besan ladoo recipe with step by step photos. besan laddu is a popular ladoo made from gram flour, powdered sugar and clarified butter (ghee).
it is one of the popular ladoo variety often made during festive occasions. besan ladoo is easy and healthy sweet which is made all over india.
i know, 2 ways of making besan ladoo
- in the first method, the besan or gram flour is roasted in ghee till it starts giving a nutty fragrance. this method has a slightly different texture. it is easy but with the ghee added first there is too much handwork required while stirring the ladoo mixture. its a slightly tricky recipe and may not be suitable for beginners.
- another very common method used in north india is to dry roast the besan or gram flour first and then add the ghee after some time and roast it further till it start giving nutty fragrance. this method i have learned from my mil who is making besan ladoo since ages. as per my experience, this is a more foolproof method and the taste and texture of the ladoo also comes better than the first method. i have shown this method in this post.
overall, besan ladoo is easy to make and they are very nutritious and healthy. since they are also loved by most kids. so you can make them in bulk and store in air tight container. apart from them you can use besan to make other popular diwali sweets like mysore pak, 7 cup burfi, besan halwa and motichoor ladoo etc.
few tips for making besan ladoo
- while making besan ladoo, its important to roast the besan (gram flour) well, till it starts releasing the ghee and also will starts giving nutty fragrance. if you add sugar into the gram flour before it is roasted well, then the uncooked gram flour will have a raw taste in the ladoo and you won’t get the perfect sweet taste in the ladoos.
- also roast the gram flour on low flame and keep on stirring continuously.
- once you add the sugar then stir continuously so that no lumps are formed.
- to make besan laddu more healthy, you can add dry fruits like almonds, raisins, cashews or pistachois. they are also good during the winters.
- if you are unable to form besan ladoo even when the mixture has cooled completely, then keep the mixture in the fridge for 20-30 mins. the ghee will solidify a bit and you will be easily able to form the ladoos.
i have shared 26 ladoo recipes on the blog. this besan ladoo is one of the most popular ladoo recipes on blog along with coconut ladoo, boondi ladoo and rava ladoo.
how to make besan ladoo
1. dry roast the besan or chickpea flour in a kadai or a pan in a low flame. stirring often so that besan gets browned evenly and does not burn.
2. the besan still being roasted and after 11-12 mins, the color has changed. when you are roasting the besan, melt the ghee and keep aside.
3. then add the melted ghee and stir well.
4. mix well and continue to stir for about 5-6 minutes. it will start releasing ghee and will give a nice fragrant aroma. if you add the sugar before the besan is cooked fully then your besan ladoo will have the taste of uncooked besan and won’t be tasty. so wait for these two signs (nutty fragrance and besan will release ghee) before adding sugar in the next step.
5. remove the kadai or pan from the stove and keep down. add the powdered sugar or boora and stir well so that no lumps are formed. you will get the best taste in besan ladoo with boora which is easily available in indian markets.
6. add the raisins and stir well.
7. let the besan mixture become warm or cool down and then shape into medium-sized ladoo.
8. store besan ladoo in an airtight container and serve when required.
Besan Ladoo
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups besan (gram flour)
- ½ to ⅔ cup ghee (clarified butter) - add more ghee, if required
- 1 cup powdered sugar or boora
- 4 green cardamoms - powdered in a mortar-pestle
- 1 or 2 tablespoon golden raisins
INSTRUCTIONS
roasting besan
- dry roast the besan in a kadai or pan on slow flame for about 11-12 mins.
- keep on stirring continuously right from the beginning. so that the besan is not burned and so that there is even browning.
- while roasting the besan, melt the ghee and keep aside.
making besan ladoo
- after 11-12 minutes of total roasting time, add the melted ghee and continue roasting the besan for some more 5-6 minutes stirring continuously.
- the besan would start to give a nice nutty fragrance and will start releasing ghee.
- once you get a strong nutty fragrance then switch off the fire.
- remove the pan from the stove and keep down.
- add powdered sugar or boora. for best taste use the boora.
- stir well so that no lumps are formed.
- add the powdered cardamom and raisins. you can also add chopped dry fruits at this stage. stir well.
- once you have mixed the ladoo mixture well then let it cool down to room temperature.
- make small or medium-sized besan ladoo and store them in an airtight container.
Hello Dassana 🙂
Great blog,great recipes ..
For how many days do these laddoos stay good..??
hi ashley, thanks a lot. besan ladoo stays good for a couple of months.
Hello Dassana!
as I said in my last comment, I have made the ladoos following your recipe.
First I made some ghee, then I made boora by following some videos; mine turned out too clumpy, and it took me ages to break apart, until I realized I could use a blender…
I roasted kishmish and cashews in ghee to give them some more taste, and I used a lot more than you suggested, as they seemed too little for the amount of flour.
Anyways, I set off roasting the besan flour, and added the ghee after a while as you suggested.
Now the problems started arising; I made exactly 3/4 cups of ghee, but even though I added all of it, the flour just absorbed it all right away and was incredibly crumbly.
Yours looked like a paste, but no matter how much I mixed, it would still be crumbly. I should have made more ghee!
I added the sugar and had a hard time melting it in the dough, but finally managed it, trying to mix and squish the crumbs.
After adding cashews, raisins, and cardamon, and mixing them in, came the hardest part.
The dough looked like it dried up even more and there was no way it could hold its shape, so my mom suggested to add some water and work it as a standard dough.
I was pretty discouraged after nothing I made looked like your pictures, and I was unsure about adding water, but I didn’t have many other possibilities.
So I went on and managed to form balls, adding more water when required.
From start to finish, it took me about 4 and a half hours… I’m that slow.
After they cooled down I tried them out, and well… I didn’t like them. Nor did my parents. I felt pretty bummed at this point, after all that work and following directions, the result wasn’t even satisfying.
Two days later, I brought one to work to let my indian colleague taste it, and tell her about how I failed completely; yet, to my surprise, she actually liked it and ate all of it!
Apparently everything was OK and adding water after cooking didn’t affect the taste or the consistency.
The next day I ate two of them in a row, and then I stopped liking them once again. I guess I’m just not used to the taste.
I had some relief, I managed to make some besan ladoos after all, I simply don’t like them and gave them all to my colleague 🙂
I hope you don’t mind these long comments!
Thanks for the recipes,
D
hi D, you can write long comments. no issues there. i feel here it is more of the tastes we have grown up with and accustomed too. the sugar was the culprit. i also grind sugar in a blender or grinder and never have any issues. the sugar powder has a fine texture and not at all clumpy. good to read that your colleague approved of the taste and texture and liked them. this means that the besan ladoo has turned good. some water and milk can always be added if the ladoo do not bind well. welcome.
Hello Dassana,
I was updated on the ladoos, and even her family liked them and wished there were more! That’s very surprising because, as she tells me, she’s the only one to eat indian sweets when travelling back to India whereas her family doesn’t want them.
Maybe it was the surprise of finding ladoos far away from home!
Is there any way to embed a picture in the comments? Maybe Amit could help here 🙂
Do you have any simple recipe to suggest that I can do with the leftover chickpea flour?
Thanks,
D
hi D, thanks for replying back. there is way pictures can be embedded in the comments, but we don’t implement as then the page becomes heavy to load with many images from the readers. as it is adding step by step images also makes the pages heavy.
there are many recipes that can be made with chickpea flour. the most easiest is to make chilla (similar to a pancake). these are savoury pancakes made with onions, tomatoes, spices and herbs. you can omit any spice or herb if you do not have them. chilla recipe is here – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/besan-cheela-recipe-besan-chilla/
i also make pakora with bread of vegetables like potato, onions, cauliflower etc. they are easy to make. pakora are fritters made with chickpea flour or gram flour. all pakora recipes here – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/pakora-recipes-pakoda-recipes/
i am also sharing a collection of recipes that can be made with chickpea flour on this link – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/besan-recipes/
hope this helps. happy cooking.
Hello Dassana,
wow, so many dishes I couldn’t even imagine!
I’m discovering a world, here.
I see, the page already contains many images, and procedural loading helps a lot.
I will try out the chilla, it looks inviting and easy to make; I only have to buy cumin, fresh ginger, and coriander.
I will report the results, thanks!
p.s.: if I posted a link to an image hosted elsewhere, would it be picked up by the automatic comment filter, or can I do that? I could use Imgur to host pictures and just add a link in the comment
D
hi D, thank you. yes, making the chilla will be the easiest. i hope you like the taste. it is savory and spiced. sure do let me know.
if a link is posted, the comment filter directs it to spam. it is the software that we use. many times even simple comments from readers without any links go in the spam folder. i am not sure what the program detects as spammy. i will check your comment from the spam folder and remove it. so you can add an imgur link in the comment. but later when replying, i will have to remove the link so as to tell that the program that is not a spam.
I have never seen a ladoo before, so, I was wondering, how wide is a medium-sized ladoo? Two centimeters across… about? The one in the photo looks huge, perhaps four centimeters across, but I think it more likely that you have delicate hands. I want to make this and want to do it right.
a medium-sized ladoo will be about 4 to 4.5 centimetres. the ones in the photo are not huge and about the 4 to 4.5 centimeters. hope this helps.
Thanks Dassana… I tried making these laddos today and they were so amazing ! I’ve tried so many of your recipes.. and they always turn out so nice.
Thanks a ton !!
I have tried this recipe earlier. Buy it never turned out so perfect. I used organic jaggery. It is perfect and yummy. When I added ghee, its consistency was bit loose, once I added jaggery, it was perfect. Thanks a lot.
I’ve recently started cooking and being a vegetarian, your blog has become my go to option for anything and everything. Every single one of your recipe is awesome and really easy to prepare. Thanks a lot
thanks a lot lekshmi. so glad to read your feedback. wish you all the best. thanks again and happy cooking.
Excellent recipe.
I follow your blog and tips for better cooking.
thank you ruma. glad to know. happy cooking.
Your recipes are so fine n yummy easy to cook with step by step process…my family loves it. I was not knowing the cooking but to cook with your step by step .learned to cook n my cooked food is loved by everyone.
Thanx to you..
that is great megha. thanks for sharing. anyone can learn to cook, if guided well. i am happy that recipes and the step by step instructions are helpful. thanks again. wish you all the best.
Hi ,
I tried the recipe exactly as guided by you.. i found it very easy to make as you have given all the steps in detailed.
Color, texture and binding all the phase become easier by watching steps…the only problem which i found is in content of ghee which on higher side in my laddo which make it little heavy…
Thanks
thanks neha for the detailed feedback and rating on the besan ladoo recipe. i am glad that the pictures and the steps were helpful. ghee has different viscosity and texture depending on the type of milk and also on how it is made. so next time you can add a little less ghee and still the besan ladoo will taste good.
Very nice recipe
thanks.
Hi,
I made this using the 2nd method. I found the 2nd method a lot easier. So thank you.
Though mine came out really good, I was surprised to see that it was not yellow like yours. I also added ground coconut and almond flour to mine for added texture, and omitted the raisins, since I don’t like raisins. I’m guessing that’s why mine did not release the Ghee as your recipe suggested. Also, I used the basan, mine still has that slight chickpea taste to it. As I already had ground cardamom, I use that rather than grinding my own. Have you any suggestions for me, for the next time I try it? Also, do you have a Modak recipe I can try? I don’t have the Modak mould.
indira, you can roast the besan for some more minutes to get a more deep yellow color and also for the slight besan taste to go away. i guess the color was not yellow as both coconut and almond flour were added and this is also the reason that ghee was not visible. you can add some more ghee and sugar when adding additional ingredients to keep a balance in the ratio of ghee, sugar and besan. cardamom can be ground beforehand and then added. hope these tips help.
i have shared some modak variations. you can use the search icon and get the particular recipe. for the modak made with rice flour cover, you can just shape them into balls with the sweet stuffing aside. for modak made with khoya, you can shape them like peda or barfi. kindly check the following collection of modak recipes – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/modak-recipes/
Hi Dassana,
Thank you so much for your clearly written recipes with pictures. I made this ladoo recipe but could not form the ladoos as the mixture was too grainy and would not stick together in a round form. Could it be due to the texture of the besan? I used lado besan which was courser grind than the powdered besan.
Nandini, could be because of the texture of besan. so you need to add more ghee.
Hi
I always try ur recipe at home and my family members love it and appreciate
Thanks to u
thanks arpa. nice to know that your family members like the recipes. welcome and happy cooking.
Hi
Thanx for all your recipes. You actually tend to make cooking look simpler for people like me who are not agreat cooks :P.
Thanx a ton. This simple recipe helped me a lot
Best wishes
thank you smriti. so glad to read your comment. best wishes to you too and happy cooking.
Hi ,
Thanks for the recipe.
welcome.
You make my life so easy! Every time I need to make something new I just come here. The method is so detailed and easy to comprehend that not one of your recipes fail me! Thank you so much and God bless you. Keep posting
thanks a lot sri. so glad to read your comment. i hope you enjoy making these besan ladoo as much as i enjoy them. happy cooking. wish you a happy diwali.
Thank you,It’s an easy and perfect recipe for a beginner like me…I made it
thanks a lot. glad that you liked the besan ladoo recipe.
I tried it 2 times,it’s really tasty n easy recipe,thanks for sharing,keep posting new ones,best luck n happy Diwali to u n ur family
thanks a lot kalpana. wish you and your family also a happy diwali.
Hi, tried your ladoos, followed the recipe yet they tasted a lil bit raw n stuck in my mouth..what am I doing wrong
nimmy, the besan has to be roasted well. if it is not roasted well, then the ladoos can stick in the mouth. so while roasting use heavy kadai and roast till the besan changes color and become aromatic. a slight darker color is also fine. roasting besan takes time. its better to roast properly rather than having half roasted besan. also stir the besan non-stop after it begins to change color. hope these tips help.
I just love it.. besan ladoos…N making thise recipe in diwali is just fun..N help mom ????for make it, she also will be happy..????thank you.. N happy diwali.thank you..☺????
welcome nikita and wish you too a happy diwali.
Thanks Dassana for the detailed recipe…laddus came out well. Every one in my family liked it.
I have tried making laddus many times but they always turned out undercooked or burnt.
This time they came out really good. Thanks once again. Keep up the good work.God bless.
Tried so many recipes. This receipt is so easy and perfect. Nothing less nothing more
thanks a lot sonali.
I did exactly as u said, but the laddoos have bitter taste.. Dont know y and what to do.. I didn’t over roast, or under roast.. Added extrasugar also.. What might be the reason
bitterness could be if the besan flour has got spoiled or on the verge of getting spoiled or the ghee has gone rancid. too much browning can also make laddu bitter but as you mention you did not over roast it, so either the besan or ghee is the culprit.
Hi,
I have been following your blog from quite some time but this is the first time I am posting a comment. 🙂 First of all, thank youfor your effort for posting the recipes both in text and then with pics. I am a blogger myself so know how time consuming can this be. Now coming to ladoos recipe. Usually my mom makes besan ladoo for me and hers come out this way exactly. This time I thought I’ll give this a try . I did everything as suggested in the post. In fact since I have failed once as I burnt the besan. I used a heavy bottom kadai, slow flame and stirred continuously for more than 30 mins – first 20 mins without ghee and next 20-25 with ghee. Though the color looks exactly the way it should, I feel the taste of besan is still little bit raw. I am not sure why is it so.
Thanks
Aditi
thanks aditi for the understanding. for roasting besan, it depends on the type of kadai used. when i say type, i mean the heavy indian kadais, be it aluminium or cast iron work very well for recipes when besan or wheat flour has to be roasted. the kadai has to be heavy. it looks like the besan is not getting roasted. just increase the flame sightless. you can keep it medium low and roast the besan. the color should change. a darker color of besan is also fine, but it should not be raw or kaccha. so try again roasting the besan for some more minutes keeping the flame to medium-low.
and wish you all the best in your blogging journey.
Hi
Hope you are doing well .
I tried it and as usual it came out damn good . Your recipies are really simple and makes me wonder ‘ am i really this good at cooking?’
Coz I never got a chance to cook and when I had to ….. I found you and life is sorted since then .
Thank u soo much for sharing your recipies with all of us .
Love
Vidhi
Welcome Vidhi. I am fine and hope the same for you. Glad to know that recipes are coming out well and adding to your confidence in cooking. Thanks for your sweet and positive feedback.
I always wanted to prepare besan ladoo and today I was able to prepare the best ever ladoos with your recipe.If you correctly follow this recipe then the ladoos will come out like the ones shown in the picture.I was really happy and surprised to see the results.Thank you so much for the detailed recipe and pictures.It was very informative also!
Welcome Akhil. Glad to know that this recipe helped you in making besan ladoos. Its an easy recipe. Do try some more recipes and thanks for this awesome feedback.