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    Home » Recipes » Indian Sweets » Besan Ladoo

    Besan Ladoo

    Published On:June 12, 2014 By:RK

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    Among all other desserts and sweets that Indian cuisine swears by, ladoos secure an exceptional place. And when we mention ladoos, besan ke ladoo flashes the mind instantly. These super smooth besan ladoo with unique tastes are admired for their richness and the stunning aroma that intoxicates the senses. 

    Besan Ladoos, one of the most popular sweets, is every Indian family’s favorite.

    Besan Ladoo on a plate laced with dollies

    Festive seasons are full of fun, frolic, and food, and Indian festivals can’t be considered complete without festive desserts and sweets. And when we talk about sweets, besan ladoo perfectly fits the bill. 

    Besan ladoos are traditionally prepared with besan, ghee, and boora chinni as the base ingredients, but these ladoos have also seen regional variations in the ingredients.

    There is a long list of ladoos in the sweets list, like —

    • Motichoor ladoo,
    • Moong dal ladoo,
    • Gulkand filled rose ladoo,
    • Kaju gulkand ladoo,
    • Til ke ladoo and many more.

    When packed creatively in beautiful boxes, ladoos also make for a great gifting item during celebrations and festivals. You can also make a big batch and store it for later munching through the weeks to come.

    What is Besan Ladoo

    In Hindi, Besan means chickpea flour, and ladoo means round edible balls made with different ingredients.

    Besan ladoo is an incredibly delicious sweet prepared with pantry staples and flavored subtly with cardamoms. Besan is slowly roasted in ghee until it attains a beautiful golden brown hue.

    Dry fruits and nuts are then added to elevate their nutritional value. These melt-in-the-mouth ladoos are hard to resist for their irresistible flavor and exciting nutty aroma that comes from the besan-ghee concoction.

    They make a quick filling snack at any time of the day. 

    Besan ladoo garnished with rose petals

    Reasons You’ll ♡ Besan Ladoo

    Besan ke ladoos are simple to make and are prevalent in India as one of the most loved festive desserts. Here are the reasons why you will love these sweet balls of delight —

    • It’s a traditional recipe, simple to make.
    • Are delicious, with a melt-in-the-mouth texture.
    • Are nutritious and healthy.
    • A perfect make-ahead dessert.
    • Can be prepared in a big batch.
    • Require just a few essential ingredients.
    • Better than the store-bought ones. 

    As they are kids’ favorite too, you can easily include the goodness of besan and nutrition of nuts in their daily diet with these ladoos. You can even slide a couple of ladoos in your kid’s lunch box to surprise them with this yummy treat.

    Ingredient list for Besan ladoo

    Ingredient list for Besan Ladoo

    Ghee — Pure homemade ghee makes the most delicious besan ladoos with a heavenly aroma. Check out my homemade ghee recipe to prepare the best besan ke laddu.

    Besan — Also known as chickpea flour (gram flour) is the base ingredient for the ladoos. Use fresh fine besan for the lovely smooth textured ladoos.

    Cardamom (Elaichi) powder — Lends a superb flavor to the ladoos.

    Boora Chinni — Porus in texture, Boora chinni (boora sugar) is fine powder sugar used for this recipe as it mixes well with the besan. You can use regular sugar too, but you have to crush it to the powder form.

    Pistachios — They are added to adorn the ladoos.

    How to make Besan ladoo

    Prepare Boora Chini — Combine sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pan. Cook the sugar for 20-25 minutes until it forms a softball stage. After reaching the softball stage, add ghee and keep stirring the sugar. Finally, sugar will reach a point where it has lost its moisture and will resemble a fine powder. This fine powder is Bura chini or Boora sugar!

    What is Boora Chinni — Boora chinni/ bura sugar/ bura shakkar or Tagar is the least processed form of sugar. It is specially prepared by melting the sugar and cooking it until it reaches the point where it begins to crystallize.

    Protip — Bura sugar is free-flowing and lump-free and has a longer shelf life. It is mainly preferred for making Indian desserts and sweets.

    How to make Bura chini

    Roast Besan — Combine ghee and besan into a heavy-bottomed kadhai. Roast until it is light brown and starts to release ghee while emitting a fabulous aroma that fills the entire house. 

    Proper roasting of besan is the key to the most scrumptious ladoos! If not roasted up to perfection, a raw smell will linger in the ladoos, making them unpalatable. 

    Cook until besan is brown

    Add sugar — Add sugar only once the besan is roasted correctly. Also, do not add the sugar to the hot besan mix, as this will melt the sugar and loosen the mixture, making it difficult to shape the ladoos.

    Ensure that the pan (kadhai) is taken off the flame and the besan has slightly cooled when you add sugar.

    Shape the ladoos — After the sugar has mixed in, allow the besan ladoo mixture to cool slightly. When comfortable to touch, shape the mix into round balls, garnish with dry nuts, and enjoy!

    Laddus garnished with pistachios

    Recipe tips & Variataions

    Sieve besan — Before adding besan to the ghee, make sure to sieve it. This prevents the formation of lumps on mixing it with ghee.

    Use a moderate quantity of ghee — Ladoos need to be prepared while keeping in mind little tips. Like, always add a reasonable amount of ghee. More of it will result in a runny mixture that will make shaping the ladoos tough.

    Maintain heat during roasting — Besan tends to stick to the base of the pan and burns quickly if roasted on high heat. This will result in the ladoos with streaks of dark color as well as an unpleasant burnt smell. Therefore, maintain the heat throughout the roasting process.

    For crunchy textured ladoos — These besan ladoos are smooth textured, but if you like to lend a slight crunch to the ladoos, add ¼ cup of sooji (semolina) to the mixture. However, make sure to roast the sooji well before adding it to the mix.

    Laddu in a bowl

    Sugar alternative — Boora sugar is super fine in texture and blends perfectly well with the besan to make smooth and luscious ladoos. This recipe is prepared using boora chinni, but you can also use powdered sugar if you prefer.

    Ladoos are not holding shape — Excess ghee will result in a runny mixture that is difficult to mold into ladoos when warm. The best way out in this situation is to let the mixture rest overnight and then shape the ladoos in the morning. Overnight, the mixture will solidify and will be ideal for making the perfectly-shaped ladoos.

    Vegan ladoos — If you are looking for a Vegan version of these ladoos, just substitute ghee with coconut oil, and you will have the delicious vegan ladoos to relish!

    Adding the nutty nutrition — You can add more nutrition to your yummy besan ladoos by including healthy nuts like almonds, pistachios, and cashews in the recipe.

    It’s a versatile recipe — This delicious recipe is versatile too! You can half, double, or triple it to suit your preference and keep snacking on it through the week or months.

    Alternative to Ghee — You can use unsalted butter to substitute for ghee in this recipe. Melt the butter in the pan first, and then add the sieved besan. The rest of the steps for preparing ladoos are the same.

    Freshly shaped besan laddu on a plate

    Let me know what you think!

    Drooling for these luscious besan ladoos? No worries!

    The step-by-step instructions and the related images will help you prepare the best ladoos that you can flaunt and earn accolades. Assemble your ingredients, and let’s begin.

    Should you make this besan ladoo recipe, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below. And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.

    SOME OF THE OTHER RECIPES THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRY

    • Chocolate swirled peda
    • Kaju Gulkand Ladoo
    • Jalebi Recipe
    • Motichoor Ladoo
    • Urad dal Pinnie
    • Instant Mango Peda
    Have you tried this recipe?
    Leave a star rating by clicking on the ⭐ below!
    Besan ladoo garnished with rose petals

    Besan Ladoo

    Author : Ruchi
    Besan ladoo is an incredibly delicious sweet prepared with chickpea flour, ghee, sugar, nuts, and flavored subtly with cardamoms. These super smooth besan ladoo with unique tastes are admired for their richness and the stunning aroma that intoxicates the senses. 
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 40 mins
    Total Time 55 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Indian
    Servings 40
    Calories 96 kcal

    EQUIPMENT

    • Cooking Pan

    INGREDIENTS
     

    • ¾ cup Ghee add 2 tablespoons extra if needed
    • 3 cups Besan (chickpea flour)
    • 1 tablespoon Elaichi Powder (Cardamon Powder)
    • 1½ cups Boora Chini

    GARNISH

    • 2 tablespoons Ground Pistachios
    US Customary – Metric

    INSTRUCTIONS

    PREPARE BOORA CHINI

    • Combine sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pan. Cook over low to medium heat, Keep cooking the sugar mixture while continually stirring.
      Cook this until the sugar melts and the mixture thickens, and it looks foamy and transparent for about 5 to 6 minutes. Pour in milk. Stir to combine.
      Add sugar to a pan
    • Keep stirring the mixture. The water evaporates as the sugar syrup is cooked, and the sugar concentration increases. After about 8-10 minutes more into the cooking, as the sugar begins to bubble, it will splatter, and you will notice some crystallizing sugar sticking to the sides of the pan. Keep scraping the sugar.
      Lower the flame to the lowest setting as the sugar syrup gets thicker. Take cold water in a bowl. Drop a teaspoon of sugar syrup into the cold water. If you remove the dropped sugar syrup from the cold water, it will form a soft, flexible ball. If it doesn’t form a softball, cook the sugar syrup for another 2-3 minutes.
      Cook boora
    • Increase the flame to the medium-low setting and add ghee to the sugar syrup. Keep stirring and scraping the sugar continuously. 
      Soon all the water will evaporate, and sugar will start to crystalize. Sugar will still be soft and moist at this stage; keep crushing the lumps. Keep stirring. Finally, sugar will reach a point where it has lost its moisture and will resemble a fine powder. Take it off the flame. 
      Cook sugar
    • Our fine sugar is ready. We have one more small step to attain Boora. Pour the boora into the sieve and stir with a spoon to aid the boora to pass through. This process will separate all the lumps.
      After straining, all we get is ~ fine powder sugar that is porous in texture. This is Bura chini or Boora sugar!
      How to make chini boora

    PREPARE BESAN LADOO

    • Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan.
      Add ghee in kadhai
    • Once the ghee has melted, add sieved besan into the kadhai.
      Add besan to the kadhai
    • Start cooking the besan over medium-low heat. Keep stirring continuously to avoid sticking at the bottom of the pan.
      Cook besan
    • After 5-7 minutes into the cooking, besan will become bubbly and change color. Keep stirring.
      PROTIP — Roasting is the most crucial part of the whole preparation; therefore, it has to be undertaken with care and patience.
      Cook besan
    • Another 5-7 minutes into the cooking, besan will yield a slight brown color. Do not leave the besan mixture unattended; keep stirring at all times.
      Cook until besan is brown
    • Add eliachi powder and take the mixture off the heat. Mix it well.
      Add eliachi powder
    • Allow the mix to cool for 4-5 minutes. Stir in boora chini.
      Add Boora to the pan
    • Mix the Boora chini into the besan mixture.
      Mix the sugar
    • Mix until everything is well blended.
      Mix until sugar is combined
    • Allow the besan mixture to cool.
      All the besan ladoo mix to cool
    • When comfortable enough to touch, take a golf-sized mix into your palms and roll them into spherical-shaped ladoos. Repeat the same with the remaining mixture and shape all the ladoos.
    • Besan ladoos are ready to be devoured.
      Store besan ladoo in airtight container

    RECIPE NOTES

     

    Frequently Asked questions

     
    Can I use the store-bought boora chinni?
    Yes, surely you can. Please scan through it to check for any lumps. You can also sieve it to ensure it is perfectly lump-free.
     
    Can I store the besan ladoos?
    Yes, these luscious besan ke ladoos can be stored at room temperature for about 3 to 4 weeks. You can keep them in the fridge for longer shelf life. They can last for 2 or 3 months if refrigerated in an airtight container.
    When serving, bring them to room temperature or warm them in an oven for a few seconds.
     
    Can I make these ladoos in advance?
    Yes, these delicious besan ladoos are a perfect make-ahead recipe. You can make a large batch and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Dig into them whenever sweet cravings hang around!
     
    Are these ladoos gluten-free?
    Yes, these ladoos are entirely gluten-free.
     

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg
    Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided above is approximate. Variations may exist due to the ingredients/brands used. These numbers should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietician.

    Are you Going to make this recipe? Take a picture and mention @ruchiskitchen! I would LOVE to see how it turned out for you!
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    Hi, I am Ruchi!

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