This step-by-step recipe for shakkarpara will give you crispy, flaky and sugar coated, yummy shakkarparas making your celebrations complete. Also popularly known as shankarpali, this is such a simple, yet delicious snack recipe made with all-purpose flour, sugar, cardamom powder that can be enjoyed anytime!!!

how to make shakkarpara recipe for diwali snack

Table of Contents

What is Shakkarpara?

Also known as Shankarpali, lakdi mithai or gajja, is an Indian sweet snack. It is etymologically derived from Persian Shekarpareh. Shakkarpara is a popular snack in eastern, western, and north India and traditionally enjoyed as a treat on Diwali. It can be sweet, savory depending upon how it is made.

Shakkarpara is probably my most favorite Indian dry sweet snack. I have so many memories of me and my dad eating shakkarpara straight out of a jar without stopping. This can be an utterly addictive snack. Its light, mildly sweet and flaky texture make it an easy to carry snack as well.

In this recipe for Shakkarpara, I have given step by step method to make shakkarpara at home.

What other food is made during Diwali?

Diwali is the biggest and the most important festival celebrated all over India and it is really a time to binge on your favorite foods. Apart from the usual Diwali recipes, a variety of specialty foods such as kheer, gulabjamuns, laddus are served. Almost every household in India whips up an assortment of traditional Diwali feast.

Check it out here to learn more about Diwali.

step by step method to make shakkarpara recipe for diwali, holi and other festivals.

Main Ingredients used in making Shakkarpara

all-purpose flour or maida
sugar
ghee
cardamom powder

Steps for making Shakkarpara

Step 1 – Making the Shakkarpara dough

In a pan, take 2 cups or 250g all purpose flour or Maida and a pinch of salt. Add 2 tablespoons of semi solid ghee. Make sure the ghee is in room temperature and not in a liquid consistency. Note – You can replace maida with whole wheat flour or atta and you can replace ghee with oil.
Use your clean and dry fingers to mix the ghee with the flour. This will make the flour holding a very loose shape. You can almost form a very loose ball.
Now gradually add room temperature 1/2 cup milk into the flour and ghee mixture and start kneading to make a pliable dough. You can increase or decrease the amount of milk. Note – You can replace milk with water.
Knead into a not-so-soft dough. The dough shouldn’t be very hard nor very soft
Cover the dough and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Now, make 2 balls outs of the roll and roll each ball into a 8 or 9 inch diameter.
Take a sharp knife and cut into vertical and horizontal strips. Separate the strips and keep them on different trays or plates so that they don’t stick to each other. You may want to cover them too to avoid the drying out.

Step 2 – Frying the Shakkarpara

Heat vegetable oil in a deep kadhai or pan. To test if the oil is ready, put a pea shaped dough ball into the oil. The dough ball should begin to rise up within 5 to 10 seconds. Thats when you know the oil is ready. Basically the oil should be medium hot. Neither very hot nor cold.
You can always maintain the right temperature of the oil by increasing or decreasing the flame.
Now begin to drop the shakkarpara strips into the oil carefully. Fry them on medium low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Once they turn golden brown on both sides take them out and place them on a napkin lines plate. The paper napkin will absorb the excess oil.
Once the first batch of shakkarpara are fried, modify the temperature by increasing or decreasing the flame to bring the oil back to medium-low heat again.
Now fry the second batch of shakkarpara.
Repeat this process

Step 3 – Coating the Shakkarpara in sugar cardamom syrup

In low heat, cook 1 cup granulated sugar (150g) ,1 tea spoons cardamom powder and 1/2 cup water
Cook till the sugar cardamom syrup starts to bubble and gets sticky
Simmer the syrup till you get 2 to 3 thread consistency. To check the consistency, take a bit of syrup in a spoon. Let it become warm and then take the syrup between your forefinger and thumb. Press and separate the fingers. You should see 2 to 3 threads forming.
Switch off the flame and quickly add all the fried shakkarpara into the syrup and give it a good mix so that each shakkarpara gets coated with sugar. NOTE – If the sugar syrup isn’t of 2 to 3 thread consistency, the shakkarpara will become soggy and won’t be flaky.
Once the sugar syrup is coated and cools down, it will be crystalized.

How to store Shakkarpara

Once the shakkarpara is completely cool, you can store them in an air tight container for up to a month. Shakkarpara has a good shelf life.

Important Tips in making Shakkarpara

Use a sharp knife and preferably a glass cutting board to make the cutting easy

The oil must be in the right temperature before frying the shakkarpara. Medium-low heat is ideal to get that crisp golden color.

Make sure to lower the heat when taking out the fried Shakkarpara and then increase the heat to medium-high to bring up the oil temperature before adding the next batch.

Drain the fried Shakarpara on a paper towel to remove excess oil, if any.

Allow the Shakkarpara to cool down completely before storing them. This ensures they remain crisp for a long time.

Instead of atta you can also take all-purpose flour (maida). Instead of ghee you can use oil.

The sugar syrup has to reach 2 to 3 thread consistency, otherwise the shakkarpara will become soggy as they will absorb the sugar syrup

Few other Indian festive recipes –

Gulab Jamun Recipe

Misthi Doi Recipe

Instant Peda

Instant Milk Powder Gulab Peda Recipe