Ghevar — honeycomb-textured Rajasthani sweet
Ghevar is a striking Rajasthani sweet — a flat, round, intensely porous honeycomb of fried batter, dipped in cardamom syrup, sometimes topped with thickened milk (rabri) and a scatter of dried fruit. It is the canonical festival sweet of Teej and Raksha Bandhan in Jaipur and the wider Rajasthani diaspora.
i. Origin & history
Ghevar is one of the most technically remarkable Indian sweets — the honeycomb structure comes from a precise interaction of ghee, ice-cold batter, and very hot oil. The result is an architecture of crisp, fragile, fried lace.
ii. Ingredients
Makes 6 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust
- 200 g plain flour
- 200 g ghee
- Ice-cold water as needed (around 600 ml)
- 1 tbsp milk (helps the texture)
- Pinch saffron
- 1 litre ghee or neutral oil for frying
- 300 g sugar
- 200 ml water
- 6 cardamom pods, crushed
- 200 ml thickened rabri (reduced sweetened milk)
- 2 tbsp chopped pistachios
- 2 tbsp slivered almonds
- Edible silver leaf
iii. Method
- Place 200 g ghee in a large bowl with a handful of ice. Whip with your fingertips until creamy and pale.
- Add flour and milk; whisk in. Gradually add ice-cold water, whisking, to a thin batter — like single cream.
- Heat ghee/oil in a deep narrow pan to 180 °C / 360 °F.
- Pour a ladle of cold batter from height into the hot ghee — it will bubble violently and form a lace structure. Wait 30 sec; pour another ladle. Build up the disc to 2 cm thick by pouring 3-4 times.
- Once the structure stops bubbling and is golden, lift out carefully (it is fragile). Drain.
- Simmer sugar syrup with cardamom. Dip cooled ghevar briefly in warm syrup. Top with rabri, nuts and silver leaf.
iv. Tips & common mistakes
- Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
- Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
- Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.
v. Variations
Plain ghevar is the canonical Rajasthani version. Malai ghevar tops with rabri. Mawa ghevar is denser. Modern mango ghevar uses mango purée.
vi. Common questions
What is ghevar?
Ghevar is honeycomb-textured rajasthani sweet, from indian & south asian cuisine. It is the canonical festival sweet of Teej and Raksha Bandhan in Jaipur and the wider Rajasthani diaspora
Where is ghevar from?
Ghevar is from the indian & south asian dessert tradition; the recipe and history are detailed above.
How long does ghevar keep?
See the storage note in the Quick facts panel: 3 days at room temperature.