Shankarpali Recipe (No Fail, Crispy, Flaky)

What Is Shankarpali?

Shankarpali (also spelled Shankarpale or Shankarpara) 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.

Because the dough is rolled flat and cut into small diamonds (or squares), they are also popularly called Diamond Cuts or Sweet Tukdi.

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.

My Shankarpali Story

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.

The first time I tasted Shankarpali was when our Pune-based house help brought a fresh batch she had made at 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: Add the following ingredients to a large mixing bowl or parat (the wide, shallow plate used in Indian cooking). Mix well using your fingers until combined.

• 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, almost smoking.

Step 3: Pour the hot, melted ghee over the flour mixture. Using a spoon first, and then your fingertips, rub the hot ghee into the flour using a crumbling motion. After mixing, take a fistful of the mixture and press it in your palm. It should hold its shape and not crumble. If it does not hold, the moyan is insufficient; add another teaspoon of melted ghee. This process of adding ghee to the flour is called Moyan. It makes the shankarpali crispy and flaky.

Step 4: Now add 100 g sugar powder and mix well.

Step 5: Add milk (approximately ¼ cup) little by little to the flour mixture and knead into a firm, tight dough, similar to the consistency of poori dough. The dough should not be soft or sticky. If it feels too soft, it will absorb oil during frying and turn greasy and dense.

Step 6: Cover the dough with a dishcloth and keep it aside for 15 minutes. This resting time allows the gluten to relax and the fat to distribute evenly, making the dough easier to roll. It is an important step; do not skip it.

Shape The Dough

Step 7: Knead the dough for 20-30 seconds, then divide it into 3 parts. Roll one part into a 5-6 mm thick circle. Do not roll too thin. Thinner shankarpali burns quickly on the outside while remaining raw inside. Do not roll too thick; they will be dense.

Lightly dust the rolling surface with dry flour if the dough is sticking. Keep the other parts covered with a damp cloth.

Step 8: Using a sharp knife, pizza cutter, or a karanji cutter, cut the rolled dough into diamond shapes (make diagonal cuts in two directions) or squares, each roughly 1 inch in size. Remove the uneven ends.

Fry The Shankarpali

Step 9: Heat 3-4 cups of oil or ghee for frying in a pan over medium flame. I prefer using ghee. Once the ghee is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low.

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.

Step 10: 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.

Cool the shankarpalli entirely and store them in an airtight container.

Serving Suggestions

Serve as a tea-time snack with a cup of Masala Chai or Indian Beaten Coffee.

Pack into decorative boxes for Diwali gifting; Shankarpali travels and stores beautifully.

Add to a Diwali Faral platter alongside Chakli, Besan Ladoo, Chivda, and Karanji.

Serve as a school lunchbox snack.

Offer as a sweet alongside savory Holi snacks like Namak Pare or Gujiya.

For a complete Diwali spread, check out my Diwali Recipes collection. From Fusion Sweets to Chaats, everything you need for the festival of lights.

Storage Suggestions

Cool completely before storing. Even a trace of warmth creates condensation. Once cooled, store in an airtight container (steel dabba works best) at room temperature. Shankarpali stays crispy for 2–3 weeks.

Do not refrigerate. The cold, moist fridge air softens the shankarpali.

If they lose some crispiness, spread them on a baking tray and bake at 150°C for 5–7 minutes to refresh them