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Besan Ladoo is gram flour roasted with ghee and then combined with sugar, cardamom, and nuts. Besan ke Ladoo is a must for Diwali.
The last time my mom visited me in California, we made Besan ke Ladoo together. It was around Diwali, so I wanted to make mithai.
She guided me through the process and rolled out those perfect ladoos into round balls.
What is Besan Ladoo?
Besan is known as gram flour . Ladoo is an Indian sweet that’s rolled up into a ball.
Besan Ladoo is essentially gram flour that is roasted with ghee until a lovely aroma fills your kitchen. The cooking process takes about 20 minutes.
Once done, the mixture is cooled for 20 minutes before adding powdered sugar, cardamom, and nuts.
Besan Ladoo is an easy recipe and so incredibly delicious. The store-bought ones just don’t compare to homemade ladoos. I promise you that making these ladoos is easy and totally worth it. This recipe is an absolute must on Diwali or any special occasion.
Why You’ll Love Besan Ladoo
- They taste heavenly
- Melt-in-your-mouth
- A must-have on Diwali
- Easy to make
- They’re gluten-free
- Eggless dessert
Ingredients you’ll need for Besan Ladoo:
Ghee: Besan Ladoo requires ghee, don’t skimp on it, and don’t use butter.
Besan: Besan is gram flour. The besan and ghee need to cook for roughly 25 minutes.
Powdered Sugar: Since powdered sugar is fine, it’s better to use powdered sugar than granulated sugar in this recipe.
Cardamom: A fragrant spice that is commonly used in Indian desserts.
Nuts: You can use any nut here, I used roasted cashews and almonds.
How to make Besan Ladoo recipe step by step?
Roast the ghee & besan
1. Heat up a nonstick pan on low-medium heat. Once hot, add 1/4 cup ghee.
2. Once the ghee melts, add besan (gram flour).
3. Stir the besan into the ghee.
4. This is what you’ll have 3 minutes later – a crumbly mixture.
5. Continuously stir for another 4-5 minutes. The color of the besan will darken slightly. Since my mixture was a bit crumbly, I added another tbsp of ghee. Add it if you need it.
6. A minute later – the mixture begins to combine. You should be able to smell the aroma of the besan.
7. Two minutes later this is what you should have. Continue stirring.
8. This is 5 minutes later. Notice how the color of the darkened even more. The besan starts to take on shape.
9. Another 5 minutes later. The besan mixture appears more smooth and has darkened in color. Your mixture is now ready.
Pro Tip: we have cooked the besan and ghee together for about 22 minutes in total.
10. Transfer the batter to a large bowl. Let the besan mixture cool for 20 minutes.
Dry Roast the Nuts
1. In the meantime, in the same pan, dry roast the nuts. Saute for about 5 minutes.
2. Chop the nuts.
Form Ladoos
1. 20 minutes later, add powdered sugar, cardamom, and nuts to the besan-ghee mixture.
2. Mix well using a wooden spoon or even your hands.
3. Using a mini-scoop, add 1 1/2 scoops of the besan mixture into the palm of your hand.
4. Like so.
5. Squeeze the ladoo in the palm of your hands and ensure there are no cracks.
6. Roll into a smooth ball and enjoy!
Tips on Making Besan ke Ladoo
- Use a nonstick pan to make Besan ke Ladoos.
- You’ll need to saute the ghee and besan together for about 20 minutes in total.
- Cook the ghee and besan together until a crumbly mixture forms.
- Add an extra tablespoon of ghee if needed, especially if your mixture is crumbly and not sticking together.
- Once the besan sticks together, keep sauteing it for a few more minutes until the ghee separates from the mixture.
- Make sure you cool the besan-ghee mixture for 20 minutes before adding the powdered sugar, cardamom, and nuts. If you add the sugar while the besan mixture is hot, this will result in a flowy mixture, and as a result, you won’t be able to form ladoos.
- Use a mini-scoop to form even-sized balls. Roll the mixture in the palm of your hands.
Storage
Store the besan ladoos in an airtight container for a week or two.
You can also store them in the fridge for a couple of months.
I prefer leaving my ladoos outside the fridge since they do tend to harden when they’re in the fridge.
FAQ
Absolutely!
For this recipe, I used almonds and cashews. You may also use walnuts, pistachios, pecans, or whatever you’d like.
I don’t recommend it. Ghee lends a much richer taste to mithai and butter just won’t cut it in this recipe. Use ghee, trust me!
Yes. Gram flour or besan which is naturally gluten-free.
About 20 minutes. I have made the mistake of undercooking my besan so don’t make that mistake. You also don’t want to overcook the besan. Roast the besan on low to low-medium flame. Do not go beyond that else the gram flour will easily burn.
No. Chickpea flour is slightly different. You need to use besan or gram flour.
More Indian Desserts
- Ras Malai Mousse
- Rice Kheer | Indian Rice Pudding
- Gajar ka Halwa | Indian Carrot Pudding
- Rose Water Cake with Almonds and Rose Buttercream
- Healthy Almond Date Ladoo
- Milk Peda
Besan Ladoo
EQUIPMENT
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup besan, gram flour
- 1/4 cup ghee, liquid
- 1 tbsp ghee, if needed for later
- 6 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 5 cashews, dry roasted & chopped
- 5 almonds, dry roasted & chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
Roast the ghee & besan
- Heat up a nonstick pan on low-medium heat. Once hot, add ghee. I used liquid ghee since I live in a warmer area.
- Once the ghee is melted and hot, add besan (gram flour).
- Stir the besan into the ghee.
- This is what you’ll have 3 minutes later – a crumbly mixture.
- Keep stirring – this is the result 5 minutes later. Since my mixture was a bit crumbly, I added another tbsp of ghee. Add it if you need it.
- A minute later – the mixture begins to combine. You should be able to smell the aroma of the besan – this is a sign that you’re getting close to the finish line.
- A couple of minutes later, the mixture is no longer crumbly and takes the shape of a ball.
- Using your wooden spoon, spread out the mixture. It’ll be slightly glossy and grainy. This is done.
- Transfer the batter into a large bowl. Let the besan mixture cool for 20 minutes.
Dry Roast the Nuts
- In the meantime, in the same pan dry roast the nuts. Saute for about 5 minutes.
- Chop the nuts.
Add the sugar, cardamom, nuts. Form Ladoos.
- 20 minutes later, add powdered sugar, cardamom, and nuts to the besan-ghee mixture.
- Mix well.
- Using a mini-scoop, add the besan mixture into the palm of your hand and roll it into a ball.
- You should be able to get 10 ladoos.
Nutrition
Pin & Enjoy!
Can the recipe be made without ghee? Can I substitute ghee with oil?
Hi Shital. Absolutely not. You must use ghee, or if you want you can try butter. Oil isn’t going to give you that richness the ladoo deserves and it won’t taste good. Sorry!
Hi Nisha
I made this recipe two days ago and it was amazing!! The sweetness was just right. Packed some for a friend and she LOVED it!! My 7 and 9 year old boys also savoured them 😊
I will be making them again for friends and family next week for Diwali!
Thank you for sharing this recipe Nisha!
I made these for my parents this week, they were so delicious and quick to make, everyone loved them. So much better than store bought!