Guide
Famous Sweets of Varanasi (Banaras): What to Eat and When
Varanasi is best known for Lal Peda, Malaiyo, Malai Gilori, Tiranga Barfi and its chhena sweets, and for jalebi eaten with kachori at breakfast. Some are seasonal: Malaiyo is a winter-morning sweet, Till Barfi belongs to Makar Sankranti and Gujiya to Holi.
Season calendar
| Sweet | When | Where to try |
|---|---|---|
| Malaiyo | Winter mornings, roughly November to February | Vendors in the old city lanes (we don't make it) |
| Till Barfi | Winter, especially Makar Sankranti in January | Sweet shops, including ours |
| Gujiya | Holi, in February or March | Sweet shops, including ours |
| Tiranga Barfi | All year, popular around 26 January and 15 August | Sweet shops, including ours |
| Lal Peda, Malai Gilori, chhena sweets | All year | Old sweet shops across the city, including ours |
| Kachori, sabzi and jalebi | Every morning | Breakfast shops such as The Ram Bhandar |
Lal Peda
Khoya cooked with sugar for longer than a regular peda, until it turns reddish brown and tastes of caramelised milk. It is the sweet most visitors carry home, because as a dry sweet it travels well. Most old sweet shops in the city make it, and "Banaras Lal Peda" is a registered Geographical Indication (GI). More about our Lal Peda.
Malaiyo
A light froth of sweetened milk flavoured with saffron and cardamom and topped with pistachio, served in a small clay cup. It is made only in winter and sold early in the morning, mostly by vendors in the lanes of the old city around Chowk, until the day's batch runs out. If you visit between November and February, plan one early morning around it.
We don't make Malaiyo ourselves. It belongs to the morning vendors, and we'd rather send you to them.
Malai Gilori
Thin sheets of malai folded into the triangle of a paan gilori around dry fruits, gulkand and cardamom, finished with silver vark. Several old shops make their own version. It is our most-asked-for sweet. More about Malai Gilori.
Tiranga Barfi
A three-layered barfi in the colours of the flag: saffron, white khoya and green pistachio. It is made all year and bought in large quantities around Republic Day and Independence Day. It is registered as a GI under the name "Banaras Tirangi Barfi", and we sell it as Tirangi Barfi.
GI status: IP India register of GIs. A GI protects a product's name and origin; it is not a certificate for any one shop.
Launglata
A pastry folded around a khoya filling, sealed with a clove (laung), fried and soaked in syrup. You will find it at sweet shops and breakfast counters across Varanasi and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Chhena sweets
Varanasi has had a large Bengali community for generations, and chhena sweets such as rasgulla, cham cham and rasmalai are part of everyday mithai here. We make both chhena and khoya sweets in one kitchen. See our chhena sweets.
Kachori, sabzi and jalebi
The classic Banarasi breakfast: fried kachori with a potato sabzi, followed by hot jalebi. In Thatheri Bazar, The Ram Bhandar, serving since 1887 by its own account, is one of the best-known places for it.
Seasonal sweets
- Till Barfi: sesame and khoya, eaten through winter and at Makar Sankranti
- Gujiya: pastry filled with khoya and dry fruit, made for Holi
Questions
What is the most famous sweet of Varanasi?
Lal Peda and Malaiyo are the two named most often. Malaiyo is only made in winter, so for most of the year visitors choose Lal Peda or Malai Gilori.
What are the names of the famous sweets of Banaras?
Lal Peda, Malaiyo, Malai Gilori, Tiranga Barfi, Launglata, Rasgulla, Cham Cham, Rasmalai, Till Barfi and Gujiya, plus jalebi eaten with kachori at breakfast.
Which sweet is famous in Banaras in winter?
Malaiyo, a saffron milk froth sold on winter mornings, and Till Barfi, the sesame and khoya sweet of Makar Sankranti.
When is Malaiyo available in Varanasi?
Only in the winter months, roughly November to February, and mostly in the early morning until the day's batch runs out. It is sold by vendors in the old city lanes; we don't make it at our shop.
Which Banarasi sweets can I take home?
Dry khoya sweets such as Lal Peda and barfi travel best. Cream sweets like Malai Gilori and Malaiyo are best eaten in Varanasi.
Where can I buy sweets near Kashi Vishwanath Temple?
Thatheri Bazar, between the temple and Dashashwamedh Ghat, has several old sweet and breakfast shops. Sri Narayan Misthan Bhandar is one of them, about 800 m from the temple.
Try them in Thatheri Bazar
Sri Narayan Misthan Bhandar is about 500 m from Dashashwamedh Ghat and about 800 m from Kashi Vishwanath Temple, open every day, 8 AM – 9 PM.