Introducing the perfect snack for health-conscious individuals - dry fruits laddu! These wholesome energy balls are a popular Indian-style sweet made using an assortment of nuts, raisins, and dates. They are the perfect guilt-free snack option as they are easy to make and free of refined sugar. The natural sweetness from the dates and raisins makes these laddus a delicious and healthy treat that can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere.
Dry fruits ladoo or dry fruit laddu are delicious sweet treats made using nuts, raisins, and dates. They are made for festivals like Krishna Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, and Diwali. They are also suitable for fasting like Navratri or Shivratri. These nut laddus are rich in good fats, vitamins, and fiber, making them ideal for pregnant women.
These Indian-style energy balls are made without any sugar or jaggery. They are perfect as a healthy sweet or snack. They are sweetened using dates and come together in 15 minutes. Call them ladoo, energy bites, protein bites, or bliss balls, they are full of good fats and are a wholesome treat.
These dates laddu are flavored using ground cardamom. This laddu recipe is naturally gluten-free and sugar-free with no added sugar. They can easily be made vegan by replacing ghee with coconut oil or vegan butter.
Dry fruit laddu is great not just for the festival season, but also for parties and celebrations. They are one of the easiest Indian sweets to make at home. Follow this dry fruits ladoo recipe and make a healthy dessert in under 20 minutes to satisfy your sweet tooth.
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Why you will love this recipe?
- Sugar-free: These laddoos are a great option for people who want to avoid added sugar in their diet. These laddoos are naturally sweetened by the dates used in the recipe.
- Quick, easy, and simple: Dry fruit laddu can be made in less than 30 minutes, which makes it a convenient snack option for busy individuals who are always on the go. This recipe is very easy to follow, and requires only a few ingredients, making it a great choice for even novice cooks.
- Festive treat: Dry fruit ladoo is a popular traditional snack that is commonly made during festivals and celebrations. They make for a perfect gift or treat to share with friends and family.
PS: In case you are wondering, in India, dry fruits means nuts (cashew, almonds, pistachio, walnuts, etc. but excludes peanuts) along with dried fruits (dates, raisins, figs, apricot, etc.).
Ingredients
Dates: I use plain pitted dates to make the laddu.
Ghee: I use homemade ghee to make the laddu.
Almonds, cashew, and raisins: I add almonds, cashew, and raisins. You may add your favorite nuts of choice here. Walnuts, macadamia nuts, etc. work well.
Poppy seeds: This is an optional ingredient; however, I highly recommend not skipping it.
Cardamom powder: This adds a nice aroma and flavor to the laddu. You can replace it with nutmeg powder.
To make these laddus, I blitz pitted dates in the food processor or mixer jar. I saute poppy seeds and various nuts in a pan with some ghee. Frying the nuts gives them a nice crunch. I mix in the dates and combine them until it comes together. The dates bind the entire mixture together. While the mixture is still hot, I make small balls out of it. Done. Simple, healthy snack ready in minutes.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Roughly chop the nuts into small pieces and set them aside. You can also grind them into a coarse mixture in a food processor (image 1).
Step 2: Roughly chop the dates. Start blitzing the dates in short intervals in a food processor or mixie (images 2 and 3).
Step 3: Keep processing until they come together like a ball. This may take 3-4 minutes (image 4).
Step 4: Heat ghee in a non-stick pan and add poppy seeds. Next, add the chopped nuts (almonds and cashew nuts) and fry on medium heat. Saute until they are light brown (images 5 and 6).
Step 5: Next, add the raisins. Break the dates into pieces and add them next (steps 7 and 8).
Step 6: Keep mixing on low heat. The entire mixture will come together (images 9 and 10).
Step 7: Let the mixture cool slightly. Shape the nuts laddu while the mixture is still warm (images 11 and 12).
Useful tips
This recipe gives 12 laddus. You can double the recipe if needed.
Make the laddus while the mixture is still hot.
Make sure the dates are blitzed well else they will not bind together. Do not add any water when grinding the dates. You can use juicy dates like Medjool dates to make them, although, I have used plain seedless dates and they work well.
Desiccated coconut or coconut powder can also be used either while making the laddoos or use them as a garnish. You can also roll the laddu in chopped pistachio or any other nut of your choice.
Cardamom powder is optional, but it gives a wonderful aroma and taste to the laddus.
You can add some edible gum (gond) to these ladoos to make them wholesome. Fry the edible gum in ghee and grind them into a fine powder before using them.
This healthy laddu has a shelf life of up to one week. It can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature. Let them cool down completely before placing them in the airtight container.
If you are unable to shape the ladoos, add a little ghee to the mixture. Warm it and add one teaspoon of ghee at a time until you are able to shape them.
Apart from nuts, you can also add seeds to this dry fruit laddu recipe. Melon seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc. work well.
Click here to see how to make traditional ukadiche modak for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations.
More Diwali recipes
Click here to see more Indian dessert recipes.
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Recipe card
Dry Fruits Laddu
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates pitted
- ½ cup cashew
- ½ cup almonds
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
Instructions
- Roughly chop the nuts and set them aside.
- Chop the dates and blitz them in a food processor or mixie.
- In a frying pan, heat the ghee. Add poppy seeds and chopped nuts and fry for 2-3 minutes on medium flame until they are aromatic.
- Add raisins and stir for a few seconds.
- Reduce the heat. Add the chopped dates and mix well.
- Mix for 4-5 minutes stirring continuously on low heat till it comes together to form a ball. The dates bind the whole mixture together.
- Add cardamom powder and mix well.
- Turn off the heat and let it stand for 2-3 minutes.
- While it is still warm, make small round shapes.
- Dry fruit laddus are ready to be served or stored.
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