Besan Ladoo Recipe | Besan Ke Laddu

a plate full of besan ladoos, with an open jar of farsan on the side

Besan Ladoo Recipe | Besan Ke Laddu

step by step recipe for making melt-in-mouth delicious besan ke laddu, along with pro tips & mistakes to avoid while making besan ladoos

Course Dessert, Indian Sweets

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings ladoos

Calories 186kcal

Author Shantala Shenoy Nayak

Equipment

Ceramic Pan

Ingredients

1/3 cup ghee melted
1 cup besan flour sieved
3/4 cup powdered sugar sieved
3/4 teaspoon elaichi / cardamom powder
2 tablespoon golden raisins / nuts optional
crushed pistachios for garnish

Instructions

In a wide pan, lightly heat up ghee, add in the sieved besan flour, and roast it on a low flame, stirring intermittently till the besan flour turns lightly golden in color and leaves a nutty fragrance. This might take some time, but low flame is key, and so is stirring intermittently, so that the besan flour gets well & evenly roasted.
When you first start to mix besan flour with the ghee, it might form clumps, but as the besan gets roasted, it will loosen up & towards the end will be more paste like in consistency.
The flour is well roasted when it changes color & darkens to a deep golden, and leaves a nutty fragrance.
Once the besan is roasted well, transfer the besan paste into another container, so that it doesn't keep cooking.
Then let the besan paste cool for 5-10 minutes till it cools down just a bit, but not too much, as it is best to start shaping the ladoos while the flour is still warm, because it binds better. That being said, it does need to cool down to warm and not be hot when you add powdered sugar, else the sugar will further loosen up the besan, and it will be difficult to shape the paste into ladoos.
Once the besan paste is warm, but not too hot, mix it in with the sieved powdered sugar and elaichi powder, and raisins or nuts of your choice.
You will now have soft, pliable dough which you can start shaping into ladoos.
To make a ladoo – take a small portion of the flour mix in the palm of your hands, and press the mixture tightly together, while slowly trying to shape it into a small ball.
Repeat with the rest of the mixture, and place the ladoos on a serving tray to set for 5-10 minutes before you serve.
Also.. with besan ladoos - if at first, for some reason, you are not able to get the desired shape of ladoos, try to re-shape the ladoos after 5 minutes or so. Just do not wait much longer before you try to re-shape the ladoos, as once they are more firmly set, reshaping them could lead to cracks in the ladoo.
Garnish with crushed pistachios, and enjoy!

Video

Notes

I have used fine besan here, but you can use ladoo besan flour which is coarser instead, or if you are using fine besan, then add a couple spoons of rava / semolina for that coarser texture of ladoo that is more popular in Northern India. I like how the ladoos turn out using the regular besan, and no rava, so I stick to that.
I highly recommend adding raisins, or your choice of crushed nuts to the ladoos, right along with the sugar and elaichi powder. I skipped it this time (as you can see in the images) because I have a picky eater who doesn't like raisins and nuts in the ladoos. So I chose to garnish with crushed pistachios instead. You could do both.

Please note: The nutrition values are best estimates provided as a courtesy. The exact values can vary depending on the exact ingredients or brands used. If you rely on them for your specific diet and/or health issues, please consult a registered dietician or nutritionist.

Nutrition