Coconut Ladoo
Soft balls of desiccated coconut and condensed milk, cooked briefly with cardamom and rolled in more coconut.
Photograph credit: Coconut ladoo 9-12-2026B (2 of 3) by Wheeler Cowperthwaite · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Storing and Planning Ahead
Keeps in an airtight tin for 5 days or in the fridge for 1 week.
Making Coconut Ladoo
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Put the 200 g coconut and condensed milk in a non-stick pan over a low heat.
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Cook, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides.
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Stir in the cardamom and salt. Cool for 5 minutes until warm enough to handle.
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With greased hands, shape into 12 balls. Roll each in the remaining coconut.
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Worth Knowing
- Do not overcook; the ladoo firm up as they cool.
- Grease your hands lightly so the mixture does not stick.
- Chill for 15 minutes if the ladoo are too soft to hold.
Some Background
Coconut, condensed milk, cardamom: that is all, and it makes twelve soft sweets in less than half an hour. Coconut ladoo are what people make for Diwali, for a visitor, or for the sweet craving that needs satisfying in a hurry.
Cook the coconut and condensed milk together in a non-stick pan over a low heat. Stir constantly for about 10 minutes. The mixture starts sticky and loose, then thickens and pulls away from the sides into a single mass. Stop when it holds together when pressed between your fingers. Cooking it longer makes the ladoo dry and crumbly.
Cool until just warm, about 5 minutes, so you can handle it. Rub a little ghee on your palms and shape the mixture into walnut-sized balls. If it is too hot, it burns your hands, and if it is too cold, it will not stick.
Roll each ball in a plate of desiccated coconut. A pinch of cardamom is stirred through the mix, and a pinch of salt balances the sweetness. They keep for a week, and they are good with tea.
Good Alongside
Masala chai · Coffee · Fresh fruit · Diwali sweets
Coconut Ladoo Nutrition
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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