Tormas (Sanskrit: bali(ng), meaning sacrifice) are sacred ritual offering cakes that can be used as food offering ("navide" in the eight offerings) at the shrine or used during pujas to represent deities. For the tormas at the shrine, they should be replaced once they show signs of ageing. When that happens you can place the torma outside in a clean area for the birds or animals to enjoy. During pujas, it is common to see the Chodpon bringing tormas out of shrine halls to leave in an area for offering. sometimes the torma is broken up and distributed among the participants of the pujas to eat during tsog offering.

Materials used in tormas are not fixed; shapes, sizes and color also varies, depending on the lineage one is in, the deity the torma represents and the use of the torma in pujas. Red tormas (Tibetan: Martor) are used to represent wrathful deities while white tormas (Tibetan: Kartor) are used to represent peaceful deities. Other than these, there are also Tentor (support tormas), Shelzay (shrine offering tormas), Bultor (general offering tormas, small in size) and Gektor (offerings to obstructors (Tibetan: Gek) to lead them away outside of the practice mandala). There are still many other types of tormas. A common look of a torma is one conical in shape with two Gyen disks as decorations and resting on a round base.

In the same way as we do any offerings to the Triple Gems, we should also take care to make sure what we offer is pure and that it is of as good a quality as we can afford. In Tibet, butter or barley flour (Tibetan: tsampa) are traditionally used for making tormas. Oatmeal is a very good material to work with as well. Food colouring or sometimes poster paint is used to paint and decorate the torma. Various tools are also used to carve petal designs on the Gyen disks. Sometimes at the center of the gyen disk, gold paper is pasted. For the butter tormas, lamas take great pains and concentration to make them, having to constantly dip their hands in ice cold water so the butter would not melt. The end result is an elaborate work of art. That is the dedication that should be emulated.

When giving, one should take heed to give without any feelings of attachment to the object, regardless of how precious it is. Although the torma may be a very beautiful work of art which you have spent much time making, you should still offer it without any attachment. To do offering (Sanskrit: dana) unconditionally and with a heart of devotion will accumulate lots of merits.