Make these nutrient-dense delicious almond ladoos with your choice of sweetener - jaggery, sugar or dates. You can make these with either whole almonds or store bought almond flour.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 15
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almonds ((or 1¼ almond flour))
  • 1 cup dried coconut ((optional - copra/ unsweetened shredded coconut))
  • 1 cup jaggery ((cut down if you omit coconut, adjust to taste))
  • ⅓ to ½ teaspoon green cardamom powder ((adjust to preference))
  • ¼ teaspoon dried ground ginger (optional)
  • 1 cup almonds ((or 1¼ almond flour))
  • 1 cup dried coconut ((optional))
  • ½ cup organic sugar ((cut down if you omit coconut, adjust to taste))
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or powder as needed (or use cardamom))
  • 2 tablespoons raisins ((optional))
  • 2 tablespoons pistachios (chopped - optional)
  • 2 tablespoons ghee (optional)
  • 380 grams (18 to 20) organic Medjool dates (or any soft deseeded dates)
  • 1½ cups organic almond flour ((I use fine blanched flour, read notes))
  • ⅓ to ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ((if you want use cardamom instead))
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

  1. Roast almonds: Dry roast almonds on a medium flame until they begin to smell roasted. Remove to cool down and roast coconut until aromatic. Cool down and grind both to a powder.
  2. Recipe 1 - With jaggery: Add the jaggery, ginger and cardamom. Grind until the mixture comes together and turns slightly greasy. Do not overgrind. Taste test and add more jaggery if you want. Take portions to your hand and roll to almond ladoo.
  3. Recipe 2 - With sugar: Powder sugar finely and mix together with the almond mixture and vanilla/cardamom. Heat a pan with ghee and fry the chopped nuts and raisins until the raisins turn plump. Pour it to the mixture and mix with a spoon, later with hand. Take portions of this and roll to balls. If the mixture is dry, add some hot ghee or milk.
  4. Recipe 3 - With dates: Dry roast almond flour for 4 to 5 mins and cool down. Heat the dates in a pan or in the oven (7 to 10 mins at 350 F /175 C, no preheat needed) until really hot.
  5. Cool down and add them to a food processor with cinnamon and vanilla. Process until the dates break down and combine with almond flour. Take portions and roll to balls (makes about 20).
  6. Store badam laddu in an airtight jar and handle with moist-free hands.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.