Magas - a traditional Gujarati sweet commonly made during Diwali and the winter months. My version follows an authentic Gujarati recipe that will give you the perfectly set, melt in the mouth texture.

Gujarati diwali sweet magas pieces stacked on a serving plate.

Note – This recipe has been updated from the archives – first published October 2013. I’ve added new images and helpful content, the recipe remains the same.

Magas is one of those classic Gujarati sweets that I instantly associate with Diwali. I clearly remember watching my Mum make this over the past few years. More recently, I'm around to give a helping hand.

It's made with just three main ingredients - coarse chickpea flour, ghee, and powdered sugar but to get it perfect is all in the technique. I learned from her that slow, careful roasting and the right timing for adding sugar make all the difference.

Magas is similar, but has some key differences compared to Gujarati mohanthal. Mohanthal is made with a sugar syrup, whilst magas with powdered sugar. Also, mohanthal is flavoured with mace, magas simply with cardamom and nutmeg. Besan barfi is also a little different as it's made with fine chickpea flour.

Recipe Details

Even though the ingredients are simple, getting the texture and flavour right can feel tricky.

I always make sure the flour is roasted until it reaches a warm terracotta colour, stirring constantly. This step is key to avoid any raw taste or bitterness. Once cooled slightly, I add the powdered sugar and spices like cardamom and nutmeg. By doing it while the mixture is just warm, I ensure it sets perfectly without becoming runny or too hard.

I also pay attention to the ghee. I learned from my mum that you can’t skimp here as the proper amount of ghee gives the magas its signature rich, melt-in-the-mouth texture. If you follow this method, you won’t run into common issues like crumbly, greasy, or too soft set magas.

We serve Magas during Diwali alongside savoury snacks like kenyan chevdo, ratlami sev, or farsi poori. They also fit beautifully into a Gujarati thali for festive meals. You can set the mixture in a tray to cut into squares, or roll it into magas ladoo for gifting.

Gujarati magaj sweet squares arranged on a festive plate next to lit clay diya for diwali celebrations.

Ingredients notes

Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.

1. Magaj flour – this flour is basically coarse chickpea flour. It is easily available from Indian grocery stores in UK and USA. Some companies sell it as maghaj flour/magaz flour or ladu besan. If it is not available, you can try the following technique:

If you can’t find coarse chickpea flour, you can make coarse texture flour from regular besan (gram flour) . To shorten the flour add a spoon of warm milk and ghee in the flour. Mix it with your fingers, cover it and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Then pass it through the medium hole size sieve to create a grainy texture, use this in the recipe.

2. Ghee – in this recipe, ghee plays a vital role and I recommend you do not reduce the amount of it if you want your magas to be perfect. I use homemade ghee but shop-bought works too.

3. Sugar – I specifically use caster sugar (powdered sugar) as it needs to be able to melt in the warm magas mixture. If you don't have it, grind down regular granulated sugar in a food processor until fine. This is what I pretty much always do.

4. Spices – cardamom powder & nutmeg powder (nutmeg optional).

5. Nuts – Pistachio, almond slivers and dried edible rose petals for decoration (also optional).

Troubleshooting & Tips

Over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks that really help:

Toasting gram flour – it is crucial to take your time slow roasting the flour as this can make or break how well the magaj turns out. Keep the heat very low and keep stirring. The flour may brown quickly on high heat but will stay be raw and have bitterness. We want to achieve a terracotta colour.
Mixture too soft - make sure the roasted flour is slightly warm, not cold, when adding sugar.
Ghee separates - a little ghee settling at the top is ok, that is classic for magas so don't worry!
Setting issues - if it doesn’t set, add a little extra roasted flour and press again into the tray, or shape into ladoos.

Making magaj is one of those recipes where patience and attention pay off. By following these steps, and checking out the video below, you’ll get an authentic, traditional sweet just like my mum made.

Gujarati Diwali mithai magas pieces on a plate.

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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