Besan Ladoo Recipe (Easy, Gluten-Free, Halwai style)
Besan ladoo or Besan ke Laddu – is a delicious dessert made with just 3 simple ingredients found in most Indian households- Besan (gram flour), sugar and ghee (clarified butter). This simple, deliciously gorgeous dessert has just one little secret to making them heavenly – Patience!
What is the Significance of Besan Ladoos?
In Hindu mythology, there are several stories mentioning ladoo is Lord Ganesha’s favorite. They are also one of the most popular dishes made during Diwali in North India. The simplicity of this dish makes it stand apart both for the maker and the consumer. The spherical shape is given just by the use of hand without the use of any fancy moulds/ cutters. The round shape also makes it easy to eat. Historical evidence also points to the use of ladoos in Ayurveda for blending in medicinal herbs.
What are the benefits of Besan ladoos?
Besan or Gram flour is made from split Bengal gram/ skinned brown chickpea. Not only is it naturally gluten-free, it is packed with fiber, protein, iron, folic acid and carbohydrates. This flour when combined with ghee tends not only a heavenly aroma, is an excellent source of calcium, Vitamin K12 and healthy fats that aid heart health.
Why is my besan ladoo not binding?
The trick to achieving the right consistency for binding is the use of proper ratio of ingredients. There is a slim chance that even though you used the right ratio, the quality of the gram flour/ besan wasn’t right. The quality of ghee may also sometimes cause the besan to not have the right binding consistency. If that’s the case, warm up 2-3 tablespoons of ghee and add to the mix.
How to make Besan ladoo?
What ingredients do I need to make Besan ladoos?
Besan ladoos just need 3 base ingredients and the use of nuts and flavors is optional:
Flour: Halwai style Besan ladoos have a slightly coarse structure. Traditionally, this texture is attained by the use of Shakkar bura (demerara sugar). In this recipe, I’ve attained the coarse texture by the use of almond flour along with besan.
Ghee: The use of high quality ghee is very important to achieving the right consistency. I’ve used homemade ghee in this recipe. You can use any store bought brand of your choice.
Sugar: Granulated white sugar works well as it binds the ladoos well. You may also use brown sugar with 1:1 ratio. The color of ladoos will be slightly darker in that case.
Options
Flavor: Our family loves the flavor of cardamom in besan ladoos! You may skip it if you aren’t a fan.
Dry Fruits: The addition of almonds and raisins add a nice surprise element to the texture. Also enhances the taste in my opinion. You may include any nuts of your choice, like cashews, pistachios etc.
Step by Step Process of making Besan Ladoos
Preparation:
- Proper ratio is the key to the success of this simple recipe. I always rely on the weighing scale rather than the cup measure for making ladoos. Weigh the ingredients per the recipe card.
- Slice/ chop/ crush the dry fruits(Pics #1, 2). You may also dry roast the nuts to enhance their flavor.
Roasting:
- In a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat, add about 3/4 of the ghee(Pic#3). Once the ghee melts, add in the besan (Pic#4).
- Keep stirring constantly on medium-low heat. The besan needs constant stirring on medium heat. DO NOT increase the heat as the besan may burn and turn bitter.
- As the besan cooks, it absorbs the ghee. Just keep spreading the besan with your spatula cooking on medium low heat.
- After about 7-10 minutes, add in the almond flour (Pic#8). Add in the remaining ghee and keep stirring. (Pic#9)
- After about 20 minutes, the besan turns aromatic and your whole kitchen will be filled with divine aroma of roasted besan, you’ll also see the besan starts leaving out ghee indicating it has been cooked.
- You can do a taste test to ensure the besan does not taste raw. Turn off heat, remove from the stove while still continuing to stir for at least 4-5 minutes to ensure it doesn’t burn (Pic#10).
Add Sugar, Flavor and Nuts:
- Add in the granulated sugar(Pic#11), and cardamom powder and mix well. Ensure that the sugar is incorporated well into the roasted besan. (Pic#12)
- Add in the chopped raisins and almonds and mix well. (Pic#13)
- Let this mixture rest for about 15-20 minutes or until you can comfortably hold the mix in your palm.
Binding:
- Although this seems like a daunting step, trust me once you’ve followed the ratio and roasting steps, this step will be a breeze!
- Take a tablespoon measure to result in similar size ladoos. Apply some ghee on your palm (Pic#14) and then taking the mixture in your palm, roll them into small spherical balls. (Pic#15)
- You may have to apply some additional pressure in case there are nuts and raisins in the lot that you’re binding. It will take about 30 sec-1 min to get a smooth ladoo (Pic#16)
Storing:
Store these scrumptious treats in an air-tight container and make sure they are completely cool before closing the box.
Besan ladoos can be stored at room temperature in air-tight containers for upto 3-4 weeks if the family doesn’t know it’s location 😉 else they disappear in less than a week 🙂
Related Recipes:
BESAN LADOO RECIPE (EASY, GLUTEN-FREE, HALWAI STYLE)
Equipment
- 1 Thick bottomed pan
Ingredients
- 200 grams Besan/ Gram flour Gluten-free certified
- 50 grams Almond flour Gluten-free certified
- 130 grams Granulated white sugar
- 100 grams Pure Ghee (Clarified butter)
Optional
- 1 tsp Ground cardamom
- 1 tbsp Green raisins
- 2 tbsp Sliced almonds
Instructions
Preparation
- Weigh the ingredients per the recipe card and set aside.
- Slice/ chop/ crush the dry fruits. You may also dry roast the nuts to enhance their flavor.
Roasting
- In a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat, add about 3/4 of the ghee. Once the ghee melts, add in the besan. Keep stirring constantly on medium-low heat. The besan needs constant stirring on medium heat. DO NOT increase the heat as the besan may burn and turn bitter.
- As the besan cooks, it becomes lighter and fluffier.
- After about 15 minutes, add in the almond flour, the remaining ghee and keep stirring. After about 15 minutes, add in the almond flour, the remaining ghee and keep stirring.
- After about 5-7 minutes, the besan turns aromatic and your whole kitchen will be filled with the divine aroma of roasted besan, you'll also see the besan starts leaving out ghee indicating it has been cooked.
- You can do a taste test to ensure the besan does not taste raw. Turn off heat, remove from the stove while still continuing to stir for at least 4-5 minutes to ensure it doesn't burn.
Add Sugar, Flavor and Nuts
- Add in the granulated sugar, and cardamom powder and mix well. Ensure that the sugar is incorporated well into the roasted besan.
- Add in the chopped raisins and almonds and mix well. Let this mixture rest for about 15-20 minutes or until you can comfortably hold the mix in your palm.
Binding
- Although this seems like a daunting step, trust me once you've followed the ratio and roasting steps, this step will be a breeze!
- Take a tablespoon measure to result in similar size ladoos. Apply some ghee on your palm and then take the mixture in your palm, roll them into small spherical balls.
- You may have to apply some additional pressure in case there are nuts and raisins in the lot that you're binding.
- Store these scrumptious treats in an air-tight container and make sure they are completely cool before closing the box.