Gujiyas are the quintessential sweet of Holi without which the festival is incomplete. From chocolate gujiyas, to apple gujiya and rabri gujiya, here is a list of some of the unique and unusual types of gujiyas available in different places. And for Holi 2025, make it a mission to devour it all!
If you possess a considerable sweet tooth, boondi ("deep-fried gram flour drops dipped in sugar syrup") is an excellent option for gujiya stuffing. The sweet and crispy droplets make for an interesting filling while also being well-suitable to the roots of the original gujiya. Try it out at home for a praiseworthy result.
One of the most popular ingredients for paan and other Indian delicacies a rose-flavour is gulkand, or the preserve of rose petals. This sweet preserve, popular mostly in the northern states, can be incorporated into the filling and then deep-fried as per usual. This gives your regular gujiya a royal flavour.
Rabri is prepared by boiling milk for hours until it is reduced to half its volume and thickens. For the filling, you can add this along with dried fruits, cardamom, nuts, and khoya or milk solids.
Matar gujiya is a traditional Maharashtrian gujiya. Made by stuffing fresh green peas and coconut in the dough, they are fried until golden and then eaten as a tea-time snack.
Much like apple pie, an apple gujiya is made with a sumptuous filling of chopped apples. For the Indian flavour, khoya, spices, cashews, almonds, sugar, raisins, pistachios, and green cardamom are added, too. A surefire way to win over the kids, apples could also be replaced with pineapples, bananas, or pears.
Gujiya and bhang together make for a common food item during Holi. For a fun twist to the traditional sweet dish, add a little bit of bhang to your khoya mixture before filling it in the dough.