So how do you know if the besan is roasted?

As besan roasts, you will get a heavenly aroma. But the most important test is the colour changes from batter changes colour from yellow to deep amber an unmistakable hue. The batter stops being lumpy smoothes out.

How can I fix excess ghee in Besan Ladoo ?

Ooh! been there and have really rued not being patient and adding the extra ghee. Do not worry there is a solution. Take another wok, add some more chickpea flour and roast on low flame till you get a good aroma and the colour changes. Please remember not to add any ghee to this chickpea flour. Once done cool and add it to the batter especially if you have added sugar to the batter already. You will have to add some more powdered sugar to bring up the sweetness of the batter.

What will happen if I over roast the besan and ghee?

While it is important to roast the besan properly on low flame it is also important that you do not over roast the besan. You will get a burnt smell for the ladoos and they will taste weird. Also, remember that the heat of the pan will also continue cooking the besan.

Sep 9, 2021 58 Comments

Besan Ladoo Recipe

Name: Besan Ladoo Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 cups besan/split bengal gram flour ( coarsely ground); 1 ½ cups powdered sugar; 1 ¼ cup ghee/clarified butter; ½ teaspoon cardamom powder; Nuts and raisins

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A classic, traditional Indian sweet! A great choice for prasadam or just an afternoon snack.

Besan Ladoo a dessert that is a must for any festivity. — Besan Unde

A ladoo that does not need much expertise to make is made from besan or Bengal Gram flour and ghee or clarified butter. Besan Ladoo is made for any festival or special occasion also called Besan laddu or Besan Unde! In fact, festivities are incomplete without them. Besan Unde uses pantry ingredients chickpea flour (besan), clarified butter and sugar! Toss in a few dry fruits and you have a yum Besan Ladoo, a round ball of magic that melts in your mouth.

You can also check some other ladoos like Tambit, Easy Semolina Laddoo. But like me, you may prefer a chakli before a cup of tea.

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Besan, unde, Laddoo, oondi, — This is Besan Laddu

Besan Ladoo and me

As a child, any festival meant one delicious laddoo made from besan, and anytime, anyplace used to be “Unddi” time! Something we used to try and eat as many as we could lay our (grubby) hands on as kids.

I remember for my aunt’s wedding when laddoo and avalakki (poha) was made at home the entire clan sitting to make these balls of delicious sweet both Besan Ladoo and Rava Ladoo. I must have been about 5-6 years old. I helped too, eating quite a few as they were being made!

One of the many traditional recipes that granny made the best. Mine gave me 2 because I was her favourite but now I think they were smaller than the regular ladoos she made.

Besan Ladoo‘s shelf life is 2-3 weeks so they were our travel companions too. My mom carried them in steel containers while travelling. The heat of the train journey used to melt the ghee and we had one big lump in the container. Even on the train, she made the ladoos for us. However, the results of eating too many of them are tummy upsets. We have some hilarious memories of the mishaps we had while travelling and too many laddoos.

Why make MSK recipe?

Like most other recipes on my blog this recipe is

Easy
Delicious
Gluten-free
Kids love them
double up as a snack and dessert

How to make Besan Ladoo:

Ingredients:

You will need these ingredients for exact measures please check the recipe card.

Besan or chickpea flour
Clarified buutter/ghee
Powdered white sugar
Green cardamom or elichi
Dry Fruits
Optional ingredients: Sooji or rava is added to Besan Ladoo to give it a slight crunch. But then these ladoos are called Rava Besan Ladoo.

Substitutes:

I have seen recipes using oil in place of ghee. I will not recommend it but you are welcome to try it out.
Use nutmeg and cardamom as flavouring agents.

Method:

In a thick wok add clarified butter and besan on low flame start heating the mixture stirring constantly.
You may need to add more clarified butter about ¼ cup but go easy add about 2 tablespoons at a time. Resist the temptation to add more clarified butter.
After about 20-25 minutes the batter changes colour from yellow to deep amber and the aroma is heavenly.
Switch off the gas and let it cool fully.
Meanwhile, grind the sugar and cardamom the nutmeg piece if you plan to add it in the mixer to a fine powder.
Mix the powdered sugar mixture in the cooled besan mix this forms a dry dough but when squuezed comes together.
Check for sweetness, add more sugar or flavourings if needed.
Now make small balls of the mixture and stick a nut and raisin before rolling it into a smooth ball.

Storage:

Your laddu stays good for 3 weeks if stored in an airtight box.

Laddu a sweet that is very commonly made in the Indian subcontinent — Unde….

For Your Questions

Pro-tips:

Ideally use coarse chickpea flour to make ladoos.
Ghee or clarified butter whileI prefer my homemade ghee you can try the commercial ones. I have used Govardhan Brand and quite liked it.
Roasting the besan is the most important job. Low flame and lots and lots of patience.
Stir constantly this is not a heavy-duty stirring but a job that gives you fantastic results. If the besan is not roasted properly the ladoos will taste raw and will be bitter. This is your crucial step.
Cooking on low flame and patience this is most important . The low heat cooks the besan properly. If you increase the heat then the flour does turn amber yellow, brown but it will be raw. Your ladoo will taste bitter.
Your besan and clarified butter/ghee mixture should be like a paste and not runny. But if needed add 1 tablespoon at a time.
Lastly, let the besan cool completely before you add the sugar. I generally do my roasting in the evening. Then next day add the sugar and make my ladoos. This way the batter cools completely. Adding sugar in warm batter messes up the batter and you cannot shape the ball.Do roast on low flame and stir constantly.
You can add the nuts and raisins to the dough and mix it up and then make the ladoos. What happens is a disappointment as the. nuts and rasins are not evenly distributed.

Frequently asked questions:

So how do you know if the besan is roasted?

As besan roasts, you will get a heavenly aroma. But the most important test is the colour changes from batter changes colour from yellow to deep amber an unmistakable hue. The batter stops being lumpy smoothes out.
How can I fix excess ghee in Besan Ladoo?

Ooh! been there and have really rued not being patient and adding the extra ghee. Do not worry there is a solution.
Take another wok, add some more chickpea flour and roast on low flame till you get a good aroma and the colour changes.
Please remember not to add any ghee to this chickpea flour.
Once done cool and add it to the batter especially if you have added sugar to the batter already.
You will have to add some more powdered sugar to bring up the sweetness of the batter.
What will happen if I over roast the besan and ghee?

While it is important to roast the besan properly on low flame it is also important that you do not over roast the besan. You will get a burnt smell for the ladoos and they will taste weird. Also, remember that the heat of the pan will also continue cooking the besan.

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Recipe Card: