Besan Laddu (or Ladoo) is a traditional Indian dessert made with chickpea flour, ghee (clarified butter), and sugar. This family favorite recipe is quick and easy to make, and is a great party pleaser especially during festive occasions. Lets dive in…

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Ingredients

Note: 1 cup = 240 ml

1. ¼ tsp. saffron threads – highly recommended but optional
2. 1 Tbsp. warm milk to dissolve saffron – skip if you aren’t using saffron
3. ½ cup clarified butter (ghee) plus 1 tsp. to grease your palms
4. 1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
5. ½ cup granulated sugar
6. 2 Tbsp. chopped pistachios – optional if you have nut allergies
7. ¼ tsp. cardamom
8. A pinch of nutmeg – optional

Kitchen Tools

1. Small cup/bowl
2. Heavy bottom pan
3. Flat ladle
4. Medium size mixing bowl
5. Spoon
6. Plate

PREPARATION (with step-by-step photos)

Step 1 – Mix ¼ tsp. saffron threads into 1 Tbsp. warm milk and set aside in a small cup/bowl

Adding saffron gives a rich color and subtle flavor to besan laddu

Step 2 – Pour ½ cup ghee in a heavy bottom pan and set it on medium heat

Step 3 – Add 1 cup chickpea flour and using a flat ladle, mix and mash continuously to even out all the lumps

Step 4 – Keep stirring for about 6 minutes (or less depending on the heat of the stove) until you start to see froth on the top

Step 5 – Continue to stir for another 6 minutes or until the raw smell of the chickpea flour goes away

Note: Roasting time will vary, especially if you’ve adjusted the quantities. Over or under roasting the chickpea flour will ruin the taste of besan laddus. It is important to pay attention to the aroma; you can also do a quick taste test to check that the chickpea flour does not have any raw flavor to it.

Step 6 – Turn off the heat and pour this creamy mixture into a medium size mixing bowl

Step 7 – Add ½ cup sugar, 2 Tbsp. chopped pistachios, ¼ tsp. cardamom powder, a pinch of nutmeg (optional) and the saffron mixture to the chickpea cream set aside earlier in the mixing bowl

Step 8 – Give this a good mix with the flat ladle until well incorporated into a dough

Step 9 – Grease your palm with ½ tsp. of ghee

Step 10 – Scoop a spoonful of chickpea dough onto your greased palm and start to squeeze into a ball. At this point the dough is very hot and making perfect balls may not be easy for everyone. So make imperfect balls and set aside on a plate

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Step 11 – When you are done with the entire batch, regrease your palm with the remaining ½ tsp. of ghee and smoothen the edges to make perfect balls. Allow them to cool off for about 5 minutes and enjoy your sublime besan laddus 😋

Besan laddus are a great make-ahead dessert since they store well in room-temperature for up to 2 weeks

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Besan laddu recipe making experience

Besan laddu is rich in calories and irresistible in taste. I can hog on them all day long 🙂 My first attempt at creating this recipe ended up with a crumbly mixture and I had to eat the laddus with a spoon. I later realized I’d made a couple of mistakes. First, I had reduced the amount of ghee and sugar to half the called-for measure as I was watching my weight back then (new moms will relate to me here) Second, I couldn’t handle the heat of the dough to quickly make them into balls. My mom was with us for one of the Diwali celebrations and she advised that it was okay to make imperfect balls while it was still hot. The heat, ghee and sugar help the mixture stick together and hold its shape. I could then come back to make the laddus smooth and round when the outside of the balls have cooled off slightly.

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Related Recipes

• Coco-Choco Nut
• Kozhakattai

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