband, son, parents, in-laws, and that’s it because I don’t know anyone else.

They loved it. They loved it so much that I could barely hear anything over the symphony of “mms” from the adults and “I want more!” from the kids.

Even better, it takes minutes to make. Insanely easy! If you want a surefire crowd pleaser, this dessert is it. You can even turn it into a full-on burfi bar with other flavors like pumpkin and tiramisu.

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Gulab Jamun Tower

The genius behind this dessert? My husband, who mistook a donut tower for one made out of gulab jamun. Which got me thinking, why the hell aren’t we making towers out of gulab jamun?!

Maybe because it took 2 boxes of frozen gulab jamun just to cover the front of this foam tower (all you really need since this dessert is more form over function). And because assembly can turn into a big sticky mess.

Assembly woes aside, this dessert is impressive to look at, and involves 0 cooking.

Ladoo Cheesecake Bites

@dulhanusa
So easy you can’t f* it up #diwalidesserts #cheesecakebites #mehndidesserts #nobakedessert #fyp
? Candy - The Wildcardz & dazeychain

Last year for my own Diwali party, I decided to make mini ladoo cheesecake cups from scratch. Never. Again.

2 hours into what was supposed to be fun party prep with my mom and brother (who may or may not have been forced to join), we were exhausted. Don’t get me wrong, the final product tasted good as hell, but it was absolutely not worth the time and effort.

Ah, but I have your ticket out of this making from scratch cheesecake hell. Have you seen the cheesecake bite videos that have been popping up all over TikTok? The ones where people use pie cutters to transform one frozen cheesecake into multiple tiny ones? Just do that and put some ladoo on top.

Same taste. Saves you hours. And again, no baking involved. All you need is a frozen cheesecake, a small pie cutter (I got mine from Amazon), and a box of ladoo.

Cardamom Whipped Cream

Want to impress your guests at the snap of a finger? Let them know that the dessert you’re serving is “topped with a dollop of cardamom whipped cream.”

via GIPHY

From Scratch Fast’s recipe is the only one that I haven’t tried yet, but I can’t wait to test this out and throw it on a chocolate custard pie. For those of you looking to include it in more Desi-inspired desserts, think about using it in a gulab jamun trifle, mini rasmalai pies, or on top of a refreshing mango mousse.

Thank God it’s almost noon because my mouth is *watering* after writing this. Which dessert recipe will you be testing out first? Let me know in the comments below!