Vegan Soan Papdi from ‘Haldiram’s’
Haldiram’s is a very popular brand for a host of sweets and savories in India, and a line of vegetarian restaurants in the National Capital Region (NCR). Haldiram’s sweets and savories are also exported to many countries abroad that have a sizable Indian population.
One of Haldiram’s largest selling items according to the Haldiram’s website is the Soan Papdi. Soan Papdi is a very popular Indian sweet that is flaky in texture; and made primarily from gram flour topped with almonds, pistachios, and cardamom. 
In addition, the Soan Papdi recipe may or may not contain ghee (clarified butter) or milk. Where ghee or milk is present, the Soan Papdi ceases to be vegan. However, one variety of Soan Papdi from Haldiram’s contains Peanut Oil and Palmolein Oil instead. This variety of Soan Papdi is suitable for vegans. These boxes are yellow and red in color; with the yellow box marked as ‘Export Quality’.
Please note that Haldiram’s makes several varieties of Soan Papdi and not all are vegan; only one variety described above is. The ones that are not vegan are the ‘chocolate’, ‘orange’, ‘coconut’ flavors, and the one labeled as made from ‘pure ghee’. These non-vegan varieties contain synthetic colors and flavors, skimmed milk powder, and ghee. The good news is that you won’t see the non-vegan varieties around so much; you are likely to find the vegan-friendly variety more often on the shelves of most stores. However, before purchasing please read the ‘Ingredients’ at the back of the box.
As for the taste – Haldiram’s vegan Soan Papdi is delicious – the flakes simply melt in the mouth and satiate your craving for that ‘something sweet’!
Availability: Haldiram’s vegan Soan Papdi is available all over India in most neighborhood stores and supermarkets.
Cost factor: Very affordable, both for home consumption and to give away as gifts.
@Manish – Agree with you about the health bit but at times it becomes difficult to ignore sweet cravings for something in particular. Also when with non-vegans it becomes important to make the point that a soan papdi without dairy tastes better!
@Sunshinemom – Always happy to share such news :)! But please do read the ingredients – one line although is packed in red and yellow is marked as made from "pure ghee". Also, we found that the "export quality" vegan-friendly line described above is always more tasty!
I love soan papdi and was missing it! Thanks for sharing the news:).
Check for Palm Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil.