Moong Dal Ladoo

Moong Dal Ladoo are Indian sweet balls made with yellow split mung lentils, sugar (or jaggery), Ghee and nuts. These are delicious and have a nutty aroma with a melt-in-the-mouth texture. Moong dal ladoo are also known as Pesara Sunnundalu in Telugu and made for festive occasions. Make these classic Moong dal laddu for a protein-packed and delicious sweet treat.

Moong Dal Laddu

If you have grown up in an Indian family, I am sure you must be in love with any kind of ladoos.

Ladoo is an Indian sweet ball made with various kinds of lentils, grains, nuts and sweets. The lentils & grains are ground and then sweetened with jaggery or sugar. Fried nuts and raisins are sometimes added for a crunch.

A generous amount of ghee is used to bind these dry ingredients. Though milk is used in a lot of versions, those taste different and affect the shelf life.

To make these Moong dal laddu we first dry roast the moong lentils until golden, aromatic & nutty. Roasting not only helps in digestion but also makes them palatable.

We cool the lentils and grind them to slightly coarse powder. It is then mixed with powdered sugar or jaggery and fried nuts. Portions of this mixture is pressed down to balls.

I usually make the ladoo mix ready and store in a air tight container. This can be stored for several months. Just add hot ghee and make the moong dal laddu when ever required.

More Ladoo Recipes
Besan laddu
Rava laddu
Badam ladoo
Peanut laddu

How to Make Moong Dal Ladoo (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

1. For this recipe you will need 1 cup organic moong dal. I prefer to rinse my lentils before using, this is optional but suggested. I wash it a few times and drain them completely to a colander.

Shake off the colander to remove excess water. Spread it on a clean cotton cloth, preferably white. Rub it with the cloth and leave it for 10 mins. You can also sun dry this. Dal need not be dry completely. This step is completely optional but highly recommended if making for kids.

2. Begin to roast the dal on a medium to low heat stirring often until the dal turns aromatic and golden. You can also roast the dal in 1 tbsp ghee if you want.

3. Dal turns crunchy when it is roasted completely. You can eat a few and check if it is still raw. There should not be even little raw taste in the dal. Add the cardamom seeds from 4 pods or the entire pod.

4. Cool completely and add to a blender jar. Make a fine powder but not like super smooth flour. We don’t sieve the flour since slight coarse texture gives crunch to the moong dal ladoo. If you make very fine flour, the ladoos will stick to your mouth. Set this aside.

5. Add ¾ cup sugar to the same jar and powder finely.

6. Set this aside as well. Mix both the sugar and flour. You can also store this mixture in a air tight jar for few months. Use this when ever needed to make laddu.

Make Moong Dal Laddu

7. Heat 6 to 7 tablespoons ghee in a pan. Set aside 2 tablespoons in a small bowl. Fry 20 to 24 split cashews until golden.

8. You can add 8 to 10 raisins if you like. When they turn golden switch off the stove.

9. Add the flour and sugar mix.

10. Mix very well. Take a portion of the mixture to your hand and check if the mixture binds well by pressing down the flour. If it doesn’t then add back the 2 tbsp of ghee set aside earlier.

11. Mix a few times until the ghee coats the flour well. You can add as much ghee as you need here. But the measurements given in the recipe card work well for me.

12. When the mixture is still hot, begin to roll to balls. Take small portions to your hand, press down with your fingers and roll them.

13. This recipe makes about 12 to 14 ladoos. Store moong dal ladoo in air tight jar and handle with clean dry hands. These stay good for about 2 weeks.

Pro Tips

• Make sure you roast the dal very well. Underroasted lentils can cause stomach upset.
• Use ghee generously as it helps in digestion.
• You may use jaggery but the taste is different. Traditional ball jaggery works better than store bought jaggery powder because both are different.

Related Recipes

Recipe Card

Moong Dal Ladoo recipe first published in October 2013. Updated and republished in July 2022.