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Meethi Boondi

4.91 from 11 votes
Total: 50 minutes
Serves 20

Treat your family with a classic Indian sweet ~ Meethi Boondi that’s super-easy to make and hard to resist. Meethi boondi or sweet boondi are crispy petite-sized golden droplets (pearls) made with chickpea flour which are later soaked in saffron-infused sugar syrup.

It’s an irresistible and addicting dessert that is a near-constant favorite sweet treat in my house whenever festivities roll around.

Sweet boondi in a bowl

Do you ever come across a recipe that makes you feel nostalgic? For me, Meethi Boondi is one of them, as it always takes me down the memory lane.  

As a kid, we had a temple near our home that distributed the best Meethi boondi in prasad (offering) outside a temple every Tuesday. Fond memories of those temple visits and devouring the sugar-coated boondis are still fresh in my mind.

This was my favorite sweet growing up, and my mom would prepare sweet boondi on almost every happy and auspicious occasion. Now, let’s fast-forward it to today, and my love for sweet boondi still holds ever fast. 

What is Meethi Boondi? 

Boondi,( pronounced as boon-dhi), at times referred to as Bundi, are pearl-sized small balls made of besan ( chickpea flour). Boondi is derived from a Hindi word that means ‘boond,’ meaning a drop, and boondi means droplets. And meethi means sweet

When rendered in English, Meethi boondi translates to – Pearl-like droplets of gram flour coated in sugar syrup

You will need a perforated spoon to make boondis. The size of holes on the spoon or strainer will determine the size of the boondi. Follow the tips and tricks mentioned in the recipe post to attain the perfect shape and texture of the boondi every time.   

Ingredient list for sweet Boondi

Ingredient list for Meethi Boondi

The ingredients to make everyone’s favorite Sweet boondi is love is probably sitting in your pantry. This part explains the role of each element in this recipe. Please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this page for a complete list of ingredients with detailed measurements.

» Besan — Also known as chickpea flour, is a gluten-free flour commonly used in preparing meethi boondi.

» Baking powder — just a pinch will help the boondis to puff up beautifully. 

» Water — to make the chickpea batter. 

» Food coloring — optional. Only needed if you want to add a pop of color to your sweet boondis. 

» Sugar syrup — one-string sugar syrup is required to sweeten the plain boondi. 

» Saffron strands + cardamom— The flavoring squad. Saffron strands give a very subtle flavor and a beautiful yet pale color, and cardamom amps up the overall flavor of our boondis. 

Step-by-step instructions to make Round Boondis 

Please follow these simple tested and tried tricks, and you will be making round boondis in no time. 

» Prepare the Boondi batter — This is the essential step in making sweet boondi. Please read the instructions carefully. Do not add all the water at once; add water slowly to attain the desired consistency. The sweet boondi batter should be of free-flowing (but not dripping) consistency – neither too thick nor too thin.

A lump-free, smooth, and pourable consistency batter guarantees round boondi balls. A pourable batter will pass on its own through the strainer and drop in hot oil resulting in round boondis. 

Lump-free batter

» Kitchen utensil — To fry meethi boondi, you need a frying spoon or jhara (in Hindi) that has holes in it. I have used a stainless steel strainer that has medium-sized holes. You can use a regular slotted spoon with holes to make sweet boondi. The hole size of the spoon will determine the size of the boondi. 

» Fry the boondi — For the authentic taste, fry boondi in ghee, or you could use any flavorless oil to fry your boondis. Please do not use olive oil, peanut oil, or sesame oil to fry boondi.

  • While frying, keep the stainless steel strainer or perforated spoon at the height of 2-3 inches from the oil as this will ensure round boondis.
  • If you hold it too high, the boondis will become flat as they drop in oil.
  • Also, remember to clean the backside and frontside of the strainer with a damp cloth before adding the fresh batch of batter.
  • Gently tap the stainless steel strainer or jhara for the boondi droplets to free flow through the holes.
  • Please do not press the batter through the holes; let it free-flow. Pressing will not create round boondis.
  • Do not overcook them; for meethi boondi, all we need is a crisp boondi, therefore deep-fry them in medium-hot oil for 60-90 seconds or until crisp. 
  • If you over-fry the boondis, they will become too crisp to absorb the sugar syrup. 

Fried Bundi

» Prepare the sugar syrup —  I prefer a light crystallized coating of sugar on my sweet boondi; therefore, I have cooked the sugar syrup to one-string consistency ( 1 taar chashni). But if you are a fan of sticky boondi, turn off the heat as the sugar starts to thickens. 

» Assemble Sweet Boondi — Once your sugar syrup is ready, take it off the heat and add the prepared boondi to the sugar syrup. Gently toss the boondi until it is fully coated in the sugar syrup.  Initially, after tossing boondi in the sugar syrup, it will appear sticky and gooey, no worries, let it rest for an hour, and the boondi pearls will separate as they cool. 

Sweet Bundi on a plate

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to use food color for meethi boondi?

No, you don’t have to. Adding color to meethi boondi is optional. I have added red food color to make my boondis look more elegant and festive. Feel free to skip the color altogether. With or without color, this sweet boondi will taste equally good. 

Why does my boondi batter have lumps in it?

The culprit is water; all the water was added at once, and that created the lumps in the batter. For a smooth, pourable boondi batter, first, make a thick batter with a minimal amount of water. Once this batter is lump-free and has a smooth consistency, add more water to attain the desired consistency.

But if you have a batter with lumps, no worries, don’t throw it away. Pass it throw a sieve, and you should be good.

How to serve meethi boondi?

Meethi boondi, along with spicy sev, is like a match made in heaven. Serve it warm or at room temperature along with sev and get ready to be transported to your childhood with this meethi boondi and sev combo.

Storing Meethi boondi 

Store the cooled sweet boondi in an airtight container at room temperature. Refrigeration of meethi boondi is not required; if stored well, it will stay good for two weeks at room temperature.

Sweet boondi in a bowl

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

With festive season in full swing, now is the perfect time to make this meethi boondi for your family and friends. Should you make this meethi boondis, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below. 

And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.

SOME OTHER YUMMY sweets THAT YOU’LL LOVE –

This recipe post has been updated from the archives, first published on April 27, 2021
Meethi boondi Recipe

Meethi Boondi

4.91 from 11 votes
Treat your family with a classic Indian sweet ~ Meethi Boondi that’s super-easy to make and hard to resist. Meethi boondi or sweet boondi are petite-sized golden drops (pearls) made with chickpea flour which are later soaked in saffron-infused sugar syrup.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Rest: 10 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Calories: 105 kcal
Servings: 20

INGREDIENTS 

PLAIN BOONDI

  • 1 cup Besan (Chickpea flour)
  • teaspoon Baking powder
  • ½ cup Water + 2 tablespoons of extra water

COLORED BOONDI

  • 1 cup Besan (Chickpea flour)
  • teaspoon Baking powder
  • ½ cup Water + 2 tablespoons of extra water
  • A pinch of Red food coloring
  • Oil for Frying

FOR SUGAR SYRUP

INSTRUCTIONS

PREPARE THE BOONDI BATTER

  • Sift besan (Chickpea flour) and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
    Sift flour
  • Using a spatula, break up all the clumps that are left behind into the strainer into the bowl.
    Sift flour
  • Mix to combine.
    Mix the flour
  • Add in water slowly. Do not pour all the water at once.
    Add water
  • Whisk it well until it forms a smooth and lump-free batter.
    Lump-free batter
  • Batter should be of pouring consistency – neither too thick nor too thin. Cover and allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes.
    Sweet Boondi batter consistency
  • Find a strainer (channi) with medium-sized holes. The hole size of the strainer will determine the size of the boondi.

FRY BOONDI

  • Heat the oil or ghee in a Kadai over medium-high heat, not high heat. Check the oil temperature before frying boondi. To do that, drop a pea-sized batter in the hot oil.
  • If it floats right back up, that means the oil is ready, but the oil is not ready if the drop ( or boond) sinks.
  • Hold the strainer or channi right above the Kadai (neither too low nor too high) appx. 2-3 inches above the oil.
  • Pour the batter into the strainer and keep tapping the strainer with the help of a spoon to let the boondi droplets fall on their own.
  • You can see small droplets of boondi floating in hot oil. Fry the boondi on medium heat for about 60-90 seconds or until crisp. Do not over fry the boondi.
  • Once crisp, remove from oil.
  • Drain the fried boondi on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
    Fried Boondi
  • Repeat the process until all the batter is used up.
    Sweet fried boondi
  • To fry boondi with a perforated spoon, follow the same procedure.
  • Fry until crisp. Set it aside.

MAKING SUGAR SYRUP

  • Prepare sugar syrup by combining sugar, cardamom, saffron strands, and water in a pan. Stir it well and bring it to a boil.
  • Boil till the sugar is reduced in quantity and has reached its one-string consistency. It will take 5-7 minutes to reach one string consistency.
    Sugar syrup
  • Check its consistency – take some liquid on the back of a spoon, and if it coats the spoon without dripping means sugar syrup is ready. Another way would be to take some cooled sugar syrup in between your fingers, press, and now open your fingers; if it forms a thick string between your fingers without breaking – sugar syrup is ready to use.
  • Take it off the flame. Add the fried boondis into the sugar syrup. Gently toss the boondi in sugar syrup.
  • Cover the pan with a lid and allow it to sit undisturbed for an hour for the boondis to soak up the sugar syrup.
    Cover the boondi
  • Meethi boondi is ready to be served.

NUTRITION

Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 9mg | 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.
Author: Ruchi
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian

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Comments

  1. Chitra says:

    Love these, used to have these in my neighbors house when i was a kid. Gave it a try Ruchi, came out incredible. Have no words to thank you. It was perfect for a first time. 🙂 thank you so much for your wonderful collection.

    • RK says:

      You are welcome Chitra. These are my favorite too. Glad you liked the recipe and thanks for stopping by 🙂

  2. Bhuvi says:

    WOW! I’m following ur recipes since a long time and every time I’m impressed. Love the color combinations. Colors just explode on the screen. Very colorful and beautiful clicks. So tempted to see this looks like I will be making this pretty soon.

  3. Gudiya says:

    Looks so tempting and mouth watering. I am going to try out pretty soon. Your step photography is making me feeling inspired. Love your site and above all your pictures. They are vibrant and truly colorful. Thanks for sharing.

    • RK says:

      Thanks for your kind words Gudiya. Glad to hear that you liked the blog. Give it a try and if possible share your experience with me. 🙂

  4. Shreya says:

    Looks so great in picture. Planning to make this for Ganesh Chaturthi, just a quick question. How can I add green color to these boondi along with other colors that you have added? Thanks Ruchi lovely collection.

    • RK says:

      You are welcome Shreya! Please refer to the recipe to learn more about adding food coloring to the boondis. Thanks for stopping by and if possible share your experience with me.

  5. Shalini says:

    Very nice blog, i like urad dal pinni, which i was searching a lot.Thanks for sharing stepwise with crystal clear pics..

    • RK says:

      Welcome to the blog Shalini! That’s good to know that you found something of your liking. Keep checking back for more. 🙂

  6. Shanaya says:

    This was just amazing! Great presentation indeed…

  7. Eshani says:

    It’s my favorite sweet n I m going 2 try this recipe soon..

  8. Sonal says:

    Loved the recipe Di!

  9. Teja says:

    Hi Ruchi,
    Just saw your blog now and I was amazed to see your explanation.You know , I today made boondi laddos from instant boondis.But it was very very very sweet and salty too.Is there any trick to reduce the sugar content or is there any other trick to break these ladoos and mix into other snacks.?
    Thanks

    • Ruchi says:

      Thank you, Teja!
      You can use leftover sweet boondi in many ways. Either make –
      1. Boondi kheer
      2. Boondi rabdi
      3. Boondi halwa with wheat flour
      4. Sweet boondi paratha.
      Hope this helps!