Besan ladoo are delicious sweet balls made with gram flour, sugar, ghee & cardamoms. Ladoos are ball shaped sweet delights from Indian cuisine made during festivals & celebrations. Besan ladoo are not only delicious & aromatic but also have a melt in the mouth texture.
Apart from gulab jamun, rasmalai and rasgulla these besan ladoo are also quite popular and are made for Diwali. I made these for Ganesh Chaturthi along with Coconut ladoo.
It is said that Lord Ganesha loves ladoos too apart from modak. So a variety of ladoos like Coconut ladoo, Rava laddu, Bondi ladoo and Peanut laddu are also made for Ganesh chaturthi.
Tips to make best besan ladoo
1.Besan or gram flour: Always choose good quality flour to avoid bitter taste. The best choice is the freshly milled flour or using a fresh pack of besan. Gram flour has a nature to turn bitter within a few months of milling.
So always taste it first before using to ensure it is not bitter.
There are 2 kinds of besan available in the market. The smooth kind and the coarse variety. If you prefer the crunch in your besan ladoo then choose the later one.
If you prefer a melt in the mouth texture then choose the smooth and fine besan.
2.Roasting besan correctly is the key to aromatic and delicious ladoos. If this step is not done properly the aroma does not come out from the besan resulting in raw tasting besan ladoos.
If the flour is over roasted, the ladoos can have a bitter and burnt flavor. So roasting the flour stirring constantly on a medium to low heat is very important.
When the besan is roasted properly it turns to a semi liquid state and the your kitchen will be filled with a great aroma.
3.Non stop stirring: You have to keep stirring non-stop & continuously without taking a break even for a few seconds especially at the later stage. Otherwise there are chances of the besan getting burnt.
4. Ghee: Using good quality puree ghee helps to make these besan ladoos more aromatic.
You can also check these easy 30 ladoo recipes and 100 + Diwali sweets recipes.
Note
Please note that patience is the KEY to making awesome besan ladoos. Do not get impatient while you roast the besan. Initially you can roast the besan on a medium flame.
Once it turns hot and begins to change the color slightly switch over to low flame completely until the last stage.
If you feel the mixture is getting too hot at any stage, take off the pan from the stove for a while to bring down the temperature.
Making besan ladoos is a lot of arm work as it involves stirring continuously. If you have weak arms, please do not attempt this without a helping hand.
Besan ladoo recipe
Besan ladoo recipe | How to make besan ladoo
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients for besan ladoo
- 1 cup besan or gram flour
- ½ cup + 2 tbsps sugar (or boora shakkar or powdered jaggery)
- 3 green cardamoms or elaichi (or 1/3 tsp ground cardamoms)
- ¼ cup ghee (4 tbsps) (clarified butter)
- 2 tablespoons cashews chopped (optional)
How to make the recipe
Preparation for besan ladoo
- Powder sugar and cardamom pods finely in a blender jar. Set aside.
- Heat 4 tbsps ghee in a heavy bottom pan.
- When it melts, transfer 2½ tablespoons ghee to a small bowl & retain the rest in the pan.
- Add besan to the pan and stir well to coat the flour with ghee.
- On a medium flame keep stirring and begin to roast the besan.
- When it begins to turn slightly aromatic & changes to a slightly deeper color, set the flame to lowest.
- Then add the rest of the 2½ tablespoons ghee.
- Keep roasting on a low flame stirring continuously without stopping. Otherwise the besan may burn.
- After a while besan begins to turn deep golden in color and aromatic. Your kitchen will be filled with a aroma indicating the flour is well roasted.
- Be cautious at this stage & remove the pan quickly from the stove. Begin to cool down by stirring it for another 2 mins.
- I place the pan immediately on a cork board to bring down the temperature. Most often within few seconds it may turn to a runny or a semi liquid stage. Just ignore that.
- Cool down the roasted besan completely. This step is important.
How to make besan ladoo
- When the besan cools down add powdered sugar.
- Mix very well to combine the sugar.
- At first your mixture may seem dry but keep mixing or knead it with your hand.
- You will have a greasy besan ladoo mixture.
- Take small portions and press down in your palm to roll to balls. You can make about 8 ladoos.
- Store besan ladoo in a air tight jar and use within 3 weeks.
NUTRITION (estimation only)
Notes
- Choose fresh besan or least cut open a new pack of besan to avoid bitter taste. Stale flour often tastes bitter. So avoid it.
- Under roasting the flour will leave a raw smell of besan to the ladoos. So roast until you begin to get a nice aroma and the color changes to deep golden.
- Do not use the entire ghee at the beginning to roast the besan. Adding all the ghee in the beginning makes the flour mixture heavy. It is hard to roast the besan.
- It only takes a minute for the well roasted besan to burn. So be extremely cautious at the final stage. Once done remove it from the stove.
- Ensure the flame is medium until the besan turns hot. Later regulate to low flame till the end until the besan turns golden & aromatic.
- When the besan is done, you will get a very nice aroma. This is the indication to remove from the stove. It may or may not turn semi-liquid depending on the flour. Sometimes it turns to a semi-liquid stage after it is removed from the heat.
- The most important point is to add sugar only when the roasted besan cools down. If you add sugar to hot besan, then sugar will melt and the mixture turns runny. You won’t be able to bind the mixture.
If you are a beginner or new to Indian cooking, I highly suggest you to check the supporting step by step photos for best results. Step by step photos with description available below after the recipe card.
Preparation
I have doubled the recipe and made so you will find the ingredients more in the pics.
1. Measure sugar and set aside. Add 3 cardamoms and little sugar to a blender jar and make a fine powder. Add the rest of the sugar. Powder it finely. You can use white sugar or any variety of sugar.
2. Set this aside.
3. Make sure besan is at room temperature before using. In case you refrigerate, then allow it to come down to room temperature first before adding it to the ghee.
4. Add 4 tbsps ghee to a heavy bottom pan and melt it. Keep 1½ tbsps in the pan and remove the rest to a small bowl.
5. I also added some cashews to the ghee and roasted them.
How to make besan ladoo
6. Lower the flame. Add besan to the ghee. Make sure your besan is lump free.
7. Mix to coat the besan well with ghee. Keep stirring and begin to fry on a medium heat.
8. Keep stirring constantly for even roasting and to prevent burning. After a while the color of the besan begins to change to a deeper color with a slight aroma. I suggest not to go by the time as it depends on the kind of stove, pan and the intensity of the flame.
9. Reduce the flame to low, then quickly add the rest of the ghee that was set aside. Do not stop stirring. Keep stirring to incorporate the ghee well & continue to roast the besan.
10. After a few minutes, besan changes to a deep golden color with an aroma that fills your kitchen.
11. In just few minutes you will notice that ghee begins to ooze out from the mixture. The color changes to golden and the consistency turns to semi liquid stage.
The quantity of ghee that is oozed out may depend on the besan again. Coarse besan will not turn very runny. If you are using smooth besan yes you will have a runny mixture.
12. Switch off and set aside to cool. Do not leave on the hot stove, it tends to get roasted further. I place the hot pan on a cork board to stop cooking further & keep stirring for another 2 mins.
13. Allow it to cool down completely. Add powdered sugar and nuts (optional). Do not add sugar to very hot besan.
Making besan ladoo
14. Mix well to incorporate the sugar with the besan mixture. If required knead with your hand to mix it. At this stage, the mixture must look fairly greasy and good enough to hold shape.
15. Take small portions of the mixture and roll to balls. Store them in a air tight jar and use with in 3 weeks.
If using coarse besan, ladoo may not look smooth. Since I doubled the recipe I got 16.
To give a nice smooth finish, after few hours of making these, place each ladoo in a clean white muslin cloth and roll gently.
I did not use a cloth but just rolled them once more after 30 mins. Store besan ladoo in a air tight jar.
Monika says
Hi Ma’am,I am someone who do not know much how to cook and I hate cooking!I have always depended on my helpers for cooking.I am married and with a kid.In this current scenario my daughter asked for laddoos!Of course we cud not order from outside and for the first time I googled besan laddoo recipe and saw your recipe…Tried my hand and it came out fab!The way u explain is amazing!now I can’t wait to try some snacks from your recipes!Thank u for teaching me that cooking is not that bad after all!!
swasthi says
Hi Monika
You are welcome! So glad to know! Hope you enjoy more recipes. Thanks much and stay safe!
🙂
Shahna yesrabi says
Thank you.my childhood favourite laddoos..you are really a very good teacher you explain very nicely.
swasthi says
You are welcome! Thank you!
Deepa says
I loved the ladoo but you really need arm strength.
swasthi says
Hi Deepa
Glad you loved them. Yes it needs a lot. Anything over 1 cup is too difficult to handle alone.Thanks for rating!
🙂
Vidya Venkat says
I followed your recipie for Besan Ladoo. It turned out so tasty. Thank you for all those important tips that you have given as a part of foot note to the recipie. I will be next trying Vegetable Korma and also items that can be part of lunch box. Thank you once again Swasthi.
swasthi says
Hi Vidya,
You are welcome! Glad your besan ladoos turned out good. Thank you for the comment! Hope you enjoy more recipes from here.
🙂
Sheetal says
I made this ladoos….It turned out unbelievable tasty…So awesome…Thanks so much..
swasthi says
Hi Sheetal,
You are welcome. Glad your besan ladoos turned out good. Thanks much for the comment!
🙂
Utkarsh Prakash says
Very easy to understand
Thank you
swasthi says
You are welcome!
Ahmed says
So nice madam, it’s very understanding method you explain thank you for your guide.
swasthi says
You are welcome
Amrita says
Hi Swasthi,
I have made you kaju katli yesterday. It turned out good. For the besan ladoo is it important to roast the besan till it turns like a liquid. Please guide when should I stop.
swasthi says
Hi Amrita,
Thank you!. No it may not turn to a liquid state while roasting. Sometimes after removing from the stove it turns to liquid. Sometimes it may not at all. If you use ladoo besan it may not turn runny at all. The main indicator is the aroma and ghee oozing out from the besan. Once you begin to get a nice aroma check if the ghee is releasing. Do not wait for the mixture to turn liquid. Once the golden color is achieved, remove immediately and keep stirring. Hope these help.
Yogita Parab says
Nicely explained the process of Besan Ladoo. also the tips.
The notes are also very helpful. I would love to get more recipes from you.
Also, if you can help me with the recipe of Mohan Thaal.
swasthi says
Hi Yogita,
Thank you so much! I haven’t yet shared the recipe of traditional mohanthaal on the blog.
Archana says
Can I use sattu for this recipe.? Should I make any changes?
swasthi says
Hi Archana,
To make besan ladoo, we roast the besan for quite long as it is raw flour. But sattu is made from roasted kala chana & sometimes barley. Both these grains are already toasted so you just need to roast it for 5 to 6 minutes only. You can follow the recipe as is without any changes.
Simmi says
I follow your recipes for everything I cook. Please make a video of besan ladoo. I find it hard to understand the roasting. Please..
swasthi says
Hi Simmi,
Thanks for following the blog. Let me know which part you feel is hard to understand. I can help you out. I haven’t been making videos much! But I will try.
Nita says
Hi Swasthi,
After several trials I stopped making besan ladoo because they always turned out bitter.Yesterday we tried sushma’s tip to roast the chana dal and then milled it to Besan. It was an amazing experience and believe me the aroma was astounding. I am so excited to make the besan ladoos with your recipe. Thank you very much for the simple yet descriptive recipes. Keeping my fingers crossed hoping my ladoos will not turn bitter. Will keep you posted.
swasthi says
Hi Nita,
You are welcome. I am sure your besan ladoos will turn out good. Appreciate your effort to roast the chana dal and make the flour. Infact you are lucky to have a flour mill near you. Love to hear how your ladoos turned out. 🙂
Nita says
Swasthi,
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to you and your family.
I made the besan ladoos and oats chivda. These ladoos turned out 😉 delicious. Whoever has tasted them have been pouring compliments. Even the oats chiva turned out fantastic except that my oats wasn’t as flaky as yours. Next time will make them with thicker flakes. I will message you the pics. Thank you so much for the recipes.
swasthi says
Hi Nita,
Wish you all too a very happy Ganesh Chaturthi. Thanks much for the wishes & also for the pictures. So glad to know your ladoos and chivda turned out good. Next time you check for the rolled oats – regular and not instant. Even in rolled oats we get instant, avoid that. Thanks again.
Sushma says
Swasthi,
Would love to share one easy tip. Hope you don’t mind. We make the besan ladoo same as you but we roast the chana dal and make danedar besan in chakki flour mill. Roasted danedar besan will remain good for few months without turning bitter. The besan ladoo made like this can be stored for 3 to 4 months. I love your recipes and keep trying many for my diabetic husband. Thank you.
swasthi says
Welcome Sushma
Glad you love the recipes. Thanks much for trying the recipes and sharing your tip as well. I am amazed at your tip of roasting the chana dal. I understand there are so many ways of making these ladoos. Thanks again.
Niya says
Gosh! These ladoos look so yummy … 💕 💕. Sure I will be making them soon. Thank you 😊
swasthi says
Welcome Niya,
Thank you! Yes do try. Hope you enjoy them!
Swapnil Khandekar says
Looks delicious, Such a simple and fast ladoo recipe. I will definitly try it out soon. See more ladoo recipes
Jagbir kaur says
Hi
I am new to your blog. My toddler is big fan of laddoos. I was searching for an easy recipe coz I never made laddoos before. I tried this recipe today. The laddoos were yummy. Everybody at home loved this delicious laddoos. Thank you for sharing the recipe.!
swasthi says
Hi Jagbir
You are welcome. Thanks for trying. Happy to know the ladoos came out yummy. You can check this collection of ladoo recipes. I have some very healthy ladoo recipes on the page. Do try them.
🙂
Mridula says
Dear Swasthi
Perfect recipe for besan laddu
So precise and clear.Tried it last winter too
My family loves the aromatic ,crisp and delicious laddus
Thanks sooo much
swasthi says
Welcome Mridula
Thank you so much for trying. Glad to know they came out good.
Anumeha says
Made this as Diwali special sweet today and it came out perfect. Have never tried my hands on besan laddos so this was my 1st shot and am pretty happy with the outcome. Both my kids are big laddoo fans and am sure they’ll savor them. Thanks so much Swasthi!
swasthi says
Welcome Anumeha
So glad to know they turned out good. Thanks for the comment. Happy Diwali to you all!
🙂
Urshila says
Easy recipe. Turned out great. Thanks.
swasthi says
Welcome Urshila
Thank you for the comment.
Kajal says
Nice recipe. Looking forward to try it Soon. All your recipes are so good 😊 . Thank you. Very inspiring and so simple
swasthi says
Thanks Kajal
Yes do try it
Ankita says
Wow! loved this besan ladoo recipe. My besan ladoo always would turn flat the next morning. Wondered why? I got it perfect now. Thanks for the good recipe
swasthi says
Welcome Ankita
Thanks for trying. More ghee in the ladoo can flatten them during hot weather. Glad to know you got them right.
🙂