Rava Ladoo

4.79 from 14 votes

Easy Rava Ladoo made with semolina, ghee and sugar. Quick, easy treat to make for the festive season.

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Rava Ladoo is a popular Indian sweet made with semolina, ghee and sugar. This festive treat is easy to make and often made for festivals like Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi. This easy version needs no sugar syrup and you can make it in less than 30 minutes!

rava ladoos stacked on a plate with a diya placed on the side

I love this time of the year when the weather is changing. It’s beautiful outside and it also marks the beginning of festive season. With so many festivals lined up, I wanted to share an easy Indian sweet recipe which anyone can make easily at home (yes even those with basic cooking skills and experience).

Rava ladoo or sooji ladoo as it’s known in Northern parts of India are sweet balls made with semolina (sooji/rava). These are made in different ways in different regions of the country. Some people make it with sugar syrup but since that can get confusing, I am sharing an easy way to make these ladoos at home. This method is fussfree and fail-proof!

This easy rava ladoo recipe requires no sugar syrup and minimum cooking. Sometimes coconut is also added to these ladoos, even though I have not added it.

Ingredients

This easy recipe needs only few ingredients!

ingredients for rava ladoo arranged on a board

Rava/Sooji (semolina): this is the main ingredient for this recipe since these are rava ladoo! I prefer using fine rava for this ladoo recipe but you may use coarse rava as well (which we use to make upma).

Ghee: the binding agent for these ladoos is ghee so do not skimp on that.

Sugar: for this recipe, I use granulated white sugar which is pulsed in a blender and then used in the recipe. Do not substitute with powdered sugar (also known as confectioners/icing sugar).

Nuts & raisins: this is optional if you are not a fan you can skip the nuts and raisins. I have used cashews and golden raisins in this recipe.

Cardamom powder: I love flavoring these ladoos with little bit of cardamom powder. If you are not a fan, you may choose to skip it. Some nutmeg powder can also be added.

Step by Step Instructions

1- Take a heavy bottom and put it on medium-low heat. Add rava to it.

2- Using a spatula, stir continuously and roast the rava until it’s fragrant. This takes around 7 to 8 minutes. Once roasted, rava becomes aromatic. You don’t want to brown the rava for this recipe so be careful and stir all the time and roast on medium-low heat only. Once done, transfer it to a plate and allow it to cool.

3- While the rava is cooking, take sugar in a blender. I have used granulated white sugar here, do not replace this with powdered/icing sugar.

4- Blend the sugar into a powder.

step by step picture collage of making rava ladoo

5- Once the rava has cooled down a bit, transfer it to the same blender (along with sugar, no need to remove the sugar from the blender).

6- Pulse few times to blend the rava as well. Do not make a fine rava powder here, we want the ladoos to have some texture. Set this aside.

7- Now, heat a pan on medium heat and add 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon melted ghee to it. Add broken cashews and roast for 1 minute until they start turning light brown in color.

8- Add raisins at at this point, cook for around 45 seconds until raisins plump. Remove pan from heat.

step by step picture collage of making rava ladoo

9- Add the powdered rava and sugar mixture to the hot ghee and nuts in the pan. Also add 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder.

10- Using a spatula, mix until everything is well combined. The rava should be nicely mixed with the ghee. The ghee is hot, so don’t use your hands at this point. Now, let this cool down a bit until you can manage to handle the mixture in your hands.

11- While the mixture is still warm (but not hot), take a small portion of the mixture and press between your palm for 30 seconds.

12- Then roll between your palm to give it a round shape. Make all ladoos simialrly. You will get around 11 to 12 ladoo from the mixture.

If you are unable to make ladoos, and it’s breaking, add 1 tablespoon melted ghee and try again. Start with 1 tablespoon and add more as needed. You may also add 2 tablespoons milk in place of the ghee but milk does that changes the texture of the ladoos so keep that in mind. Store these at room temperature.

step by step picture collage of making rava ladoo

Tips & Notes

Roast the rava correctly: this is the most important thing in the recipe. You need to make sure the rava is roasted else the ladoos will taste raw. You also need to make sure that you don’t burn the rava while roasting it, we don’t want to brown it for this recipe. That changes the taste.

Use a heavy bottom pan, stir continuously while roasting and and roast on medium-low heat. You would know it’s done when you have a nice aroma coming out of the pan. This takes around 7 to 8 minutes on medium heat.

Crunchy texture: when you grind the rava in the blender, do not grind it to a fine powder. For these ladoos, you need the crunch of the rava.

Reducing ghee: if you want to make these with less ghee, an option is to replace half of ghee with milk. However ladoos made with milk will not last that long compared to the ones made with ghee only. The taste will also differ.

Adding coconut: a lot of people add coconut to these ladoos. If you want to add coconut, use dry coconut or desiccated coconut and add around 1/4 cup of it. Add it towards the last 2 to 3 minutes of roasting the rava.

Adjust sugar to taste: these ladoos are sweet, I have used 150 grams of sugar here (3/4 cup). If you want less sweet ladoos, use 3/4 cup minus 2 tablespoons sugar which will be 125 grams.

ladoos arranged on a plate with a diya placed on the side

Frequently Asked Questions

Why I am unable to bind ladoos?

If you are unable to bind ladoos, then you need to add more of the binding agent. Since ghee is the only binding agent here, add additional 1-2 tablespoons of melted ghee and then try to bind again. You can also use 1 to 2 tablespoons milk if you don’t want to add more ghee.

How to store rava ladoos?

These ladoos are best store at room temperature. Since they are made with rava and ghee only, they will stay fine at room temperature for weeks. However, if you add milk to them, then refrigerate them.

Can jaggery be used in place of sugar?

I have not tried this recipe with jaggery but it can be used. The texture and taste of the ladoo will be different.

Can I use butter or oil in place of ghee?

Butter will work well even though ghee is what I prefer for this recipe. I would not recommend using oil here.

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This post has been updated from the recipe archives, first published in October 2014.

Rava Ladoo

4.79 from 14 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 12
Easy Rava Ladoo made with semolina, ghee and sugar. Quick, easy treat to make for the festive season.

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup rava/sooji 165 grams, I use fine rava
  • ½-¾ cup granulated white sugar 100-150 grams, adjust sweetness to taste
  • ¼ cup +1 tablespoon ghee melted
  • 2 tablespoons cashews broken
  • 1 tablespoon golden raisins
  • ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
  • 1-2 tablespoons more ghee or milk as needed
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Instructions 

  • Take a heavy bottom and put it on medium-low heat. Add rava to it. Using a spatula, stir continuously and roast the rava until it's fragrant. This takes around 7 to 8 minutes. Once roasted, rava becomes aromatic. You don't want to brown the rava for this recipe so be careful and stir all the time and roast on medium-low heat only. Once done, transfer it to a plate and allow it to cool.
  • Once the rava is done, add sugar to a blender. I have used granulated white sugar here, do not replace this with powdered/icing sugar. Blend the sugar into a powder.
  • Once the rava has cooled down a bit, transfer it to the same blender (along with sugar, no need to remove the sugar from the blender).
    Pulse few times to blend the rava as well. Do not make a fine rava powder here, we want the ladoos to have some texture. Set this aside.
  • Now, heat a pan on medium heat and add 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon melted ghee to it. Add broken cashews and roast for 1 minute until they start turning light brown in color.
    Add raisins at at this point, cook for around 45 seconds until raisins plump. Remove pan from heat.
  • Add the powdered rava and sugar mixture to the hot ghee and nuts in the pan. Also add 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder.
  • Using a spatula, mix until everything is well combined. The rava should be nicely mixed with the ghee. The ghee is hot, so don't use your hands at this point. Now, let this cool down a bit until you can manage to handle the mixture in your hands.
  • While the mixture is still warm (but not hot), take a small portion of the mixture and press between your palm for 30 seconds. Then roll between your palm to give it a round shape. Make all ladoos similarly. You will get around 11 to 12 ladoo from the mixture.
  • If you are unable to make ladoos, and it's breaking, add 1 tablespoon melted ghee and bind. Start with 1 tablespoon and add more as needed. You can also add 1-2 tablespoons of milk in place of ghee here but keep in mind that adding milk reduces the shelf life of the ladoos and also changes the texture a bit.
  • Store the ladoos at room temperature for 10 days and enjoy.

Notes

  1. Roasting the rava correctly is the most important thing in the recipe. You need to make sure the rava is roasted else the ladoos will taste raw. You also need to make sure that you don’t burn the rava while roasting it, we don’t want to brown it for this recipe. That changes the taste.
  2. If you want to make these with less ghee, an option is to replace half of ghee with milk. However ladoos made with milk will not last that long compared to the ones made with ghee only. The taste will also differ.
  3. If you want to add coconut, use dry coconut or desiccated coconut and add around 1/4 cup of it. Add it towards the last 2 to 3 minutes of roasting the rava.
  4. These ladoos are sweet, I have used 150 grams of sugar here (3/4 cup). If you want less sweet ladoos, use 3/4 cup minus 2 tablespoons sugar which will be 125 grams.

Nutrition

Calories: 174kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 2mg, Potassium: 57mg, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 0.8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
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Hi, I’m Manali!

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Recipe Rating




44 Comments

    1. hmm not sure, since we are not using sugar syrup here (which can cause crystallization if over-cooked) and just adding sugar to sooji, I don’t see how they will become hard.

  1. 5 stars
    I tried them and the laddoos were amazing thanks Manali

    Not sure how to post a photo though

  2. Hey Manali, how much do you need to grind the sooji? I see that you have written in the recipe to grind it…but in your photos I can see granules…So was wondering..Do we just grind sooji little or like a powder?

  3. 5 stars
    Your ladoos were wonderful! I made them for my family. I’m so sorry yours is not here with you. Will you get home soon to visit?
    Please continue your blog. It is so special to read.
    Namaste
    Tedda

  4. Mam,
    Thanks a lot for the receipe…it came very good.As you told, I was adding one by one tablespoon of milk and was checking the consistency to make the laddu.Since I used 1.5 tablespoon of ghee at the end, may be it required 6.5 tablespoon of milk to make those laddus.

    My mom got suprised since I dont know cooking at all.
    This is my second sweet preparation.The first one was rasamalai , which I did following your blog only.The details you gave were so clear that the consistency and the softness of the sweet balls came very good.I even got suprised when it came good!!

    I struggled a little with amount of sugar I needed to add for the kheer.
    Continue posting recipes.Thank you !! 🙂

    1. And, on behalf you, your blog followers get people to eat and appreciate us.So indirectly its you, getting lots of people to taste and appreciate the taste of sweets through us.!

  5. You are wonderful…. Love to see your pins daily though I don’t cook them daily …? How long these ladoos can be stored manali…TIA

    1. Thanks Saksham! 🙂 Sure, I update by blog every week with new recipes, please subscribe to the newsletter to get notified!

  6. I love making sweet treats too, Manali! And I love reading about your stories and how you incorporate them. These look so delicious and perfectly poppable! 🙂

  7. Manali! these look really tasty, I have never had anything like it before but they look like they would taste great! 😉 YUM

  8. I love reading your stories about India and the Diwali celebration — it sounds so special! It’s wonderful that you can make these beautiful, sweet treats here to get a taste of that celebration. These look so delicious!

  9. Wow! I loved reading about your Diwali celebration! It sounds like a lot of fun. I’m sorry you don’t get to see your parents, that made me sad. These sweet treats look delicious!! 🙂

  10. These look so cute and delicious Manali! I like the smell of cardamon! I feel the same way at times, I make a lot of sweets and at times there is no one to eat them 🙂

      1. I added alot of milk to make ladoo but now they are just like halwa.Is there any solution to make them crunchy

      2. you may roast some more soooji , mix with the ladoo mixture and try to make ladoo again. Add more ghee in place of milk while binding the ladoo.