Shankarpali Recipe (No Fail)

Shankarpali is a traditional Indian bite-sized sweet snack made with flour, ghee, and sugar. These crisp, flaky diamonds are especially popular during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, and are an essential part of Maharashtrian Diwali Faral alongside Chakli, Besan Ladoo, and Chivda. These are also made for festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Holi, as well as special occasions like weddings and get-togethers. I love serving it for tea time with a cup of my beaten coffee or masala tea.

This homemade Shankarpali recipe yields perfectly crispy, mildly sweet, flaky bites made with pantry staples. They store beautifully for weeks, making them ideal for festive gifting, holiday snack boxes, and make-ahead treats.

Use my no-fail recipe, perfected after years of trial and error, to make light, crunchy, melt-in-the-mouth Shankarpali with the right fat ratio, dough texture, and controlled frying temperature.

While growing up, Diwali in my house was always an elaborate affair. My mom made baskets full of sweet and savory treats days ahead. She would make Namak Pare, Mathri, and a variety of ladoos and barfis.

I follow the tradition now and try to make as many of these treats as possible.

One Diwali, my cook in Pune brought us the most perfect shankarpali from her home. They were so addictive, I immediately roped her in to make a batch at my place so I could learn the recipe from her. Since that day, I have embraced this Maharashtrian tradition and make shankarpali along with my North Indian snacks for every Diwali and Holi.

Over time, I have perfected the recipe, and now, I can make it with my eyes closed. In this post, I am sharing all my learnings with you all. Do give it a try!

You can also make a savory version. You can check the recipe to make savory shankarpali here.

Difference Between Shankarpali and Shakarpara

Don’t confuse the sweet Shankarpali with the North Indian Shakkar Para. Although these two are made using similar ingredients, they are very different.

Shakarpara are flour biscuits coated with crystallized sugar syrup, while sweet shankarpali is made by kneading sugar with flour.

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Making Shankarpali

This recipe took me many trials to perfect. One time, I used less ghee for the moyan, and they turned out hard; the next time, I kneaded the dough too soft. Now that I make these very often, I have figured out that if you follow the measurements and the recipe exactly, these sweet biscuits turn out perfect every time. Here are some mistakes you should avoid when making shankarpali. Read these before you start to make the recipe.

Mistake	What Happens & Why It Happens	How to Avoid It
Dough too soft	Shankarpali turns oily and soft because a soft dough absorbs more oil during frying	Make a tight, firm dough, similar to poori dough
Dough too hard	Shankarpali becomes dense and hard because there isn’t enough moisture or fat to tenderize the dough	Add liquid gradually and maintain proper fat ratio
Not enough fat (ghee/oil)	Texture turns hard instead of crisp because fat is needed to create flakiness and shortness	Use the correct amount of fat as mentioned in the recipe
Too much fat	Shankarpali spreads, loses shape, and feels greasy because excess fat weakens the dough structure	Stick to the measurements mentioned in the recipe
Rolling too thin	Shankarpali becomes very hard because thin pieces lose moisture too fast while frying	Roll to medium thickness (3-5 mm)
Rolling too thick	Inside stays undercooked or chewy because the heat doesn’t penetrate evenly	Keep thickness uniform
Frying on high heat	Outside browns quickly, but inside remains raw because the surface cooks faster than the center	Fry on medium-low heat
Frying on very low heat	Shankarpali absorbs oil and turns greasy because the crust forms too slowly	Maintain the steady medium-low temperature
Overcrowding the pan	Uneven frying and a soggy texture because the oil temperature drops suddenly	Fry in small batches
Not resting the dough	Shankarpali turns tight and uneven because gluten hasn’t relaxed	Rest the dough 10–15 minutes
Storing while warm	Shankarpali loses crispness because trapped steam creates moisture	Cool completely before storing

How To Make Sweet Shankarpali

Make The Dough

Step 1: Mix the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl or parat (a large shallow Indian plate) using your fingers.

• 240 g of all-purpose flour (maida)
• 20 g of fine semolina (barik sooji)

Step 2: Heat 50 g ghee in a small pan over high heat until very hot.

Step 3: Pour the hot, melted ghee over the flour mixture and mix with a spoon. This process of adding ghee to the flour is called Moyan. It makes the shankarpali crispy and flaky.

Tip: You can replace ghee with oil, but the taste and texture of shankarpali will change.

Step 4: Once the mixture is cooled slightly, mix well using your fingers.

Step 5: Add 100 g sugar powder and mix well.

Step 6: Add room-temperature milk (approx. ¼ cup) little by little, kneading until the dough is slightly tight and firm.

Step 7: Cover the dough with a dishcloth and keep it aside for 15 minutes. Resting the dough is important to make perfect shankarpali. Do not skip it.

Shape The Dough

Step 8: Knead the dough for 20-30 seconds, then divide it into 3 parts.

Step 9: Roll one part into a 3-5 mm thick circle. Lightly dust the rolling surface with dry flour if the dough is sticking. Keep the other parts covered with a damp cloth.

Step 10: Cut the rolled dough circle into 1-inch squares or diamond shapes using a knife or a pizza cutter. Remove the uneven ends.

Tip: You can cut the dough into any desired shape. Using cookie cutters in various shapes makes it fun for kids.

Fry The Shankarpali

Step 11: Heat 3-4 cups of oil or ghee for frying in a pan over medium flame. I prefer using ghee.

Step 12: Once the ghee is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low.

Tip To Test Oil/Ghee: Drop a small piece of dough into the oil/ghee to check if it’s fully heated. If the dough rises in 5-8 seconds, the ghee is at the right temperature. If it rises quickly, let the ghee cool a bit; if it takes longer, heat it some more.

Step 13: Add the squares to hot ghee and fry on medium-low heat until golden brown. Use a slotted spatula to stir frequently while frying to ensure even browning. Each batch will take 12-15 minutes to fry.

Note: Keep in mind that shankarpali will continue to brown from residual heat, so do not over-fry them.

Step 14: Drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Shankarpali will not be crispy at this stage. They will crisp up once cooled.

Repeat the process with the remaining dough. Make sure to check the ghee’s temperature before adding the next batch.

Step 15: Cool the shankarpalli entirely and store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 15 days.