Besan Ladoo or Besan ke Laddu is a popular Indian sweet made from chickpea flour, clarified butter (ghee) and powdered sugar. Make this decadent candy with my easy and foolproof besan ladoo recipe.
Besan Ladoo are sweet round balls made by roasting chickpea flour and ghee together, then adding sugar to make a thick pasty dough.
Besan is chickpea flour which is nothing more than flour made from cut and shelled black chickpeas or chana dal. Chickpea flour is different from chickpea flour which is made with dried white chickpeas. Both have a different texture and flavor.
There are many varieties of ladoo, but besan ke laddu is one of the most popular, especially on festivals like Diwali.
About this recipe
This besan ladoo recipe is made with a simple method. Typically, the roasting method is the most important part of making a tasty laddu.
The ingredients need to be roasted enough to cook well, which also releases their aromatic flavors. Proper roasting also helps get the right consistency of the dough so that the balls form and stay together.
Once you have it, the rest of this recipe is easy! The roasting method I describe in this article, along with the tips below, will have you up and running tasty ladoo in no time.
My trick is to dry roast the besan or gram flour first, then add the ghee after a while, rather than adding the ghee right away.
You then continue to roast it until it starts to give off a nutty flavor before adding the sugar. Be sure to keep stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.
I learned the method of roasting from my mother-in-law, who has been making delicious besan ke laddu for years.
While it’s easy, it takes patience not to toast the ingredients too quickly. Patience and a powerful arm in motion!
An alternative method
If you are looking for a change, there is an alternative method to the foolproof method used in this recipe and it gives the laddu a slightly different texture.
In this second method, besan or gram flour is roasted in ghee immediately until it begins to impart a nutty flavor.
With the ghee added first, it takes even more stirring to make sure the mixture doesn’t get lumpy and has the right final texture.
For this reason, it is a slightly more delicate method and is not recommended for beginners.
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How to make Besan Ladoo
Find below my detailed step-by-step guide that will help you create a perfect besan ke laddu.
Roast the besan
1. Take a heavy kadai or a wok or a saucepan and keep it on low heat. Add 2 cups of besan (200 grams) to the kadai.
2. Start drying the roasted besan over low to medium-low heat.
3. Stir often so that the besan is evenly browned and does not burn. When you start roasting the besan, you will see small lumps in the flour. These bumps go away later.
4. You can see, the besan which has been roasted for 12 minutes. You can see that the color has changed from what it was at the start.
Roast the ghee with besan
5. Then add about ½ cup of ghee (125 grams).
6. Mix very well.
7. Keep stirring continuously and let this mixture of besan and ghee cook.
8. Continue roasting for about 12 to 15 minutes total, stirring constantly. Depending on the thickness and size of the pan, the intensity of the flame, the moment of roasting will vary.
9. The mixture will thicken and the color will change as well.
10. A little bit of ghee will float on top and you will see a sort of molten lava consistency where the ghee floats.
The mixture will also lose the sides of the pan and become one. These are the signs of the fully cooked besan.
If you add the sugar before the besan is fully cooked, your ladoo will taste like uncooked besan. So watch out for these signs. Once you see these signs, you can move further to the next step.
Prepare the besan ladoo mixture
11. Remove the kadai or saucepan from the stove and keep it on your kitchen counter. Add powdered sugar or powdered sugar or boora (175 grams) and mix well to prevent lumps from forming.
You will get the best besan laddu taste with boora or unrefined powdered cane sugar, which is easily available. In a blender, I powdered ¾ cup of sugar for this recipe.
12. After adding the sugar, mix very well. Begin to blend with the full strength of your hands. You need to mix this part strongly so that the powdered sugar melts in the mixture of flour and ghee.
13. Mix very well. The whole sugar should be mixed evenly with the mixture of roasted besan and ghee.
14. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of raisins (chopped), 1 teaspoon of powdered cardamom and 10 to 12 chopped cashews. You can use nuts like almonds, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, pine nuts. Simply chop them before adding them.
15. Mix again very well and allow the mixture of ladoo to become lukewarm or cool down to room temperature.
Shaping the laddu
16. Next, form a medium sized ladoo with your palms. If you are having trouble forming balls, freeze the mixture for 5 minutes or refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Depending on the quality and consistency of the ghee as well as the ambient temperature, you may or may not be able to easily shape them.
If the mixture looks very dry, add 2-3 tablespoons of hot melted ghee and mix again. Let the mixture cool again then shape into a laddu.
17. Store them in an airtight container.
18. Serve Besan Ladoo. While serving you can garnish with chopped cashews or walnuts like I did.
Storage
Besan ke laddu keeps well for a month or more at room temperature. Store in a clean jar or airtight container in a cool, dry place. You can use a steel pot.
At a very humid and hot temperature, refrigerate them. Refrigeration makes laddu dense or hard as the ghee in it solidifies. Before eating, let the laddu come to room temperature so that the ghee softens.
If you live in a cold place, reheat the laddu in a low heat oven of around 77 to 93 degrees Celsius until the ghee melts and the ladoo becomes lukewarm.
