For a sweet holiday treat that is naturally sweetened, try my Whole Wheat Date Ladoo recipe. A wholesome vegan twist on a traditional Indian sweet made with whole wheat flour, almond flour, nuts, and dates! Soy-free + Gluten-free option.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 3 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 33 minutes
  • Yield: 12
  • Category: Dessert, Snack
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (I use atta)
  • 1 tablespoon vegan butter or oil
  • 1 tablespoon flax meal
  • 2 tablespoons almond flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or seeds from 2 green cardamom pods crushed lightly
  • 2 tablespoons chopped raw or roasted unsalted cashews
  • 8-10 dates (soft medjool dates are the best)
  • good pinch of salt

Method

  1. Roast your wheat flour in a skillet over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
  2. Keep stirring so that the flour doesn't burn. Stir occasionally for the first 5 minutes. It will get evenly hot and will tend to burn faster after 5 mins so keep stirring frequently then
  3. Once the flour starts to smell fragrant and has changed color to a significantly darker shade evenly, you can add the flax meal, almond flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and mix and add in the vegan butter.
  4. Continue to roast for another 3-4 minutes over medium heat and then take off heat.
  5. Add the dates and the cardamom to a food processor and process until the dates break down.
  6. Then add in the cashews and wheat flour mixture and process until the mixture is well combined into fat crumbs.
  7. Check to see if you can make it into even ladoo balls.
  8. If it's not sticking as much, add 1 or 2 more dates or a few sprinkles of water and then process again. Shape into balls of preferred size and store.
  9. You can store this on the counter for up to 5 days or refrigerate for a longer life for up to a month.

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.