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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
6 Min
08/01/2026
Makar Sankranti stands out among India’s festivals for its celebration of the changing seasons. Seasonal highlights include til (sesame), jaggery, peanuts, and puffed rice, which provide natural warmth along with iron and calcium. Embrace the spirit of sharing and celebration by offering nutritious, warming Makar Sankranti sweets, whether it’s a packet of crispy chikki or a box of handmade ladoos.
India begins its harvest festivities with Makar Sankranti, the day the sun moves northward. During this season, the festival’s signature Makar Sankranti sweets embody the values of hospitality, gratitude, and sharing. We enjoy foods like peanuts, sesame, jaggery, and puffed rice not only for their taste but also for their nourishing qualities and their ability to keep us warm during the winter.
Gift-giving is another tradition closely woven into the celebrations. This season, skip the pre-packaged boxes and prepare your own nutritious ladoos and chikkis. Whether you want to make snacks for kids or win the "Best Neighbour" award with DIY gift boxes, this guide has you covered.
Peanut Chikki: The combination of roasted peanuts and jaggery results in a snack that is high in protein. Everyone loves them because of their crisp-chewy texture and nutty taste, and they're perfect for gifting because of how long they last.
Puffed Rice Ladoo: These ladoos are loved by everybody, young and old, for their mild sweetness, crunchiness, and airiness. Murmura or Murhi goes well with the comforting heat of melted jaggery and is gentle on the digestive system.
Mixed Nut & Seed Brittle: This modern recipe uses jaggery to make a nutrient-dense brittle with sesame, flaxseed, almonds, and cashews. It pays homage to classic gajak but has more texture and flavour. Apart from Sankranti, it serves as a nutritious snack that is rich in minerals and omega-3 fatty acids.
Til Ladoo: Ladoos made with jaggery and toasted sesame seeds are a Sankranti staple; they are like winter superfoods made from nature. Jaggery provides iron and a little energy boost, while sesame is abundant in calcium, iron, and good fats.
Forget plastic sheets and embrace a more natural, homely vibe when distributing sweets this Sankranti. Try these easy DIY gifting ideas that offer more value than any store-bought packaging.
Use small, colourful fabric or potli bags for til ladoos. Reusable and eco-friendly, they are a classic gifting option.
Chikkis are best presented in glass mason jars or tin boxes. A jute rope tied around the neck and a kite-shaped tag with a handwritten note make perfect finishing touches.
For a rustic, home-cooked look and feel, line your snack containers with banana leaves when serving fresh treats.
Tip: If you’re hosting a Sankranti party, set up a make-your-own ladoo station where guests can decorate and take their treats home.
Along with the Makar Sankranti sweets, this festival has a savoury side as well. In northern India, sharing khichdi, a dish prepared with freshly harvested rice and urad dal, is a common practice. In South India, Pongal, whether sweet or savoury, is traditionally cooked in clay pots as a symbol of abundant fortune. Neighbours often prepare these dishes in large quantities and enjoy them together. As a healthy, warming, and seasonally delicious one-pot cooking approach, they are a perfect solution for festive entertaining.
Makar Sankranti serves as a gentle reminder that the best moments are those we share with one another. The joy, warmth, and nourishment of ladoos and chikki can be passed down through generations. This year, choose gifts that do double duty: satisfy appetites and strengthen relationships. After all, the experience of sharing traditional Makar Sankranti sweets is the glue that brings us together.
