Til ke Laddu | Indian sweet Sesame ball

Til ke laddu is a staple sweet in many Indian households during winters. The two key ingredients of these laddus are til (sesame seeds) and gud (jaggery) both of which are very good for keeping you warm from inside during winters. With just 5 ingredients, they are quick to make and keep well for up to a month!

How to make Til ke laddu?

To make til ke laddu, roasted white sesame seeds are mixed with jaggery syrup and then shaped into balls. An authentic til-gud laddu is made with just til (sesame seeds), gud (jaggery), and a little ghee (clarified butter, you can use cashew butter for vegan preparation). I also add some green cardamom powder and crushed pistachios to them for added flavor. 

A laddu  (can also be spelled as laddo or ladoo) is the Hindi word for any ball-shaped sweet. We Indians love making laddus of many different varieties, especially during festivals! The best part is that each of them is bite sized so you don’t even realize before they have all disappeared! Til ke laddu while being a winter warming snack, is also a special sweet for Makar Sankranti – the Indian Kite festival.

These sesame laddus are so easy to make that I wonder why do people ever buy them from shops. It takes just about 15-20 mins to make these til ke laddu from scratch. They are also healthier with no added sugar or preservative or other surprises. I love the distinct aroma of toasted sesame and the earthy taste of Jaggery in these laddus.

What exactly is Jaggery?

Jaggery is a common sweetener used in Indian and Southeast Asian cuisine. You can find Jaggery is different forms ranging from candies, to crystals to large brown soft rocks! It is a delicious and healthy alternative to refined sugar. I use jaggery in my easy peanut laddus recipe as well. 

Jaggery comes from the sap of palm trees (coconut palm, date palm, sago palms etc). The sap is boiled, reduced and cooled to make sticky caramel like Jaggery. The color may vary from deep brown to light brown depending on the source. 

Is Jaggery same as Molasses?

Jaggery can also be made from sugar cane juice just like molasses. If you can’t find Jaggery in an Indian store near you, you can also use molasses in any recipe calling for jaggery.

This recipe makes just enough to last for a week between 2 people, so be sure to make a larger quantity if you have a big family! 🙂 

We really love snacking on these til-gud laddus. Since they are sugar-free, they also make a healthy dessert or a little something sweet when you need an energy boost. Once set, these sesame balls hold their shape and are great as travel snacks or food gifts for friends and family. In fact, as I write this recipe, I am just packing a bag with them to gift to our friends! Hope you like the recipe and get to try it soon.

5 from 10 votes

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Gud aur Til ke laddu (Jaggery and Sesame sweet balls)

Til ke laddu are sweet jaggery and sesame balls. They are a staple sweet in many Indian households during winters. With just 5 ingredients, they’re super quick to make and keep well for up to a month!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Gluten-free, Indian, Vegan-friendly, Vegetarian

Keyword: festival recipe, jaggery, sesame, Travel Food

Servings: 16 pieces

Calories: 54kcal

Ingredients (1cup = 240ml; 1tbsp = 15ml; 1tsp = 5ml)

• 1 cup white sesame seeds (100 g)
• ½ cup jaggery (60g)
• 2 tsp ghee clarified butter / use cashew butter for vegan preparation
• 6-8 green cardamoms powdered
• 10-12 pistachios powdered

Instructions

• Dry roast sesame seeds on medium-high heat, until fragrant. Takes about 2-3 mins. The color will slightly darken and you will hear them crackling. Keep aside.
• In the same pan, heat jaggery and ghee until it melts completely. Takes about 3-4 mins.
• Remove from heat.
• To the melted jaggery and ghee, add the toasted sesame seeds, pistachio powder, and cardamom powder. Mix well. The mixture will be very sticky and you will need to use a bit of effort to mix well and cool the mixture.
• Rub a little ghee/oil on your palms. Take a small amount of the sesame and jaggery mix and shape into small bite size balls. Repeat till all the mixture is over.
• Store in a cool dry place. The til-gud laddus stay well for up to a month.

Video

Notes

• Shape the mixture into balls while it is still slightly hot. Once dry, it will set in shape and it won’t be possible to make balls with them.
• A little ghee helps to melt jaggery well, cashew butter will also go well so use that for a vegan preparation.
• Nutritional Information is the approximate information for 1 til laddu.

Tried this recipe?Share with @myweekendkitchen or tag #weekendkitchen!

The recipe is part of a Food Blogger’s Recipe Swap Challenge in which I was paired with Sandhya, who blogs at My Cooking Journey. I’ve been wanting to make til laddus since so long, I was particularly happy when I saw them on her blog. Thank you Sandhya! 🙂

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