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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
5 min
27/02/2026
Today's modern version of gujiya blends innovation with tradition and transforms the traditional Indian sweet into a delicious, colourful creation. Gujiyas are no longer made with only khoya as an ingredient; modern-day gujiya recipes contain many different fillings such as coconut-jaggery, thandai spices, seasonal fruit peels, chocolate/nut mixtures, and fruit/nut combinations such as mango and almond.
All of these new filling combinations have really opened up the options available for making gujiyas, while also providing some very different flavours that have changed the perception of what this festival treat means in today’s kitchens.
Gujiya is an integral part of Indian sweets during festivals such as Holi, where the traditional mawa or khoya-filled sweet dumpling is featured prominently. Traditionally, gujiya has been made with khoya (mawa), coconut, and nuts as filling, but today there are endless variations on flavours to create new and exciting fillings. Both professional chefs and home cooks alike have used creative approaches by experimenting with different types of ingredients, from fruit to nuts, drinks, and even chocolate, to revamp old-time favourite gujiya recipes into contemporary creations using spices, flavours, etc. This article discusses 5 innovative fillings to bring a modern twist to homemade gujiyas while maintaining the spirit of India's heritage and tradition.
A lighter, more natural version of the traditional khoya gujiya filling is made with freshly grated coconut that has been slowly roasted in ghee, combined with melted jaggery, and seasoned with cardamom. Gujiya recipes using this coconut-jaggery mixture will have a rich, earthy sweetness but will still provide a delightful chewiness in addition to their various textural differences for those who want to avoid too many dairy products.
In keeping with modern tastes, this version contains melted chocolate, chopped nuts, and grated coconut as part of the gujiya filling to provide a rich and decadent gujiya experience. The chocolate-dried fruit mixture gives the gujiya extra flavour and luxury in texture, especially appealing to children and those who like fusion desserts.
Inspiration for this filling also comes from the traditional Holi drink, Thandai, which comprises a mixture of soaked almonds, fennel, melon seeds, pepper, rose petals, and saffron ground into an aromatic paste which is then cooked with either condensed milk or milk powder. This great-tasting aromatic paste is included within a crusty pastry shell of gujiya, making the dessert’s similarities to thandai even better.
Culinary enthusiasts who enjoy the seasonal fruits are taking a sweet and fruity approach by cooking down thick mango puree into a jam-like consistency and mixing it with almond flour and a sprinkle of cardamom for use in gujiya-making. The result is a soft, fragrant pocket that reminds them of Indian-style mango pie.
In addition to using the traditional sweetened khoya as a base for gujiya filling, recipes are exploring the use of rich combinations, such as sweet gulkand made from rose petals and slow-cooked rabri (a thickened milk dish) with nuts and spices. The addition of gulkand makes for a sweet, floral taste in the filling, and rabri adds to the creaminess of the gujiya in a way that is different from traditional khoya.
The variety of ingredients used to fill gujiya introduces a new way of creating unique recipes for the festive season or year-round. The innovative use of non-traditional sweeteners such as jaggery and coconut; festive blends of thandai spice, mango-almond, chocolate, and gulkand-rabri, reflect not only the spirit of creativity, but also respect cultural culinary heritage. Whether you are experimenting for Holi or searching for some new dessert ideas, these gujiya filling ideas provide an excellent opportunity to take advantage of the creativity in your cooking and elevate the quality of your desserts.
