Tasty Besan Ladoo or Besan Laddu is a sweet delicacy made with chickpea flour, clarified butter, sugar, powdered cardamom, and nuts. It is one of the most loved sweets and is made popularly during festive occasions in India or even otherwise. They taste out of the world and are so addictive that you can't seem to have enough of them. Frankly, it was my first attempt at making it. I have although had it many times. It is one of my favorite sweets. This can be made with regular chickpea flour or coarse chickpea flour and sold in stores by the name Besan Laddu flour.
Why is the besan ladoo so popular and loved?
- The combined taste of the nutty besan flour, ghee, and sugar with some nuts is just awesome and a must-try for those who have never tried it.
- They are great celebration sweets for any festivals and get-togethers.
- They have a long shelf life and can be stored in an air-tight container for about two weeks and can be refrigerated for longer periods.
- They are easy to make once roasted perfectly, all you need is to add sugar and nuts and roll them.
How to make tasty Besan Ladoo?
To make tasty besan ladoo, one of the important things to pay attention to is to roast the chickpea flour thoroughly. If not roasted well, you can taste the raw flavor of the chickpea flour and that can spoil the taste. It also requires constant stirring on a low flame, to roast the flour continuously. Some recipes require roasting the chickpea flour along with the ghee for half an hour. This process is tedious and a little tricky as we need to cook the flour evenly as it gets pasty and you need strong arms to keep stirring continuously.
Useful tips to make the Besan Ladoo
Dry Roast the flour
The easiest way for first-timers attempting this would be to dry roast the flour for about 15 minutes till it loosens up, flows freely, and gives a nice aroma. Next, add the ghee or clarified butter and then roast for another 15 minutes till you get a nutty flavor and a nice aroma. It is much easier to make the laddus using this process and worked out perfectly for me.
Rolling the Besan Ladoo
The other tip to remember is, to roll the balls while the mixture is still warm and you are able to handle the heat to get a nice round shape. Do not worry if the shape is not a perfect round and flattens. You can always re-shape it after it cools. The idea is to get the first round shape when it is still warm so it can come together.
Besan Ladoo Preparation
Now that you learned all the tips and tricks, let us recap how to make besan ladoo. You start with roasting the chickpea flour for about 15 minutes. Next, add ghee and continue roasting for another 15 minutes. Once you get the tell-tale smell and nutty flavor stop the stirring. Transfer it to a flat plate, and cool it. After a few minutes when it gets a bit cool, add powdered sugar and chopped nuts. Mix them well. As soon as you can handle the heat, start rolling into a round ladoo shape. Add a little ghee to your inner palm when rolling.
Can you use the microwave to make the Besan Ladoo?
I have also heard about many recipes that use the microwave to prepare these laddus and claim to be a shortcut that uses less effort and time. I'm sure that method would work for busy folks. I will be trying that soon as well and create a post on that.
If you liked this ladoo, you may also like to try the rava ladoo recipe with coconut, or you may prefer the healthier no-sugar dates laddu.
Thank you for reading, and happy cooking!
Besan Laddu
Ingredients
- 2 cups chickpea flour besan or coarse flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar powdered
- 2 tbsp cashews powdered
- 1 tsp cardamom powdered
- ⅔ cup clarified butter or ghee
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed pan dry roast the chickpea flour on a low to medium flame for 15 minutes taking care not to burn.
- Add the ghee or clarified butter and roast for another 15 minutes until it becomes a paste and you get a nutty flavor.
- Transfer into a plate and cool by spreading with a spoon .
- Add the powdered sugar after it is kind of cool and mix evenly.
- Add the powdered nuts and cardamom powder.
- Take a small scoop and roll into small balls using your palm when it is still medium hot and your hand is able to handle the heat.
- The ball may not retain the round shape and so you may need to redo it get a nice round shape. Cool it for a while .Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Besan Ladoo is among the most delicious dishes prepared during Diwali that one can ever imagine. The images you have shared reflect Besan Laddoos that are truly soft and simply melt in the mouth. I love it when my mother makes these Laddoos for Diwali. Keep sharing more sweet recipes for Diwali.
Yes I agree it is one of the most delicious sweets for Diwali ! Thank you so much for the wonderful comments .It does inspire me to keep going!
EPIC sweet of India...
Looks absolutely NOMNOM Nisha 👍
Thank you Jyo, somehow missed your comment .
Besan laddoos are alway sa favorite!
Sure Sandhya, most people usually love this laddu and a favorite of many.Thank you for stopping by and the comments!
Love these beautiful , melt in the mouth laddoos Nisha ! Will try them soon 🙂
Thanks a lot Smitha, yes you are absolutely right they just melt in the mouth .I would love to hear how they turned out !
Besan Laddu, never heard of this at all! Sounds interesting, and would be cool if you could use the microwave if pushed for time. Fantastic up-close shots, looks yum! 🙂
Glad you like it Caz. Yes indeed I heard it's quite simple and uses less time using the microwave, hopefully will try that next time . I enjoyed taking the close up photos. Thanks so much for the appreciation!
My favourite and always first choice over any other sweets.😋
Thank you so much , glad to know that it is your favorite among all the sweets!
Woow yummy. I love colorful pots
Thank you so much Deepa , glad you liked it!
Wow! Love these beautiful melt-in-mouth golden laddu, they look so tempting and make my mouth water. 🙂
Thank you so much for the wonderful comments!
I love chickpeas! Why is it I never knew the made chickpea flour....lol I would love to taste these and your little candles are gorgeous!
We use chickpea flour in Indian cooking for a variety of sweet and savory dishes. The laddus are rich as it uses clarified butter , but tastes really good ,wish I could send some your way. Thank you so much Diane for the wonderful comments!