Besan Burfi
Oct 10, 2019, Updated Oct 22, 2022
Popular Indian sweet, Besan Burfi is made with gram flour, ghee and flavored with cardamom. This homemade recipe makes melt-in-mouth burfi every time! Gluten-free.
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Besan Burfi is a popular Indian sweet made with gram flour, ghee and flavored with cardamom.
This homemade recipe for besan burfi will give you melt in mouth burfi every time!
Sweets made with besan (gram flour) are some of my favorite sweets.
Like besan ladoo and this besan burfi!
They both have essentially the same ingredients- besan, ghee and sugar but the way you make and shape them is what makes then different.
In India, burfi is the term used for a sweet fudge and it can be made with anything from lentils to nuts, fruits and in this case from besan.
The ingredient list for making besan burfi is small (ghee, sugar and cardamom) but as it is most Indian sweets, it takes some skills to get it right.
No, I am not trying to scare you guys. You can definitely make the perfect besan burfi even in first attempt but if it doesn’t turn out perfect, don’t be disheartened.
Indian sweets always need some practice. It has taken me many years of practice to get them right.
Tips to Make Perfect Besan Burfi
Here are few things to keep in mind to make the best besan burfi!
Roasting the besan properly: the most important step in making besan burfi is to roast the besan properly.
If your besan is not roasted properly, the burfi will have the raw taste (kaccha taste as we call in Hindi) and trust me it doesn’t taste good.
I have done that before and I was so disappointed because if your burfi tastes of raw besan after so much of hand workout, it definitely doesn’t feel good!
So roast the besan properly. Stir continuously because you want to make sure the besan is roasted uniformly and you also want to make sure it doesn’t get burnt.
The besan should be golden-ish yellow in color and not dark brown. If it turns dark brown, you have gone bit too far.
I roast for around 25 to 30 minutes on the lowest heat with constant stirring. Yes it requires patience so make sure you have plenty of it before you start.
Sift the besan before adding it to ghee: this gives the burfi a nice, smooth texture. So do the additional step of sifting the besan.
Getting the sugar syrup consistency right: this can really make or break your burfi.
If the syrup is over-cooked the burfi will be hard and turn out like a rock.
If the syrup is under-cooked, the burfi will not set.
You have to cook the syrup until it reaches a one string consistency. And how do you know if it has reached that consistency?
Two things:
- Place a small drop of syrup between your thumb and index finger and then pull them apart, you should the formation of a string (check pictures below).
- If the string consistency thing sounds too complicated to you, simply let the sugar dissolve in water first. Once the sugar dissolves, lower the heat to “low” and simmer the syrup for 5 to 6 minutes. This will result in one string consistency, so follow the timings and do not over-cook the syrup.
What if my burfi doesn’t set? This means your under-cooked the sugar syrup. I will put back the mixture on heat and cook for few minutes until it leaves the sides of the pan and try to set it again.
Why is my burfi hard and not melt-in-mouth? You over-cooked the sugar syrup. You have to only cook it until it reaches one string consistency here. That results in best melt-in-mouth texture in my opinion.
As you can see, my burfis were quite big. If you want to make thinner and smaller burfis, spread the mixture in a large pan.
I have use 9 x 9 inch pan here so for thinner burfis, maybe use 9 x 13 inch pan.
Hope you guys give this melt-in-mouth Besan Burfi a try this festive season!
Method
Line a 9 x 9 inch pan with parchment paper and set aside. You can even use a bigger pan (like 10 x 13 inch) to make thinner burfis.
1- Melt ghee in a pan on medium heat.
2- Add the sifted besan into the pan and stir. Lower the heat to “low”.
3- Start stirring, the besan will clump up at first. Don’t worry and keep stirring.
4- After around 15 minutes, the besan will start to loosen up.
5- After stirring for around 20 minutes, it will become smooth.
6- Around 25 minutes, it will become like a smooth paste. Add cardamom powder at this point. Please not that depending on the quality of besan being used it might never become a smooth paste. But once besan is roasted, it become fluffier (like air has been fillied into it), and you can always taste a little bit of mixture. You would know if besan is raw. So don’t worry if you never get a super smooth besan even after stirring for 25 minutes.
7- And cook for 5 more minutes.
8- So I cooked the besan for total of 30 minutes on low heat. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
Let it cool down while you make the sugar syrup. Besan should cool down before sugar syrup is added to it.
9- To a pan, add sugar and water on medium heat.
10- Let the sugar dissolve, will take around 4 to 5 minutes.
11- Then lower the heat and let syrup simmer for 5 to 6 minutes until it reaches one string consistency.
12- It takes me 6 minutes always after the sugar dissolves to reach the 1 string consistency on low heat.
Put a drop of sugar syrup between your thumb and index finger and pull them apart, you should see a single thread formation. This is the right consistency. If you have a kitchen thermometer this becomes much easier, it should measure 110 C (230 F) when done.
Turn off the heat as soon as the syrup reaches that stage. Do not over cook the sugar syrup.
13- Now add the sugar syrup to the cooked besan (which has cooled down at this point).
14- Stir until all the sugar syrup is well combined with the besan.
15- Transfer the mixture to a 9 x 9 inch pan lined with parchment paper.
Tap the pan to get rid of excess air. Sprinkle pistachios on top.
16- Let the burfi set for 2-3 hours and then cut into pieces. I trim the edges and then cut them into squares.
Store besan burfi at room temperature for 10 days!
If you’ve tried this Besan Burfi Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
This post has been updated from the recipe archives, first published in March 2017.
Besan Burfi
Ingredients
- 1 cup ghee 200 grams
- 3 cups besan 325 grams (gram flour)
- 1.5 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar 360 grams, can reduce to 300 grams for a less sweeter burfi
- 1/2 cup +1 tablespoon water 120 ml + 15 ml
- chopped pistachios for garnishing
Instructions
- Line a 9 x 9 inch pan with parchment paper and set aside. You can even use a bigger pan (like 10 x 13 inch) to make thinner burfis.
- Melt ghee in a pan on medium heat. Add the sifted besan into the pan and stir. Lower the heat to "low".
- Start stirring, the besan will clump up at first. Don't worry and keep stirring.After around 15 minutes, the besan will start to loosen up (see pictures above).
- After stirring for around 20 minutes, it will become smooth.Around 25 minutes, it will become like a smooth paste. Add cardamom powder at this point and cook for 5 more minutes.Please not that depending on the quality of besan being used it might never become a smooth paste. But once besan is roasted, it become fluffier (like air has been fillied into it), and you can always taste a little bit of mixture. You would know if besan is raw. So don't worry if you never get a super smooth besan even after stirring for 25 minutes.
- So, I cooked the besan for total of 30 minutes on low heat. Remove pan from heat and set aside.Let it cool down while you make the sugar syrup. Besan should cool down to room temperature before sugar syrup is added to it.
- To a pan, add sugar and water on medium heat.Let the sugar dissolve, will take around 4 to 5 minutes.
- Then lower the heat and let syrup simmer for 5 to 6 minutes until it reaches one string consistency.It takes me 6 minutes always after the sugar dissolves to reach the 1 string consistency on low heat.
- Put a drop of sugar syrup between your thumb and index finger and pull them apart, you should see a single thread formation. This is the right consistency. If you have a kitchen thermometer this becomes much easier, it should measure 110 C (230 F) when done. Turn off the heat as soon as the syrup reaches that stage. Do not over cook the sugar syrup.
- Now add the sugar syrup to the cooked besan (which has cooled down at this point). Stir until all the sugar syrup is well combined with the besan.
- Transfer the mixture to a 9 x 9 inch pan lined with parchment paper.Tap the pan to get rid of excess air. Sprinkle pistachios on top.
- Let the burfi set for 2-3 hours (or more) and then cut into pieces. I trim the edges and then cut them into squares. Store besan burfi at room temperature for 10 days!
Notes
- The most important thing is to roast the besan properly so that the burfi doesn't taste raw. So do roast for 25-30 minutes on low heat.
- You can even add saffron strands for extra flavor. Add it while roasting the besan towards the end.
- You can reduce the amount of sugar to 1.5 cups (300 grams) for a less sweet besan burfi.
- Investing in a kitchen thermometer is a good idea since that will help get accurate results. When the sugar syrup is cooked to the right consistency, it should measure 110 C (230 F).
- Please not that depending on the quality of besan being used it might never become a smooth paste. But once besan is roasted, it become fluffier (like air has been fillied into it), and you can always taste a little bit of mixture. You would know if besan is raw. So don't worry if you never get a super smooth besan even after stirring for 25 minutes.
- If you burfi doesn't set even after 5-6 hours, you can put the mixture back in the pan. Cook for few minutes (6-8 mins) on medium heat and then try to set it again.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I like the taste, but even after stirring for almost an hour, the Besan tasted raw. I’ll try again, but not sure how long more my arm could take the stirring
hmm not sure how besan is still raw after stirring for an hour, that’s a lot of time. Maximum it takes me is 25 minutes every time. So much depends on the intensity of heat and thickness of pan as well. I would suggest you to take some besan out of the pan while roasting, let it cool a bit and taste it. Raw besan has a very different taste than cooked well roasted besan. If you taste it’s raw continue roasting. do this before adding sugar syrup else all the work goes waste. Also looks like your gas heat is super low at low, so increase heat to medium-low and roast. Hope this helps, happy diwali!
Hi Manali,
I have never written any feedbacks, but thought your recipe deserved it.
This was my first time making besan barfi and I looked at so many recipes on line and am very glad I chose yours as your recipe and instructions were very clear and precise. I liked the fact you gave timings, which are spot on👌. However, as couple of my family member are gluten and lactose intolerant, I made ghee from lactose free butter and used slightly less sugar. The end result was absolutely delicious and my whole family enjoyed it, especially my 6 year old granddaughter who has recently been diagnosed with coeliac disease. Thank you for this recipe and it is going to be a favourite in the family for many occasions 😊
Thanks Viri, I am so glad to hear! Happy Diwali!
Hi,
My besan didn’t melted while roasting, it was keep on crumbling. Can you plz say why it happened so?
Thanks
That can happen depending on the quality/brand of besan, as long as the final burfi is fine, it’s all good
Hi Manali
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I love making Indian sweets but I m always intimidated by burfis as I always struggle to understand what is a thread consistency. Could you please tell me what temperature on cooking thermometer is one thread consistency? This will help me not only with this recipe but with other recipes too.
Thanks so much!!
I will try to do a post on it
Hi Manali
After a bit of reseat I got to know that thread stage is 110degrees celcius. Tried with candy thermometer worked out perfect. Can’t thank you enough for this perfect recipe. You rock!!❤️
Can we make the liquid burfi harder by putting besan in it? my burfi is liquid and very sweet
liquid means you need to put it back on heat again, cook until it reaches the consistency where it can set.
Hi
I love gluten free sweet recipes, I’d like to try this. No ghee where I live, probably I could make it myself from butter? But if I was being lazy (!) do you think plain butter would work instead? Or another liquid fat – melted coconut oil , or olive oil perhaps?
butter will work,
Hi Manali! I followed this recipe to a tee, and my burfi matched the visual cues throughout. However, after resting, my burfi didn’t set properly – the texture turned out rather paste-y, and almost gooey. Do you have an idea of where I went wrong? Thanks! 🙂
making Indian sweets needs some practice 🙂 you didn’t cook the sugar syrup enough hence it didn’t set. What you could have done is put the paste back on heat again and cook it for few more minutes until the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan and then set it again.
in the United States, we do not use the string method when boiling sugar syrup.We use a candy thermometer. I’m a bit afraid to pick up a steaming drop of sugar syrup and I still might get it wrong. Have you ever put a candy thermometer in the sugar water to measure what temperature it when it gets to the one string stage? It would help so much as this is our only way we know when the syrup is ready
sure I will update when I make it next. In India no one has candy thermometer at home so this is how sweets are made. I will update the post!
This is recipe is very clear and easy to follow. Thank you for sharing my besan was perfect!
glad to know!
It worked ! Thanks Manali ?
Oh I see can I heat it bit more and reset it
Thank you for your reply
it might not work now but you can try cooking the mixture for some more time and try setting again
Hi Manali
I have made besan barfi today, it turned out okay and it set okay. It taste nice but it is slightly chewy, is that normal? should it not break? have I done something wrong here? please advise
Many thanks
Parmjit
it should break, you had to cook the sugar syrup a little bit more, that’s all
Hi Manali
Do we have to roast besan first without the ghee for 30 min
then sift and add t ghee agains of 30 min
please confirm this
no it very clearly mentions that you have to melt the ghee, then add besan and roast. There’s no step of roasting besan without ghee.
Hi Manali,
I tried your besan barfi recipe. It turned out very delicious. Perfect consistency. Awesome. Thanks
Your beetroot rice is also wonderful.
glad to know!
Hi Manali,
First off love your postings. I made the barfi once and it was a hit- thanks to you! I’m trying to make this again and realized I forgot to purchase ghee!! It’s too early where I am for shops to open- can I use oil!
butter will be better, not oil
Hello, my mixture became powdery & grainy. I think should have done it quickly. My question is that can I do anything with the powdery mixture? I don’t want to throw it away.
try making ladoo with it, add some milk or heavy cream and bind it
Absolutely ? no fail receipe
U are super good manali
First time my burfi is just perfect melt in mouth n rightly set
Thanks to u
I am so glad to hear that Megha 🙂
Hi Manali
Made them today. Followed your recipe exactly as written and they turned out so good. I took a picture too but not sure how to share it. Thanks so much for this recipe. This is surely a keeper.
I am so glad to know Kalyani! 🙂 and if you are on Instagram, just tag me there and I will see it and also share it on my stories!
Turned out perfect.. I used candy thermometer to get one taar chaasni.. could do with little less sugar.. but it’s awesome ??
glad to know!
Hi
I followed the same recipe and tatse is good but it turned out like powder and did not turn into barfi…whatmight b thr problem
once you add the sugar syrup you have to act very quickly, you cannot over-mix. when you do that, this happens
Over mix means??? Like iquickly added the sugar syrup
after you add the sugar syrup, you have to mix quickly and then quickly transfer the burfi to pan. If you take a lot of time mixing the sugar syrup with the besan, then it crumbles. Next time, act even more quickly than you did. Making Indian sweets just needs some practice and patience 🙂
I surpassed myself when I made this. Perfect recipe??
awesome!
Hi Manali! Thank you for the recipe. I love barfi and this recipe looks so good. Quick question though, on the sugar syrup I like to use a candy thermoneter. Is it supposed to be at the “thread stage” 215-234F it says when I googled. But which temp is the right one? Since this is a bigger range and I’m afraid of unercooking nor overcooking the sugar. Thank you so much for your help.
Cook until 230-234 F , hope this helps
Hi Manali, can I make it with jaggery syrup?
haven’t tried, that will be a different recipe so can’t say.
I see. This recipe is so much like Mysore Pak, which is my favorite. Will try. Thanks!
When I first saw your post in fb I really wanted to try and today I made this finally….burfi’s were amazing ????…thank you for amazing recipe
glad to know!
Made this today and was wondering. I roasted the besan for almost 45 minutes and then decided that I must be overdoing it and carried on with the recipe. I had the heat on Lo. Once the besan set, I tried it and it seems a little soft (after 2 hours). My mum said that when I roasted the besan, I would know it was done when it started letting off a bit of oil. Any comments to that?
I roast for around 30 minutes and not 45, besan is mostly done around 25 minutes mark. I usually go with the color and aroma of the besan- those are so two basic things which you should look out for while roasting the besan. If you are getting a nice nutty aroma, it’s most likely done. If the burfi is soft, you can put the entire mixture on heat again and cook for few more minute until the mixture thickens some more and try setting it again. Looks like you should have cooked the sugar syrup a bit more, it’s not the bsean.
After mixing the besan to the sugar syrup it started to separate –ghee on top as it set. Did I overmix at the end?
I think you didn’t act quickly enough. You have to act fast and mix everything together and then immediately pour mixture on a tray to set.
Hello Manali, I want to make the recipe little less Sweet, can u pls confirm how much sugar and water should be used( I want to use only 1 and 1/4 cup sugar )
Sorry I can’t say the exact amount until and unless I try it myself. Adjust accordingly. Make 1 string consistency and go from there.
Thanks for the prompt reply, will try and let u know
Hello Manali you have not mentioned how much water to add to make the sugar syrup .I would like to make it for my granddaughter whose favourite sweet is besan burfi .
Kindly let me know as I would like it to be perfect for her and don’t want make a mistake .
Waiting for your reply
Thank you
Thank you
Hello Pratima, I have of course mentioned the amount of water- “1/2 cup +1 tablespoon water, 120 ml + 15 ml” . Please see the recipe card in the end.
will it be okay if parchment paper is not used?
want to make it today for mom on mother’s day…hope i get a reply soon?
of course, grease a pan/plate with ghee or butter and then pour the batter.
Hi Manali, thanks for sharing the recipe with such detailed instructions. It is so easy to follow. I have become a fan. I have tried this barfi tofay. My forst ever sweet dish. Everything was going fine but it was not setting properly. And as you had done the troubleshooting as well..I put it back to heat and and stirred for few mins. It started leaving the pan and so again put it for for setting. Fingers crossed. The aromas and color looks awesome by the way. Thank you again for sharing such a detailed instruction and also the potential errors and how to fix them. This is really important for novices like me
Hi manali,
Is there a way I can use Mishri instead of sugar? I have a lot of it and wanna use it.
I have no idea sorry
Hi Manali, I tried making besan burfi and everything was going fine but when I added the sugar syrup to the besan batter, it turned powdery crumble-like. Can you suggest why this might’ve happened?
Looks like you overcooked the sugar syrup.
I had the same issue. I think we can’t over mix it after adding syrup. We went too far. Anyhow, I added 1/2 cup heavy cream and made laddoos! Tastes great!
Hi, I am confused with measurements if 1 cup ghee, 200 grams than how come
3 cups besan, 325 grams (gram flour) ?
mmm because weight and volume are different. Weight is determined by the heaviness, or mass, of the particular item, and is measured with the use of a scale. Volume is the amount of space that an item you are measuring takes up. 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar will not be the same by weight. Makes sense?
I have a Sweet Tooth! I always love the traditional Indian Sweets any day, any time. Your recipe looks good and reasonably. Trust me I will be preparing this recipe secretly for my beloved wife as a weekend surprise.
Ranjan Sahu, Odisha, India
The recipe of besan barfi is quite detailed and explained well will try and let u know Manali. Thanks
Just tried it and it came out so well!! Loved it!
I had some leftover Gulab Jamun syrup so cooked that a bit more to get single thread consistency and used it 😉
Btw, any suggestions on Sweets made up of lesser fat? 🙂 🙂
Glad to know! 🙂 Sweets of lesser fat, hmm you can search online, most of my desserts are well desserts lol 😉 I have some healthier cookies though, you can check them out.
Hi Manali
I tried recipe twice one with sugar and second time with jaggery. It turned out well, the jaggery one was not as good as the original recipe.
Thanks for the detailed description.
yes I haven’t tested the recipe with jaggery so can’t say how that will work 🙂 glad to know it turned out well with sugar!
Hi Manali! I followed your recipe the taste is amazing but the barfi is chewy. It doesn’t have the barfi texture. What went wrong?
my guess is you over-cooked the sugar syrup and also cooked it further once you mixed the besan and syrup. Don’t see any other reason why burfi should be chewy.
Hi, I tried this recipe for a get together. Had to double the quantities. It took me slightly longer to roast at low flame. But after 45 minutes I stopped as I was afraid of over doing it. There is a very slight rawness still there. Also, on first day these were very soft so I thought they won’t set but next day they were more firm, which is good. But now it is continuing to dry out. The outside is becoming hard and inside is gooey. 3:2 of besan and sugar is a missing some sweetness or I mis measured. As you say with more practice I could do better but wanted to see if you had any tips for me:
hmm looks like the consistency of sugar syrup was off. If you think they weren’t sweet enough, add more sugar next time. As far as the raw taste is concerned, it will taste raw if besan is not roasted well. Roast until you get a nice aroma of besan, you can also taste test a little bit of roasted besan and see, if it tastes raw roast more. Keep heat to low if you are afraid of over doing it. Since you double the quantity, it would take a lot of time.
Hello, I followed the recipe exactly but halved all the ingredients (besan, ghee, cardamom powder, sugar, water). After I mixed sugar syrup with the roasted besan, it quickly absorbed the liquid and became very dry (powdery) and not gooey like you have in the pics. As a result, i was unable to set it.
Not sure what I did wrong, how can I fix it?
Thanks in advance.
Neetu, my guess is you over cooked the sugar syrup to almost 2 string consistency stage. When that happens it dries out very quickly and you need to set it immediately. Indian mithais always look simple but actually do take some practice to get them right. This recipe is full proof so try again sometime. Don’t worry, it has happened with all of us. Unfortunately now you can’t make burfi, maybe try making halwa or pudding.
Hey Manali!
First of all, I gotta say, I looove the fact that you put so much detail into each recipe. The instructions are really really helpful for beginners. I discovered your profile on bakewithshivesh, and I’m so glad I did!
For this besan barfi in particular, is there a sugar substitute that would work? Maple syrup or honey maybe? I’ve cut processed sugar completely out of my diet, but really want to make an Indian sweet this Diwali 🙂
Hi Ranu! Thanks for kind words. Hmm now I can say honey or maple syrup might work but then it would be wrong on my part since I haven’t tested this recipe using either of those. Sorry can’t say whether this will work with honey or maple syrup. Coconut sugar might work but again haven’t tried.
Hi Malini. Would it be ok to swap white sugar to demera sugar? Thanks mandy
you may i haven’t tested making the sugar syrup with demera sugar
Hi Manali,
I remember a lovely sweet that I would get at the Indian Sweets stores in NYC, they don’t seem to have many of them left. It resembled the Besan Burfi but the bottom was more porous and the top of the cube less – more solid. I wonder how they made it this way? Did the bottom bubble as it was setting?
Anyway I loved these so much!
are you talking about soan papdi? https://www.google.com/search?q=soan+papdi&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjRlazsgM_iAhWNHjQIHckGDscQ_AUIECgB&biw=1504&bih=860
That will be mostly Mysore Pak https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_pak
I am not sure why its crumbly Asha..you mean you can’t cut it into pieces?
Hi manali. I m manila. I liked this recipe of yours. Very soon i m going to try this. Thanks a lot
Hi, I tried your recipe. It turned out horrible. Your besan to ghee ratio of 3:1 is very wrong. The roasted besan was super dry that turned to huge rocks the moment sugar syrup was added. And don’t think it was because of thick sugar syrup. It was because the softness that ghee imparts was not there
Sorry you had trouble but no the ratio is not wrong, I only post tried n tested recipes on the blog and this works each time for me. Also several people have made it successfully as you can see in comments. Also i have given the measurements in grams so by weight the ratio is not 3:1. it’s 325 grams besan to 200 grams ghee which is not 3:1 ratio. I think you didn’t measure correctly. That’s why I give in grams too because cup measurements can go wrong. Also, please see my step by step pictures, that besan looks anything but super dry. It’s quite soft n wet and that’s the way it should be. Thanks for trying.
YUM!!! A friend from India once told me about burfi and said that I would love it. I forgot about that til now! Thanks for reminding me! This looks like a beautiful specimen!
Love besan burfi and these look fantastic, Manali. I also made similar burfis today. 🙂 Sending good vibes to your mom. Hope she feels better soon.
Oh Manali, sending lots of positive thoughts – I really hope your mom gets better soon! What beautiful treats, they look perfect!
I love coming here because I’m always learning about foods new to me… and they ALWAYS look delicious! These burfi look absolutely fabulous, Manali. I certainly hope your mother gets better soon, my dear! Sending all the positive thoughts your way!
I must admit that I’m not familiar with burfi…but this sounds amazing! Plus, I’ve always wanted to visit India during Holi. I hope your Mom gets better and is able to be home for the festivities. (Also…24 hour plane trip? Yikes!)
Hope your mom gets better soon, Manali. These chickpea desserts look very delicious.