Besan Ladoo or Besan Ke Laddu is a popular, best, and easy Indian sweet recipe prepared using gram flour (besan or chickpea flour), ghee, and sugar. These laddus are served or distributed to friends and family during special occasions and festivals such as Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, and Holi.
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What is Ladoo?
Ladoo or laddu is a famous round-shaped Indian sweet prepared mainly using flour, ghee, and sugar. You have various laddoos available in India, from the most renowned Tirupati laddoo to rava ladoo made with suji or semolina, coconut ladoo with coconut flakes and sugar, almond laddu, urad dal ladoo, atta ladoo made using whole wheat flour, motichoor ladoo, and I can go on. Among all of them, we love besan ladoo the most.
Any festival like Diwali, Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Janmashtami, Holi, Raksha Bandhan (Rakhi), or special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries, weddings, etc., is incomplete without ladoos.
In India, there is a famous saying, "muh meethha kardo, laddu kilao" which means sweeten one's mouth by feeding laddus, especially when one shares a piece of good or happy news.
What is besan ladoo?
Besan ladoo is an Indian round dessert ball or bite made using besan, also called chickpea flour or gram flour. The besan is first roasted in homemade desi ghee, and then sugar is added to it, which is then shaped into round balls.
I like smooth besan ladoo. You can add semolina or suji or finely chopped dry fruits and nuts for a crunchy texture.
Ingredients
Besan: 2 types of besan are avaialble in market. One is the besan flour used to make pakoras which has a fine texture, and another one is the ladoo besan coarse variety. You can use any of them to make the besan laddu.
Sugar: Powder the granulated sugar and use it in the recipe. Traditionally halwais or mithai shop uses bura or boora, especially while making ladoo or peda. Boora is made by boiling sugar to desired consistency and then stirring it continuously as it cools down, which converts sugar to tagar or bura. Ghee or clarified butter is also added while making it, which gives it a nice aroma and is thus highly recommended while making these Indian sweets.
Ghee: Always use homemade desi ghee or premium quality ghee if possible for best results.
Cardamom: I grind the cardamom pods along with sugar. It is mainly added for flavor.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Which besan is used for ladoo?
I have tried making besan ladoo with fine and coarse flour and have had successful results. Use whatever is available in your pantry. Now if you want halwai style or mithai shop laddus, then use coarse besan flour, also available as ladoo besan.
Tips to make the best besan ladoo at home
Roasting besan or chickpeas flour
Roasting Besan or Chickpea flour is the first and essential step that gives you the perfect laddus. You have to saute till the chickpea flour is aromatic and golden brown. If you do not saute the flour properly, the rawness of the flour will spoil the laddu's taste, and if overdone, the laddus will have a burnt bitter taste. Timelapse video on roasting besan flour to make ladoo.
Continuous stirring on low flame
You will have to stir the besan and ghee mixture continuously for even roasting and prevent burning at the bottom. If you feel the mixture is extremely hot at any point, take it off the flame to immediately lower its temperature. Always keep the flame medium-low to low. You will need a lot of patience to do this recipe.
Cooking time
The cooking time depends on the thickness and material of the pan used, the flame's intensity, the texture of besan flour, and other factors. When you feel the besan smells aromatic and turns golden, you have to stop cooking the mixture.
Adding sugar
Add sugar and mix once the mixture cools or at least 10 minutes from the time you have switched off the flame. Adding the sugar immediately when hot may melt and ruin the mixture, i.e., you cannot form balls out of it.
Pro Tips to avoid common mistakes for beginners (worth reading)
Kitchen blooper
I am not an expert like a halwai, when preparing Indian sweets. Even I have failures in my kitchen, I always share tips with my readers to be helpful if they are making any recipe for the first time. When I tried this recipe for the first time, I made it in an aluminum pan, just like my mom did for all Indian sweets. I followed exactly the recipe below. I went by the time mentioned (about 20 to 25 mins ), and believe it or not, it hardly took a few seconds for the mixture to turn from golden to dark brown, leaving behind a bitter after-taste. The mixture got ruined. I had no choice but to discard it altogether.
The second time, I did it in a nonstick pan and all the exact measurements. The mixture reached the final state, i.e., golden brown, in exactly 15 minutes. After I switched off the flame, I continued stirring the mixture for another 2 to 3 minutes. Then, I waited for the mixture to cool entirely and saw how it changed from a liquid to a thick consistency. Finally, I added the sugar and mixed it. I shaped them into balls.
I am terrible at making good round-shaped laddoos. So if you are like me, try to form a rough ball and keep it aside for it to firm up. After 5 to 10 minutes, gently roll them again to form a smooth round shape. Don't wait longer than 10 minutes; else, the ladoos will set completely.
Step-by-step instructions
Roasting Besan Laddu Mixture
Step 1: Heat ghee in a nonstick pan or kadhai on medium-low flame. Once the ghee is hot and melted, add besan and keep stirring on medium-low flame.
Step 2: If you see any lumps, ignore them. After a few minutes, the besan will loosen up, and then it will form a smooth paste. To make this laddu, you will have to keep stirring to roast it evenly and avoid burning from the bottom. Always keep the flame medium-low to low.
Step 3: After a few minutes, it will slowly start changing its color. The flour will absorb all the ghee and turn into a thick mass. As you continue to saute, the consistency of the mixture will be like a liquid.
Step 4: Eventually, the mixture will turn from light yellow to golden and becomes aromatic. It took me 15 minutes. You will have to switch off the flame at this point.
- Please don't go by my timing because the time it takes to reach the final stage will depend on the pan used, the intensity of the flame, etc. Check my video on how to make besan ladoo to get a clear picture. (Depending on the brand and texture of besan, the quality of ghee, the mixture may be of paste-like consistency, sometimes watery or a solid mass too. All these are just normal. All you have to concentrate on is roasting and making it airy, aromatic. )
- Removing the mixture at the right time is very important. Else it will burn.
Step 5: Stir the mixture for another 3 to 4 minutes once you switch off the flame so that the temperature drops quickly and doesn't cook further.
- Let the mixture cool completely. You will see that the consistency slowly changes from liquid to thick paste as it cools down.
- To know if you have roasted chickpea flour right, taste it. If it is raw, it means it is undercooked. If it is nutty, then it is perfectly roasted, and if you have roasted it for a longer time than needed, there will be a bitter aftertaste.
How to make ladoo from the mixture?
Step 6: Add sugar and cardamom powder in a mixer or blender and blend it to a fine powder. Once the mixture has cooled down, add the powdered sugar and mix.
Step 7: First, mix using a spoon. Then use your hands to mix so that the powdered sugar is well incorporated. The warmth in your hands will help in binding all the ingredients.
Step 8: Finally, take a small portion of the mixture and shape them into balls of the desired size. I got around eight lime-sized laddus.
Step 9: If your laddu does not look round, don't worry. First, form a rough ball using the mixture. Shape them gently after 5 to 10 minutes by rolling them between your palms to form a smooth ball. Don't wait for too long, as the laddus will set, and you may find it difficult to reshape.
Garnish with crushed pistachios or dried rose petals or edible silver leaves/vark.
Store, Make ahead.
- Store the besan laddu in an airtight conatiner for up to two weeks. You can refrigerate them for up to two months. Just warm for a few seconds before serving if needed.
- You can make besan laddu ahead of time and store it during festivals like Diwali. This laddu is a perfect addition to mithai or sweet boxes that are often distributed on special events such as Diwali, Christmas, Birthdays, Christening or Naming Ceremonies, Weddings, etc.
Besan Ladoo with Jaggery
You can use store-bought jaggery powder instead of sugar, and it works fine with the recipe. To adjust the sweetness, you may have to add a little extra amount of jaggery.
Recipe FAQs
Roasting besan on high heat, not stirring continuously, will burn the mixture making your besan turn bitter, and laddos will turn raw from the inside. Roast the besan always at medium to low flame till you get a nutty aroma. Taste test once you have finished roasting the besan. If you still feel it's raw, you will have to continue roasting for a few more minutes. The time it takes to roast besan will vary based on the thickness of the pan, the intensity of the flame, etc.
First, you should allow the mixture to cool down for 10 minutes before adding sugar. If you add sugar to a hot mixture, it will melt and make your mixture liquid which will not allow you to bind them into balls. Use the right amount of ghee mentioned in the recipe.
Super smooth ladoo using fine besan will stick to teeth and mouth while eating. Also, if the besan is not roasted correctly, it will stick to your mouth. To avoid this, you can use a coarse variety of besan and also note the brand of besan you are using because every brand will give you different results.
Besan or Chickpea flour has a glycemic index of around 10 and is therefore diabetic friendly. By substituting regular sugar with monk fruit sweetener or sugar alternatives, the laddus below can be made diabetic-friendly.
Add 2 to 3 tablespoon of semolina or sooji OR use coarse sugar OR laddu besan flour (coarse version) to get crunchy besan laddus.
A single serving of besan laddu contains 157 calories with 3g of protein.
More Ladoo Recipes
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Recipe card
Besan Ladoo Recipe | Besan Ke Laddu
Equipment
- 1 Nonstick pan or Kadai
Ingredients
- ½ cup Sugar
- 2 Cardamom pods
- ¼ cup Ghee
- 1 cup Chickpea flour or Gram flour or Besan
- Pistachios, vark, or dried rose petals for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Preparing Besan Laddu Mixture
- Add sugar and cardamom powder in a mixer or blender and blend it to a fine powder. Keep this aside.½ cup Sugar, 2 Cardamom pods
- Heat ghee in a nonstick pan or kadhai on medium-low flame. Once the ghee is hot and melted, add besan and keep stirring on medium-low flame. If you see any lumps, ignore them. After few minutes, the besan will loosen up, and then it will form a smooth paste.¼ cup Ghee, 1 cup Chickpea flour or Gram flour or Besan
- To make this laddu, you will have to keep stirring to roast it evenly and avoid burning from the bottom. Always keep the flame medium-low to low.
- After a few minutes, it will slowly start changing its color. The flour will absorb all the ghee and turn into a thick mass. As you continue to saute, the consistency of the mixture will be like a liquid. Eventually, the mixture will turn from light yellow to golden and becomes aromatic. It took me 15 minutes. You will have to switch off the flame at this point.
- Please don't go by my timing because the time it takes to reach the final stage will depend on the pan used, the intensity of the flame, etc. Check my video on how to make besan ladoo to get a clear picture. (Depending on the brand and texture of besan, the quality of ghee, the mixture may be of paste-like consistency, sometimes watery or a solid mass too. All these are just normal. All you have to concentrate on is roasting and making it airy, aromatic. )
- Removing the mixture at the right time is very important. Else it will burn.
- Stir the mixture for another 3 to 4 minutes once you switch off the flame so that the temperature drops quickly and doesn't cook further.
- Let the mixture cool completely. You will see that the consistency slowly changes from liquid to thick paste as it cools down.
- To know if you have roasted chickpea flour right, taste it. If it is raw, it means it is undercooked. If it is nutty, then it is perfectly roasted, and if you have roasted it for a longer time than needed, there will be a bitter aftertaste.
How to make Besan Ladoo?
- Once the mixture has cooled down, add the powdered sugar and mix.
- If you add sugar when the mixture is hot, it will melt and ruin the mix, and you will not be able to make ladoos.
- First, mix using a spoon. Then use your hands to mix so that the powdered sugar is well incorporated. The warmth in your hands will help in binding all the ingredients.
- Finally, take a small portion of the mixture and shape them into balls of the desired size. I got around eight lime-sized laddus.
- If your laddu does not look round, don't worry. First, form a rough ball using the mixture. Shape them gently after 5 to 10 minutes by rolling them between your palms to form a smooth ball. Don't wait for too long, as the laddus will set, and you may find it difficult to reshape.
- Garnish with crushed pistachios or dried rose petals or edible silver leaves/vark.Pistachios, vark, or dried rose petals for garnish
- Store them in an airtight container and serve as and when required.
Video
Notes
Store, Make ahead.
Store the besan laddu in an airtight conatiner for up to two weeks. You can refrigerate them for up to two months. Just warm for a few seconds before serving if needed.You can make besan laddu ahead of time and store it during festivals like Diwali. This laddu is a perfect addition to mithai or sweet boxes that are often distributed on special events such as Diwali, Christmas, Birthdays, Christening or Naming Ceremonies, Weddings, etc.
Besan Ladoo with Jaggery
You can use store-bought jaggery powder instead of sugar, and it works fine with the recipe. To adjust the sweetness, you may have to add a little extra amount of jaggery.Nutrition
Note: We originally posted this recipe in July 2021. It has now been modified in August 2023 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, Video, Stepwise pictures etc.
Anjali
Besan ladoo is one of my favorite recipes from my childhood but I never knew how to make it from scratch at home! I can't wait to try your recipe soon!
Toni
It was a huge hit with my family! Thanks for sharing!
Claudia Lamascolo
Wow this is a work of art and thank you for taking the time to teach us... this is so special and much appreciated
Kathryn
I've never heard of this but it looks delicious! I can't wait to try your recipe. Thanks for the easy step-by-step instructions, that will be super helpful!
Kate
So pretty and really wonderful flavours - a big hit in our house, thanks for the recipe!