This might just be the easiest and healthiest ladoo recipe ever.
These instant pot ladoos are made with dried fruit, toasty (nut or seed) flour, spices, and some ghee. They’re easy to make, naturally sweetened, and a great treat for those trying to make healthier choices this holiday season.
These ladoos (think: energy bites) are gluten-free, paleo-friendly, and there’s a nut-free option too.
Naturally Sweet Ladoos!
Healthy ladoo? I know… sounds like an oxymoron. Is there even such a thing?
Well, I’m making it a thing. Just… don’t expect this to taste like an actual ladoo, okay? I mean, these are naturally sweetened, so please lower your dessert expectations a bit.
That said, these are surprisingly good, especially considering that there is no added sugar. Not even unrefined sugar. This is sweetened only with dates and raisins.
When you cook down dates (as I learned when making these healthy caramels many years ago), they basically melt into each other as you mix them up. They also take on a great caramelly flavor. Combine that with toasted nut/seed flour, chewy raisins, and a pop of spice, and you’re in for a pleasant surprise.
Why am I Sharing a Healthy Ladoo Recipe?
Since posting my previous two halwa recipes (this and this), I have gotten some somewhat angry messages from you guys (and rightfully so):
- What the heck, Ashley. Are you trying to give us [enter health condition here]?!
- ONE cup of sugar? Who are you?!
- I love you, but I hate you (and also, more halwa plz?)
- YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN YOUR CLEAN EATING ROOTS.
I lost my way, you guys. I wanted to shed my rep of being “that healthy Indian food blogger” for just a little while. I got so caught up in creating desserts for Diwali and the holidays. I’m back to being my normal healthy-ish Ashley self… though I feel like I should probably warn you, I might go into a bit of a dessert frenzy again later this month. But that’s still a few weeks away.
If “healthy” isn’t your thing, and you’ve somehow found your way this deep into this blog post, then know that you can, of course, always add sugar to these ladoos if you want. But my main goal with this recipe was to create a sweet for those who are watching what you eat for health reasons. These are not authentic (like, at all), but they absolutely hit the spot when you’re craving something bad for you, you know?
Now, these ladoos still call for ghee, but healthy fats are cool in moderation (full disclosure: everything on my blog is just my opinion, and I am an expert in literally nothing). This dessert has a much more reasonable amount of ghee when compared to this or this.
But Ashley… this isn’t a real ladoo.
Goshhhh, I know. Did you even read anything I wrote above? Honestly, I had no idea what to call this dessert. Is it a ladoo? Is it a pinni? I still don’t really know. I suppose it’s more of an Indian energy bite/ball? It’s a round sweet treat made with ghee, dates, spices, and either almond flour or flaxseed meal. So maybe it’s an alsi pinni? Or an almond flour ladoo?
What’s in a name anyway… here’s a picture to distract you. Look! I took a bite out of it:
Look at how easy it is to make these ladoos:
Toast the flour!
Cook the dates to make them all soft and caramelly:
Add the toasted flour to the pot along with raisins and spices (if using)
Smash, smash! Roll into a ball and voila! Ladoos!
Healthy Ladoo Ingredients:
To make these healthy ladoos, you will need the following ingredients (for the full list/amounts, see the recipe card below):
Nut or Seed Flour: the ladoos you see in these photos are made with almond flour or golden flaxseed meal. I’m sure you can use another type of nut or seed flour if you want. I suggest roasting the flour a bit (see step 1) so that it gets a nice toasty flavor.
Medjool dates: I use organic medjool dates from costco. They’re big and plump and not overly dry. I’m sure any medjool dates will work – just make sure they’re not super dry/hard.
Water: water shouldn’t count as an ingredient, just saying.
Ghee: this recipe calls for 3 tablespoons. The ghee is important in keeping the dates from sticking to the bottom of the instant pot. I tried a few times sans ghee and the dates burned, so don’t leave out the ghee, okay?
Raisins/Dried Fruit: you’ll really enjoy the chewy bites of sweetness that raisins add to these ladoos. You can try another type of dried fruit for a variation: dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried cherries – you get the idea. You can also add chopped nuts too if you want.
Spices: you can use fennel seeds or cardamom powder or whatever spice you like. I love fennel seeds because they are a little different from the typical cardamom flavor in most Indian sweets. Fennel seeds are also known for being helpful with digestion, making it a nice after dinner treat.
Tell me what you think if you make these – and what additions you try!
Instant Pot Healthy Ladoo/Pinni (naturally sweetened, gluten-free, paleo)
Instant Pot Healthy Ladoo/Pinni (naturally sweetened, gluten-free, paleo)
Ingredients
- 1 cup ground golden flaxseed meal OR almond flour
- 10 medjool dates pits removed, chopped into small pieces*
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon water
- 3 tablespoons ghee
- ¼ cup raisins or another dried fruit
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds OR ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
- Press sauté on the instant pot and toast the flaxseed meal or almond flour for 8-10 minutes or until it turns slightly golden. Remove and set aside in a bowl.
- Turn off the heat, add ghee and allow it to melt and coat the bottom of the pot. Then add the chopped dates and water.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 5 minutes at high pressure.
- Quick release pressure.
- Add the toasted flour back into the pot along with the raisins and spice and mix well mashing it all together.
- Remove the steel liner from the instant pot (so the mixture doesn't burn).
- Use a small cookie scoop to remove the warm mixture and roll into balls. Set the ladoos on a plate and let them cool, then eat!
Video
Notes
Katherine says
Ashley, I made these for the Malankara students where I work. Their eyes lit up when I told them what was in the little box. They loved the ladoo. Thank you!!! The only problem was completely my fault. I doubled the recipe and did not reduce the water, so they came out overly soft. But I know how to fix that problem. I’ll make these again next week for when the Malankara Catholicos comes to visit — one batch cardamom, one fennel.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Katherine, so glad they loved it! And thanks for sharing your experience – will be good to know for anyone who tries to double the recipe.
Anne says
Hi Ashley. Can the ladoos be made other than in an instant pot? Thank you.
Shilpa says
Made it today to satisfy my pregnancy cravings! So so good. Ashley thank you for such amazing recipies. After kalakand this is my go to dessert!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Shilpa, that’s awesome! Congrats on your pregnancy! Happy to hear that you like this recipe so much 🙂
Susan says
I used half flax meal and half almond flour, and dried cranberries as I can’t tolerate rosins. Delicious! Thank you for another great, easy recipe Ashley. I absolutely adore your blog and use it a lot.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Susan, I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Sharon says
Is there a substitute for ghee?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Sharon, I believe some readers have used coconut oil – I would think that’d be fine. Let me know if you try!
Manisha gupta says
Hey Ashley can I replace ghee with any other oil.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Manisha, I’m sure coconut oil will work 🙂
Rekha says
Hi Ashley,
Just a quick question. Can I use half of flax meal and half of almond flour?
Daisy Anand says
Hi Ashley. How can you make it high protein.
sree says
Hu Ashley, I want to try this recipe. I don’t have flax seed powder. Can I replace with chia seeds powder?
Thankyou!!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Sree, I haven’t tried using chia seeds so I can’t say for sure… my only concern is that chia seeds tend to absorb a lot of liquid which could affect the texture. If you try, please let us know how it goes!
Mythili says
The taste was awesome even with 3 few dates. The ladoos were too soft. Any chance you can share the weight of the ingredients? I’m not sure what needs to change to make them harder.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Mythili, glad you liked the flavor! I’ll be sure to update the weight measurements the next time I make these 🙂 You mentioned that you used 3 fewer dates, that may be why they were too soft.
bhanu says
Ashley, your InstaPot recipes have changed our lives! The secret Punjabi magic vibe of the ingredients always matches something in our memory banks. Thank you! In this recipe…Do you think chickpea flour might work?
My Heart Beets says
Thank you, Bhanu! So nice of you to say that 🙂 I haven’t tried besan, but I think it’ll work – you can always add more ghee at the end if needed to hold it together. I recently used besan to make burfi, not sure if you saw that recipe: https://myheartbeets.com/instant-pot-besan-burfi/
MK says
Would this work with ladoo wheat flour ?
My Heart Beets says
I’m not sure, sorry! Hopefully another reader can chime in. If you try let us know how it goes!
Neha says
How to store them? In the fridge? Surely not going to last more than 2-3 days anyways, but in case I end up making double the amount next time
My Heart Beets says
You can keep them on the counter for a couple of days – after that, I’d put them in the fridge or freezer. I actually have a bag in my freezer now – they taste great when thawed 🙂
Neha says
So easy, quick and yummm. The best part was my 4 year old loved it
My Heart Beets says
Neha, that’s awesome! I’m so glad your little one loved it 🙂
Lyn says
Is it possible to substitute dates with other dried fruit such as blueberries, cranberries etc? I don’t have dates but am loaded up with others.
My Heart Beets says
Lyn, I haven’t tried but I’ve been meaning to. If you try, please let me know how it goes!
Poonam says
Hi Ashley, I tried this recipe and I must say, I was really disappointed with the result. It did not taste good with the flaxseed meal. I wonder if anyone else has had better results. I use these balls now for my smoothie as I hate to waste. Would you be able to suggest a better healthy/tastier recipe from your list? Thank you
My Heart Beets says
Hi Poonam, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t like this! I know it’s a bummer to make something and not enjoy the results. Do you normally like flaxseed meal? Perhaps you’d like the almond flour ones better? I’ll try to come up with more healthy dessert recipes 🙂
Mimi says
I am fascinated by this recipe. I want to make them for my friend, but he’s vegan. So you think I could sub coconut oil for ghee?
My Heart Beets says
Mimi, I haven’t tried but I’m sure coconut oil will be fine. Let me know what you think 🙂
Rohit J says
Hi Ashley, Tried the recipe today and the ladoos were delicious! Loved them!
I was wondering whether the cooking time would change if I were to use dried figs instead of dates?
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Rohit! I have yet to make this with figs but it’s on my to-try list! I love dried figs but am currently out – so stay tuned 🙂
Rohit says
Hi Ashley, I tried this recipe and the ladoos were wonderful! Loved them!
I was wondering if cooking time changes if I were to try this with dried figs rather than use dates?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Rohit, I’m so glad to hear that! I haven’t tried this with figs yet but plan to and will update the post when I do! If you try before I do, please let me know 🙂
Isha says
Hey,Ashley I liked this recipe & want to try today please let me know whether it be can made it a pressure cooker or not?will be waiting eagerly for ur rply.Thanks
My Heart Beets says
Hi Isha, do you mean a stovetop pressure cooker? I have only tested this in an instant pot. Let me know what you think if you try this!
Yamini says
Hey ashley
I am going to make this recipe today….
I have tried most of your recipes… love it
Its yum 😋
My Heart Beets says
Yamini, that’s awesome! Let me know what you think – hope you love it!
Gail Yeatman says
What if you don’t have an instant pot but you got a pressure cooker. So the instant pot has sought a but the pressure cooker doesn’t. Can you toast them another way and start from there. I would like to try to make them if I can figure out how to do it in a pressure cooker or on the stove or in the oven
My Heart Beets says
I’m sure you can do this on the stovetop – just boil the chopped dates in water with ghee and once they’re soft, stir in the nut/seed flour, raisins and spices! Let me know how it goes if you try 🙂
PB says
I am always waiting for new recipes from you Ashley Thomas. My wife wants me cut down the sugar so this will be good alternative desert. Also I like fennel seeds, gives licorice taste. I will try tonight.
My Heart Beets says
That’s so great to hear! Hope you enjoy it!