Zarda Recipes
Sweet saffron rice studded with nuts, raisins, and cardamom. The festive rice dish served at weddings and celebrations.
What is Zarda?
Sweet saffron rice studded with nuts, raisins, and cardamom. The festive rice dish served at weddings and celebrations.
Regional Variants at a Glance
| Variant | Region | Prep | Cook | Difficulty | Serves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shahi Zarda | Punjab | 40m | 40m | Medium | 8 |
| Zarda — Pakistani Wedding-Style Sweet Rice | Punjab | 20m | 50m | Medium | 8 |
| Sindhi Zarda — Fragrant Sweet Rice with Coconut | Sindh | 20m | 45m | Medium | 7 |
All Zarda Recipes
Shahi Zarda
Shahi Zarda is the jewelled sweet rice of Pakistani celebrations — fragrant basmati tinted gold with saffron, studded with dry fruits, nuts, and cardamom. A Mughal-era dish that still anchors every walima and mehndi spread.
Zarda — Pakistani Wedding-Style Sweet Rice
Vibrant Punjabi wedding-style zarda made with fragrant basmati rice cooked in sugar syrup with saffron, fried in ghee and loaded with nuts, raisins and khoya for an indulgent celebration rice dessert. The showstopper at every Pakistani walima and mehndi.
Sindhi Zarda — Fragrant Sweet Rice with Coconut
Sindhi-style zarda sets itself apart with the addition of fresh coconut and a heavier hand with rose water, creating a fragrant sweet rice dessert with a distinctly coastal character. Made for Sindhi celebrations and eid gatherings, this version is lighter on ghee but big on flavour.