Rava laddu, or Rava ladoo, is a popular south-Indian sweet enjoyed during the festival season. Also known as Suji ke laddu, this creamy, crunchy fudge ball is made with roasted semolina, coconut, ghee, milk and sugar, and is flavored with nuts and ground cardamom.
Here is a quick Rava laddu recipe with step by step photos, that's easy to make on weeknights, and is ready to enjoy in less than 30 minutes!
Every year during the weeks leading up to Diwali, my house smells like a giant Mithai ka Dabba (box of sweets), with the soothing aroma of fresh ghee, cardamom and saffron 🙂
My friends and I make a variety of sweet and savory treats that we exchange with each other. I make and share besan ladoo and coconut ladoo, among other treats. Last year, a friend shared rava ladoos with me, and it was love at first bite! She graciously shared her recipe with me too. Thanks A!
I just love the textural contrast in these ladoos. It's the perfect crunch combined with a melt-in-the-mouth texture. So here I am sharing a variation of that recipe that you can make in less than 30 minutes, with easily available ingredients.
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What is Rava Laddu (Ladoo)?
Rava is the local Indian name for semolina in the western and southern parts of India. It is called Suji, or Sooji, in the north. And ladoo, or laddu, refers to fudge balls that are typically made with cooked flour, ghee, sugar and cardamom. So, Rava Laddu is essentially round-shaped semolina fudge.
Rava Laddu are very popular in Maharashtra and the southern parts of India, and are a must-have during festivities. These ladoos are made by roasting semolina with freshly shredded coconut, chopped nuts and raisins. This mixture is then bound together into cute little fudge balls.
In this recipe, I replaced fresh coconut with desiccated coconut since that's more commonly available, but you can use fresh if that's what you have on hand. Let's take a quick glance at the other ingredients.
You may also enjoy: Suji Halwa (Rava Sheera)
Ingredients
It just takes a handful of pantry ingredients along with ghee (Indian clarified butter) to make these rava ladoos. Here are some notes and common substitutions:
- Fine Rava (Sooji): Look for fine rava, also labelled as fine suji, in your local Indian store or online. Be sure to use the finest grind you can find. If coarse suji is all you have, give it a quick grind in your blender.
- Coconut: Just a little bit of desiccated coconut gives these ladoos a subtle sweet flavor of coconut. I wouldn't recommend using sweetened coconut as that will affect the taste and texture. If using freshly shredded coconut, reduce the quantity of milk towards the end. Feel free to skip coconut if you don't like it, in which case, reduce the sugar by a tablespoon.
- Ghee: For best results use a good quality ghee- homemade or store-bought. Note: For accurate results, measure ghee after melting. If you don't have ghee, substitute with melted unsalted butter.
- Sugar: I prefer to use confectioner's sugar due to its fine grind, plus it contains cornstarch, which helps in binding these ladoos. But if regular sugar is all you have, grind it in your blender/food processor until fine.
- Nuts & raisins: Cashews are the traditional choice of nuts in this recipe, but I like to mix it up with almonds. Coarsely chop nuts or buy the pre-cut baking pieces.
- Cardamom & Saffron: Both of these aromatics give an amazing floral flavor to the ladoos. For best results, use freshly ground cardamom by de-seeding 4-5 green pods and pounding them in a mortar & pestle, or grinding them in a coffee grinder. As for saffron, add that to the warm melted ghee so it can release its aroma and flavor.
Rava Ladoo Recipe
These delicious sweet balls come together in less than 30 minutes, using a simple non-stick skillet. Here are the step by step instructions on how to cook rava laddu:
- Saute nuts & raisins: Heat a non-stick skillet on medium-low heat. Add 2 teaspoons ghee and chopped cashews, almonds and raisins. Saute for a minute until nuts turn light golden and raisins plump up. Remove promptly. (pic 1)
- Saute rava/suji: Melt ghee and stir in saffron. Add a tablespoon of this ghee to the same skillet and add rava. Saute the rava for 5 minutes while stirring continuously. Now add desiccated coconut and continue to saute for another 2 minutes or until rava and coconut turn light golden (not brown). (pic 2 & 3)
- Combine in a bowl: In a large mixing bowl, combine sautéed nuts and rava. (pic 4)
How to prevent Rava from burning: Rava (semolina) can go from roasted to burnt in a matter of minutes. To prevent it from burning, always roast on medium-low heat, and when it turns a light golden in color (not brown), remove promptly into a cool bowl to stop the cooking.
- Add melted ghee: Add the remaining melted ghee with saffron (including saffron strands) and combine well, until the mix looks like wet sand. (pic 4)
- Add sugar & cardamom: Add confectioner's sugar and ground cardamom. Then, I mix it well using a spatula until the sugar is well incorporated. At this point, you can check for taste and add more sugar if needed. (pic 5)
- Add milk and test: Add 2 tablespoons milk to the mix and stir. Take a small portion of the rava mix in your palm and try to bind it together. If the mix doesn't stick together, add another tablespoon of milk until it feels slightly wet. (pic 6)
- Bind ladoo: Take about 2 heaping tablespoons of the rava mix in your palm. Shape into a round ball by closing your fist tightly and using your finger to press the dough together, while rotating it. (pic 7)
- Shape into a ball: Bind the ladoo into a round fudge ball. It usually takes 30 seconds per ladoo. Continue until you have made all the ladoos. This quantity makes 10-12 ladoos. (pic 8)
Laddu Making Tip: Don't let the rava laddu mix cool for too long, otherwise it will harden and won't bind. Wait till it's comfortable enough to handle and start shaping ladoo.
Storing & Serving Suggestions
How to Store Rava Laddu: Rava ladoos can be made ahead and stored for up to 4 days on the counter, or one week in the refrigerator. Let them cool completely and store them in any air-tight container and keep it in a cool, dark place.
Serving Suggestion: These ladoos are great to enjoy with a cup of Masala chai or Ginger Tea, or, you can warm them in the microwave for 10 seconds for a softer consistency (my hubby prefers that).
Recipe Tips
- Use fine rava/suji: For best results use fine semolina in this recipe. If unavailable, grind the coarse suji in a blender for a few seconds.
- Rava roasting tip: It is important to roast the rava on medium-low heat to cook off the raw flavor. If the heat is high, it will toast the rava without cooking it. And remember to stop when it turns a light golden in color (not brown).
- Remove promptly: Remove the sautéed nuts and rava promptly into a cool bowl to stop the cooking.
- Sugar: Use confectioner's sugar, also known as powdered sugar. It helps bind the ladoo. If using granulated sugar, grind it to a fine consistency in a blender.
- Don't let the mix cool: Wait for the mix to cool for 2 to 3 minutes so it's comfortable enough to handle. Don't leave it for too long, otherwise the mix will harden and won't bind.
- Add milk as needed: Texture is very important for these ladoo to bind well. If ladoo seems too crumbly, add milk, one tablespoon at a time, until your test batch binds and holds well.
- Store in a cool place: Store the ladoo in an airtight container for up to 4 days on the counter or 1 week in the refrigerator. To increase shelf-life to 10 days, substitute the milk with ghee.
Common Questions
Rava laddu is an Indian sweet fudge made with semolina (suji), ghee (clarified butter), sugar, coconut (optional in some recipes), nuts and ground cardamom.
Your mixture is either too dry or too cold for binding. To prevent that, bind the ladoos just as the mixture is comfortable to handle. To fix the dryness, add a tablespoon of milk or ghee as needed to bind.
Rava laddu lasts up to 4 days on the counter or 1 week in the refrigerator. If using fresh coconut, use within 2 days. To extend their shelf life to 10 days, skip the milk and add more ghee instead.
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📖 Recipe
Rava Laddu (Rava Ladoo)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup ghee + 2 teaspoon divided
- ½ teaspoon saffron
- 2 tablespoon chopped cashews and almonds (10 cashews + 5 almonds)
- 1 tablespoons raisins (10-12 raisins)
- 1 cup fine rava (suji/sooji) -semolina (see notes for sub)
- ¼ cup desiccated coconut see notes for sub
- ¾ cup confectioners sugar see notes for sub
- ½ teaspoon cardamom seeds, ground (4-5 pods)
- 2-3 tablespoons milk 2% or whole fat
Instructions
- Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons ghee and chopped cashews, almonds and raisins. Saute for a minute until nuts turn light golden and raisins plump up. Remove promptly.
- Melt ghee and stir in saffron. Add a tablespoon of this ghee to the same skillet and add rava. Saute the rava for 5 minutes while stirring continuously. Now add desiccated coconut and continue to saute for another 2 minutes, or until rava and coconut turn light golden (not brown)
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sautéed nuts and rava.
- Add the remaining melted ghee with saffron (including saffron strands) and combine well, until the mix looks like wet sand.
- Add confectioner's sugar and ground cardamom. Using a spatula, combine till sugar is well incorporated in the rava-coconut mix. Check for taste and add more sugar if needed.
- Add 2 tablespoons milk to the mix and stir. Take a small portion of the rava mix in your palm and try to bind it together. If the mix doesn't stick together, add another tablespoon of milk until it feels slightly wet.
- Take about 2 tablespoons of the rava mix in your palm. Shape into a round ball by closing your fist tightly and using your finger to press the dough together, while rotating it.
- Bind the ladoo into a round fudge ball. It usually takes 30 seconds per ladoo. Continue until you have made all the ladoos. This quantity makes 10-12 ladoos.
Notes
- Use fine rava/suji: For best results use fine semolina in this recipe. If unavailable, grind the coarse suji in a blender for a few seconds.
- Lightly roast rava on medium-low heat: It is important to roast the rava on medium-low heat to cook off the raw flavor. If the heat is high, it will toast the rava without cooking it. And remember to stop when it turns a light golden in color (not brown).
- Remove promptly: Remove the sautéed nuts and rava promptly into a cool bowl to stop the cooking.
- Sugar: Use confectioner's sugar, also known as powdered sugar. It helps bind the ladoo. If using granulated sugar, grind it to a fine consistency in a blender.
- Don't let the mix cool: Wait for the mix to cool for 2 to 3 minutes so it's comfortable enough to handle. Don't leave it for too long, otherwise the mix will harden and won't bind.
- Add milk as needed: Texture is very important for these ladoos to bind well. If ladoo seems too crumbly, add milk, one tablespoon at a time, until your test batch binds and holds well.
- Store in a cool place: Store the ladoo in an airtight container for up to 4 days on the counter or 1 week in the refrigerator. To increase shelf-life to 10 days, substitute the milk with ghee.
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