Halwa, ladoo, kheer and more: Indulge guilt-free with these 5 sugar-free desserts during your Rakhi celebrations

Celebrate Rakhi with guilt-free sugar-free desserts! Discover five easy recipes for delicious sweets that are perfect for health-conscious festivities.

Food is a key part of celebrations in Indian culture, and Raksha Bandhan is no exception. On this festival, sisters tie a thread on their brothers' wrists and celebrate with sweets. This year, you can make it special by preparing protein laddoos at home. Your fitness-conscious brother will enjoy them, and they are good for your health too! As people become more aware of their diets, making sweets at home allows them to choose better ingredients. Let's share some easy protein laddoo recipes to make your special day even better.

Dessert can be made with natural ingredients and no added sugar, making it diabetic-friendly. (Pinterest)

By Tavishi Dogra

Tavishi Dogra is a Deputy Chief Content Producer, Health & Wellness, at Hindustan Times. She has over 9 years of experience writing about fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, translating medical research and expert insights into practical advice readers can trust.

Career journey and experience
Tavishi began her health journalism journey in 2017, and has since reported for RSTV, Financial Express, Jagran, HT Media Labs and Zee. She joined Hindustan Times to simplify wellness subjects by cutting through jargon.

From decoding health trends and interviewing doctors to testing fitness routines herself, Tavishi always approaches content with one filter: “Will this help someone make a better decision today?”

Subject expertise
With 9+ years tracking India’s health conversations, Tavishi knows the gap between clinical advice and daily life. She knows fads from fundamentals and curates science-backed, expert-recommended solutions.

In fitness, she breaks down bodyweight training, recovery, and posture fixes for desk-bound readers. In nutrition, she translates guidelines into affordable, desi meal tweaks. In mental well-being, she focuses on stigma-free, actionable tools — all backed by research, expert input, and lived context.

Education and professional background
Tavishi holds a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and began her career reporting on public affairs for broadcast. Those early years in policy and TV shaped how she writes today: fast, factual, and human-first.

Editorial Philosophy
I write with one single goal: To simplify health in a world full of noise by finding what’s actually doable, safe, and evidence-based for my readers. I test claims against research and user experiences. When all else fails, I speak to the expert who sees 50 patients a day, not the one with the most followers.

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Here are 5 sweets that are low in calories and sugar-free

What’s a festival without sweets? If you're watching your diet or watching your sugar intake, here are some easy recipes for sugar-free treats. These sweets are low in calories and have a healthy twist!

1. Coconut halwa

Ingredients:-

• Use 8 teaspoons of virgin coconut oil
• 100 milliliters of coconut milk
• 100 grams of dry coconut powder
• A few strands of saffron
• Use any calorie-free sweetener or 6 grams of stevia
• Powdered cardamon

A few cashews, pistachios, and almonds

Method:-

• Heat some coconut oil in a kadhai, then add the coconut powder.
• Cook on low heat for 8 minutes, stirring until the powder turns slightly brown.
• Add coconut milk, stevia, cardamom powder, and saffron strands. Stir the mixture for 10 minutes.
• Wait until the mixture starts to release oil and soak up the moisture.
• Turn off the gas. Finally, add cashews, almonds, and pistachios for garnish.
• Serve it while it's hot.

2. Jaggery almond ladoos

Ingredients:-

• 50 grams of popped amaranth seeds
• 50 ml of melted jaggery
• 30g almond

Method:-

• Put all the ingredients into a bowl.
• Mix well to form small balls.
• Garnish with saffron and serve.

3. Sugar-free oats kheer

Ingredients:-

• 1 cup of oats
• 500 milliliters of milk
• 4-5 dates
• A few almonds
• 1 banana
• 2 cardamoms
• A few raisins

Method:-

• Roast the oats for 5 minutes.
• In a kadhai, boil the milk for 5 minutes. Then, add dates, almonds, raisins, and cardamom.
• Add the oats later and boil until it thickens.
• Finally, add banana pieces for garnish and serve cold.

4. Low-fat, sugar-free gajar halwa

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of grated carrots
• 1 cup of low-fat milk
• 1 tablespoon of ghee
• 1/4 cup of chopped dates
• ¼ tablespoon of cardamom powder

Method:

• In a pressure cooker, heat ghee. Add the carrots and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes.
• Add the dates and ¾ cup low-fat milk, then mix well.
• Cook under pressure for 2 whistles.
• Add the remaining 1/4 cup of milk and cardamom powder, then mix well.
• Cook for 4 minutes over medium heat, stirring continuously.
• Serve the halwa while it is hot.

5. Quinoa kheer

Ingredients:

• 50gm quinoa
• 200 ml of unsweetened almond milk
• 8gm stevia
• Powdered cardamom seeds
• A few strands of saffron
• A few almonds and some pistachios

Method:

• Rinse quinoa in water, then soak it for 20 minutes.
• Cook the quinoa on medium heat for 10 minutes.
• When it becomes soft, add almond milk, stevia, saffron, and cardamom.
• Cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Finally, top with almonds and pistachios and serve hot.

(Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.)