Besan ladoo

Name: Besan ladoo
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 200 g chickpea flour, coarse besan if available; 100 g ghee; 120 g icing sugar; 6 cardamom, seeds finely ground; 15 g pistachios, chopped (optional); 15 g almonds, chopped (optional)

Vegetarian

बेसन लड्डू · besan laddoo

Gram flour slow-roasted in ghee until deeply nutty, then mixed with sugar and cardamom and rolled into melt-in-the-mouth balls. A Diwali essential.

Besan ladoo is an Indian sweet, ready in about 50 minutes and made with chickpea flour and ghee. It serves 14 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

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Prep: 10 min
Cook: 25 min
Rest: 15 min
Total: 50 min
Serves: 14
Level: Easy
Calories: 151

Ingredients

14 ladoos

200 g Chickpea flour (opens in a new tab), coarse besan if available
100 g Ghee (opens in a new tab)Swap: Coconut oil (Plant-based; firmer and less traditional in flavour.)Contains milk
120 g Icing sugar (opens in a new tab)Bura or fine caster sugar can be used.
6 (1 g) Cardamom (opens in a new tab), seeds finely ground
15 g Pistachios (opens in a new tab), chopped (optional)Contains tree nuts
15 g Almonds (opens in a new tab), chopped (optional)Contains tree nuts

Equipment

Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Melt the ghee (opens in a new tab) in a heavy pan, add the gram flour (opens in a new tab) and roast on low heat, stirring constantly, for 20–25 minutes until it turns golden-brown, smells nutty and becomes loose and glossy.
- 25 min
- low heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
Don't rush with higher heat — raw besan tastes bitter and burnt besan can't be saved.
2
Step 2
Transfer to a bowl and cool until warm but comfortable to touch.
- 15 min
3
Step 3
Mix in the powdered sugar (opens in a new tab), cardamom (opens in a new tab) and nuts. Take a tablespoon of the mixture and press and roll firmly into a smooth ball. Repeat.
- 10 min
If the mixture won't hold, add a teaspoon of warm melted ghee.

About this dish

Origin: North India, India · Commonly attributedAlso popular in PakistanMore food from India
Dish: Dessert · Snack · Sweets & confectionery · Desserts
Cooking method: Toasted
Taste: sweet, nutty, buttery
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-sodium
Without the optional extras: No nut ingredientsWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Festive & celebration · Make-ahead · Portable / lunchbox
Cook more with: Chickpea flour · Ghee · Icing sugar · Cardamom
Techniques: Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee
Contains, can be adapted: Tree nutsfrom pistachios, almonds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

151 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 30 g · recipe makes 14

Where the energy comes from

Protein 8%
Carbohydrate 44%
Fat 48%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	151 kcal	503 kcal
Protein	3.2 g	10.7 g
Carbohydrate	16.9 g	56.1 g
Net carbohydrate	15.3 g	50.9 g
Sugars	9.9 g	33 g
Added sugars	8.4 g	27.9 g
Fibre	1.6 g	5.2 g
Fat	8.1 g	26.8 g
Saturated fat	4.5 g	15 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	18 mg	61 mg
Sodium	9 mg	31 mg
Salt equivalent	0 g	0.1 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 122 mg
Calcium: 7 mg
Iron: 0.7 mg
Magnesium: 24 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 60 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 62 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: pistachios, almonds.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

If the mixture is too dry to shape, add warm melted ghee a teaspoon at a time.

Common mistakes

Adding sugar while the besan is hot melts it and the ladoos turn sticky.

Serve with

Serve with masala chai or pack in boxes as festival gifts.

Storage

Keeps 2 weeks in an airtight tin at cool room temperature.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Chickpea flour, coarse besan if available200 g
Ghee100 g

Used in step 1

Reviews & corrections

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