sandesh sweet

Sandesh Recipe

By Swasthi on August 31, 2022, Comments, Jump to Recipe

Sandesh recipe – sondesh is a delicious Bengali sweet, popular all over India and abroad. It is often made for festive and special occasions, more importantly for Durga puja during Navratri. There are so many variations of making sandesh recipe. All are quite simple as much as just kneading up the three basic ingredients sugar, chena (paneer) and cardamom powder. Refrigerate for few hours and enjoy it.

sandesh recipe

Traditionally sandesh is made by curdling milk and draining all the whey to collect the chenna. This chenna is kneaded well to a smooth texture and then cooked on a low heat with powdered sugar.

Later it is cooled and rolled to small balls and then flattened. Indian sweet stalls usually sell sandesh in many different flavors.

To make sandesh, it is always good to use fresh chena or paneer that is still moist. Instead of sugar, even palm jaggery or a mix of sugar and palm jaggery are used. You can make these cheesy delights more attractive by decorating with whatever you like.

Decorate with Choco chips or Choco sprinkles. Nutty decoration using pista and badam. You can even garnish with Tutti Frutti.

Apart from the 3 main ingredients, I haven’t used anything else to make this. You can add 1 tsp. pista almond powder to the mix while kneading, however the color of the sandesh turns pale if added.

For more easy bengali sweets, you can check
Rasgulla
Rasmalai
Kalakand
Paneer kheer
Cham cham

Preparation for sandesh recipe

1. If you are a beginner or making paneer the first time, then read this detailed post on how to make soft paneer. However I am also sharing briefly here.

2. Bring 3.5 cups full fat milk to a boil.

3. Add 4 to 5 tbsp curd or lemon juice diluted with water to the milk. Stir well. When you see the milk begins to curdle, switch off the heat. Make sure it is curdled well. Allow to settle just for a minute.

4. Place a muslin cloth on a colander. Drain off the paneer. If you have used lemon juice, Rinse the paneer under running water. If you have used curd, you can just skip rinsing.

5. Squeeze off the excess water from paneer. Make a knot of the cloth, hang it for sometime to drain up excess dripping whey. We just need moist paneer, so make sure there is no dripping whey or water from paneer otherwise sandesh will turn grainy.

How to make bengali sandesh

6. Add paneer to a plate along with almond powder. Knead it very well until smooth.

7. Move the chenna to a non stick pan. Add sugar (powdered) and cardamom powder begin to heat on a low flame. Fry for 4 to 5 mins.

8. Cool down completely. Then knead lightly.

9. Roll them to balls and flatten a bit. Tuck whatever you wish to garnish in the centre. Refrigerate for 2 hours and serve.

Tuck in Nuts or few strands of Kesar for a traditional look.

Shelf life is short. Refrigerate and finish sandesh within 2 to 3 days.

sandesh

Related Recipes

Recipe card

sandesh recipe

Sandesh Recipe (Bengali Sondesh)

Popular bengali sweet, Sandesh made using paneer and powdered sugar.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time2 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Servings4
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

  • ½ cup chenna or paneer or 3.5 cups milk
  • 2 ½ tbsp powdered sugar
  • ¼ tsp cardamom powder or ½ tsp rose water
  • 1 tbsp blanched almond powder

Garnishing as desired

  • 2 tbsps nuts chopped or any other garnishing


Instructions

How to make sandesh

  • If you do not have chenna, then follow the step by step photos to make your own.
  • Add drained chenna to a plate along with almond powder and knead it well until smooth.
  • To a nonstick pan, add chenna, powdered sugar and rose water or cardamom powder .
  • Mix well and taste it. If needed add more powdered sugar.
  • Fry this on a low flame for 4 to 5 mins.
  • Overcooking will make the chenna grainy.
  • Cool down completely. Then knead lightly.
  • Roll to balls and flatten slightly. 
  • Garnish with nuts or saffron.
  • Refrigerate and consume sandesh within 2 days


Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Sandesh Recipe (Bengali Sondesh)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 54 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Cholesterol 4mg1%
Sodium 95mg4%
Potassium 27mg1%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 35IU1%
Calcium 22mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Sandesh Recipe

About Swasthi

I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me

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Comments

Recipe Rating




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Hey as I added the paneer to the pan they turned into crumbles
What shud I do

Making it again

5 stars
Very nice simple and easy and instant receipe

5 stars
Hey Swasti! Thanks so much for such a good recipe! I made it for my dad’s birthday. he was born and raised in Kolkata so wish me luck I hope he likes it the best thing about your recipe was the step by step pictorial tutorial! It made it so much easier

5 stars
Hi Swasti!
The recipe was very good! It was especially helpful due to the step by step pictures provided and to-the-point instructions for something that’s tricky like sandesh ! Thanks so much! Made it for my dad’s birthday! He was born and raised in Kolkata so wish me luck ! I hope he likes it !

5 stars
Hye swasthi sis.. Vanakkam.. I’m from Malaysia. All your recipe are so super.. I promoted your blogs to my relatives and friends.. I also learned to cook some variety of dishes from your recipe and it’s really superb. Thanks for the wonderful recipes.. God bless you sis…

5 stars
Please send good and tasty recipes on sweets and snacks do not forget thank

5 stars
amazing recipe..hats off to u swasthi ..no words can express how amazing ur blog is! 🙂
too good ! all your recipes r extremely tasty! love all ur recipes !! thanks a lot……:)

Thank u for ur help swasthi
I need lil more info
For how long we need to cook chenna, sugar on stove in step 7

Hi
I used the pulse button n finally made the sweet
After refrigerating it for abt 1hr i tasted it n felt sugar is very less
I dont think i over cooked chena b cos i made ras malai n rasgulla sweets of urs n they tasted superb.
Do u think its bcos of adding less sugar it dint turn gooey.
Can i add sugar n put it on stove n redo it

Hi swathi
I really love ur recipes…..app tried 15 recipes of urs n all of them turned out excellent except “”SANDESH”
i don’t know what went wrong
After making chenna, i mixed powdered sugar, elaichi pwdr n chenna together n put it on stove
The mixture dint become gooey n stayed granules apart….they dint bind
What to do?

I like it’s swit & bangoli sondes

I am looking for a recipe to surprise my wife (she’s from Gujarat) by making her some sweets for Diwali. Can cottage cheese be substituted for the paneer?

Hi,
The recipe is very easy.
I have kept the sandesh in fridge.
But it looks hard. What mistake did I make.

co ooooo ooool!

I also libe in Sgp. I love Sandesh and this recipe looks very easy. Can you tell me which brand milk you use to make paneer and if it is UHT carton milk or fresh milk whole fat?

5 stars
Hi..thanks for the recipe. I had a query that can we use low fat milk for preparation of sandesh?

Yes you are right. I just finished making chena from 1 litre of double toned milk..and I hardly got 1 small bowl of it. But I think that will yield a low fat sandesh. Will low fat milk affect the final taste of this sweet?

5 stars
Tri ed many recipes from this site. Your recipes are fab easy and tasty made these Sandesh. We loved them thanks

recipe making very good.

Very easy to make it

Lovely recipe 🙂

Lovely clicks and ideas. Wonderfully explained. <br />Thanks for sharing.