Meethi Seviyan Recipe (Sweet Vermicelli)

Name: Meethi Seviyan Recipe (Sweet Vermicelli)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon Ghee ((clarified butter)); 1 cup vermicelli (- broken, (seviyan)); 2 cups milk; ¼ cup sugar (or add as per taste); ½ teaspoon green cardamom powder; ¼ cup milk powder (- optional, *check point no 1 in notes); 10 to 12 raisins (- seedless); 4 to 5 almonds (- sliced thinly); 4 to 5 pistachios (- sliced thinly); 4 to 5 cashews (- sliced thinly)

ByDassana Amit Updated onMar 12, 2024

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This Meethi Seviyan recipe is one of those unique sweet dishes which is made with whole wheat vermicelli (seviyan), milk, sugar, ghee, nuts and raisins. It is a dry variation, which is also popular as a dessert, during Eid festivities. There’s absolutely no fuss in making this vegetarian dish. Simply simmer the seviyan with the remaining ingredients until it becomes tender and thoroughly cooked. Enhance its richness by adding more nuts and dry fruits to it.

About Meethi Seviyan Recipe

Seviyan is a type of thin vermicelli made from whole wheat flour, semolina, rice flour, cornstarch, millet flours or all-purpose flour. You can call it a type of pasta, but it is extremely thin with long strands.

Seviyan is popular in Indian subcontinent and many dishes are made with it. Below I have shared a few recipes that I make with this vermicelli.

meethi seviyan garnished with almond slivers and served in a brown rimmed bowl with text layover.

The Hindi word ‘Meethi’ means sweet and hence the name of this dish. It is a sweet dry vermicelli preparation made with milk, sugar and also includes some nuts and raisins.

I feel a wave of nostalgia whenever I prepare this Meethi Seviyan, as it reminds me of the sweet memories from childhood when my mother used to make it with milk. We often enjoyed it as a delightful evening snack, but it can also be served as a dessert after meals.

In this Sweet Vermicelli recipe, I’ve opted for milk, but you can alternatively cook the seviyan with water or a plant based milk.

I’ve used pre-roasted thin whole wheat vermicelli, further frying it in ghee for an even browning. Feel free to add your choice of nuts and dry fruits.

To enhance the flavor of Meethi Seviyan, I’ve included milk powder, which adds richness to the dessert. However, omitting the milk powder is also an option if preferred.

This dry variation of Sweet Vermicelli is a quick dessert sweet that can be prepared in under 20 minutes, making it perfect for Eid celebrations and other festive occasions.

Besides this recipe, there are several other sweet dishes featuring seviyan that I enjoy, including the following:

Sheer Khurma – A creamy and rich pudding like dessert made with thin vermicelli, dates, milk, flavoring and plenty of nuts.
Semiya Kesari – South Indian dry vermicelli preparation made with saffron or edible orange/yellow color, sugar, ghee, nuts and dry fruits.
Vermicelli Payasam – Delicious sweet made with vermicelli, milk, ghee, cashews, raisins from South Indian cuisine.
Seviyan Kheer – Classic North Indian sweet made with thin vermicelli, ghee, nuts and milk.

How to make Meethi Seviyan

Preparation

1. Firstly, keep all the ingredients ready for the seviyan. Break the seviyan into small strands and set aside.

broken vermicelli in a measuring cup for making sweet vermicelli.

2. Chop the nuts and place aside. You can keep the raisins as is and no need to chop them.

chopped dry fruits on a plate for sweet vermicelli.

Make Meethi Seviyan

3. Heat a pan and add 1 tablespoon ghee.

adding ghee in a hot pan for making sweet vermicelli.

4. Let the ghee melt. Then, add 1 cup broken seviyan.

broken vermicelli added to melted ghee in pan.

5. On low to medium heat, with frequent stirrings, roast the seviyan until the strands becomes golden.

Since I used pre roasted seviyan, I didn’t have to roast it much. However, if you use seviyan which is not roasted, then you will need to roast for some more time.

roasting vermicelli in ghee for making sweet vermicelli.

6. Next, add all the chopped nuts and raisins.

chopped nuts and raisins added to the vermicelli in pan.

7. Stir and mix nicely.

dry fruits stirred nicely in the vermicelli.

8. Lower the heat and pour 2 cups milk. Instead of milk, you can also add water.

Keep in mind that the proportion of milk to be added will depend on the type, quality and texture of seviyan you have used. Thus you may need less or more milk to add, so that you get a dry mixture after cooking.

Do check the package instructions for the amount of milk or water you need to add for 1 cup of vermicelli.

9. Stir and mix very well. Then, continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring at times.

10. Next, add ¼ cup sugar.

Note that I have used milk powder, which is also sweet, hence I have included ¼ cup sugar. But if you skip milk powder, consider add more sugar according to your taste.

sugar added to the vermicelli-milk mixture for making sweet vermicelli.

11. Keep stirring the mixture.

sugar stirred well into the vermicelli-milk mixture.

12. Add ¼ cup milk powder. If you do not have milk powder, then skip it.

milk powder added to the vermicelli mixture.

13. Mix again.

milk powder mixed well into the meethi seviyan mixture.

14. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon green cardamom powder and stir well.

15. The mixture will start thickening and the seviyan will also begin to absorb milk. When all the milk has been absorbed, turn off the heat.

16. Serve Meethi Seviyan hot, warm or chilled. You can even garnish with some slivered or sliced nuts while serving.

Expert Tips

As I used pre roasted seviyan, I didn’t have to roast it much. However, if you are using seviyan which is not roasted, you will have to roast it for more time, till the strands becomes golden.
Let the seviyan absorb the milk and turn dry. Or else, the dish would taste more like a kheer. For a more kheer like consistency, add more milk.
You can turn off the heat as soon as the milk is absorbed by the seviyan. Otherwise, the vermicelli will taste dry.
You can cook the seviyan in water, instead of milk. Alternatively use a plant based milk.
Skip the milk powder, if you don’t have it.
You can add your choice of nuts and dry fruits. Add more, if you wish to.
This recipe can easily be scaled to make a larger batch.

This Meethi Seviyan recipe from the archives was first published on February 2016. It has been updated and republished on March 2024.

Dassana Amit

I am Dassana Amit, a vegetarian chef and baker with decades of experience, professionally trained in Indian and continental cooking and baking. I’m also a certified pastry chef, trained at Le Cordon Bleu in plant-based patisserie. For over 16 years, I’ve shared trusted, strictly vegetarian recipes with step-by-step photos, expert tips, and practical guidance. Bringing together tradition, technique, and a love for honest, soulful vegetarian cooking.

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