Moong Dal Ladoo

Moong Dal Ladoo – A traditional Indian sweet made with split yellow lentils, sugar, and ghee, flavored with cardamom. They’re super easy to make and have a unique, nutty flavor with a rich, melt-in-your mouth texture that’s perfect for any occasion.

What is moong dal laddu?

Ladoos are an Indian sweet balls typically made with lentils, semolina, milk solids, or grains. Moong laddu is a one of the traditional Indian ladoo variations made with moong dal (split yellow lentils), sugar, melted ghee (clarified butter), and cardamom. The lentils are slow roasted in a heavy-bottomed pan until golden and aromatic, then ground into a fine powder, mixed with powdered sugar, cardamom and ghee, and shaped into round balls.

Moong dal laddu is also known as Pesara Sunnundalu in Telugu and Pasi Paruppu Urundai in Tamil. These are one of the popular Indian sweets during festival, known for their nutty flavor and rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture. They are super simple to make with minimal ingredients and take very little time to prepare.

Ingredients & Substitutions:

Moong Dal – Moong dal is split yellow lentils. You can get it from any Indian store. Urad dal or chana dal can be substituted.

Sugar – I have used regular white sugar. You can substitute it with brown sugar but the flavor will be different. For a healthier version, replace sugar with powdered jaggery or coconut sugar.

Ghee – Use fresh and high quality ghee for the best flavor. It will help to bind the laddus and adds a rich and traditional flavor.

Cardamom – Do not skip cardamom. Use freshly ground cardamom for the best flavor.

Serving suggestions:

Serve them as a sweet snack along with a cup of coffee or tea. These can be served as part of a festive platter alongside other traditional Indian sweets during festivals such as Diwali, Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi or Raksha Bandhan!

Storage suggestions:

These have a really good shelf life. Store them in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature. You can also store the moong-sugar powder mixture in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Add warm ghee to the mix and roll into laddus whenever you want.

Variations:

Add a little bit of desiccated coconut to the mixture for a subtle coconut flavor and texture.

Mix in finely chopped dry fruits and nuts like almonds, pistachios, or cashews for added crunch and flavor.

Add a bit of cocoa powder to the mixture for a chocolatey twist.

Tips & Notes:

Roast the lentils on low heat to prevent them from burning. This will add a rich and nutty flavor to the dal. Make sure to roast until the dal turns golden brown and aromatic. Roast constantly to avoid uneven browning.

Grind the roasted moong dal into a fine powder for smoother laddus. If it is course, the laddus will have a grainy texture. You can sift the ground lentils to remove any coarse bits if needed.

Make sure you are using high quality, pure desi ghee for the best flavor and texture. Always add ghee little by little until it binds the mixture. Do not use too much of ghee, it will make the ladoos greasy. Add more warm ghee if the mixture feels too dry to shape the laddus. If it feels too soft or greasy, let it cool a little before shaping.

Once the flour-sugar mixture is mixed with ghee, shape the ladoos while the mixture is still warm, if it cools down completely, it will become crumbly and will be hard to shape the laddus. If you are making them in large quantity, I would suggest to mix small batches of sugar-flour mix with ghee and repeat until it finishes.

Adjust the sugar level according to your sweetness preference. If you want to substitute sugar with jaggery, blend it with powdered moong dal to combine well.

Do not skip adding cardamom. It adds a wonderful flavor. You can also mix in some raw or roasted chopped cashews, almonds, pistachios for added texture and richness.

Step by step instructions:

Heat a heavy bottomed pan on a low heat. Add one cup of moong dal and dry roast them for about 8-10 minutes or until they are light golden brown color and fragrant.

Remove it from flame, transfer it a plate and let it cool completely.

Transfer the roasted lentils to a mixie jar or blender jar and grind to a fine powder.

Transfer it to a mixing bowl and keep it aside.

Add sugar and cardamom powder to the same blender jar.

Blend until the sugar is smooth and fine.

Add the powdered sugar to the moong dal powder. Mix everything using a spoon or spatula until well combined.

Heat ghee until it is warm and add it to the lentil-sugar mixture little by little.

Mix until well combined. Add more ghee if the mixture feels dry.

Immediately, tightly roll the mixture into round balls.

More Indian sweet recipes:

• Biscoff Coconut Ladoo
• Thandai Sheera
• Custard Rasgulla
• Easy Rasmalai
• Oats Modak
• Dry Fruit Sunnundalu
• Gulab Jamun Truffles
• Instant Pot Semiya Payasam
• Chena Murki
• Makkan Peda

How to make moong dal ladoo recipe video below: