With Diwali approaching, I wanted to reward myself for a year of staying committed to my health goals. Diwali is a festival of lights, one of the most significant celebrations in India.
It’s a time when families prepare traditional desserts, light up their homes with lamps, and enjoy fireworks after prayers or pooja. Diwali is incomplete without indulging in something sweet.
We offer sweets to every visitor, neighbor, friend, and family member. So, just because I’m on Keto, I don’t want to miss out on a dessert-full Diwali. It’s not easy for someone who used to devour a box of ladoos to suddenly give them up. That’s why I put on my thinking cap and created my own version of Keto Ladoo.
During these past ten to eleven months, I’ve met friends who have supported me every step of the way. They constantly share interesting recipes, send me links and pictures, and encourage me to modify them to fit their Keto lifestyle.
The idea of a laddu came from one such friend while we were discussing Diwali sweets. I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all those who have supported me, provided honest feedback, and offered constructive criticism. Please continue to do so, as we are fellow travelers on this journey to become fit and healthy.
Also read: Ketogenic Til Ka Laddu
Before I actually come to the recipe, I must tell you some more about this dessert. The ladoo/laddu is a spherical-shaped dessert, which is normally made with wheat flour, or gram flour, sometimes even with semolina.
From the motichur ladoo that is originally said to hail from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, coconut ladoo from down South, the Assamese til ladoo to the famed Maharashtrian dinkache ladoo — each region-specific ladoo has its distinct identity and is laced with history and nostalgia — The Better India.
The best laddoos are always made with ghee. Some people like to add nuts to them, others don’t. But what you need to remember is that in order for a laddoo to taste divine, you need to have bags full of patience. This is not something that you can make in a jiffy. So if you plan to make this recipe, try it on a day when you are relaxed and have time in hand.
Ladoo Making Process
Keto Ladoo
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pan
- Flat spoon
- Tablespoon
- Teaspoon
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Organic Flax seeds Grind them to a fine powder
- 100 gm Slivered Almonds Finely ground
- 3 tbsp Melted Ghee
- 1 tbsp Gram Flour/Besan
- ½ tsp Cardamom powder
- Sweetener of your choice and according to taste
Instructions
- Heat the ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan. Once it is well heated lower the heat.
- Add the almond flour and the flax seed powder and start roasting it, on medium heat.
- You need to stand there at all times or it will burn.
- Keep stirring continuously, and don’t allow the mixture to stick to the pan.
- After about ten minutes add the gram flour, and keep stirring on low or medium heat.
- The quantity of gram flour is very less, hence it can be easily adjusted in the macros. And we are using this quantity for 16 laddoos.
- You anyway can’t do without it, as the gram flour acts as the binding agent. It really is very essential.
- If you have roasted gram flour before, you will know that once it starts roasting it gives off a very fine smell, which you will not be able to miss.
- If you are using gram flour for the first time, just watch out for a fine golden or light brown sheen on the mixture. Add the cardamom powder and stir more.
- After about ten minutes when the mixture looks well coagulated, switch off the heat.
- After about ten minutes or so touch the mixture and see if it is cool enough for you to dig your hands in it. It has to be slightly warmer than lukewarm.
- Now add the sweetener of your choice, preferably in powder form and start mixing with your hands. I used half a cup of stevia for this. Some of you might think that it’s too much, but if I’m going to have laddoos I might as well have them nice and sweet.
- Once the sweetener has been mixed properly, then get ready for the tricky part.
- Since the binding agent is limited in this recipe, you need to be really patient when you start giving the mixture the shape of ladoos. You have to make small spherical balls of any size you like.
- When I started making the ladoos I realized that they were not binding as well as I would have liked them too.
- So I first tried to make them by applying some ghee on my palms, which definitely helped but not to a very large extent.
- So I kept this mixture in the freezer for about ten minutes in order to allow the ghee to solidify.
- After ten minutes the mixture was very easy to work with and I could make the ladoos in ten minutes.
- Store them in the freezer if you want to keep them for a long time or else in the refrigerator for a week.
Notes
Each ladoo only has 2g of net carbs and they are so yum. Happy Diwali guys and gals! Hope you have a prosperous year ahead, full of peace and good health.
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