Tiny treats, big flavour: Eateries rethink Diwali desserts

Pune: This Diwali, sugar rush is being served in smaller portions. Across Pune and Mumbai, cafés and confectioners are rethinking indulgence, swapping grandeur for restraint.

At Mad Over Donuts, the once-famous Diwali special was miniaturised into donut holes — glossy, bite-sized, and guilt-free.

In Mumbai, Bayroute introduced a dessert platter that offers samplers of its signature sweets, trimmed to tasting size. Bakeries in the city, too, are boxing petite pastries and single-serve mithais for gifting. The shift reflects a new kind of festive consciousness : celebration without excess.

The larger shift towards miniature sweets in Diwali boxes finds reinforcement in global consumer behaviour data.

According to the 2024 State of Snacking report from Mondelez, 79% of consumers in India favour smaller portions of indulgent snacks instead of large servings. Nearly 96% of consumers globally practice mindful snacking — they are becoming more deliberate about what and how much they eat. Further, 69% of people said they look for portion-controlled snacks to strike a balance between indulgence and moderation. The ‘tiny portions, same joy' ethos of mini donuts, sampler mithai boxes, and petite pastry hampers is going beyond the marketing fad as a logical response to consumer demand for controlled, shareable indulgence that respects both festivity and self-care.

Tarak Bhattacharya, CEO of Mad Over Donuts, said the change is driven entirely by what customers are asking for. "Families are looking for treats they can pass around, discover together, and enjoy mindfully as part of the celebration. Keeping this in mind, we've introduced bite-sized donuts with four Indian mithai-inspired flavours such as kaju katli, motichur, soan papdi, and gulab jamun," said Bhattacharya.

At Bayroute, six Middle Eastern classics are reimagined as a tasting experience, each portion crafted to deliver satisfaction in just a few bites. Corporate chef Ajay Thakur of Mirah Hospitality described the idea as an attempt to balance pleasure with restraint. "Our desserts are crafted with care and balance. They are thoughtful, flavourful, and satisfying without being excessive. From the saffron-infused Zaffrani Milk Cake and citrus-kissed baklava to the Textures of Chocolate and spiced Speculoos Cheesecake, every element highlights contrast and harmony in flavour and texture. Each portion is designed to offer a complete experience in just a few bites," said Thakur.

The shift is not confined to restaurant menus. Home chefs are seeing it play out in Diwali hampers.

Home chef Ritu Sharma, who has been creating custom festive boxes for over a decade, said she rethought her offerings. "Instead of giving clients a kilo of one sweet, I am packing smaller pieces of five or six different kinds," she said.

"People want variety and want to sample everything. They want to feel good about eating it, too. Smaller portions allow them to do that without guilt," Sharma said.

For consumers, this move towards mindful eating fits perfectly with changing lifestyles. "I love Diwali sweets, but I also like being able to walk after dinner without feeling stuffed. I'd rather taste six different sweets in small portions than eat two big ones. It feels more festive, not less," said Kalyani Deshpande, a Kondhwa resident.