Boondi ladoo recipe with step by step photos – a delicious and popular Indian sweet made from besan (gram flour) batter.
These ladoos are called boondi ladoos, since the batter is poured through a ladle or sieve with perforations while frying. These give rise to round shaped droplets, called as boondi (derived from the word ‘boond’ in hindi which means water droplets).
There are two types of boondi ladoos. one is a soft textured one and the other is a crisp hard one. Both these ladoos have some variations in the method and the consistency of sugar syrup, thus yielding different textures. this recipe give a soft textured boondi ladoos.
How to get round shaped boondis in boondi ladoo
The method to make boondi ladoo is similar to making Motichoor ladoos. just remember that the consistency of the batter should be right, to get round shaped boondis. Also, if you can and if you have the means, use a boondi ladle (an equipment meant for specially making boondis) to make the boondis.
If you use a regular perforated ladle, then you won’t get round shaped boondis. When you add the batter and spread it, the first batch gives a round boondi. Keep on spreading and you do not get round shaped boondis. Thats what happened when I was making this. Making these is a bit tedious and towards the end I started loosing my patience 🙂
Round or not so round boondis, but they taste good and get over soon. Store the boondi laddu in an air tight jar once done and they stay good for a couple of days. To keep for a longer time, about a week in the refrigerator. You can also fry the boondis in ghee instead of oil.
Hopefully, for Ganesh Chaturthi, I plan to make ganesha’s naivedyam tomorrow and if possible also plan to post them. I pray that lord ganesha gives me the energy and creativity to do so. Wishing all who celebrate a happy Ganesh Chaturthi and may lord ganesha bestow peace, prosperity and wisdom on all.
How to make boondi ladoo recipe
1. Take all the dry ingredients for the boondi batter in a mixing bowl – namely, gram flour & saffron powder
2. Add water to make a smooth batter. The consistency of the batter is important. We will check if the consistency is right, by frying a few boondis. The amount of water to be added depends on the quality of gram flour.
3. Tap the wired whisk or the handle of a spoon which has a bit of batter in to the hot oil.
4. the boondis should have a round shape. If they become flat, the batter is thin and if they get tail ends, the batter is thick. If thin, then add a bit of gram flour and check by frying a few boondis. If thick, then add a bit of water and then do the same test. Once you get the correct consistency, proceed with the next step of frying the boondis.
5. Meanwhile, mix sugar and water in a pan.
6. Keep the sugar solution on stove top on a low heat.
7. Cook the sugar syrup, till you get a one thread consistency. Switch off the flame. Keep the sugar solution aside. The sugar syrup should be hot when you add the boondis. So you can keep the sugar solution on a hot water bath. Meaning place the pan on a plate or tray filled with hot water.
8. You can fry the boondis and prepare the sugar solution side by side. Thats what I did. Take a dry perforated ladle/jhara and place it above the hot oil. Don’t keep too much on a height, as the batter droplets, when falling from a height, do not give a round shape.
9. With a spoon add some batter on the perforated spoon ladle/jhara.
10. Spread the batter lightly with a spoon. Finish up the batter on the perforated spoon ladle this way.
11. Fry the boondis till they are cooked. Don’t make them crisp or over do the frying. When the oil stops sizzling, remove the boondis. This step is also important because if boondis becomes crisp then the ladoos won’t be soft and they won’t be able to absorb the sugar syrup.
12. After each batch, wipe the perforated ladle/jhara with a clean piece of thin cotton kitchen towel from both sides.
Making boondi laddu
13. Strain the boondis well with a slotted spoon and then add them directly to the hot sugar syrup. Fry all the boondis with the above method and then add them to the sugar syrup.
14. Finally add a melon seeds (magaz), cardamom powder, black cardamon seeds and a pinch of edible camphor (optional). Add ghee also. Ghee helps in binding the ladoos. I added about ¾ tbsp of ghee later.
13. Mix well and shape the boondi mixture into laddos.
14. You can place the boondi ladoo in small muffin liners. You can also garnish the boondi ladoo with raisins or cashews. Serve the boondi ladoo as naivedyam or bhog to lord ganesha.
Note: if you want to make any food for deities then please refrain from tasting or smelling it. Also make it with lot of devotion, cleanliness and peaceful state of mind.
More Ladoo recipes For the festive occasion:
Boondi Ladoo
Ingredients
for the sugar syrup
- 1.5 cups sugar
- ¾ cup water
for boondi ladoo batter
- 1.5 cups besan (gram flour or chickpea flour)
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon water or add as required - the amount of water to be added depends on the quality of besan
- 2 pinch of crushed saffron or saffron powder
- 6 green cardamoms crushed to powder in a mortar-pestle - about ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 tablespoon melon seeds (magaz)
- 2 black cardamoms - seeds kept and the husks discarded
- 1 pinch edible camphor (optional)
- ¾ tablespoon ghee to be added or ghee for applying on your palms for shaping the ladoos
- oil for deep frying the boondis
Instructions
making sugar syrup for boondi ladoo
- Mix sugar and water in a pan. Keep the sugar solution on stove top on a low heat.
- Cook the sugar syrup, till you get a one thread consistency. Switch off the flame. Keep the sugar solution aside.
- The sugar syrup should be hot when you add the boondis. So you can keep the sugar solution on a hot water bath. Meaning place the pan on a plate or tray filled with hot water. You can fry the boondis and prepare the sugar solution side by side. Thats what I did.
making boondis for boondi ladoo
- Take all the dry ingredients for the boondi batter in a mixing bowl - besan/gram flour & saffron powder.
- Add water to make a smooth batter. The consistency of the batter is important. We will check if the consistency is right, by frying a few boondis.
- Tap the wired whisk or the handle of a spoon which has a bit of batter in to the hot oil. The boondis should have a round shape.
- If they become flat, the batter is thin and if they get tail ends, the batter is thick. If thin, then add a bit of gram flour and check by frying a few boondis. If thick, then add a bit of water and then do the same test. Once you get the correct consistency, proceed with the next step of frying the boondis.
- Take a dry perforated ladle and place it above the hot oil. Don't keep too much on a height, as the batter droplets, when falling from a height, do not give a round shape.
- With a spoon add some batter on the perforated spoon ladle.
- Spread the batter lightly with a spoon. Finish up the batter on the perforated spoon ladle this way.
- Fry the boondis till they are cooked. Don't make them crisp or over do the frying. When the oil stops sizzling, remove the boondis.
- This step is also important because if boondis becomes crisp then the boondi ladoos won’t be soft and they won’t be able to absorb the sugar syrup.
- After each batch, wipe the perforated ladle with a clean piece of kitchen towel from both sides.
making boondi laddu
- Strain the fried boodi well with a slotted spoon and then add them directly to the hot sugar syrup. Fry all the boondis with the above method and then add them to the sugar syrup.
- Finally add a melon seeds (magaz), cardamom powder, black cardamon seeds, ghee and a pinch of edible camphor (optional).
- Ghee helps in binding the boondi ladoos. I added about 1 tbsp of ghee later.
- Mix well and shape the boondi mixture into ladoos
- You can place the boondi ladoos in a small muffin liners. You can also garnish the boondi laddu with raisins or cashews.
- Serve the boondi ladoo to lord ganesha.
Wow !!!
Perfect Recipe …..
Need triple the quantity and i just triple the ingredients ….. came out perfect.
great and thanks for sharing this feedback. most indian sweets recipes can be easily doubled or tripled. thanks for the rating too.
Hi dassana,
I love your recepies n they have made believe that I can serve good too… N this Diwali you are the inspiration for me attempting to make my son’s favourite boondi laddo …I would like to know for how long do these stay fresh …the shop ones go bad in few days.
thanks madhura. boondi ladoo stay good for a week in a cool or cold climate. but in a warm and hot climate, i would suggest to keep boondi laddu in the fridge.
This ladoo recipe is very easy and tasty.
thanks savita.
I tried making these ladduoos as my son loves them. It turned out to be so yummy much tastier than the store bought. Thank you so much for sharing the receipe.
Welcome Salitha. Glad to know that you liked boondi ladoo recipe.
I tried your recipe and it came out PERFECT! It was my second time. My first time I tried some other recipe and it was a disaster. I didn’t know how to fix the issues, which you explain so well.
It was easy and fun. Thank you!
Welcome Uma. Glad to know that details in the boondi ladoo recipe helped you. Its a slightly tricky to make these ladoo but once you get the knack then they are easy to make. of course fool proof recipe helps a lot.
I just made this and it came out perfect! 🙂 This was my second time trying bundi laddu and I gained a lot of confidence from your simple instructions about how to check for batter consistency and how to fix the issues. My first time, I tried some other recipe, it had no instructions about what to do if bundis don’t come out ok. My mother said to me, it’s not worth making, don’t waste your time. But I paid no attention to her, I just made it and it came out PERFECT! THANK YOU!
Hi…
Id like to make meethi boondi..donn wanna bind dem into laddos..shall I follow dis recipe till making bundi part..vl it wrk? Or do u suggest sm changes in d sugar syrup?
I tried ur aata cake recipe..for d first tym i had made cake which had a boiling liquid 🙂
But it turned out to be one of d best cakes i hv ever made..
Thnks for d luvly recipes..dey turn out wow 🙂
Please read “shal u follow” as shal I follow”
Typo dere
sure 🙂
thanks vine for the review on the atta cake. for meethi boondi, you can use this recipe. but just that there is no need to bind the boondis. no need to change anything in the sugar syrup. if you want, you can take 1/4th cup more of besan.
Thank you very much for boondi laddoo recipe and many others that you post. The recipes are amazingly accurate. God bless you.
thanks a lot mona for your feedback as well as kind wishes.
Thank u for easy receipe …it was very tasty and yummy ?
thanks for the feedback ashwini.
Ma’am ur recipes are easy to follow and the pictures are a great help. the recipes always turn out to be tasty.
the sugar in this recipe crystallized and the boondis were big in size. moreover the boondis were not sticking together during shaping. plz point out what we did wrong.
thanks ananya. sugar syrup will crytallize if it cools down. so you have to keep it hot or warm. thats why the sugar syrup needs to placed in a bowl or plate of hot water. if the boondi ladle or channi used has large holes, then the boondis will be bigger. looks like the sugar syrup is not cooked to the one thread consistency. hence the boondis are not able to stick. what you can do now is on a low flame, keep the pan with the boondis and the sugar syrup in it. stirring often cook for a few minutes. let the mixture become warm and then shape into ladoos.
thank u sir
welcome 🙂
excellent!!!!
thanks bharathi for positive feedback.
My boondis are becoming flat…i dont understand y they r not puffed up…can u tell d reason
the batter has become thin. add some more teaspoons of besan to get the right consistency.
Hi
I tried this recipe . I face problems with sugar syrup. I never get this one thread consistency . It’s always like sugar in water even though I cook for 40 mins . Is it bcoz I use cane sugar . Can u suggest wat sugar to use ?
strange. 40 minutes is a long time to get one thread consistency. which brand cane sugar you use. i get one thread consistency even with regular sugar and organic unrefined cane sugar.
I use cane sugar available at Safeway. Do U think it could be bcoz of incorrect proportion of water n sugar. Please tell about the water: sugar ratio.
i have never heard of this brand. could be that this brand is not available in indian markets. the water just has to cover the sugar. so usually for lets says about 1/4 cup sugar, 1/8 cup water. when i get time and properly settle down in this new place and house, i will try to add the various sugar syrup consistencies.
Its a very helpful for us,so thank you miss
welcome harjinder 🙂
Can I omit the camphor as I cant find that? Is there another way to keep these laddoos for longer without a fridge? Thanks again for the recipes.
yes you can omit the camphor. in cold climates, fridge is not required. otherwise fridge is needed.
Thanks for the recepie i tried at home and its beautiful done
welcome and thankyou priyanka 🙂
Really great n good indian recipes ….
बहुत ही मजे़दार रेसिपी हैं ….
thankyou (dhanyawad) rayna 🙂
Amazing laddoos
awsome ladoos
I love this recipe step easy to make
thankyou Pratik 🙂
I love this recepie…so easy n so yummy…thanx a lot for sharing dis…..:-)
welcome dr mamta
Superb… beautifully explained..
thanks charu
Awesome.
All the recipes are simple and tasty thank you.
welcome.
Hi Dassana, Great Recipe as usual with wonderful photos. Regarding both motichur as well as boondi ladoo, you have used black cardamom seeds. Is this usually added to ladoos or is this your unique take on ladoos?
in the north & west these are added to ladoos, especially motichoor ladoos. in fact when i was a kid, i would love these seeds so much in the ladoos, i would always wonder what they are. now i know. so whenever we would buy motichoor ladoos, i would make sure they had these black seeds on them.
Thanks Dassana for your feedback ! Being a Tamilian,I’m so used to adding green cardamom seeds for almost all sweets that I found it strange to see black cardamom seeds. Hence I wanted to double check ! Once again…awesome recipe. I will be making this or motichoor ladoos for Diwali using your recipe ! 🙂
welcome radhika. enjoy the ladoos during diwali festival.
Hi Dassana, In the ingredients list green cardamom is mentioned twice. Thought you might want to check on that
thanks a lot radhika for pointing this out.