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    Home > Vegan Indian Sweets

    Karanji for Diwali

    Posted: Oct 12, 2017 ยท Updated: Apr 25, 2022

    Jump to Recipe

    Karanji is a traditional Diwali snack. Flaky, crackly pastry is wrapped around a delicious filling of coconut, cardamom, and cashews. For my quick and easy -- and baked -- version, I use puff pastry. A vegan, soy-free recipe.

    Six karanji on white plate with cashews scattered around.In India, making snacks for Diwali is a multi-day venture. My parents would start about a week or two before the big day and make goodies -- sweet and savory -- that would be stored in huge steel and aluminum tins, to be eaten on the big day and shared. I can't remember anyone ever complaining about all the time and effort that went into prepping food for Diwali, because it was all part of the fun and anticipation.

    No one except my uncle Suresh Kaka, the resident cynic of our extended family. Suresh Kaka, a source of delight to us kids because his signature frown and perpetually disgusted manner were so easy to mimic behind his back, never actually helped with any of the Diwali cooking.ย "Just get everything from the store," he'd advise the cook from his armchair, before taking a deep puff of his cigarette. "They taste just as good."

    Karanji cut in half on white plate.At the time, when buying snacks for Diwali from a store seemed like blasphemy, his advice was never taken seriously. But today, in my busy world, I feel rather like Suresh Kaka with his eternal disapproval of Diwali snack-making. Making half a dozen or more Diwali snacks from scratch seems not only a monumental job, ย it is almost impossible.

    Stores in India and Indian grocery stores here in the United States do offer plenty of Diwali snacks you can buy off the shelf, but the problem is, these snacks really are nothing like what my parents would make.

    The Indian store I go to here in Maryland sells the usual, multicolored, dairy-filled, ghee-laden sweets like burfis and halwas and pedhas that you can find any time of the year. But the stuff of my Diwali memories is different: paper-thin, crispy Mande; salty, multi-textured Chivda with rice crispies and peanuts, squiggly spirals of Chakli that melt in the mouth, and, one of my favorites, golden, boat-like Karanji with a delicious filling hiding inside. These were snacks that rarely, if ever, were made another time of year, which made them all the more special.

    Six karanji arranged on an oval white plate with cashew pieces scattered around.

     

    I do not have the time to make a half a dozen snacks, but every year, for Diwali (which is next week) I try and recreate a vegan version of at least one of those recipes for my family and for you.

    This year, I thought I'd try out an easy version of Karanji. This is a sweet that's usually deep-fried, but for my quick version, which was all done in under an hour, I used puff pastry. I did make the filling from scratch, although the puff pastry was store-bought, so I think both my parents and Suresh Kaka would approve. ๐Ÿ™‚

    I'll leave you now with the recipe and wishes for a very Happy Diwali. May the festival of lights bring joy to you and yours.

    A karanji cut down the middle with coconut cardamom filling inside on a white plate. More karanjis are in the background with cashews scattered around.

    Karanji, an Indian vegan sweet for Diwali - HolyCowVegan.net

    Karanji

    Karanji is a traditional Diwali snack. Flaky, crackly pastry is wrapped around a delicious filling of coconut, cardamom, and cashews. For my quick and easy -- and baked -- version, I use puff pastry. A vegan, soy-free recipe.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Review Recipe
    Course: Dessert, Diwali, Indian Sweet
    Cuisine: Soy-free
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: Karanji
    Prep Time: 20 mins
    Cook Time: 30 mins
    Total Time: 50 mins
    Servings: 18 karanjis
    Calories: 228kcal
    Author: Vaishali ยท Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

    Ingredients 

    • 2 sheets puff pastry
    • 1 cup shredded coconut (You can use the sweetened kind available on supermarket shelves, or unsweetened coconut. )
    • 1 cup cashew nuts (grind to a coarse powder. Some larger pieces are fine, and will add to the great texture of the filling.)
    • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
    • ยผ to ยฝ cup sugar (I used sweetened coconut so I needed only ยผ cup. Add more according to your taste.)
    • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
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    Instructions

    • Heat a skillet. Add the poppy seeds and dry-roast around two minutes. Add cashew powder and continue to dry-roast another two minutes. Add the coconut, sugar, and cardamom and continue to roast another five minutes.
    • Remove the filling to a bowl and set aside.
    • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
    • Using a cookie cutter, cut out nine circles of dough from each puff pastry sheet, for 18 circles total.
    • Roll each circle to a diameter of about four inches. Place three teaspoons of the coconut-cashew filling in the center and fold over to form a half-moon shape. Crimp the edges together and ensure they are sealed tight. You can use some water to ensure the seal holds, or fold the edges over or press down on the edges with the tines of a fork.
    • Place the karanjis on a cookie sheet, about an inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden-brown.
    • Remove to a rack and let the karanjis cool before serving.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1karanji | Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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    Images of karanji or gujiya with text that reads "karanji, an Indian vegan dessert for Diwali"

    **

    You can find all of my vegan Indian sweets collection here, but these are a few of my perennial favorites:

    Vegan Rava Laddu

    Vegan Kaju Katli

    Vegan Almond Halwa

    Vegan Modak

     

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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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    Comments

    1. Sayali

      November 11, 2020 at 11:45 am

      5 stars
      Hey there! Iโ€™m going to try this out for Diwali.. thank you for sharing the recipe!

      How long did your karanjis stay fresh (refrigerated or at room temperature)? Can I make these in advance?

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        November 11, 2020 at 1:35 pm

        Hi Sayali, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least a week. At room temperature I'd prob not leave them out for more than a day, if that, because coconut can go rancid in higher temperatures. If you need to make them more than a week in advance, I'd advise making the filling, refrigerating or freezing it. Thaw before use, then make the puff pastry wrappings and bake.

        Reply
    2. Vaishali Rajadhyaksha Sengupta

      October 19, 2017 at 6:23 am

      Lovely recipe, Vaishali , my namesake, and a lovely writeup. Took me straight back to my childhood Fiealu days. Missed my Aai's fatal all over again.

      Reply
      • Vaishali Rajadhyaksha Sengupta

        October 19, 2017 at 6:23 am

        I meant Faral

        Reply
    3. Payal

      October 12, 2017 at 2:53 pm

      Hi! What brand of puff pastry did you buy? I don't think all of them are vegan. . .

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        October 12, 2017 at 3:15 pm

        Most I've seen are vegan, but I usually make my own or buy Pepperidge Farm which is vegan. If you want to try your hand at making vegan puff pastry, see this post: https://holycowvegan.net/vegetable-puffs-with-homemade-puff/

        Reply

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