Besan Ladoo Recipe
Besan Ladoo is a traditional Indian sweet that is made from roasted gram flour (besan), sugar, and ghee, flavored with cardamom powder and saffron. It is an essential sweet dish during the festive season in India and is also served as a sweet treat during special occasions. The ladoos are round, bite-sized balls, which are garnished with nuts, such as almonds and pistachios, and are soft, chewy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The ladoos are easy to make, and can be stored for up to two weeks, making them an excellent option for when you want to prepare something sweet and satisfying in advance.
Ingredients
- ½ cup ghee / clarified butter
- 250 gm Besan / Gram flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 pods cardamom / Elaichi elachi
- 2 tbsp cashew optional
- 2 tbsp melon seeds optional
Instructions
- Take a Wok / kadai and heat ½ cup ghee and add 2 cup besan.
- Roast on low flame until the besan is well combined with ghee. Make sure to use coarse besan for grainy texture. Continue to roast on low flame. If the mixture turns dry, add a tbsp of more ghee.
- Continue to roast until the besan turns golden brown and grainy. It may take approximately 30 minutes and besan starts releasing ghee.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, allowing to cool slightly. Meanwhile, dry roast 2 tbsp melon seeds and 2 tbsp cashew. Roast on low flame until the nuts turn crunchy, then add the roasted nuts to roasted besan ghee mixture.
- Take 1 cup sugar and 4 pods cardamom in a blender. Alternatively you can use brown sugar or Boora.
- Blend to a fine powder without adding any water. Once the besan is cooled (slightly warm) add in powdered sugar.
- Mix well making sure everything is well combined. Do not add sugar if the mixture is hot, as it will melt the sugar and makes mixture watery.
- At the end, prepare ladoos in round shapes.
Notes & Tips
- Roasting: The besan has to be roasted very well so that it starts releasing ghee and gives a nutty fragrance. Generally, it will take 30 minutes but time can change as per thickness of Wok / kadai.
- Sugar: It is best to use fine sugar or castor sugar. In India, my mom use Boora for best results.
- Shaping: You can change the size of ladoo as per your preference. Let it cool completely otherwise you can burn your hands. If the mixture feels too dry, you can add 2 tbsps of melted clarified butter / ghee in it.
- Nuts & Dry fruits: You can add nuts of your choice like almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts and pecans. You can even add melon seeds.
Nutrition Information (Note: Approximate)
Nutrition Facts
Besan Ladoo Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
66
% Daily Value*
Fat
7
g
11
%
Saturated Fat
5
g
31
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.3
g
Monounsaturated Fat
2
g
Cholesterol
19
mg
6
%
Sodium
0.1
mg
0
%
Protein
0.02
g
0
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.