Dates sesame ladoo recipe | How to make dates sesame laddu /balls

Dates sesame ladoo recipe – Healthy, nutritious and wholesome ladoo made with dates and sesame seeds. Ladoo are one of the most made sweet snack at home for my kids’ school box. I mostly make the different kinds of ladoos without using sugar and much ghee. I have been making these dates sesame laddu for sometime now since my kids love any kind of laddu.

For more ladoo recipes, you can check
Ragi ladoo
Atta ladoo
Coconut ladoo
Besan ladoo
Peanut ladoo

I have already shared peanut sesame ladoo and oats sesame ladoo recipes on the blog. Sesame seeds though high in calories, contain healthy fats and are Calcium, Iron, Zinc and Protein rich. They make a wonderful food for everyone including underweight kids & toddlers. Regular use of sesame seeds helps to strengthen the bones and maintain the bone mineral density. Unhulled sesame seeds have more nutritional value than the hulled ones.

I rarely find unhulled sesame seeds in Singapore so I buy these from the Local farmers market in my hometown. These are grown without any chemical fertilizers or pesticides as the poor farmers cannot afford them. Just to support them I buy these in large quantity during my most visits to India.

I wash them, toast, then powder and store in glass jars to make these quick ladoos and to sprinkle over the veggie stir fry or make hummus and chutney.

Dates sesame ladoo recipe

Dates sesame ladoo recipe | How to make dates sesame laddu / balls

Dates sesame ladoo recipe – Healthy sesame balls made with dates as sweetener. These make a great sweet snack for the kids.

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time5 minutes

Total Time20 minutes

Servings12 to 15 balls

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

• 300 grams dates (280 grams seedless) Prefer medjool
• ¾ to 1 cup sesame seeds (use as needed, prefer unhulled)
• ¼ cup sesame seeds for rolling
• ¼ cup cashews or roasted peanuts (optional)
• 4 green cardamoms elaichi

How to make the recipe

• Dry roast sesame seeds on a low to medium heat until they turn aromatic.
• Cool them and powder along with cardamoms.
• Mash the dates well. If not using soft or medjool dates, then chop them and saute in 1 tsp ghee or coconut oil until soft.
• Then add the sesame seeds powder little by little and knead to a soft mixture for 2 mins. Add cashew and roll.
• Pinch off little mixture and roll to balls.
• Roll them in sesame seeds or desiccated coconut.
• Store dates sesame ladoo in a air tight jar.

NUTRITION (estimation only)

Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 247mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 2.3mg

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.

How to make dates sesame ladoo recipe

1. Dry roast sesame seeds on a low to medium heat until they begin to smell good. I prefer to wash them. Drain completely and then air dry on a cotton cloth. Wipe them off with the cloth as well. When they are still moist I toast them. This entire process not only cleans the sesame seeds but also pop them which are easy to digest and turn very aromatic. Cool these completely.

2. Remove the seeds from dates. I used medjool dates which are soft and are easy to use here. You can use any kind of dates though.

3. Knead them well. It just takes about 2 mins. If your dates are hard you can chop and heat them in a pan on a low heat with 1 tsp ghee or coconut oil. They will soften quickly.

4. Add sesame seeds and green cardamoms to a mixie jar.

5. Powder finely or coarsely.

6. Add little by little to the dates and begin to knead.

7. Under 2 mins you will get the texture you see in the pictures. If you like to have some nuts, you can add some toasted and chopped cashews or roasted skinned peanuts.

8. Mix and make balls. You will get about 12 to 15 balls.

9. Most kids love foods that please their eyes. This color is not preferred by many kids. So roll them in desiccated coconut or sesame seeds.

Store them in a airtight steel or glass jar. These keep good for about a week but we usually end up finishing in 3 to 4 days.

Here is an instant version of this dates sesame ladoo recipe which I make sometimes while I prepare the morning breakfast.

4 to 5 large dates mashed and mixed with 2 tbsp of sesame seeds powder. You will get 2 ladoos. You can make these under 5 to 7 mins if you have the powdered sesame seeds ready.