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.

How to make dates sesame ladoo

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.

Related Recipes

Dates sesame ladoo recipe

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.