Rava ladoo (aka suji laddu) is a traditional and popular Indian sweet recipe made from semolina (rava/sooji), coconut, ghee, sugar, cardamom powder, and nuts. Perfect for festive occasions, celebrations, and potlucks.
Ladoo is a classic, delicious Indian dessert/sweet enjoyed during festivals or after a hearty meal. It is made with a variety of ingredients like flour, sugar, desi ghee, and dried fruits. It has a rounded appearance and a rich, sweet flavor.
If you look around and explore, you will come across various ladoo recipes. For instance, besan laddoo, coconut ladoo (with condensed milk), dry fruits ladoo, boondi ladoo, and more. Today, I am sharing my daughter's favorite laddoo recipe. It is called the Rava laddoo recipe.
I fondly remember how my dad and I would crave something sweet, and my mom would make rava unde (as we call it in Kannada). After finishing our meals, we'd rush to the kitchen to enjoy this delightful treat together.
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What Is Rava Ladoo?
Rava laddoo, also known as Semolina Ladoo, Sooji Ladoo, Suji Laddu is an Indian sweet treat that is made with rava (semolina), sugar, ghee, and some nuts to give the required crunch. It is enhanced by some cardamom powder or saffron strands. It is delectable, and making it at home is quite a cakewalk, too.
Other delicious recipes made with rava include rava kheer, sooji halwa, and rava upma.
Ingredients
- Rava: Use fine rava (sooji/semolina) variety, also known as chiroti rava. It is available in any Indian grocery store.
- Desiccated coconut: Adding desiccated coconut is optional. However, it gives a nice texture and flavor. If you don't have desiccated coconut, you can also use freshly grated coconut.
- Ghee: Homemade ghee is used for roasting dry fruits and rava. If you are vegan, use neutral oil for roasting.
- Sugar: I used refined sugar in this recipe.
- Cardamom powder: I made freshly ground cardamom from 3 whole green cardamom pods.
- Mixed nuts: I used cashews and raisins for this sweet dessert. You can also use almonds and pistachios.
- Milk: Milk is used to bind the ladoos together. Suppose you are vegan, use coconut milk or almond milk.
How to Make Rava Coconut Ladoo
Heat ¼ cup ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan or kadai over medium-low heat.
Add 2 tablespoons cashews, and roast until it turns light golden brown. Then add 2 tablespoons raisins and saute until they plump up. Then, remove the nuts and store them aside.
Next, add 1 cup of fine semolina (rava) and roast it until it turns aromatic on medium-low heat. Make sure not to change the color of the rava. Stir constantly to avoid burning and even roasting. This should take about 4-5 minutes.
Then add ¼ cup desiccated coconut, and roast for another 2-3 minutes.
Add ¾ cup powdered sugar and mix everything well.
Next, add ¼ cup of milk to the pan, and cook the mixture for 1-2 minutes on low heat, stirring continuously until it slightly thickens.
Add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder and roasted nuts, and mix everything together.
Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool slightly until it is warm enough to handle. Mix everything together.
Grease your palm with some ghee. Then, take a small portion of the mixture in your hand and shape it into a ball by pressing and rolling it between your palms. You can adjust the size according to your preference. You will get around 15-16 medium ladoos.
If the ladoo mixture is dry and not binding well, add 1-2 tablespoons of warm milk. Mix until you can shape a ladoo easily without it crumbling apart.
Enjoy rava laddus immediately, or once they cool down completely, store them in an airtight container for a few days.
Rava Laddu Serving Suggestions
Rava ladoos can be enjoyed on their own as a sweet treat or serve as an accompaniment to Indian meals during festivals or get-togethers.
You can also serve it with a cup of masala chai or coffee for a tea-time snack.
Storage Suggestions
Cool the rava laddus completely before storing them in an airtight container.
They stay good for up to 1 week when stored at room temperature in an airtight container. If you don't use milk, you can store them for up to 2 weeks at room temperature.
To extend their shelf life, you can refrigerate them. However, the texture may vary slightly on refrigeration.
You can freeze the rava ladoos for up to 1 month in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag. Thaw them to room temperature before serving.
Expert Tips
- Rava Variety: Always use a fine variety of rava (semolina) to make this ladoo for a melt-in-mouth feel. If you have coarse or medium rava (Bombay rava) in hand, you can still make them. First, roast the coarse rava until aromatic, cool it down, and pulse the roasted coarse rava using a blender/grinder for a few seconds until it turns a finer texture.
- Roasting Rava: Always roast rava on medium-low heat until aromatic. Make sure the rava doesn't change its color. This enhances the flavor and prevents the raw taste of the rava in ladoos.
- Adding Milk: Adding milk helps to achieve the desired texture when making ladoos. If you don't want to use milk, add a little extra warm ghee while shaping the ladoos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make rava ladoos vegan by substituting ghee with coconut oil and dairy milk with non-dairy substitutes such as almond milk, or coconut milk.
Yes, you can use jaggery instead of sugar in laddoo. It will add a rich and caramel-like taste to the sweet treat while also making it a bit healthy.
Yes, you can definitely skip desiccated coconut, if you prefer. It's optional. Adding it will give a nice flavor, texture, and aroma.
Yes, you can use fresh grated coconut to make the rava coconut ladoos. If you are using frozen coconut, just thaw it before using them.
To be honest, problems can be many. However, the most popular reason is if your mixture is too dry or lacks enough ghee, it will not set or bind. Always add enough ghee or warm milk to avoid this kind of situation.
It is best to shape the laddoos when the mixture is warm and not hot. Wait until the mixture gets slightly cooled down to avoid burning your hands.
More Indian Dessert Recipes
Rava Ladoo (Sooji Laddo)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup ghee
- 1 cup fine rava (semolina/sooji)
- ¼ cup desiccated coconut
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 2 tablespoons cashews
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
- Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan or kadai over medium-low heat.Add the cashews, and roast until it turns light golden brown. Then add raisins and saute until they plump up. Then remove the nuts and store them aside.
- Next, add the fine semolina (rava) and roast it until it turns aromatic on medium-low heat. Make sure not to change the color of the rava. Stir constantly to avoid burning and even roasting. This should take about 4-5 minutes.
- Then add Desiccated coconut, and roast for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix everything well.
- Next, add ¼ cup of milk to the pan, and cook the mixture for 1-2 minutes on low heat, stirring continuously until it slightly thickens.
- Add the cardamom powder and roasted nuts, and mix everything together.
- Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool slightly until it is warm enough to handle. Mix everything together.
- Grease your palm with some ghee. Then take a small portion of the mixture in your hand and shape it into a ball by pressing and rolling it between your palms. You can adjust the size according to your preference. You will get around 15-16 medium ladoos.Note: If the ladoo mixture is dry and not binding well, add 1-2 tablespoons of warm milk. Mix until you can shape a ladoo easily without it crumbling apart.
- Enjoy Rava Laddus immediately, or once they cool down completely, store them in an airtight container for a few days.
Nutrition
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