Besan Ladoo (Bay-sun Laa-doo)…. or Laddu (Lud-doo) as it’s called in Hindi… an easy & tasty Indian Sweet…
These delicious Ladoos, made with just a few simple pantry ingredients, are widely popular across the length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent. You see folks enjoying it with their afternoon tea…. as a delightful sweet treat after a meal… or just whenever the urge hits you! It’s like suddenly… randomly… craving for a piece of your favorite chocolate!
But Besan Ladoos are not just an ‘everyday’ kind of sweet treat…. Not at all! These lovely little sweet balls show up on dessert spreads during weddings… birthdays…. religious festivals… and, of course, Diwali! When folks share their special Diwali ‘plate of treats’ with friends, neighbors and family, one of the items is almost always the much-loved Besan Ladoo!
My father-in-law was particularly fond of these Ladoos, so my mother-in-law made them quite often. He loved having one with his afternoon tea, along with some spicy, crunchy Chivda…. I’m sure the classic combo of ‘something sweet – something spicy‘, especially at teatime, resonates well with lots of folks.
I’m sharing this easy Besan Ladoo recipe to mark his birthday, which is in just a couple of days… He would have turned 106 ! I often think about how our dearest memories of loved ones are inevitably intertwined with all that they enjoyed …. And their favorite foods, of course, are what we often remember with the greatest joy!
Basan Ladoo – from nutrient-rich Chana Dal
Besan Ladoo is made with Besan (Bay-sun), which is simply milled Chana (Chuh-naa) Dal flour – split, skinless Brown Chana, native to India, also called Bengal Gram. This smaller, darker-skinned ‘cousin’ of the widely known Garbanzo beans (Chickpeas, Kabuli Chana) boasts an impressive nutritional profile. So… lots of high quality protein, fiber and and a host of essential micronutrients.
As for the variety of dishes that Indian folks make with this bean…. whether whole… or split… or milled into flour (Besan)… it is simply dizzying! Showcasing human creativity at its best… a plethora of well-known and popular foods exist…. main dishes, sides, desserts, snacks, both sweet and savory….
Besan Ladoos…. If you’ve ever had them, you know how easily recognizable they are. From an array of sweet delights spread before you, your eyes… and your brain…. can immediately spot these!
Quite amazing, really…. considering that they’re not especially attention-grabbing…. no spectacular color… nothing particularly interesting about their shape or texture…. Just simple little golden-brown balls, rather humble-looking, actually…. and Yet… Somehow, they stand out!
And if you love them…. you feel a sudden surge of joy… and your mouth starts to water! Yumm!
Besan Ladoo: enjoy, but don’t go overboard!
These humble-looking Besan Ladoos are most certainly packed with all the goodness of the Chana Dal… But Hey, let’s not forget that this is a sweet treat! So….If they are a wee bit decadent as well…. that’s only to be expected, isn’t it!
That said…. YESS… You should absolutely enjoy…. and savor…. every rich…. buttery…. nutty bite you take! But…. A bit of moderation would be wise! I can hear my Dad’s voice ringing in my ear…. ‘Enjoy it, but don’t go overboard!’ Alas… If only this was easy to do!
I purposely make these Besan Ladoos rather small….. they’re about 2/3 the size that my Mom used to make. What’s my rationale for making them small? I think it makes portion-control just a wee bit easier! I tell myself I’m going to have just one Ladoo. But boy, the self-discipline that takes… to NOT pick up a 2nd or 3rd Ladoo!
If you simply cannot resist, though, and end up stuffing yourself silly, it’s OK! No need to beat up on yourself! Just be resolute about eating a little less…. of everything…. at your next meal. Also… plan an extra trip to the gym… and be sure to actually do it!
Of course, if you really like the look of bigger Ladoos, sure, make them as big as you like! Then, if you want just a teeny bit… like a quick little sweet treat… you can always break off a piece of the Ladoo – they’re soft enough that you can do this pretty easily.
Besan Ladoos with Interesting add-ins
I confess, I was not a huge fan of Besan Ladoos while growing up…. I thought they were way too sweet, and I didn’t quite like their texture. They’ve grown on me over time, though, and I’ve experimented a fair bit with their texture, to see how I might make them more appealing… at least to me!
I thought adding coarsely powdered almonds, also called ‘Almond Meal’, to the Ladoo mixture would add an interesting texture and flavor to the Ladoo. I thought about what else I might want to add as well … and poppy seeds ‘popped’ up in my mind! So, I decided to add a bit of toasted poppy seeds. When I did, I was hooked!
As for the ‘too sweet’ part…. that was an easy fix! I just use less sugar in my Ladoos than most folks do – it works for me…. But if you like them sweeter, no worries…. I have given detailed instructions for how to do that.
So…. This has now become my standard ‘just right’ recipe for Besan Ladoos!
More Ladoo recipes and other desserts to explore
Do you love Ladoos? I have posted my recipes for several kinds of Ladoos… I love every single one of these…. So please don’t ask me to pick just one as my favorite!
- Dinkaachey Ladoo – Gond ke Laddu… with edible Gum Arabic – nutrient-packed and lip-smacking
- Rava Ladoo – with roasted Semolina and fresh coconut…
- Danyaachey Ladoo – just roasted peanuts and jaggery… and Ghee, of course!
- Alivachey Ladoo – with garden cress seeds and fresh coconut…
And maybe if you have a sweet tooth, you might try some of these other types desserts / sweet snacks as well…
- Sweet Cinnamon Crisps – use leftover buns/baguettes to make this sweet and crunchy teatime snack
- Mung Shira / Halva – popular North-Indian dessert made with Mung Dal
- Sweet Shira /Halva – made from Sooji/semolina… popular across India
- Apple Crisp – with only rolled oats in the topping topping, it’s gluten-free
- Banana Muffins – with chocolate chips and thin slivers of orange peel
- Fruit Custard – light nd luscious, it is eggless and gluten-free
- Shrikhand – saffron-infused, sweet, creamy and luscious… from hung yogurt
- Dudhi Kheer… creamy, yet light, with Dudhi (Calabash squash) and milk
- And more….
Hope you give some of these a try ….. Do leave reviews and star ratings… Much appreciated!
Special Diets
These Besan Ladoos are vegetarian, soy-free, gluten-free and sesame-free. To make them vegan, you can use good quality virgin coconut oil instead of Ghee. It will carry a faint but distinct coconut flavor and aroma – I recommend adding a little extra cardamom to make it less noticeable. To make it nut-free… skip the almonds and try using melon seeds – also called Magaz seeds.
So… When you get hit with the craving for Besan Ladoo…. Just pull out the ingredients from your pantry and make them! How can Ladoos from the ‘Sweet Shop’ (Mithai store) possibly be better than your fresh home-made ones?
If you’re Indian… you very likely have everything you need already on hand. If you’re not Indian, though, you might not have Besan on hand… or maybe Ghee… or green cardamom. In that case, hold off your cravings for a day or so…. and go get the things you need… One quick trip to the Indian store should do it. If there isn’t one near you, well, I guess you could buy these items online too!
Make these delicious Besan Ladoos and YOU decide who you want to share them with… Maybe you don’t want to share them at all!
Do leave a review and star rating…. Thanks!
Enjoy!
Make Besan Ladoo: Easy & Tasty Indian Sweet
Equipment
- Heavy bottom un-coated 10 inch (25 cm)frying pan – stainless steel or cast iron preferred traditional Indian heavy-bottom iron wok OK as well;
- Wooden spatula for roasting preferred unlike metal spatulas, wooden utensils don't get hot from the continuous stirring needed
- Spice grinder/coffee grinder for grinding whole almonds into almond meal, and for grinding granulated sugar into powder: do not use icing sugar/confectioner's sugar for making these Ladoos
- Mortar and pestle for crushing cardamom seeds; if not available, use the spice grinder
Ingredients
To roast Besan
- 1 cup Besan Chana Dal flour – finely milled preferred; coarse texture requires a slightly modified recipe: see Recipe Notes for details; Note: Besan is NOT the same as Chickpea flour, which is made from whole white chickpeas (Garbanzo beans), not Chana Dal (from Indian brown chickpeas – Kala Chana)!
- 2 tbsp Ghee use high quality fresh Ghee; homemade preferred
- 1 tbsp Ghee add after roasting the Besan; may need extra 1-2 tsp later to bind the Ladoo
To add to roasted Besan
- 1/4 cup Sugar – granulated If you want sweeter Ladoos, use up to 2 tbsp more granulated sugar; Do NOT use icing sugar/confectioner's sugar
- 2 tbsp Almond meal from 8-10 whole almonds; for nut-free, omit, or use crushed melon seeds (Magaz seeds) or lightly toasted hemp seeds
- 1 tsp White Poppy seeds if not available, omit; Do NOT use black poppy seeds
- 1 tbsp Almonds – thinly sliced from about 4 almonds; for nut-free, omit, or use sliced melon seeds (Magaz seeds)
- 1/4 tsp Green Cardamom – freshly crushed/ground pre-ground cardamom is not as flavorful as freshly ground seeds/pods
- 2 tbsp Raisins (optional): chopped coarsely
Instructions
Roast the Besan: will take about 15 min of continuous stirring
- Heat 2 tbsp Ghee in a heavy bottom 10 inch (25 cm) frying pan on low-medium heat.
- When it melts, add 1 cup Besan
- Use a wooden spoon/spatula to roast the Besan on low-medium heat: stir continuously otherwise it will quickly start to burn. Note: While roasting, you might see lumps form – that's fine. As you continue to roast, the lumps will start to disintegrate.
- While stirring, lift the Besan from the bottom of the pan and turn it over… Periodically also spread it out over the surface of the pan- this way, you can 'see' it very well and observe how far along the roasting has come.
- It will soon start to change color, and the texture begins to look and feel somewhat 'grainy' as you stir it.
- Turn the heat to the lowest setting and continue to stir until the color becomes a rich golden brown; you can smell the wonderful aroma of the well-roasted Besan too!Note: Be very alert and do NOT let it burn! and get black charred spots – this will make your Ladoos taste bitter!– SO: 100% attention and no distractions! Turn the heat off and move the pan away from the hot stove-top grid.
- Add 1 tbsp Ghee to the golden roasted Besan, mix well and set aside to cool a bit while prepping the other ingredients.
Prepping other ingredients
- Grind 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a spice grinder to a fine powder. It will now measure about 6 tbsp. This amount gives the perfect sweetness for me.However, If you like sweeter Ladoos, you can add a bit more sugar: up to 2 tbsp more of the granulated sugar – that will measure just a bit less than 1/2 cup after grinding. If you do add more sugar, you will likely need to add a little more Ghee as well to help bind the Ladoos.Note:Do NOT use confectioner's sugar / icing sugar: this has anti-caking agents that will give your Ladoos a weird taste!
- Make Almond meal: Grind 8-10 whole almonds to a powder: slightly coarse texture is OK.If making nut-free Ladoos, use melon seeds (also called Magaz seeds) instead of almonds.
- Slice 4 almonds thinly.If making nut-free, use melon seeds (also called Magaz seeds) instead of almonds.
- Toast the poppy seeds for 1-2 minutes on low-medium heat, stirring until they start popping and become aromatic. Turn the heat off and transfer the toasted poppy seeds to a small bowl and set aside to cool.
- The color changes: the seeds start browning a little during the roasting.
- Peel and crush/grind 5-6 green cardamom pods in a mortar and pestleNote: I highly recommend placing a folded kitchen towel under the mortar while crushing the cardamom – this helps to protect the countertop during the pounding of the hard seeds. Note: If you do not have a mortar and pestle, you can use the spice grinder: mix the cardamom seeds with a little bit of the powdered sugar you made earlier (about 2 tbsp) and grind together.
- BY this time, the roasted Besan should have cooled a bit and become lukewarm.Add the ground sugar to the warm roasted Besan. stir well to distribute evenly.Note: Do not add sugar until the roasted Besan cools down quite a bit and is lukewarm
- Add the roasted poppy seeds and almond meal.
- Take about 2 tbsp mixture in your fist, squeeze tight, then see if you can roll it into a ball, squeezing the mixture tightly as you work with it.If it keeps falling apart, it needs a bit more Ghee.Add 1 tsp warm ghee, mix it in well and check again: try making the Ladoo again.. You might need to add more Ghee: 1-2 tspNote: Even if the mixture seems a bit too dry, Do NOT add too much Ghee all at once!Note: Excess Ghee gives a pasty-looking mixture: your Ladoos will not retain their round shape – they will become flat!
- Once you ensure that you can bind the Ladoos with the mixture, break up your 'trial' Ladoo and mix it back into the rest of the mixture. Mix well, then add the sliced almonds… and raisins (if adding)
- Use a 2 tbsp measure to scoop up the mixture into your palm; close your fist tightly over it to bind it together; then roll it in you hand, squeezing with each turn to make it into a tight round ball.Repeat with the remaining mixture: this will give about 10 small LadoosNore: If you like your Ladoos to be bigger, that's fine: you should be able to make about 6-7 large Ladoos.
- Serve at teatime with a cup of tea/coffee, along with a savory, spicy snack.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Coarse Besan: also called Ladoo Besan
This recipe is meant to be used with finely milled Besan, not coarse textured Besan. Then why is it called Ladoo Besan? Some types of Besan Ladoos are made with coarse Besan, However, if you only have the coarse Besan available, no worries… Use the following method to obtain a slightly finer-textured flour than what you started with.- Sieve it through a fine mesh strainer: collect the fine flour that goes through the sieve and set it aside.
- Transfer the coarser particles left in the sieve to a spice grinder and grind to a finer texture and sieve again.
- Repeat until you have 1 cup of sieved Besan- this will still not be quite as fine as finely milled Besan.
- Return any leftover coarser particles to your jar of coarse Besan.
- Use this sieved Besan as directed in the recipe
- You might need to slightly adjust the amount of Ghee added at the end, to ensure that the Ladoo is tightly bound and does not fall apart or crumble easily.
- Note: These Ladoos will have a nuttier/more grainy texture that the ones made with super-fine Besan: they are just as delicious!
How to Store Besan Ladoos
Store these Ladoos in a single layer in a shallow lidded container. They do not spoil easily and it is safe to keep them in a cool dark area in your pantry for 2-3 weeks. My guess is they will get polished off long before you need to worry about spoilage! However, if you make a large batch and want them to last longer, you can certainly refrigerate them and even freeze them. Note:Â The Ladoos will be hard when you take them out of the refrigerator/ freezer, because the Ghee will have solidified in the cold temperature of the refrigerator/freezer. SO: Before you serve them, leave the Ladoos out on the counter, uncovered or loosely covered, to soften as they come to room temperature. In the refrigerator:- Good for 4-5 weeks, possibly longer.
- Good for 3-4 months, possibly longer.Â
- To serve:
- Take out however many you plan to serve, put them on your serving dish, cover loosely and give them about an hour or so on the counter to slowly thaw and come to room temp.Â
- If the Ladoos seem to have become flattened or a bit shapeless while thawing, just put a little bit of Ghee on your hands and re-roll them gently into round balls, before serving them.Â
- This way, you can also make sure that they have actually thawed all the way to the innermost part of the Ladoo.
- Re-rolling the Ladoos will also give them an attractive smooth and glossy look –Â from the melted Ghee on their surface.Â
One of my fav ladoo!!
🙂
Thanks, Bina
quite liked the idea of adding almond meal. i will definitely try it. your prelude is very interesting as usual 😊
I personally love the almond meal in the Ladoo. I’m glad you like the idea of it too! Thanks for your comments.