If you’ve considered flattened/beaten/parched rice or poha to be only used in making savory or salty dishes, then this post of Poha Laddu is going to change that thought of yours. Also called as Aval Laddu in Malayalam and Tamil languages, this recipe is quick and easy, yet equally delicious. This Ladoo Recipe has thick poha, jaggery, ghee along with a few more ingredients and makes for a lovely after-meal dessert or a sweet snack during the day.
About Aval Laddu
Whenever you are working with poha, you’ll see that most of the dishes that you make with it quite simple and fuss-free. And so is this Poha Laddu as well.
In addition to the thick flattened rice, jaggery and ghee that goes in this recipe, you’ll just need some milk and green cardamom powder.
I have also added some cashews and raisins in this recipe of Aval Laddu. But you can skip adding these. Even without any nuts and dry fruits, these laddu taste fab. Instead of white poha, you can even use red poha to make these ladoo.
One of the most important things that you must remember while making these laddu is that, you’ll have to roast the poha really well. If it turns light brown, it’s fine.
But make sure to roast it well. One way to check this is take some of the poha and break them with your fingers. If they snap easily, you are good to go.
Also, when grinding the roasted parched rice with the jaggery for this Poha Laddu, you should grind it till a slightly semi-coarse mixture is formed. The mixture should resemble the texture of fine semolina (rava/sooji).
This Aval Laddu are an awesome choice of sweet snack for kids as well. Plus, you can make these laddu during festivals like Krishna Jayanthi and poojas also. The recipe can be scaled easily and the ladoo stay good for a week, when refrigerated.
How to make Aval Laddu
Roast Aval/Poha
1. Heat a pan or a small kadai. Lower the heat and add 1 heaped cup thick poha/aval in it. You can also use red poha.
2. On low heat, roast the poha. Stir often.
3. The poha needs to become crisp. If some of it becomes light brown, it’s fine. But it needs to be roasted well.
Just break few poha/aval with your fingers and if they snap or break easily, they are done.
4. Remove the roasted poha and add to a grinder jar.
5. Now, add ⅓ cup jaggery powder or grated jaggery.
6. Grind to a slightly semi-coarse mixture, like that of fine sooji or rava.
7. Remove the prepared poha-jaggery mixture in a mixing bowl or pan.
Fry Cashews & Raisins
8. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a small frying pan.
9. Add 8 to 10 cashews.
10. On low to medium heat, fry the cashews till they begin to turn light brown.
11. Then, add 1 tablespoon raisins and ¼ teaspoon green cardamom powder.
12. Fry till the raisins swell up. Stir often.
Make Aval Laddu
13. Now, add all of the cashews, raisins and ghee mixture to the ground poha and jaggery mixture.
14. Mix very well with a spoon. Let this mixture cool down.
15. Then, add 2 tablespoons ghee (semi-soft) like shown in the photo below. Mix again.
16. Now, add 1 tablespoon milk. Milk can either be chilled or at room temperature.
17. Mix again and start shaping the laddu. If you are not able to shape the ladoo, then add ½ to 2 tablespoons more of ghee. You have to keep on adding ghee in parts, till you can easily make Poha Laddu.
18. Shape into small laddu and keep aside.
19. Serve Aval Laddu or store in a container and refrigerate.
Expert Tips
- You can skip adding the cashews and raisins in this recipe.
- Opt to use red poha instead of regular white poha. You can use thick or medium-thick variety to make these laddu.
- You can use coconut oil instead of ghee (but with this, you will get the coconuty taste in the laddu.
- Swap almond or cashew milk with dairy milk.
- For the sweetener, use palm jaggery or coconut sugar instead of regular jaggery.
- Poha needs to be roasted well. Check by breaking a few roasted grains with your fingers. If they are roasted well, they will break easily.
- The milk used for this recipe can be chilled or at room temperature.
- If you are unable to shape the laddu, add about ½ to 2 tablespoons more ghee. Keep adding ghee in parts, till you can easily shape the ladoo.
- Make more number of ladoo by scaling the recipe.
More Laddu Recipes To Try!
Ladoo Recipes
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Aval Laddu | Poha Laddu
Ingredients
- 1 cup poha – heaped, thick variety (flattened rice or parched rice), 100 grams
- ⅓ cup jaggery powder or finely chopped jaggery or grated jaggery
- 3 to 4 tablespoons Ghee or add as required
- 1 tablespoon milk – cold or at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon green cardamom powder
- 8 to 10 cashews – optional
- 1 tablespoon raisins – optional
Instructions
Preparation
- Heat a pan. Lower the heat and add the thick poha in it.
- On a low heat roast the poha stirring often.
- The poha need to become crisp. If some of them become light brown its fine, but they need to be roasted or toasted well. Just break few poha/aval with your fingers and if they snap easily or break easily, they are done.
- Remove the poha/aval and add them to a grinder jar.
- Now add jaggery powder or finely chopped or grated jaggery.
- Grind to a slightly semi-coarse mixture, like that of fine sooji or rava.
- Remove this poha and jaggery mixture in a mixing bowl or pan.
Frying cashews and raisins
- Now heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a small frying pan.
- Add 8 to 10 cashews.
- On a low to medium heat, fry the cashews till they start to turn light brown.
- Then add the raisins the green cardamom powder.
- Fry till the raisins swell up. Stir often while frying.
Making aval laddu
- Now add the ghee+cashews+raisins+cardamom mixture to the ground poha and jaggery mixture.
- Mix very well with a spoon. Let this mixture cool down.
- Then add 2 tablespoon ghee which is in a semi-solid state. Mix thoroughly again.
- Now add 1 tablespoon milk. Mix again and start shaping the laddu. If you are not able to make the ladoo, then add ½ to 2 tablespoons more of the ghee. You have to keep on adding ghee till you can easily make the aval laddu
- Shape into small poha laddu and keep aside.
- Serve the Poha Laddu or Aval Laddu. Or store them in a container and refrigerate.
Notes
- The aval laddu recipe can be doubled or tripled.
- The cashews and raisins can be skipped.
- Coconut oil can be used instead of ghee, but the poha laddu will get the taste and flavor of coconut oil.
- Instead of dairy milk, you can use almond milk or cashew milk.
- Instead of jaggery, palm jaggery or coconut sugar can also be used.
- You can also make these laddu with red poha or red aval.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Aval Laddu recipe from the archives, originally published in July 2016 has been updated and republished on January 2023.
