Meetha Ghughra is an all-time favourite Gujarati sweet delicacy, cherished across generations. These are deep-fried sweet dumplings traditionally filled with a rich, aromatic stuffing made from rava (semolina), grated coconut, and assorted dry fruits. Each bite offers a perfect balance of texture — a crisp, flaky outer shell that gives way to a soft, flavorful, and mildly sweet filling inside.
In this recipe, I’ll be sharing the authentic Gujarati-style sooji (rava) ghughra, prepared without using mawa, yet achieving the same rich and market-style taste. I’ll also include special tips and techniques to make the outer covering crisp yet melt-in-the-mouth, ensuring your ghughra stays perfectly crunchy even after cooling.
This festive season, prepare this budget-friendly and easy-to-make Meetha Ghughra at home. It’s a delightful treat to share with your friends and family — perfect for Diwali, Holi, or any special occasion when you want to serve a traditional sweet with a homemade touch and authentic Gujarati flavour.
The key to making tasty meetha ghughra at home are
- For the stuffing:
Roast rava (semolina) on a low flame, adding ghee in batches until it turns aromatic and slightly golden. Mix in a little roasted besan for better taste and binding. Let stuffing cool completely before adding powdered sugar. If the mixture feels dry, add a spoonful of melted ghee to help it bind well. - For the outer layer:
The outer covering of the ghughra is made primarily with maida (all-purpose flour). To make it crispier, add a small amount of rava (semolina) to the dough. Knead a tight and smooth dough—avoid making it too soft, but ensure it remains slightly moist for easy rolling and shaping. - For rolling and sealing:
While shaping the ghughra, seal the edges properly to prevent them from opening during frying. If you find it difficult to fold and crimp the edges as shown in the video, you can simply press and seal the sides firmly, then pinch the edges using the back of a fork to create a neat pattern. - For frying:
Fry the ghughra in medium-hot oil over a low to medium flame. This ensures they cook evenly from the inside and turn golden and crisp on the outside. Avoid frying on a high flame, as the outer layer may brown quickly while remaining undercooked inside. - Storage:
These deep-fried sweet snacks have a good shelf life and can be stored for up to 15 days. Once cooled completely, store them in an airtight container to maintain their freshness and crisp texture.
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Recipe video
Sooji na meetha ghughra | sooji gujiya | Gujarati meetha ghughra
Ingredients
For stuffing
- 1 cup fine rava
- 1 cup sakar or sugar
- ¾ cup ghee
- 4 tbsp besan
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 2 tbsp chopped cashews
- 2 tbsp chopped almond
- 1 tbsp chopped pistachio
- 2 tbsp kismis
- 1 tbsp khus khus
- 1 tsp charoli
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- ¼ tsp jayphal powder
For outer layer
- 2 Cup Maida - All Purpose Flour
- 4 tbsp rava - fine variety
- 4 Tbsp Melted Ghee - Clarified Butter
- ½ cup water or as needed
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
Making Stuffing:
- Take 3/4 cup of melted ghee in a bowl. Add ¼ cup of ghee to a pan and add 1 cup of rava (semolina) to it. Stir continuously and roast the rava on medium flame.
- After 2-3 minutes, add 1 ladle of ghee from the bowl and continue roasting the rava. Add ghee in batches, three times, and roast the rava until it slightly changes its color to golden brown.
- Switch off the gas, add 2 tbsp chopped cashews, 2 tbsp chopped almonds, 2 tbsp chopped pistachio, 2 tbsp kismis, 1 tsp charoli and mix well and roast it with rava.
- Then take out mixture into mixing bowl and cool down.
- Then in a pan, add 1-2 tbsp ghee and add ¼ cup besan. Roast on low flame till besan changes its colour and become aromatic.
- Take out roasted besan into mixing bowl. Add 1 cup desicatted coconut, 1 tbsp khus khus and 1 tsp cardamom powder, ¼ tsp jayphal powder and mix well. Cool down stuffing completely.
- Now in mixture jar, add 1 cup sakar and grind into fine powder. Add grinded powder into stuffing and mix well.
- The ghughra stuffing is ready.
For the Outer Layer:
- In a bowl, mix maida (all-purpose flour), 4 tbsp rava, 4 tbsp melted ghee and mix well.
- Gradually add1/2 cup water and knead into a tight, smooth dough. Cover it and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
Preparing Ghughra:
- Divide the dough into two parts. Take one part and roll it into a large roti. Then, cut it with a medium-sized bowl to make 8-9 puris from one large rolled roti.
- Arrange 6 rolled puri and place 1 tbsp stuffing in the centre. Apply some water and seal the ghughra.
- Now, take the ghughra in your hand and gently press the edges between your fingers, making pleats to give the ghughra its traditional design. You can also use a fork to create a design on the ghughra.
- Repeat the process with the remaining puris.
- Heat oil for frying. Once the oil is hot, reduce the flame to low and fry 9-10 ghughras at a time.
- Fry the ghughra until they turn a light golden color. Each batch takes around 12-15 minutes.
- Once done, take them out and place them on a paper napkin to absorb -excess oil.
- Allow the ghughra to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.
Notes
- Use fine rava for the stuffing.
- Stir continuously and roast the rava on medium flame.
- Adding ghee in batches helps the rava puff up evenly and roast perfectly.
- Roast the rava until it turns golden brown.
- Roasted besan adds binding and enhances the flavor of the stuffing.
- The proportion of rava and sugar should be equal.
- Allow the stuffing to cool down completely before adding powdered sugar.
- Adding rava to the dough mixture makes the ghughra stay crispy for a longer time.
- Knead a smooth and stiff dough for the outer layer; do not knead a soft dough.
- Fry the ghughra on medium-low flame.