Quick and Budget-Friendly Dessert Ideas for Yalda Night

Sunday, December 21, 2025

SAEDNEWS: Yalda Night desserts like basilog, Turkish delight, pumpkin treats, watermelon jelly, and pomegranate mousse add a festive touch alongside nuts, sweets, and traditional dishes. Try watermelon cookies, pomegranate tarts, chocolate molds, or pistachio and hazelnut puddings to celebrate the night.

Quick and Budget-Friendly Dessert Ideas for Yalda Night

According to Sāed News Cooking Service, for Yalda Night desserts, you can use biscuit-based, starch-based, or chilled desserts such as Spanish cake, panna cotta, or jellies, which are quick and easy to make.

In this article from Ajeel Chi Blog, we have gathered a wide variety of Yalda Night dessert recipes. Reading this guide will give you plenty of ideas for preparing desserts for the longest night of the year.


Easy and Elegant Yalda Night Desserts

For Yalda Night, you can prepare watermelon jelly, watermelon balls, or festive truffles. These desserts are quick, inexpensive, and visually appealing.

Here are some simple dessert recipes for Yalda Night:


1. Watermelon Jelly Dessert

A visually attractive and delicious dessert perfect for Yalda Night.


2. Yalda Truffle

A fun and festive dessert that resembles watermelon. It’s low-cost and perfect for serving guests.

Ingredients

Ingredient

Amount

Red watermelon jelly

2 packs

Green jelly

1 pack

Vanilla cream or ice cream

1 cup

Chocolate chips

As needed

Preparation

  1. Prepare the red jelly and pour into a mold; let it set.

  2. Dissolve aloe vera jelly in boiling water, add vanilla ice cream, pour over the red jelly, and refrigerate for 30–40 minutes.

  3. Pour the green jelly over the white layer and refrigerate for 2–3 hours. Remove and decorate with chocolate chips.

Pomegranate Molasses for Truffles

Ingredient

Amount

Natural pomegranate juice

2 cups

White sugar

⅓ cup

Lemon juice

1 tbsp

Truffle Ingredients

Ingredient

Amount

Pomegranate molasses

2 tbsp

Powdered sugar

2 cups

Cream cheese

115 g

Chocolate chips

1 cup

Melted chocolate

350 g

Preparation

  1. Boil pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice until thick.

  2. Mix cream cheese with powdered sugar, add melted chocolate and some pomegranate juice to form a semi-firm dough.

  3. Chill, shape into small balls, roll in powdered sugar or chocolate, and freeze for 20 minutes.


3. Watermelon Roll

A cake shaped like a watermelon, perfect for Yalda Night.

Ingredients

Ingredient

Amount

White flour

75 g

Eggs

3

Sugar

75 g

Vanilla

¼ tsp

Pastry cream

150–200 g

Boiling water

1 tbsp

Food coloring

A few drops

Preparation

  1. Beat egg whites with a little sugar. Mix yolks with remaining sugar, boiling water, and vanilla.

  2. Gradually add flour. Fold in egg whites in two stages.

  3. Divide the batter, color one red and one green.

  4. Bake colored batter in a greased pan, top with cream and pomegranate, and roll.


4. Watermelon Balls

A simple, cute Yalda dessert, perfect for children.

Ingredients

Ingredient

Amount

Sponge cake

1

Cream cheese

200 g

Powdered sugar

3 tbsp

White chocolate

200 g

Chocolate chips

As needed

Red and green food coloring

As needed

Butter

As needed

Preparation

  1. Crumble sponge cake and mix with red coloring, chocolate chips, and a little honey.

  2. Shape into balls and freeze for 10–15 minutes.

  3. Melt white chocolate with butter, add green coloring, dip balls twice, and refrigerate until firm.


5. Baselouq

A traditional Yalda dessert with a soft texture and rosewater aroma, often paired with sweet nuts.

Ingredients

Ingredient

Amount

Starch

1 cup

Water

2 cups

Sugar

1 cup

Rosewater

½ cup

Walnut or pistachio

As needed

Coconut powder

As needed

Preparation

  1. Mix starch with water over low heat.

  2. Add sugar and rosewater; stir until thick and stretchy.

  3. Once cooled, shape into molds or balls.

  4. Roll in coconut and decorate with nuts.


6. Pistachio Cream

A Yalda dessert with a rich pistachio flavor.

Ingredients

Ingredient

Amount

Milk

2 cups

Sugar

½ cup

Cornstarch

3 tbsp

Cold water

2 tbsp

Breakfast cream

½ cup

Rosewater

3 tbsp

Gelatin powder

1 tbsp

Pistachio powder

½ cup

Preparation

  1. Dissolve cornstarch in cold milk.

  2. Heat the remaining milk with sugar.

  3. Gradually add the cornstarch mixture.

  4. Add gelatin, pistachio powder, rosewater, and cream.

  5. Refrigerate for 4–6 hours until firm.


7. Hazelnut Chocolate Pudding

A quick and delicious dessert combining chocolate and hazelnuts.

Ingredients

Ingredient

Amount

Cornstarch

2 tbsp

Sugar

3 tbsp

Milk

2 cups

Cocoa powder

2 tbsp

Chopped hazelnuts

½ cup

Chocolate bar

As needed

Preparation

  1. Mix milk, sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch over low heat until thick.

  2. Add hazelnuts and remove from heat.

  3. Serve in bowls, topped with grated chocolate and hazelnuts.


8. Spanish Cake with Nuts

Layers of biscuits and cream make this an easy, elegant Yalda dessert.

Ingredients

Ingredient

Amount

White flour

½ cup

Eggs

2

Milk

4 cups

Butter

50 g

Sugar

1 cup

Cornstarch

2 tbsp

Petit Beurre biscuits

2 packs

Cream

150 g

Cocoa powder

2 tbsp

Walnuts

½ cup

Vanilla

1 tsp

Banana & strawberries

As needed

Preparation

  1. Beat eggs with sugar. Dissolve cornstarch in milk.

  2. Add flour, eggs, and sugar to milk mixture, cook until thick.

  3. Add vanilla, butter, and cream. Mix half with cocoa.

  4. Layer biscuits, white cream, biscuits, nuts, and top with chocolate layer. Chill 2 hours.


9. Watermelon Marshmallow

Quick to prepare and soft, colorful, and fun for kids.

Ingredients

Ingredient

Amount

Pomegranate jelly powder

2 packs

Kiwi jelly powder

1 pack

Liquid glucose

3 tbsp

Cold water

⅓ cup

Coconut powder

As needed

Chocolate chip tears

As needed

Preparation

  1. Prepare pomegranate and kiwi jelly, add glucose, beat 5–7 minutes until fluffy.

  2. Grease pan, sprinkle coconut, spread red marshmallow layer.

  3. Pour kiwi jelly over, sprinkle coconut, refrigerate 1 hour.

  4. Cut into pieces, decorate with coconut and chocolate chips.


10. Watermelon Mesghati

A molded dessert served with seeds and nuts for Yalda Night.

Ingredients

Ingredient

Amount

Starch

1 cup

Water

5 cups

Sugar

1.5 cups

Rosewater

1 cup

Red & green food coloring

As needed

Chocolate chip tears

As needed

Preparation

  1. Dissolve starch in cold water, mix with rosewater and sugar, heat until thick.

  2. Color half red, pour into mold; once firm, pour white layer.

  3. Mix remaining with green coloring, pour over white layer.

  4. Refrigerate until fully set.


11. Persimmon Panna Cotta

An inexpensive and flavorful dessert for Yalda Night.

Ingredients

Ingredient

Amount

Persimmons

2–3

Sugar

3 tbsp

Milk

1 cup

Gelatin powder

2 tbsp

Boiling water

½ cup

Cream

1 cup

Vanilla

½ tsp

Preparation

  1. Heat cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, and gelatin.

  2. Blend persimmon puree with the mixture.

  3. Pour into molds, refrigerate until set.


12. Aghoz Halva

A traditional northern sweet made with walnuts and partially ground rice.

Ingredients

Ingredient

Amount

Semi-processed rice

2 cups

Chopped walnuts

4 cups

Water

5 cups

Persimmon syrup

1 cup

Sugar

As needed

Preparation

  1. Soak rice, dry 24–48 hours, then chop slightly.

  2. Chop walnuts, lightly roast without oil.

  3. Mix water, sugar, rice, walnuts, cook 1 hour on low heat until thick.


13. Saffron Khagineh

A traditional Tabrizi festive dessert, often with pistachios.

Ingredients

Ingredient

Amount

Flour

2 tbsp

Eggs

2

Sweet yogurt

2 tbsp

Sugar

1 cup

Rosewater

2 tbsp

Water

1 cup

Cardamom powder

½ tbsp

Saffron

As needed

Baking powder

¼ tsp

Salt

A pinch

Vanilla

1 tsp

Nuts & pistachio slivers

As needed

Cinnamon, rose petals, pistachio powder

As needed

Preparation

  1. Prepare syrup with sugar, water, cardamom, rosewater, and saffron.

  2. Pour half batter in pan, sprinkle nuts and cinnamon.

  3. Add remaining batter, cover, cook until set, flip to brown.

  4. Pour cooled syrup over the cake.


14. Fruit Lokum

A colorful, economical starch-based dessert.

Ingredients

Ingredient

Amount

Starch

2 tbsp

Tangerine juice

2 cups

Butter

1 tsp

Sugar

½ cup

Vanilla

5 g

Coconut & pistachio powder

For decoration

Preparation

  1. Mix starch, sugar, and juice over heat. Add butter and vanilla.

  2. Pour into greased dish, freeze or refrigerate overnight.

  3. Cut into squares, roll in coconut and pistachio, refrigerate 2–3 hours.


15. Pumpkin Dessert

A simple, inexpensive dessert layered with Petit Beurre biscuits.

Ingredients

Ingredient

Amount

Pumpkin

500 g

Petit Beurre biscuits

As needed

Cinnamon & cardamom

1 tsp each

Cream

150 g

Rosewater

½ cup

Saffron

2 tbsp

Chopped walnuts

½ cup

Preparation

  1. Cook pumpkin with cinnamon, cardamom, and rosewater. Mash, add saffron, cool.

  2. Layer pumpkin puree, biscuits, cream, and walnuts. Repeat until ingredients are used.


Yalda Night Dessert Categories

Type

Examples

Chilled desserts

Jelly, marshmallow, panna cotta, pomegranate parfait, Palda dessert, pistachio cream

Biscuit-based

Spanish cake, pumpkin dessert, hazelnut chocolate pudding, Magnolia, tart & pomegranate cheesecake

Starch-based

Baselouq, pomegranate mesghati, lokum, pomegranate firni

Inexpensive

Watermelon balls, Yalda truffles, saffron khagineh, various jellies

Festive

Watermelon roll, watermelon cookies, chocolate-pomegranate tart, pomegranate cheesecake, pomegranate mousse, pomegranate sorbet

New Yalda desserts

Pomegranate panna cotta, molded chocolate with pomegranate, pomegranate & walnut cake, pomegranate & watermelon ice cream