Glycemic index of Indian sweets
Almost every mithai is made with sugar or jaggery, so none of them is truly diabetes-friendly. Some are much easier on blood sugar than others: milk and nut sweets with less syrup rise more slowly than syrup-soaked or deep-fried sweets. Portion and timing (right after a meal, not on its own) matter most.
Best picks for blood sugar
- Dates (Khajur)GI 42
- SandeshGI 55
- Chhena PodaGI 55
- Chak-Hao Kheer (Black Rice Kheer)GI 55
- Dark Chocolate (70%)GI 23
Keep these small
- JalebiGI 90
- Gulab JamunGI 85
- RasgullaGI 80
- KhajaGI 78
- Sooji Halwa (Sheera)GI 76
Easy swaps
The same kind of food, with a gentler effect on blood sugar.
Indian sweets ranked by glycemic index
Lowest GI first. Tap any food for its full nutrition, portion advice and swaps.
| Food | GI | GL | Serving | Calories | Protein | Fiber |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Chocolate (70%) | 23 | 2 | 2 small squares (20 g) | 120 kcal | 1.5g | 2g |
| Dates (Khajur) | 42 | 12 | 3-4 dates | 112 kcal | 1g | 3g |
| Sandesh | 55 | 12 | 2 pieces | 180 kcal | 8g | 0g |
| Chhena Poda | 55 | 17 | 1 slice | 250 kcal | 10g | 0g |
| Chak-Hao Kheer (Black Rice Kheer) | 55 | 20 | 1 small bowl | 230 kcal | 6g | 1.5g |
| Vanilla Ice Cream | 57 | 10 | 1 scoop | 145 kcal | 2.5g | 0g |
| Mishti Doi | 58 | 16 | 1 small pot | 160 kcal | 5g | 0g |
| Peanut Chikki | 58 | 7 | 1 piece | 125 kcal | 4g | 1g |
| Qubani ka Meetha | 60 | 31 | 1 small bowl | 250 kcal | 2g | 4g |
| Shrikhand | 61 | 18 | 1 small bowl | 230 kcal | 6g | 0.5g |
| Puran Poli | 62 | 28 | 1 piece | 280 kcal | 6g | 4g |
| Enduri Pitha | 62 | 26 | 2 pithas | 250 kcal | 6g | 3g |
| Laddu (Besan) | 65 | 16 | 1 medium laddu | 210 kcal | 4g | 1.5g |
| Bebinca | 65 | 22 | 1 slice | 300 kcal | 4g | 0.5g |
| Modak (Ukadiche) | 66 | 25 | 2 modak | 220 kcal | 3g | 2g |
| Milk Barfi (Khoya Barfi) | 68 | 14 | 2 pieces (about 40g) | 160 kcal | 4g | 0.3g |
| Til Pitha | 68 | 23 | 2 pithas | 210 kcal | 4g | 2g |
| Payasam (Vermicelli/Moong Dal) | 69 | 22 | 1 small bowl (about 150g) | 220 kcal | 5g | 0.8g |
| Kheer (Rice Pudding) | 70 | 24 | 1 small bowl (about 150g) | 230 kcal | 6g | 0.6g |
| Kaju Katli | 70 | 13 | 2 pieces (about 30g) | 140 kcal | 3g | 0.5g |
| Gujiya | 70 | 15 | 1 piece | 190 kcal | 3g | 0.5g |
| Rasmalai | 70 | 15 | 1 piece with milk | 190 kcal | 6g | 0g |
| Thekua | 70 | 21 | 2 thekua | 230 kcal | 3g | 1.5g |
| Gajar Halwa | 72 | 22 | 1 small bowl (about 120g) | 320 kcal | 5g | 2.5g |
| Motichoor Laddu | 72 | 17 | 1 laddu | 175 kcal | 2.5g | 0.5g |
| Mysore Pak | 73 | 18 | 1 piece (about 40g) | 210 kcal | 3g | 0.8g |
| Soan Papdi | 74 | 17 | 1 cube (about 30g) | 145 kcal | 2g | 0.4g |
| Double ka Meetha | 75 | 38 | 1 small bowl | 380 kcal | 7g | 1g |
| Arisa Pitha | 75 | 35 | 2 pieces | 330 kcal | 3g | 1.5g |
| Sooji Halwa (Sheera) | 76 | 27 | 1 small bowl (about 120g) | 300 kcal | 4g | 1g |
| Khaja | 78 | 25 | 1 piece | 250 kcal | 2.5g | 0.5g |
| Rasgulla | 80 | 20 | 2 pieces | 190 kcal | 5g | 0g |
| Gulab Jamun | 85 | 22 | 2 pieces | 300 kcal | 4g | 0.2g |
| Jalebi | 90 | 30 | 2-3 pieces | 270 kcal | 2g | 0.1g |
GL and nutrition are per serving. How these values are sourced
Low-GI Indian sweets
GI 55 or below. These raise blood sugar slowly and make good everyday choices.
GI 23· LowDark Chocolate (70%)
डार्क चॉकलेट · డార్క్ చాక్లెట్
Chocolate with at least 70% cocoa, less sugar and more cocoa fat and fiber than milk chocolate. A couple of squares cause only a small rise in blood sugar.
GI 42· LowDates (Khajur)
खजूर · ఖర్జూరం
Natural dried fruit used as a sweetener and snack. Medium GI but nutrient-dense with potassium, iron, and fiber.
GI 55· LowSandesh
संदेश · సందేశ్
A delicate Bengali sweet made from fresh chhena (paneer) lightly sweetened and flavoured with cardamom. High in protein for a dessert, with a moderate sugar content.
GI 55· LowChhena Poda
छेना पोड़ा · ఛేనా పోడ
Odisha's signature dessert of fresh chhena (cottage cheese) and sugar slow-baked until caramelised. High in protein for a sweet, with a moderate sugar load.
GI 55· LowChak-Hao Kheer (Black Rice Kheer)
चक-हाओ खीर · చక్-హావో ఖీర్
Purple-black kheer from Manipur made with chak-hao (black rice) slow cooked in milk with sugar and cardamom. Black rice keeps its bran and antioxidants, so it rises more slowly than kheer made with white rice.
Medium-GI Indian sweets
GI 56 to 69. Fine in moderate portions, ideally with protein or fiber on the plate.
GI 57· MediumVanilla Ice Cream
वनीला आइसक्रीम · వెనిల్లా ఐస్ క్రీమ్
Frozen dessert of milk, cream and sugar. The fat slows the sugar so its GI is only medium, but most of its carbohydrate is added sugar, and cups and cones are rarely just one scoop.
GI 58· MediumMishti Doi
मिष्टी दोई · మిష్టి దోయి
Bengal's iconic dessert of yogurt set with caramelised jaggery or sugar in earthen pots. The fermented dairy base softens the sugar's impact, but it remains a sweet.
GI 58· MediumPeanut Chikki
मूंगफली चिक्की · పల్లీ పట్టీ
Crunchy brittle of roasted peanuts set in jaggery syrup, a winter and travel snack from Lonavala to Hyderabad. The peanuts slow digestion, but the jaggery still makes it a sweet with a medium GI.
GI 60· MediumQubani ka Meetha
खुबानी का मीठा · ఖుబానీ కా మీఠా
The classic Hyderabadi wedding dessert of dried apricots stewed with sugar into a thick compote, often topped with cream or custard. Apricots add fiber, but the added sugar gives it a high glycemic load.
GI 61· MediumShrikhand
श्रीखंड · శ్రీఖండ్
A Gujarati and Maharashtrian dessert of strained, sweetened hung curd flavoured with cardamom and saffron. The dairy base tempers the sugar, but it is still a sweet to enjoy in moderation.
GI 62· MediumPuran Poli
पूरन पोली · పూరణ్ పోలి
A festive sweet flatbread from Maharashtra and Gujarat, stuffed with a cooked chana dal and jaggery filling. The dal adds protein and fiber, but the jaggery keeps it a medium-GI treat.
GI 62· MediumEnduri Pitha
एंडुरी पीठा · ఎండూరి పీఠా
A steamed Odia festival cake of fermented rice and urad dal batter filled with coconut and jaggery, cooked wrapped in turmeric leaves. Steaming keeps it light, but the jaggery filling adds sugar.
GI 65· MediumLaddu (Besan)
बेसन लड्डू · బేసన్ లడ్డూ
Gram flour, ghee, and sugar sweets. The besan base provides some protein, but the sugar and ghee make it calorie-dense.
GI 65· MediumBebinca
बेबिंका · బెబింకా
The queen of Goan sweets: a dense layered cake of coconut milk, egg yolks, sugar, ghee and a little flour, each of its many layers baked one at a time. Very sweet and rich; the fat slows it down a little, but the sugar load is high.
GI 66· MediumModak (Ukadiche)
मोदक · మోదక్
The steamed rice-flour dumpling filled with coconut and jaggery offered to Ganesha in Maharashtra. Steamed rather than fried, but the rice flour and jaggery keep it a medium-GI sweet.
GI 68· MediumMilk Barfi (Khoya Barfi)
खोया बर्फी · ఖోయా బర్ఫీ
Dense fudge made from reduced milk solids (khoya) and sugar. High GI from sugar, slightly lower due to milk protein and fat.
GI 68· MediumTil Pitha
तिल पीठा · తిల్ పీఠా
Assamese Bihu sweet of thin rolls made from sticky rice flour, roasted on a pan and filled with black sesame and jaggery. Sesame adds healthy fat and fiber, but the rice flour and jaggery make it a sweet.
Showing 12 of 13. The rest are in the ranked table above.
High-GI Indian sweets to keep small
GI 70 or above. These raise blood sugar fastest, so keep portions small and have them with a meal.
GI 70· HighKheer (Rice Pudding)
खीर · ఖీర్
Slow-cooked rice simmered in sweetened milk with cardamom and nuts. High GI from white rice and sugar in milk.
GI 70· HighKaju Katli
काजू कतली · కాజు కత్లి
Thin diamond-shaped fudge of ground cashews and sugar syrup. High GI from sugar, though cashew fat slows it slightly.
GI 70· HighGujiya
गुजिया · కజ్జికాయలు
Holi and Diwali sweet of maida pastry filled with khoya, coconut, dry fruits and sugar, then deep-fried and sometimes dipped in sugar syrup. Refined flour, sugar and frying make it a high-GI, high-calorie treat.
GI 70· HighRasmalai
रसमलाई · రసమలై
Bengali sweet of soft chhena (paneer) discs soaked in thickened, saffron and cardamom-flavoured sweet milk. The milk protein and fat slow it a little compared with rasgulla, but the sugar is still high.
GI 70· HighThekua
ठेकुआ · ఠేకువా
Crisp, deep-fried cookies of whole-wheat flour, jaggery or sugar, ghee, coconut and fennel, pressed in a wooden mould and made for Chhath Puja in Bihar and Jharkhand. Sweet and dense, they are easy to eat several of.
GI 72· HighGajar Halwa
गाजर का हलवा · గాజర్ హల్వా
Grated carrots slow-cooked in milk, ghee and sugar, garnished with nuts. High GI from added sugar despite carrot fiber.
GI 72· HighMotichoor Laddu
मोतीचूर लड्डू · మోతీచూర్ లడ్డు
Festival and wedding sweet of tiny fried besan boondi soaked in sugar syrup and pressed into balls. The syrup-soaked boondi makes it one of the faster-acting Indian sweets.
GI 73· HighMysore Pak
मैसूर पाक · మైసూర్ పాక్
Rich gram-flour sweet cooked in generous ghee and sugar, a Karnataka classic. High GI from sugar and refined flour.
GI 74· HighSoan Papdi
सोन पापड़ी · సోన్ పాప్డి
Flaky, crisp cube of gram and refined flour spun with sugar syrup and ghee. High GI from sugar and refined flour.
GI 75· HighDouble ka Meetha
डबल का मीठा · డబుల్ కా మీఠా
A Hyderabadi bread pudding of fried bread soaked in sugar syrup and sweetened milk, garnished with nuts. The fried refined bread and sugar make it a high-GI dessert.
GI 75· HighArisa Pitha
अरिसा पीठा · అరిసా పీఠా
A deep-fried Odia sweet of rice flour and jaggery dough coated in sesame seeds, made for festivals like Raja and Manabasa (the Telugu ariselu is a close cousin). Refined rice flour, jaggery and frying make it high GI.
GI 76· HighSooji Halwa (Sheera)
सूजी का हलवा · సూజీ హల్వా
Roasted semolina cooked with ghee, sugar and water or milk. High GI from refined semolina and sugar.
Showing 12 of 16. The rest are in the ranked table above.
Which is better? Side-by-side comparisons
Related guides
Common questions
Which Indian sweets are best for diabetes?
Choose carefully: 5 of the 34 Indian sweets on GlycemicIndia are low GI. The best picks for blood sugar are Dates (Khajur) (42), Sandesh (55), Chhena Poda (55), Chak-Hao Kheer (Black Rice Kheer) (55), Dark Chocolate (70%) (23).
Which Indian sweets should sugar patients limit?
The highest-GI Indian sweets are Jalebi (90), Gulab Jamun (85), Rasgulla (80), Khaja (78), Sooji Halwa (Sheera) (76). You don't have to give them up entirely: keep the portion small, have them after a meal rather than on an empty stomach, and pair them with protein, fiber or curd.
Sugar ke mareez kaun si mithai kha sakte hain?
Khajur, sandesh, chhena poda, black rice kheer jaise options sabse behtar hain, kyunki inka GI kam hai aur yeh sugar dheere badhate hain. jalebi, gulab jamun, rasgulla kam matra mein hi lein, aur dal, sabzi ya dahi ke saath khayein.
Can a diabetic eat sweets at festivals?
A small piece after a meal is usually fine for most people with well-controlled sugar. Avoid syrup-soaked sweets on an empty stomach: one gulab jamun has a GI of 85 and 22g of sugar. Choose a milk or dry-fruit sweet, share it, and go for a walk afterwards.
Building a full meal? Add foods to the meal calculator to see the glycemic load of the whole plate, or browse the complete list of low-GI Indian foods.