13 Dazzling, Delicious Diwali Gifts
From traditional tins of mithai to splurge-worthy spirit kits, these collections are sure to impress on Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights.
Like any other holiday, Diwali is a wonderful time to give and receive gifts. The Festival of Lights is a time when families and friends gather to commemorate the Hindu new year and the celebration of good over evil and light over darkness. With the gathering comes good food, great sweets, and gift giving galore.
Traditionally, a box of mithai is exchanged among loved ones, but with the influx of South Asian-operated restaurants, bakeries and online shops in the U.S. in recent years, it has become fun to get creative in choosing gifts. Whether it’s a customized box of rose petal-topped ladoos, artisan chocolates in spicy flavors or a collection of chai blends you seek, here are some worthy gift set finds, available nationwide this Diwali season.
Houston-based artisan chocolate shop, Cacao & Cardamom is offering a 14-piece Diwali collection box. The 14-piece box reveals three layers of multi-colored bon bons with mithai-inspired fillings. Flavors include kaju katli, mango lassi, and chai biscuit. In addition to the chocolates, the set also offers other sweet treats like pistachio knafeh dragees and rasmalai mendiants.
This authentic Tunisian pastry business, offers a Diwali gift box featuring an assortment of delicous treats that blend together different nutty and sweet flavors. The bite-sized desserts come in five different pieces — yasmina, almond whirl, charlotte sesame, almond flower and almond & pistachio kaak — resulting in a soul-warming and indulgent gift.
Malai Ice Cream’s, made up of desserts incorporating the shop’s artisanal small batch ice cream, is a refreshing alternative to a traditional mithai box. The box features four pints of ice cream in flavors inspired by traditional South Asian spices and aromatic flavors like ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, and saffron.
From tins and trays to loaded gift boxes, Sukhadia’s is a one-stop shop for Diwali confections. Counts range from four-to-six-piece boxes to 18-to-24-piece boxes, and a variety of vessels boasting rich metallic hues, vibrant colors and decorative designs can be built with a single item or an assortment of many. Offerings aren’t limited to mithai – customers may pick from dried fruits, nuts and individually wrapped chocolates, too.
Tagmo's Diwali Collection mithai comes in eight-piece, 16-piece and 32-piece gift boxes. Customers get to enjoy a selection of katli, burfi, and ladoos, choosing from a robust selection of bite-size confections like salted pecan burfi, besan ladoo, chocolate truffle ladoo, kaju katli and more. Add on Tagmo’s 3-piece diya set, handmade by artisans in India, and prepare for this year’s festivities in fine fashion. Boxes are available for nationwide shipping.
Enjoying a comforting cup of chai is a beloved part of South Asian culture, making chai-related gifts a natural choice during Diwali. The Chai Box’s elegant sampler set includes a variety of The Chai Box's favorite blends like sweet monsoon and Punjaban party. You can also consider the Chai Box for $90, which presents fragrant cardamom, cinnamon, fennel and clove in a traditional Indian spice box.
Varah’s gourmet online shop is a wonderful source for gifting year-round, and during Diwali, the options are plentiful. Gift sets can be built to include stuffed dates or fruit and nut bites, but there are also boxes which feature items like saffron spice blends, chai, candied nuts and savory trail mix. For a gift which truly makes an impression, Varah offers the Kesariya Diwali gift hamper for $165 which touts a customized mix of truffle boxes, jarred goods, candles and a saffron gift box presented in a wooden keepsake jewelry box covered in raw silk.
The luxury kitchen retailer is offering assorted Indian sweets in 15-piece boxes for $72.95 and 23-piece boxes for $99.95. The vegetarian and gluten-free confections are handmade and include chocolate, fruit and nut varieties with flavors like boule pistachio, buche hazelnut, pine pearl and almond whirl.
If your loved one prefers to make festive treats from scratch, opt to give Our Place’s Diwali Fry Set. The set includes a gorgeously designed perforated Skimmer Spoon from Lekha, a groovy wire cooling rack from Manjit Thapp, plus two clay diyas to really light things up. From the moment you drop favorites like Gulab Jamun and Pakoras into bubbling oil, to when you set them to cool to golden perfection, cooks will feel like the celebration has already begun with this delightful kitchen set.
Female-owned Tinted Heritage bridges the gap between tradition and modern aesthetics with its line of gifts and decor with a South Asian twist. Along with decorative tea light holders, cutting boards and cork coasters that read “Happy Diwali,” consider the eco-conscious wooden rangoli tray, an intricate design in which to showcase paints, rangoli powder, lentils or colored rice that can be reused again and again each year.
Brooklyn Delhi, a company known for its small-batch, plant-based Indian condiments and pantry staples developed by chef Chitra Agrawal, has launched a Celebrations Gift Box that combines art and flavor. Designed by New Delhi-based artist Anjali Mehta, the box boasts illustrations inspired by hand-painted South Asian truck art, and contains a decorative insert, also designed by Mehta. Inside, a set of two or four traditional stainless steel compartment plates from Ahimsa Home is featured alongside jarred condiments including tomato achaar, roasted garlic achaar and mango chutney.
Celebrate the Festival of Lights with this limited edition knot wrap that is a reusable wrapping solution to gift papers. This dreamy, colorful pattern is perfect to wrap your Diwali gift box with and can be used as a scarf later!
Ethically sourced spice company Diaspora Co. touts teas, spices and masalas suitable for year-round gifting, but this trio of spices serves as a heartwarming gift during Diwali. These three ingredients, cardamom, jaggery and saffron are commonly known in almost all Diwali desserts making them the perfect present for bakers! They also sell a dinner set that can help you whip up any festive favorites for the holiday.
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