Peanut Laddu (Shengdana Ladoo)

How about a recipe for smooth, delicious ladoo with an otherwise crunchy, munchy legume? Yes, that’s peanuts for you, with the Peanut Laddu recipe. Made with just 2 ingredients, that are, roasted peanuts and jaggery, these lovely Shengdana Ladoo are really easy and quick to make. At home, you can have these as a yummy sweet snack or even as a light dessert post your meals. Whatever you choose to do, make sure you make many of these ladoo as these are quite addictive.

About Peanut Laddu

There’s always a jar of roasted peanuts at my home. You will see a jar on the shelves, by default. Apart from snacking on them, I also make the Peanut Ladoo quite often.

It is definitely possible to prepare your Peanut Laddu in umpteen ways. Either solely with peanuts or with the addition of more ingredients like coconut, sesame seeds or nuts.

These ladoo are also referred to as Shengdana Ladoo in Marathi, Groundnut Laddu in English and Singdana Laddu or Mungfali ke Ladoo in Hindi.

Thats because Peanuts are also known as shengana, singdana, mungfali in these languages. They are also called Groundnuts in English.

This particular recipe of Peanut Laddu has only 2 ingredients – peanuts and jaggery. Begin by just roasting the peanuts. Then, grind it with the jaggery powder and you’re pretty much sorted.

Also, this is a similar way of making peanut butter at home. Just that for the ladoo, the peanuts are not ground too much. Enough, so that the mixture is able to hold itself when shaped into a ladoo.

Speaking of storing these ladoo, you can keep them in an airtight jar for about a week at room temperature. If you want to keep them well for a longer time, then refrigerate the Peanut Laddu in airtight boxes. This way, the ladoo will last for about 15 to 20 days.

This Shengdana Ladoo recipe can be easily scaled as well for a larger batch, and I would say you prepare more ladoos since these will become an instant favorite with all!

Have these ladoo just as they are as a mid-day snack, pack it in your tiffin boxes or finish your meals with it – these are only spheres of happiness at all times!

How to make Peanut Laddu

Roast Peanuts

1. Heat a thick bottomed frying pan on skillet. Keep the heat to low or medium and add 1 cup raw dried peanuts.

2. Stirring at intervals, begin to roast the peanuts.

3. Keep roasting till the peanuts become crunchy. The peanuts should not have even a bit of rawness in them. They should be roasted very well.

Cool and taste a few peanuts. You should not feel even a bit of hardness or rawness while eating them.

If yes, then continue to roast for some more minutes. You can even roast/toast the peanuts in an oven.

4. Once the peanuts are roasted well, remove the pan from the stovetop and let the peanuts cool to room temperature.

5. When the peanuts cool to room temperature, rub them between your palms, so that their skin peels off.

Do this with all the peanuts. This part of peeling peanuts takes some time.

Make Shengdana Ladoo Mixture

6. Now, add the peanuts in a grinder jar.

7. Add ⅓ cup jaggery powder or grated jaggery. You can add more jaggery if you want.

8. Run mixie or grinder for a few seconds and then stop. Check the consistency. Continue in the same way, till you get a coarse consistency in the peanuts. 

You can also use the pulse option in your grinder. You have to run the mixie in parts till a bit of oil releases from the peanuts.

Take a small portion of the mixture in your hands and then press. It should hold shape and not crumble.

Don’t grind at one stretch or grind too much as then much oil will be released from the peanuts and you will get peanut butter.

9. Take the ladoo mixture in a plate or tray.

Make Peanut Ladoo

10. Now, take a small portion of the ladoo mixture in your palms and shape it into a ladoo.

11. Make peanut laddu with the rest of the mixture.

12. This recipe yields 10 to 12 ladoo. The recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. Store ladoo in an airtight jar.

If living in a warm or humid place, then keep the jar in the refrigerator. If living in a cool or cold climate, then you can keep at room temperature.

13. Serve healthy Peanut Laddu plain as a sweet snack.

Expert Tips

1. You have to roast the peanuts well – till they turn crunchy and don’t have even a bit of hardness or rawness in them. The roasting can be done in an oven as well. Make sure to use peanuts that have not become rancid and are within their shelf period.
2. While grinding the roasted peanuts, make sure to run the grinder/mixie in parts till a little bit of oil releases from the peanuts. Remember not to grind at a stretch or for too long, as then you will eventually have peanut butter.
3. Make sure to also check that whether with the ground mixture you are able to form ladoo. For this, take a small portion of the mixture in your hands and press. If it is holding its shape and not crumbling, it’s ready to be shaped into ladoo.
4. Peanut Ladoos have to be stored in an airtight jar. If you are living in a place with warm and humid weather conditions, then refrigerate the jar. If staying in a place with colder weather conditions, then keep the jar at room temperature.
5. With this specific recipe, you will get about 10 to 12 ladoo. You can make more by doubling or even tripling the same recipe.

This Peanut Laddu recipe post from the archives first published in August 2016 has been republished and updated on 21 July 2022.