Easy Motichoor Ladoo

Learn to make Easy Motichoor Ladoo recipe with a detailed video tutorial and step by step photos. A failproof, beginner friendly recipe that guarantees soft, decadent, and delicious ladoos perfect for any festival or celebration.

Soft, rich, and bursting with flavor of ghee and saffron, Motichoor Ladoo is one of the most popular and favorite sweets in India. Traditionally, it can be daunting to make it at home as the recipe is quite complex with a lot of technicalities. I had shared the detailed recipe for it a few years bac but wanted to share a beginner friendly failproof version too. So this Easy Motichoor Ladoo recipe simplifies it, making it both beginner friendly and failproof.

One of the key aspects of making this ladoo lies in the perfection of the tiny little boondi, yielding the motichoor. Not only is it necessary to find the size 0 or 1 boondi ladle, but the batter consistency, how you make the boondis to what temperature is the oil at - all this matter to perfect the recipe. So, we take away that one difficult process in this easy failproof motichoor ladoo so that any shaped boondi can be used to make perfect ladoos. Watch the video and follow the tips to get the sugar syrup right and your ladoos can be made in no time at all.

Jump to:

• Key Ingredients
• Step by Step Instructions
• Recipe Notes
• Top Tips
• Substitutions & Variations
• Storage & Serving Suggestions
• Video Recipe
• Frequently Asked Questions
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Key Ingredients

• For Boondi Batter, we mix Gram Flour or Besan with water and a pinch of Salt & Baking Soda.
• For Sugar Syrup, we cook Sugar and Water until one-string consistency and then flavor with Cardamom Powder & Rose Essence.
• Orange Red Food Color is used to give the ladoos the rich, bright orangish hue that is akin to motichoor ladoos.
• Ghee, Melon Seeds, and Slivered Pistachios are the other ingredients used making shaping the ladoos.

For full list of ingredients and exact measurements, check the recipe below.

Step by Step Instructions

In a mixing bowl, place a sieve and add 1 cup gram flour/besan and sieve to remove rough particles.

To this add ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon baking soda. Mix well.

Add ½ cup water and using a whisk, beat the batter until there are no lumps.

Add water in small quantities and continue to whisk the batter until its smooth. You may need less than ¾ cup of water. Add ¼ teaspoon orange red food color.

Mix well. The batter should be free-flowing but coat the back of the ladle and should make a clean mark when wiped off with a finger.

In a pan heat oil for deep frying at medium flame. Place the boondi ladle directly over the hot oil about 10-12 cms away from the oil.

Pour a ladle of batter all over the boondi ladle and make circular motions around as if making dosa. This ensures the boondis to drop into hot oil.

Without overcrowding oil, make boondis depending on the size of the oil pan and the boondi ladle.

Cook on medium flame and when the boondi is lightly crisp, remove from oil onto a plate or bowl lined with kitchen tissue. Repeat this with rest of the boondi batter.

Once at room temperature, add the prepared boondi to a mixer jar.

Roughly pulse (not grind) 2-3 times until the boondi is coarsely ground. Set aside.

In a nonstick pan heat 1 cup sugar with ¾ cup water. Mix well.

Cook the syrup on medium flame for 4-5 minutes. Keep checking the syrup for one string consistency. Add ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder.

When you can form a clear string when touching the syrup between thumb and index finger, the syrup is ready. Remove from heat.

Add ¼ teaspoon orange red food color and ¼ teaspoon rose essence. Mix well.

Next add the coarsely ground boondi along with 1 teaspoon ghee.

Mix well when the mixture is still hot/warm. Cover and rest for 20-30 mins.

Add 2 tablespoon melon seeds, 2 tablespoon slivered pistachios. Mix well.

With palm greased using ghee, make equal sized ladoos from the mixture. It may not look fully set, but in a few hours at room temperature, the ladoos will hold shape.

Store in airtight container at room temperature for over a week. Serve as sweet or dessert for any festival or celebrations.

Recipe Notes

• The batter should be free flowing for the boondis to drop evenly, especially if using size 0 or 1 boondi ladle. However, it is not mandatory to have equal sized boondis for this recipe.
• The sugar syrup should be cooked to a one-string consistency for the boondis to bind and if not, it will be difficult making ladoos.
• Adding a large pinch of baking soda makes the boondi light and fluffy, but anything more that makes the boondi soak up too much oil.

Top Tips

• Fry on medium heat: If the oil is too hot, boondis will turn brown too fast without cooking and too low, they will not be crisp or light.
• Boondi ladle: Technically for motichoor ladoos, size 0 or size 1 boondi ladle should be used. However, for this recipe, since we are pulsing the prepared boondi for the desired effect, you can use any sized boondi ladle. If available, do use a small hole sized ladle so that you can skip the pulsing step altogether.
• Strain quickly: if the boondi is left in oil for too long, it will soak up too much oil and the ladoos feel greasy. Immediately strain off excess oil and use two strainer ladles if necessary and always drop the prepared boondi onto a kitchen tissue to remove extra oil.
• Rest the boondi: The prepared boondi must be mixed into the sugar syrup when it is hot/warm but it is essential to keep it covered and rest for 20-30 mins for the boondi to soak up the syrup. This makes the ladoos juicy, soft, and full of flavor. Also, the mixture gets to the right consistency for ladoo shaping easily.

Substitutions & Variations

• No food color: Skip the food color to make motichoor ladoos in natural pale yellow color, there will be no difference in the taste or texture.
• Saffron version: Skip the rose essence and instead add a few saffron strands soaked in warm water for a fragrant golden version.
• No Baking Soda: Instead of the baking soda, you can add 1 tablespoon fine semolina which almost gives the same texture.

Storage & Serving Suggestions

Once the ladoos are completely cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They stay fresh for over a week. For longer shelf life, store them in fridge and serve slightly chilled. These easy motichoor ladoos are best served at room temperature or slightly chilled as a sweet for any festivities or celebrations. They can be packed in small boxes or jars, to be shared as edible gifts.

Video Recipe

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why are my ladoos falling apart? This is an issue with the consistency of the sugar syrup. Use the one-string consistency check to ensure the syrup is ready so that boondi binds properly.
• Why are my ladoos too soft or sticky? When the boondi to syrup ratio is right, the mixture should be soft to handle on resting but should hold shape when forming ladoos. It can also happen when you try to make the ladoos when the mixture is still hot/warm without enough resting time to soak up the syrup.
• Can I make ladoo without added food color? Absolutely! Skip the food color and use natural color from saffron strands soaked in warm water. The ladoos may look yellow, but still taste delicious.
• How can I get perfectly round ladoos? Grease your palm with ghee before rolling the ladoos, this smoothens the mixture, making it sticky-free and also adds additional richness from the ghee.
• How much should I grind the boondis? Just pulse quickly 2-3 times until the mixture looks coarse. Continuously running the mixer grinder will make the boondis into a fine powder & loose texture completely.

I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don't forget to provide your rating for this recipe and do share your comments below. If you have any questions, you can always e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂

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