Dry Fruit Laddu (Dry Fruit Ladoo)
Updated: September 15, 2023, By Swasthi
Dry Fruit Laddu are delicious, healthy and super quick to make Indian style energy balls. These dry fruit ladoos are great for anyone looking for healthy & nutrient dense snack. Ladoos of any kind are a favorite with my kids. So I put in some effort every week to make something quick and easy. I make dry fruit laddu very often for the mid morning snack.
To make dry fruit laddu there are no particular measurements or method to follow. Just make them the way it is convenient, quick and easy for you. In this post I have shared 2 ways to make them.
Method 1 – The quickest method is to just chop the nuts and dry fruits with a knife. Knead the dates and figs well, just add the chopped nuts and roll to balls. But to follow this method, the dates and figs need to be really very soft. If you are accessible to medjool dates and figs that are not pressed then you can follow this method.
I make it this way when I am making just 4 to 5 ladoos to finish up on the same day. This method is good when you just have to make 4 to 6 ladoos.
More Ladoo recipes
Rava ladoo
Coconut ladoo
Besan ladoo
Photo Guide
Method 2
How to Make Dry Fruit Laddu (Stepwise Photos)
Roast Nuts and Dry Fruits
1. On a medium flame dry roast almonds and cashews until slightly aromatic.
2. Add pistas and toast for another 2 to 3 mins.
3. When they turn slightly golden, remove to a plate. Towards the end of roasting the almonds turn light and are easy to blend.
4. Turn off the stove and spread dates, apricots and figs in the hot pan. Please check them first for larvae or worms and deseed the dates. I used unsulphured apricots so they are discolored.
5. When they become slightly hot, turn them to the other side as well. This is just done for shelf life. Avoid roasting them for long as there will be loss of nutrition.
6. Cool all these. If using seeds, toast them in the same pan until aromatic. Set them aside.
7. I never chop the nuts or dry fruits before adding to blender. But if you do not have a blender that is strong enough then it is good to chop them. Open up the cashews and check. If you have a food processor you can also use it. I prefer my steel jars for this.
Make the Dry Fruit Ladoo
8. I usually add the dates, apricots, figs and pistachios first. Blend them in short intervals to a coarse mixture. If you have teething kids at home, then blend well. Remove the mixture to a plate.
9. Add almonds and cashews.
10. Pulse them a few times. I make a fine powder if my kid is teething.
11. Remove to a plate and add the seeds as well if using.
12. Mix up well.
13. Divide the mixture to 10 to 12 portions. Gently roll to balls.
If making for kids
I further divide each ball to 5 portions for my younger kid when I pack in the school box. These ladoos are difficult to bite into for teething kids. So small portions are easier for them to enjoy.
Store the dry fruit laddu in air tight jar.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Dry Fruit Laddu
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- ¼ cup cashews or kaju
- ¼ cup almonds or badam
- ¼ cup pista or walnuts
- 7 to 10 dates or use more if needed
- 6 to 8 dried apricots
- 3 to 5 dried figs or anjeer
optional ingredients
- 2 tbp dried coconut or copra
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 1 to 2 tbsps sesame seeds or any other seeds
Instructions
Preparation
- On a medium heat dry roast almonds and cashews until slightly aromatic. Add pistas and fry for another 2 mins. Turn off the stove. You can also do this in oven. Dry roast nuts in microwave for 1 minute on high.
- Remove to a plate to cool. Add dates, apricots and figs to the hot pan and just stir them until slightly hot. This is done for shelf life. You can also skip this to prevent slight loss of nutrition.
- If using seeds, toast them until they turn aromatic. Set these aside.
- When all of them cool down. Add dates, apricots and figs to a blender along with pistachios. Blend them to a slightly coarse mixture. Pieces of pista in the mixture is just fine. Please use steel or glass blender jars. You can also use a food processor.
- Remove to a plate and add the cashews and almonds. Pulse them a few times to get coarse mixture. If your blender doesn’t have sharp blades then it is good to chop and add them.
How to Make Dry Fruit Laddu
- Remove the entire blended mixture to a plate. If using seeds add them now and just knead or mix well.
- Divide the mixture to 12 portions and roll to balls. Do not roll them too tight as the ladoo will turn hard. Gently shape them.
- For garnishing – roll them in fine chopped pistachios or desiccated coconut or toasted poppy seeds or sesame seeds.
- Store dry fruit laddu in airtight jar.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
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About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Hi Swasthi
I had to add a little water to grind the dates. I didn’t use apricot and figs( Will remember next time) Will the laddoos last in fridge, as there is some water content in it?
Hi Ann,
Adding water or soaking the dates will cut down the shelf life but it may extend by cooking them in a pan. However the ladoos harden if cooked. I don’t think they will last long.
how many days can we store ?
They are good at room temperature for 5 to 7 days. In the refrigerator for a month. They will turn hard in the fridge, so keep them out for sometime to soften, before serving
I am always looking your advice regarding cooking,new recipes, confirming ,implementing new dishes for ideas.Thanks❤️🙏
Happy to read that! Thank you so much!
Hi Swasthi
Your recipes are really easy to follow. For most of my dishes I refer your recipes. Thank you so much.
Hi Flavia,
So happy to read that! Thank you so much
Thank you for this recipe! I really wanted to try it for the winter but was trying to add one more ingredient because of its benefits. Do you know if gond, edible gum, can also be added? Thanks for your response!
Hi,
I have never tried it in this recipe. But I have a few other ladoo recipes using gond. You may check
Gond ladoo
Pinni
Antina unde with dry fruits.
Hope you get to try!
nice
Very good
What is the shelf life of these laddoos
I was looking for a dry fruit laddu recipe that does not require soaking and frying the dates. this worked out prefect
Glad the recipe helped.
Hi Swasthi, one thing i didn’t understood,i the fruits and nuts are dried and blended how they could be rolled while they are in powder form now…please elaborate clearly
Hi Noel,
Actually there is still a lot of moisture in the dates, figs and apricots. Once you grind them they let out some sticky moisture and that helps to bind the powdered nuts. If the mixture is too dry then we can add more dried fruits to provide more moisture. These kind of ladoos are very common in India. Hope this helps.
I love dry fruits. You have explained how to make dry fruits laddu recipy. Thank you so much for this amazing blog
Can I use salted pistachios? Would it taste too bad?
No! Not salted one. Skip them or replace with any other nuts
Hi Swathi,
I really love the instructions you give to life long amateur cooks like me as I don’t like cooking. I am very thankful to you. I have shared ur recipes with my frds too. May god bless you and ur family with happiness:)
Can a 1 year old digest these laddos?
Regards
Sravya
Hi Sravya,
You are most welcome! Glad to know! Thank you so much for the wishes.
No these are hard to digest for a 1 year old. But it’s just fine to give a little when you are baby sitting. Soak the nuts overnight, rinse, blend to smooth with little water and add to whatever homemade baby food you are giving. Hope this helps
Thanks a lot Swasthi for the detailed reply. From which age can I give these laddos?.
I really like your ayurveda knowledge too.
Can you make a post on cookware you are using as everyone are saying not to use aluminium or nonstick cookware, also not even pressure cooker as food nutrients are lost to a major extent.
Welcome Sravya
You can give ladoos with jaggery after 10 months but in very small quantities. You want to give a full ladoo like for a snack it’s good to wait till 15 months or so. I don’t have a separate post on cookware but can help you choose. Look for 18/8 or 18/10 grade stainless heavy bottom pans, cookers and pots from good brands like Kitchenaid or WMF. But without pressure cookers life is so hard and not sure if it is true because I read it the other way that pressure cooked food retains all the nutrients. Without non-stick we can’t cook some foods so minimize and use only when needed. Hope this helps
Thanks a lot Swasthi..its very informative 🙂
Hi
Can I add pumpkin seeds to it .
If yes then what should be the quantity .
Hi,
You can use 3 to 4 tbsps. You can also add more if you like the flavor. I toast them and crush with the nuts. Hope this helps
Do the laddoos stay soft after few days of making?
Hi Sujana
They won’t harden because there is no sugar syrup used. But I think colder temperatures can harden. I keep them at room temperature -around 21 to 25 C. So they keep good. Teething kids won’t be able to eat these since they are dense & not light. If you want softer ladoos, use jaggery.
Hi!
I’m a big fan of your recipes.
If I do not get figs and apricots, can I substitute with more dates and raisins? Please let me know.
Thank you ?
Hi Vinaya,
Thank you! Yes you can use as many dates & raisins as needed to bind the mixture.
My son doesn’t eat dry fruits so I tried this recipe and it turned out awesome ?..
My son loved these laddus and couldn’t even recognise the ingredients in it . Thank u ?
Just one question as there is not much sweetness in it can I add jaggery to it
Hi Riddhi,
You are welcome! Glad to know they turned out good. Yes you can add more jaggery or even dates. With more dates the ladoos will turn out dense and kids usually don’t like if they are sticky and dense so jaggery should be fine. Thanks for sending the picture. They turned out good.
🙂
I have tried a few other recipes but mine wasn’t what I was expecting. This one is a super hit with my family!!
Everyone loves it and the instructions were perfect.
Incase anyone is wondering I used a ninja food processor and all the ingredients mixed perfectly. It came out in a ball and I just had to make the sizes I want.
Hi Nisha
Glad to know the recipe worked out well. Thanks for sending the picture. They look awesome.
Appreciate the comment.
🙂
Hi swasthi,
Can we make this laddoo for 1 year old baby?
Hi Bhavyashree
Dates and figs turn out to be very sticky and dense. Most 1 year old babies will not be able to chew and swallow it. You can try with a small quantity and please monitor. You may try these other ladoos as they turn out softer
ragi ladoo
badam ladoo. You can use a mix of any nuts you have already tried. Hope this helps.
Hii
What to do if laddu doesn’t roll, i made it but all sepreted, can you please give me suggestion
Thanks
Hi Nikki,
Put small portions of this in the blender and run the machine again. I am sure you can make good ladoos. Here are the reasons for the mixture to turn out dry:
1.Quantity of nuts more than mentioned in the recipe or quantity of dates & fig less than mentioned in the recipe.
2. Dates and figs being too dry. I use medool dates which are extremely soft & moist.
3. Dates and figs not blended enough.
Hope these help you too fix & make them good next time.
Please tell what’s the shelf life of these ladies at room temperature.
Hi Chaitali,
They usually keep good for about 3 weeks if handled carefully. But sometimes too hot & humid weather can make them taste sour. I guess the dry fruits begin to ferment.You can try keeping in separate jars like just good enough for a week. Then open the next jar. Shelf life depends on the weather conditions.Hope this helps
Hi swasthi…I am adding dates almonds cashews and pista only to my ladoos …bt they r turning sour in 4-5 days …why is this happening…what can be done to stop this sourness ..plz suggest …i stay in Mumbai …and this I have made on 21 st sep bt by 26 th it turned sour …it is a rainy season here …so shd nt be a problem
Hi Harshita,
This has something to do with the moisture in the dates. Did you use kimia dates? Kimia has more moisture than other kinds of dates and due to this they actually begin to ferment when kept at room temperature. It could be due to the rains as well. I use medjool dates. It is good to put them in the fridge.