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    Home > Vegan Indian Sweets

    Chana Dal Burfi, a vegan Indian sweet

    Posted: Oct 17, 2016 ยท Updated: Apr 20, 2022

    Jump to Recipe

    Chana Dal Burfi is a popular Indian sweet made with lentils, nuts, sugar, and a hint of cardamom. I have for you today a very vegan version of this sorta-fudge delicacy, and -- like with the many Indian vegan desserts and sweets I've shared with you over the years -- you'll never miss the milk and ghee.

    Vegan Chana Dal Burfi, stacked on a white plate with pumpkin seeds.
    The period around October sees a flurry of activity in Indian kitchens. In the festival-loving country, this is an extra-special time because Diwali's on the horizon. A fewย years back, we were inย India duringย Diwali, and it was extraordinary to see, once again, the transformative effect this mother of all festivals has. The streets are on fireย with a million lights and lanterns. Oil lamps twinkle in windows. The busy streets are busierย as everybody visits everybody else. Even the air smells different.

    Food, of course, is a huge part of Diwali, and a lot of it is sweet. Although every region has its specialties, there are some sweets, like burfis and Vegan Kaju Rava Laddu, that are pretty much made -- and shared -- in every home.ย But Indian sweets are also largely made with milk and ghee, which is why I've been on a quest to veganize many common Indian sweets and share them with you.

    This Chana Dal Burfi is one of my favorites. For one, it's almost healthy-- yes, you heard that right. It's made with lentils, for heaven's sake, like many Indian sweets are, and it has tons of protein and goodness from nuts. Yes, there's some fat and some sugar, but remember that wonderful thing about the glycemic index: when you add fats to carbs, the glycemic index of the food drops. So while you cannot make a sweet without sugar, you can actually make it affect your weight and blood sugar less by making sure you add some fat to it, in the form of healthy nuts and some healthy fat, like coconut oil.ย Because coconut is also often a part of Indian sweets, and it certainly is in this one, you don't have to worry about the flavor of the coconut oil spoiling your sweet. In fact, it only enhances it.

    This is also a rather easy recipe to make, and it requires just eightย ingredients. Lentils, almondย milk, cashew nuts, grated coconut, pumpkin seeds, sugar, coconut oil and cardamon. Do you see anything in that list you absolutely do not love?

    One vegan Chana Dal Burfi, a vegan Indian sweet, on a white plate with pumpkin seeds.

     

     

    Vegan Chana Dal Burfi, a vegan Indian sweet

    Chana Dal Burfi, a vegan Indian sweet

    Chana Dal Burfi is a sweet Indian fudge-like sweet made with lentils and nuts and flavored with a hint of cardamom. This version is vegan and dairy-free.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Review Recipe
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Indian
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: Vegan chana dal burfi
    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins
    Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins
    Servings: 16 barfis
    Calories: 144kcal
    Author: Vaishali ยท Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

    Ingredients 

    • 1 cup chana dal (Bengal gram dal. Soaked in enough water to cover by two inches for four hours.)
    • 3 cups almond milk
    • ยฝ cup cashews (soaked for 30 minutes then blended into a very smooth cream with ยฝ cup water)
    • ยฝ teaspoon ground cardamom
    • ยผ cup coconut milk
    • ยผ cup coconut oil
    • ยพ cup sugar
    • ยผ cup pumpkin seeds
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    Instructions

    • In a saucepan, combine the soaked, drained chana dal with 2 cups of almond milk and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the saucepan, and cook for 30 minutes or until the lentils are really tender. Turn off the heat, let the mixture cool a little, and then blend into a coarse paste in the food processor.
    • Heat the oil in a large wok or skillet. Add the blended chana dal paste and sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until the paste is quite dry. It will be very sticky looking, but there won't be any visible moisture.
    • Add the coconut milk, remaining 1 cup of almond milk, cashew cream, pumpkin seeds, and cardamom. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is again dry and starts to turn slightly opaque where it touches the pan directly.
    • Grease a square 8-inch cake pan or dish with deep sides. Turn out the hot chana-dal mixture into the pan and, using a spatula or knife, spread the mixture into an even, smooth layer. Sprinkle and press on some more pumpkin seeds on top, if you wish (optional).
    • Let it cool thoroughly, or place it in the refrigerator overnight. With a sharp knife, cut it into even squares.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1barfi | Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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    Vegan Chana Dal Burfi, a vegan Indian sweet, stacked on white plate with pumpkin seeds strewn around.

    **

    • Vegan Gulab Jamun
    • Vegan Barfi
    • Almond Halwa
    • Chivda, a savory, crispy snack mix
    • Ribbon Pakoda
    • And visit this page for more vegan Indian desserts and sweets.

     

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    About Vaishali


    Hi! I am so happy you're here. I'm Vaishali, and I've been sharing recipes for delicious vegan food at Holy Cow Vegan since 2007. Every one of the more than 1,000 recipes on this blog has been tried and tested -- and loved -- by my family and I. I hope you will find something here to share with your loved ones. Thanks for stopping by!
    Read more about me here.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Meena

      April 19, 2022 at 2:19 pm

      5 stars
      Please suggest an alternative to cashews due to allergies.

      Reply
    2. Devi Savla

      August 19, 2020 at 12:02 pm

      5 stars
      My daughter has a cashew nut allergy...what can I sub. With?

      Reply
    3. himaja

      March 26, 2018 at 4:05 am

      5 stars
      could you please suggest an alternative to sugar in this recipe ??

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        March 26, 2018 at 8:53 am

        Jaggery would be fine.

        Reply
    4. Shanti

      October 21, 2016 at 11:50 am

      Hi Vaishali, I tried this recipe and it turned out very well for me. To what the other commenter said, the recipe does get a little liquid right after adding sugar, but it reduced after some time and the burfi sets nicely. I am making this again for Diwali. Thank you.

      Reply
    5. JN

      October 20, 2016 at 1:30 pm

      Seems like it! Its the first recipe of yours that has not turned out well. I did drain the Lentils but I think the 2 cups to 1 cup was too much as it cooked pretty fast and the batter was not as thick as a pancake. I feel so sad as I was so looking fwd to it. Oh well.....:-((

      Reply
    6. JN

      October 20, 2016 at 9:22 am

      I made these last night and it was disastrous! There was far too much milk and I cooked it for 1 1/2 hr, the entire time it was bubbling like a lava, splattering everywhere, on me, despite cooking non stop the entire time, it had far too much moisture! I followed every step. :-((

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        October 20, 2016 at 9:53 am

        I have made this recipe at least a few times now and this does not sound right. If you cook the chana dal and grind it, the mixture becomes a fairly thick paste with pancake-batter-like thickness, so it's hard to imagine how you could have something with so much liquid that it wouldn't reduce. The lentils keep expanding and absorbing moisture. You probably used too much liquid without realizing it or did not drain the chana dal from the initial soaking water. Also while any thick mixture on the stove will sputter and splatter, your experience sounds extreme.

        Reply
    7. chessiepique

      October 19, 2016 at 6:16 am

      Can't wait to try this! Vegan Indian sweets are a dream come true.

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        October 19, 2016 at 10:35 am

        Thanks, Catherine! Hope you try. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    8. Gabrielle

      October 17, 2016 at 4:16 pm

      This sounds really delicious and approachable. I'd love to give it a try! Just have to source the dal. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        October 17, 2016 at 5:02 pm

        Hi Gabrielle, you can easily find the dal in an online marketplace like Amazon, or at any Indian store. Hope you try it! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    9. geetha ramaiah

      October 17, 2016 at 12:36 pm

      Thank you.I shall try to make all these yummy stuff for diwali.:)Happy Diwali in advance to you and the familty!

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        October 17, 2016 at 5:02 pm

        Thanks, Geetha, and a very happy Diwali to you and your family too. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • geetha ramaiah

          October 19, 2016 at 1:22 pm

          Thank you,Vaishali.:)Love your recipes!

          Reply
          • Vaishali

            October 19, 2016 at 1:27 pm

            Thanks, Geetha! You're the best. ๐Ÿ™‚

            Reply
          • Kelsha

            November 02, 2021 at 10:51 am

            Hi!
            Can I use pistachios instead of the optional pumpkin seeds? Or will this alter the taste too much?

            Reply
            • Vaishali

              November 02, 2021 at 12:42 pm

              Hi, Pistachios would work great!

              Reply

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    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

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