Laddu

Besan Laddu

Classic golden laddus made by slow-roasting gram flour in ghee with semolina, then binding with sugar and studded with cashews and cardamom. A staple of festivals, weddings, and temple offerings across India.

Prep

15 min

Cook

45 min

Total

60 min

Serves

12 laddus

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (1¾ cups) besan (gram flour), fine, freshly milled if possible
• •50 g (½ cup) fine semolina (rava/sooji)
• •150 g (⅔ cup) ghee, use a good-smelling, pure ghee; do not substitute oil
• •180 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) powdered sugar, boora/tagar style, or blitz granulated sugar to a fine powder
• •1 tsp green cardamom powder, from about 8 to 10 pods, freshly ground
• •40 g (⅓ cup) raw cashews, chopped into small pieces
• •1 tbsp raisins, optional, for a touch of chew
• •2 tbsp warm milk or water, only if mixture feels too dry to bind

Steps

1. 1 Lightly grease a wide plate or thali and a large mixing bowl; set aside. Powder the sugar if not already fine and sift to remove any coarse grains.
2. 2 Chop the cashews. Heat 1 tbsp of the ghee in a small pan over medium heat, add the cashews and raisins, and fry for 1 to 2 minutes until the cashews are pale golden and the raisins plump. Tip out of the pan and reserve.
3. 3 Set a heavy, wide kadai or thick-bottomed pan over low to medium-low heat (this gentle heat is the secret to nutty, even laddus). Add the remaining ghee and let it melt without browning.
4. 4 Add the besan and semolina to the melted ghee and stir to combine. Begin roasting, stirring constantly with a flat spatula and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan to prevent scorching.
5. 5 Continue roasting for 25 to 35 minutes. The mixture will first look wet, then dry and crumbly, then darken to a deep golden yellow and release a rich, toasted aroma. You will see a slight sheen of ghee separating at the edges. Do not rush this step; raw-tasting besan is the most common reason laddus taste unpleasant. Doneness cue: the mixture should smell nutty, not floury, and a small pinch eaten (after cooling) should taste cooked, not bitter or beany.
6. 6 Turn off the heat. Stir in the fried cashews and raisins, then the cardamom powder. Leave the mixture in the hot pan for 2 minutes so the nuts soften slightly.
7. 7 Transfer the roasted mixture to a wide bowl and let it cool to just warm, about 8 to 10 minutes. If it is still steaming when you add the sugar, the sugar will melt and make the laddus soft and sticky rather than firm; this is the second most common mistake.
8. 8 Sift the powdered sugar over the warm (not hot) mixture and mix thoroughly with a spoon, then briefly with clean fingertips until evenly combined. The texture should hold together when pressed. If too dry, sprinkle 1 tbsp warm milk or water at a time and mix until it just binds.
9. 9 While still warm, grease your palms lightly with a little ghee. Take about 2 generous tablespoons of mixture (roughly 50 g) and press firmly between your palms, shaping into a tight, round ball about 5 cm across. Press firmly so the laddu holds; loose laddus crack apart as they cool.
10. 10 Repeat with the remaining mixture, re-greasing your palms as needed. Place finished laddus on the greased plate.
11. 11 Allow laddus to cool completely at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours; they will firm up as they cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Serve at room temperature.