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These fudgy Coconut Ladoo are super simple, have just 5 ingredients and perfect for Indian Festivals like Diwali or Dussehra. Vegan and Gluten-free
Dussehra is just around the corner! As with every Indian festival, there are several stories around why it is celebrated and several ways to celebrate it depending on region as well. Read more about it here.
Every year, we try to keep up the cultural celebrations, and there is always this fear that eventually all will be forgotten. The nuances of each and every Pooja, the stories, the decorations, the customs etc tend to get lost with the generations. Also, with the change in our dietary choices, the discussions and celebrations tends to affected as well. Every year, I try to recreate vegan versions of some Indian sweets so if anyone is visiting, I have something to offer to them apart from fruits :). And we can continue to discuss the festivals, stories etc without getting into why we choose to not eat something or don’t we miss eating some name delicious sweet!
This year I add another Laddoo to the repertoire. This Coconut Ladoo is has shredded coconut, coconut milk, sugar and whole cardamom. Thats it. No oils, no long list of ingredients. They come together quickly and get eaten up quickly too. Happy Dussehra everyone!
Try some Indian sweets like Besan Laddoo, Kesar Burfi, Wheat Ladoo, Sooji Halwa and Kaju Katli from the blog!
Oct 2 is Fast Against Slaughter Day. Here is how you can join in.
“Most farmed animals are starved for hours, even days, as they are being transported to slaughter. In remembrance and solidarity with their tremendous suffering, lets join across the world in a Fast Against Slaughter on October 2nd.”
I will fast as much as I can that day. No food and my balance do not work very well together.
Read more about those 65 billion animals in the food industry here. And this article on the HuffPo about who is leading the fast against slaughter.
Coconut Ladoo
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut dried
- seeds from 4 to 5 cardamom pods
- 1/3 cup full fat coconut milk
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 2/3 cup ground raw sugar or jaggery, use a Tbsp less for less sweeter
- a pinch of salt
- 2 Tbsp coconut flour
Instructions
- Grind or blend 2 cups coconut flakes in a blender or processor to make small powdery flakes. Blend a few short cycles, move the coconut around and pulse more to avoid making coconut butter. Pound the cardamom seeds in a mortar and pestle to break into a coarse mixture and mix with the coconut.
- Heat the coconut milk in a small skillet at medium heat. Add oil, sugar and salt and mix in. Bring the mixture to a bubbling boil (about 4 mins). continue to boil for another 4 minutes or until the mixture can form a half thread. (220 to 225 deg F temperature). Take off heat.
- Immediately add 1.5 cups of the shredded coconut and cardamom and mix in. Add the coconut flour and mix in. If the mixture appears too wet, let it cool for a minute, Then add more shredded coconut 2 Tbsp at a time. Do not add more than 4 Tbsp else the laddoos will be dryer. The mixture becomes less wet as it cools. Let the mixture cool for 2 minutes then shape into balls by picking up 1 to 2 Tbsp of the mixture, pressing and shaping with one hand. Roll the ball in the remaining shredded coconut and serve. Cool completely before storing. Store in an airtight container on the counter for upto 3 days or refrigerated for a week.
Notes
If you are not fond of cardamom, use other flavors like cinnamon or saffron.
Use more shredded coconut if you do not have coconut flour. Nutritional values based on one serving
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Get this recipe also in my cookbook! Now available internationally!
This is an absolute coconut bomb! It sounds so delicious, I could probably eat all of them. Great recipe!
This looks simple and delicious. May I ask where you get “coconut flour”? I have lots of dessicated coconut powder but never heard of the flour. Thanks.
its flour of defatted coconut. https://www.amazon.com/Nutiva-Organic-Coconut-Flour-Pound/dp/B008RJMXPQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412722153&sr=8-1&keywords=coconut+flour
Dessicated or shredded coconut is dried coconut. the coconut that has most of its oil removed is made into a flour. you can just use more dessicated coconut.
Can I use some other kind of flour instead of coconut flour? Wheat flour or oat meal? I can’t wait to make these for this Rakhi. Thanks for such a delicious looking recipe! 😊
yes toasted wheat flour will work. Oat can have a bitter after flavor. You can also add more shredded coconut to absorb the moisture.
If you are still looking for testers, I would love to offer. I love south asian food, and am based in the u k, let me know. Thanks
I’m making this, this week and have 2 other tests on my menu. Looking forward to it!
Hi Richa – these look great! Do you think it would work as well with dessicated coconut? Thanks.
the dried shredded coconut is desiccated coconut, just a different name. since the coconut shred sizes are different depending on what you buy, pulse it a few times to make very small shreds.
Hi Richa,
Planning to make this for Dasara.
When you boil the coconut milk, sugar mixture, is it on medium heat?
If I want to add saffron, should I add to boiling mixture?
Thanks
yes its at medium heat all through. yes add the saffron to the coconut milk + sugar
Wouldn’t the coconut milk curdle if boiled? Last time I tried making coconut milk kheer, it was quite a disaster taste wise. Also, can you sub coconut oil with another vegetable oil? Thanks 🙂
Coconut milk shouldn’t curdle. if it curdles, then there is lemon or other ingredients in your pan or spatula or something. If you make coconut kheer, taste wise it would taste like coconut milk. yes you can use other oil instead of coconut oil.
How much cinnamon would you use in place of the cardamom? Im dying to try this recipe.
1/4 tsp , add more after tasting if needed
Need to make these Richa! Love how simple and easy they are to make! Yum!
I love learning about Indian festivals from your blog posts! And that is super exciting about putting together a print cookbook – that has been a dream of mine for years (not quite there yet though!). Can’t wait to try your coconut ladoo, I hope I have enough shredded coconut in the cupboard to make it today, it’s making my mouth water already!!
that looks amazing !!
yummmmm coconut. i could eat about a million of these babies.