Besan Ladoo

Besan Ladoo is one of the most popular Indian sweets.

Made with gram flour, sugar and ghee, this dessert requires only a handful of ingredients but tastes amazing!

Festivals are incomplete without sweets and in India festivals are incomplete without ladoos.

Ladoo, an Indian sweet can be made using various ingredients and is round in shape.

We make ladoos out of so many ingredients, there’s motichoor ladoo, aata ladoo, coconut ladoo, rava ladoo, this ladoo, that ladoo and this list is endless.

Out of all these amazing ladoos, besan ladoo is my absolute favorite.

What is Besan Ladoo

Besan Ladoo is a round dessert ball made with gram flour which is called besan in Hindi and hence the name.

Flour is roasted with ghee (clarified butter) and then sugar is added and then it’s shaped into round balls.

Nuts and raisins can be added. Some people also add sooji (rava/semolina) to the besan for the crunch.

However I personally prefer this ladoo plain, minus the sooji.

It is definitely my favorite ladoo and also one of my favorite sweets ever.

Back home during Diwali, I would always scan through the sweet boxes to see if any one of them had besan ladoo in them.

My nani (maternal grandmother) used to make the besan ladoo. So I kind of grew up eating these homemade ladoos.

I have so many memories associated with them. I don’t think my ladoos can ever match hers though as they were simply the best! 🙂

Tips to Make Besan Ladoo

So, the ingredient list to make these ladoos is pretty small but here are few things to keep in mind!

Roast the besan properly: the most crucial thing to keep in mind while making besan ladoo is to make sure the besan is roasted well.

It will take time and you will need to have lot of patience.

Do not rush this step! If you don’t roast the besan properly, the ladoos will taste bitter and raw.

And how would you know that besan is roasted? You will be able to tell from the aroma and also the color of the besan will change to a golden-ish hue.

Also, the besan turns into a smooth paste once it’s cooked (see pictures below in the recipe steps).

But don’t over roast it either else you will burn it.

Keep the heat on low at all times: equally important is to keep the heat to low at all times. If the heat is high, the besan will turn brown and even burn while still being raw.

Keep stirring continuously: yes, this recipe is a good hand workout. You need to stir continuously as you roast, which will be around 20 to 25 minutes! But the end result will be worth it, trust me!

Let the roasted besan cool down before adding sugar: once the besan has roasted let it cool down for at least 15 minutes before adding the sugar.

If you add the sugar while besan is still warm, the sugar will melt and loosen up the mixture and you won’t be able to bind the ladoos.

Roasting time may differ depending on intensity of heat, thickness of pan: please keep in mind that roasting time needed for besan may differ. It takes me around 25 minutes of low heat to roast the besan, it might take you 15 or 50. It depends on several things including if you have gas, induction, coil. It also depends on intensity of heat (medium, low, low-medium) and the thickness of the pan you are using.

If you are not sure rely on aroma of the besan rather than the time, you should smell that nutty aroma.

And that’s about it. If you keep these things in mind, you will end up with good homemade Besan Ladoos.

They are truly my favorite sweets to make and I make them every single Diwali or any for any other festival for that matter.

 

Method

Before you start, sift the besan and then measure it. It should come to 1 cup (125 grams). Keep it aside.

1- To a heavy bottom pan, add the ghee and let it melt on low heat.

2- Once the ghee melts, add the sifted besan to the pan. Heat should be low at all times.

3- Mix the besan and the ghee together, at first it will form a clump.

4- Don’t worry and keep stirring, it will start to loosen up a bit. This is how it looks like 7 to 8 minutes after adding besan.

5 & 6- Keep stirring continuously on low heat. Besan will continue to loosen up and after around 15 minutes (picture 6), it will turn into a smooth paste like consistency.

7- I roasted the besan for around 25 minutes on low heat until it had a nice golden-ish color. Your kitchen will also be filled with a aroma by then. This time may differ depending on several things (please see notes).

8- Remove pan from heat. If you want transfer the besan to another container so that it doesn’t cook further and doesn’t burn.

I didn’t transfer it. So after removing pan from heat, I kept stirring for 2 to 3 minutes until it cooled down a little.

Then add the cardamom powder and mix and now let the besan cool down for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Do not add sugar to hot besan else the sugar will melt and then you won’t be able to bind the ladoos.

9- After 15 to 20 minutes, the besan would cool down and be easy to touch. Add in the sugar and nuts/raisins (if using).

10- Mix everything together until the sugar and nuts are well combined.

11- You will get a smooth besan dough.

12- Now, pinch a small bowl from the dough. Press and roll between your palm to form a round shape. Repeat with the remaining dough.

You would get 8 to 10 ladoos. Don’t worry if they don’t look perfectly round.

Once you shape them, let them sit for 5 to 10 minutes and then shape again if they don’t look perfect. Just don’t wait for too long else it will set and then it will be difficult to change the shape.

Store besan ladoo in airtight container and enjoy! You may garnish with nuts or edible silver leaves (chandi ka vark).

If you’ve tried this Besan Ladoo 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 November 2013.