The festive fervour of Holi is not just incomplete without colours, but also sweet delights! Anyone who loves the traditional Holi food fare, would know why Gujiyas are the sweetest thing about this beautiful festival. But hey, health is wealth, isn’t it! You’ve got to control your diet during the festive season or if you want to still make the most of it, choose healthier alternatives of your favourite foods. Here’s one such healthy baked gujiya recipe which is gluten-free and vegan!

Gujiya is a crescent-shaped, sweet, fried and sugar-laden dumpling stuffed with nuts, sugar and mawa. The authentic version is laced with chaashni or sugar syrup. Then as people became more weight and body conscious, entered baked gujiyas, minus the coating of chaashni. And with more awareness about diets and healthy eating, we bring to you a Baked, Gluten-free and vegan gujiya recipe!

Richa Bhalla, a passionate baker who experiments with healthy flours, has shared this special Holi recipe with HealthShots. “This is my favourite ggujiya recipe with a twist. It is gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar-free, refined oil-free and baked. But still it tastes no less then the original gujiyas,” says the woman behind Healthy Bakes by Richa Bhalla.

The idea is to make everyone enjoy the Holi festivity, even if they may be limited to a gluten-free or vegan diet due to health reasons or by choice! So, if you are still looking for ways how to make gujiya at home for Holi, here’s help!

Gluten-free, vegan and baked gujiya recipe

Cooks, please note that this gujiya recipe serves 12-14! Now put your masterchef hat on, and get going for these baked gujiyas. Also, here are some reasons why you must choose baked over fried gujiyas!

Ingredients for gujiya dough
Urad Dal flour: 1/2 cup
Rice flour: 1/2cup
Baking soda: 1/2tsp
Salt: Pinch
Olive oil: 4 tsp
Water: 1/2 cup

Ingredients for Mawa filling for gujiya
Coconut milk powder: 1/2 cup
Coconut milk: 1/4 cup
Melon seeds: 2 tbsp
Poppy seeds: 2 tbsp
Raisins: 2 tbsp
Desiccated coconut: 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder: 1 tbsp
Khandsari Sugar: 1/2 cup (Is khand better than sugar for weight loss?)

Ingredients for Jaggery caramel
Jaggery powder: 3 tbsp
Water: 2tbsp

Preparation
* In a bowl add urad dal flour, rice flour, baking soda, salt, olive oil and boiling water.
* Mix everything and stir with a spoon. Cover the mix and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the Mawa filling! Here’s how.

* Dry roast melon seeds and poppy seeds in a pan for 4-5 mins. Take out the seed mixture and let it cool.
* Add coconut milk powder and coconut milk(room temperature) in a pan, mix it without switching on the flame. Once mixed nicely, switch on the gas and start roasting on low flame, till it comes together.
* Take out the Mawa in a plate and let it cool for 5-7 minutes. After that, add roasted melon seeds, poppy seeds, desiccated coconut, cardamom powder and khandsari sugar and mix well.

Baked gujiya recipe

1. Knead the rested dough for 3-4 minutes till it comes together. Add some lukewarm water and olive oil if needed to make a nice and firm dough which is neither too soft nor too hard.
2. Now take a lemon sized ball of dough.
3. Roll out a poori using rice flour
4. Place the poori in a gujiya maker and fill it with about 2 tsp of Mawa mixture. Make the gujiyas in a similar fashion.
5. When all the gujiyas are ready, put the gujiyas in a greased baking tray and bake it in a pre-heated oven for 15 minutes on 180 degree Celsius, or till you get the desired colour.
6. Make sure you don’t overbake it as it will get too crispy.
7. Bake it till u get the soft, but cooked outer layer.
8. Now in a pan, put jaggery powder and water in a pan simmer the liquid for 4-5 minutes or till it gets a little thick.
9. Once the jaggery caramel is ready, brush it on the gujiyas and sprinkle some powdered pistachio on the corner of the gujiyas to decorate!

Don’t miss out on the sweetness of Holi or any other festival!