This healthy ragi laddoo | ragi laddu with jaggery is a chewy and tasty Indian sweet treat made from finger millet (ragi) flour, combined with jaggery and often infused with aromatic spices and nuts. These bite-sized laddoos are not only a burst of flavor but also a nutritious indulgence, packing the goodness of ragi's calcium and iron content.
I used to not like ragi very much as a kid. However, over the years my taste preferences have changed altogether. I have not only come to not dislike ragi based dishes, I have come to love them. Ragi laddu is one such dish, just like the ragi (nachni roti) that I have come to love as well.
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Ingredients
Making Ragi laddu is really simple. I usually alternate and make it along with my pottukadalai laddu. Here are the ingredients to make Ragi Laddoo.
- Plain Ragi Flour or Sprouted ragi flour (storebought)
- Roasted Peanuts
- Sesame seeds( white or black)
- Jaggery powder or crushed jaggery
- Ghee
Instructions
Ragi laddu is relatively quick and easy to make. It involves only 4 simple ingredients. Here is the overall breakup of how this recipe is prepared and following that I will explain the step by step method of how to make the ragi laddus.
- Steaming the ragi flour
- Roasting the peanuts, steamed ragi flour and sesame seeds one by one separately.
- Melting the jaggery powder along with water and straining it.
- Processing all ingredients and blending all together in a food processor or mixer grinder.
- Form laddu balls.
Here are the step by step instructions on how to make ragi laddu
Sprinkle water to the ragi flour ensuring that the water is nicely spread to all the flour. Make sure you do not add a lot of water as it will clump the flour. Steam the ragi flour for 7 to 10 minutes. (I have steamed in an idli cooker)
In a saute pan, dry roast the sesame seeds until they crackle and sputter.
Roast the peanuts until they give off a nice aroma. Alternatively, you can use store bought roasted peanuts too.
Add a tablespoon of ghee to the pan containing the peanuts and add in the steamed ragi flour and saute till they are warm to touch and combined with ghee. This may take 2 minutes.
Add the jaggery powder along with 2 tablespoons of water and mix well until they are combined with the ragi flour and peanuts. If you do not have pure jaggery powder, melt the jaggery along with 2 tablespoons of water, strain it and add it into the ragi mixture.
Transfer all the ingredients along with 2 tablespoons of melted ghee into a food processor or mixie
Also add in the roasted sesame seeds.
Pulse grind until all ingredients come together.
When they are combined together, form into small balls or ragi ladoos
The ragi ladoos are now ready.
Hint 1: When I am steaming the ragi flour, I usually like to give it a little bit of mix of with a fork when the flour is steamed halfway through. That way, all the ragi flour gets cooked through evenly and thoroughly.
Hint 2 : I was able to get pure powdered jaggery. However, if you are unable to get pure jaggery, ake sure to melt the jaggery with 2 tablespoons of water, strain it and add it to the steamed ragi flour.
Substitutions
Here are some suggestions for substitutions that you can make for this recipe.
- Jaggery - instead of jaggery, you can use cane sugar, coconut sugar, brown sugar, palm sugar or nattu sakkarai, dates or even dates syrup.
- Sprouted Ragi Flour - use plain ragi flour if you are not able to find sprouted ragi flour
- Sesame seeds - you can either use black or white sesame seeds.
Variations
Ragi laddoo is so versatile that I always try to make different variations of this recipe.
- Ragi Laddu with Nuts - you can add chopped nuts like almonds, cashews, and pistachios instead of peanuts
- Cardamom Flavored Ragi Laddu - you can include ground cardamom seeds to give your laddus a delightful, aromatic twist.
- Chocolate Ragi Laddu Truffles: you can roll the laddoos in melted chocolate and let it dry to make ragi laddoo truffles.
- Coconut Ragi Laddu - Mix desiccated coconut or grated fresh coconut roasted in ghee with ragi and jaggery for a tropical flavor.
- Ragi Laddu with dates: I like to add about 10 to 12 pitted finely chopped dates to the recipe and also mix it thoroughly in a blender or food processor before shaping them into balls.
- Ragi Laddu with cardamom: I like to add a pinch of cardamom powder to the recipe to infuse it with cardamom flavor.
Storage
The ragi laddoos keep well at room temperature for 4 to 5 days. You can refrigerate it for upto 10 days and it can be frozen for upto 6 months.
Remember to keep them in an airtight, freezer safe( if need be) container and make sure to keep the ladoos and containers away from moisture.
Top tip
Always roast the peanuts and sesame seeds while making this recipe. Roasting them brings out their nutty flavor and gives the otherwise bland ragi laddu its unique flavor and texture.
FAQ
I have 3 tips for this.
1. Try adding more binding agents like jaggery to the mixture. Add an extra 2 to 3 tablespoons of jaggery and melt it along with water to the recipe.
2. Do not add a lot of water to the ragi when steaming them. Else they will become crumbly and form small clumps together.
2. Also grind the mix of all the ingredients in the food processor or mixie.
3. Lastly remember that this recipe is a crumbly, chewy kind of laddu.
You can totally leave out the ghee when making this recipe. Instead, you can use sesame oil or coconut oil.
I would roast the ragi flour only for a minute or two since I have already steamed them. I am merely roasting them to blend the flavours of ghee into the ragi flour.
No. Whole ragi is a millet and has a hard texture which does not cook easily. It is always made into a flour or soaked and crushed and cooked into porridge.
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Pairing
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Healthy Ragi Laddoo | Ragi Laddu with Jaggery
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 20
Description
This healthy ragi laddoo | ragi laddu with jaggery is a chewy and tasty Indian sweet treat made from finger millet (ragi) flour, combined with jaggery and often infused with aromatic spices and nuts. These bite-sized laddoos are not only a burst of flavor but also a nutritious indulgence, packing the goodness of ragi's calcium and iron content.
Ingredients
Ragi Flour - 1 cup
Water - 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons
Roasted Peanuts - ½ cup
Black or White Sesame seeds - 2 tablespoons
Ghee - 3 tablespoons
Jaggery powder - ¼ cup
Instructions
Dry roast the peanuts for a couple of minutes until they release their nutty aroma. You can also choose to buy roasted peanuts as well like I have done.
Dry roast the sesame seeds. Roast them on a medium flame until you hear them crackling and sputtering all around.
In a mixing bowl, add 2 tablespoons of water to the ragi flour and wet them thoroughly. If the water is concentrated in spot, they tend to form clumps and this will not result in a good texture.
Now steam the flour either in an idli plate or steamer plate for about 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove the Ragi flour from steamer and let it cool for a couple of minutes.
In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of water and add jaggery. When the jaggery powder is melted strain it and keep aside.
In a kadai/ wok, add 3 tablespoons of ghee and to it add the steamed ragi flour and peanuts and saute till they are mixed well. Add in the melted jaggery and mix it thoroughly.
In a food processor, add the ragi flour, peanuts and jaggery mixture and sesame seeds and blend well until combined.
When combined, tak eout the mixture and form ragi laddu balls.
Notes
I was able to obtain jaggery powder without any impurities. So I did not melt and add it to the ragi flour. The 24 Mantra and parry brand has jaggery free from impurities.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 20
- Cuisine: Indian
Keywords: laddu, ladoo, nachni ladoo, healthy ladoo
Manju says
★★★★★