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10 cheat meals you can still eat on a diet

Healthier versions of India’s favourite cravings, from the most-liked food reels. Tap through to cook them.

4 min read · Updated

A spread of healthier cheat meals: millet pizza, samosas, a roti wrap, momos, curd with berries and dark chocolate.

The short version

  1. 1

    A cheat meal works best as one planned meal, not a whole cheat weekend.

  2. 2

    The swaps that matter: less maida and sugar, more protein and vegetables, and air-frying or steaming instead of deep-frying.

  3. 3

    A healthier version is still a treat. Serve a plate, eat slowly, and stop when you’re satisfied.

The countdown

India’s most-liked healthy cravings

Ten cravings, each remade by an Indian food creator and loved on Instagram. Ranked by likes. Tap through to watch the reel and cook it.

  1. Two scoops of homemade chocolate ice cream topped with chopped almonds.1

    Chocolate ice cream

    Soaked almonds, cashews, oats and dates blended with milk and a little dark chocolate, then frozen. No sugar, no cream.

    • No added sugar
    • No cream
    • Nuts and oats
    Watch on Instagramby @myflavourfuljourney · 1.2M likes
  2. Momos wrapped in green cabbage leaves in a bamboo steamer, with red chutney.2

    Momos

    Blanched cabbage leaves replace the maida wrapper, around a filling of minced chicken bound with egg.

    • No maida
    • Steamed
    • High protein
    Watch on Instagramby @ral.livezy, recipe by @gskcooks2k23 · 805K likes
  3. Penne in a creamy white sauce with broccoli, red pepper and paneer cubes.3

    White-sauce pasta

    A modest bowl of pasta in a creamy sauce blended from low-fat paneer and garlic, instead of cream and butter.

    • High protein
    • No cream
    Watch on Instagramby @gskcooks2k23 · 585K likes
  4. A bowl of thick pav bhaji with onion, coriander and lemon, beside two toasted pav.4

    Pav bhaji

    Soaked moong dal cooked into a vegetable-heavy bhaji in one pressure-cooker pot, then mashed in.

    • More protein
    • More vegetables
    • One pot
    Watch on Instagramby Chef Neha Deepak Shah · 196K likes
  5. A thin pizza on a golden lentil crust, topped with vegetables, cut into slices.5

    Pizza

    The base is a moong dal batter instead of maida dough, so the crust itself carries protein.

    • No maida
    • Lentil base
    • High protein
    Watch on Instagramby @food_eternity · 184K likes
  6. Soft rasmalai discs in saffron milk with pistachio slivers.6

    Rasmalai

    Low-fat paneer discs in double-toned milk, sweetened without sugar.

    • No added sugar
    • Lighter milk
    • Protein
    Watch on Instagramby @arch.eat · 92K likes
  7. Golden roti samosas, one cut open to show a chana and paneer filling, with green chutney.7

    Samosa

    A chana and paneer filling folded into a roti and air-fried, instead of potato in deep-fried maida.

    • Air-fried
    • Whole wheat
    • More protein
    Watch on Instagramby Shikha Shetty · 56K likes
  8. A bowl of noodles in a creamy sauce with vegetables and spring onion.8

    Noodles

    No-maida noodles tossed in a creamy sauce of blended firm tofu.

    • No maida
    • High protein
    Watch on Instagramby @foodwatii · 52K likes
  9. A bowl of vegetable and soya biryani with mint, beside a bowl of raita.9

    Biryani

    Soya granules and vegetables in high-protein curd, layered with konjac (shirataki) rice instead of basmati.

    • Lower calorie
    • High protein
    Watch on Instagramby Vanshika Khurana · 41K likes
  10. A plate of chole with two puffed bhature, sliced onion and lemon.10

    Chole bhature

    The bhature are cooked in an air fryer instead of being deep-fried. The chole stays as it is.

    • Air-fried
    • Less oil
    Watch on Instagramby Chef Jaspreet Singh Devgun · 39K likes

Likes as of 4 Nov 2026. The photos are ours, made to show each dish; the recipes and videos belong to the creators, so tap through to watch and cook.

Make any craving lighter

The five swaps behind every list like this

Once you see them, you can remake almost any favourite at home.

  • Maida base, bun or wrapperMoong dal, ragi, whole wheat, or a cabbage leaf

    More fibre and protein, so the same plate keeps you full for longer.

  • Deep-fryingAir-frying, baking or steaming

    The crunch stays; most of the oil doesn’t. India’s dietary guidelines advise steaming over deep-frying.1

  • Cream, butter and cheese sauceBlended paneer, curd or tofu

    Creamy texture, with protein in place of most of the saturated fat.

  • White sugarLess sweetness overall

    Honey and jaggery are still sugar to your body, and dates are packed with it. Use less, not just a different sweetener.1,2

  • Eating from the box on the sofaOne plate, at the table, slowly

    You notice when you’re satisfied, and the treat stays a meal.

One more: take a 10 to 15 minute walk after your treat. Even light walking lowers the rise in blood sugar after a meal, compared with sitting.3

Questions

Questions people ask

Is one cheat meal a week okay on a diet?

For most people, yes. One planned treat meal fits into a healthy week. What matters more is what you eat the rest of the week, and that one meal doesn’t turn into a whole cheat day.

Is air-fried food healthy?

Air-frying uses far less oil than deep-frying, so it cuts fat and calories. But an air-fried samosa made of maida and potato is still a samosa. The flour and the filling matter too.

Is jaggery or honey healthier than sugar?

Not by much. Jaggery, honey and dates are still sugars and raise blood sugar. Use less sweetness overall, whatever the sweetener.

Can I have a cheat meal if I have prediabetes or high sugar?

Usually yes, in a planned portion. Pick versions with more protein and fibre and less maida and sugar, eat them with a meal rather than alone, and walk for 10–15 minutes afterwards. Check with your doctor if you take medicines for sugar.

How do I stop a cheat meal turning into a cheat day?

Plan it: decide what and when, serve it on a plate, and get back to your usual meals at the next one. Skipping meals to “save up” for it usually makes you overeat.

Sources

  1. 1.ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 (booklet).
  2. 2.World Health Organization. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children, 2015.
  3. 3.Buffey AJ et al. Interrupting prolonged sitting with standing and light-intensity walking: a meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 2022.

Swastya shares health education, not medical advice. Lab ranges vary by lab, age and condition, so read your numbers with your doctor, and see a doctor promptly for any symptom that worries you.

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