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6 Min
13/01/2026
Varanasi or Banaras, fondly called the city of ghats, has much more than just the ghats. The city is famous for its chaats, sweets, and, of course, the famous ‘Banarasi paan’. While Varanasi has a lot to offer, this article will solely focus on the sweets of Varanasi, from jalebi to malaiyo, that represent the city’s culture and flavour. Dive deeper to know more.
Varanasi is considered to be the oldest city on earth, and also the city of Gods and ghats. The city is also famous for its narrow lanes, each of which takes you to the Ganga ghat. These lanes have narrow shops that are famous for the chaats, banarasi paans, and, of course, the sweets. Owing to the large-scale production of milk in Uttar Pradesh, most of the sweets in Varanasi are milk-based, from malaiyo to rabri to thandai.
Some sweet shops are famous for their particular sweets, while from some sweet shops, you can have one piece of each mithai, and have a customised sweet box. The sweet shops in Varanasi cater to everyone and all sorts of their sweet fetishes. This article will throw light on some of the most famous and delicious sweets of Varanasi that will make you fall in love with sweets and develop a sweet tooth, even if you don’t have one. These sweets are definitely one of the reasons why the Gods have poured in all their blessings on the city of Varanasi.
Malaiyo is perhaps one of the most famous sweets of Varanasi, available only during the winter months, from November to February. This unique sweet is made by leaving milk out overnight to collect the dew and then churning it to form a cloud-like foam. This malai is then sweetened with sugar, flavoured and topped with saffron and pistachios. The best part about this sweet is its availability only throughout the winter months, which not only makes it special but also induces the winter season and feeling to it. This sweet is available in the shops only till 10-11 AM, till the sun does not shine bright. Travellers visit Varanasi only in winter to be able to taste this delicious sweet. While a lot of shops sell this sweet, the famous and traditional one in the city is Markandey Sardar.
To enjoy the desserts of Varanasi, one has to be very patient, for the sweet takes hours to develop the taste. Rabri, for example, takes hours of slow cooking. Milk is simmered and reduced to a thick, grainy consistency. This dessert is topped with cardamom, pistachios, almonds, and saffron. What adds to the flavour is the earthy flavours from the kulhads that make it a unique experience. These kulhads of rabri won’t cost you more than 35 rupees, and certainly give you a lifetime experience.
As the name suggests, laung or clove plays an important role in holding this sweet together. This is a deep-fried sweet, made by mixing khoya, dry fruits, spices, in a pastry-like shape made from maida, and sealed with a clove. The clove not only holds the sweetness together but also slightly infuses a spicy taste that cuts through the sweetness. Laung lata is generally prepared during the festivals of Holi and Diwali.
Although Punjab is famous for lassi but there is something unique about Varanasi’s lassi. Unlike the runny one from Punjab, Varanasi’s lassi is thick, creamy and has rabri, malai and dry fruits like almonds and pistachios on top of it, which makes it stand out and gives it a rich flavour. The most famous shop in Varanasi for lassi is Blue Lassi, which is just before the Manikarnika Ghat, and offers multiple flavours like chocolate, blueberry, among others. You might see a death procession while you enjoy your glass of lassi. Another famous shop is Pahalwan Lassi, which has authentic lassi of Varanasi.
Last but certainly not least is thandai. If you go to Varanasi and do not enjoy thandai, you might just have committed a sin! Varanasi is famous for its thandai, which is also mixed with marijuana, but they always ask you for your choice. The thandai is also topped with malai and pistachios, which becomes a soothing and cooling drink to enjoy as you sit on the ghats. One of the most famous shops of thandai in Varanasi is Mishrambu Thandai.
These sweets will make you fall in love with Varanasi a little more. While the ones mentioned above taste the best when you have them fresh, there are some more mithai shops in the city from where you can pack sweets like barfi, jalebi, kalakand with you, which will take a part of the city with you!
