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Ladoo

Toasted Coconut Ladoo
This 6-ingredient toasted coconut ladoo is ready in about 20 minutes. Sweet, fudgy coconut balls are a simple dessert perfect for Diwali or any other holiday celebration! Makes 8 to 10 balls.
Ingredients
Ā
- 1 1/4Ā cupsĀ dried shredded coconutĀ ,Ā or fresh shredded coconut
- seeds of 2 green cardamom pod,Ā or use 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, or other flavors as vanilla, cinnamon, lemon zest etc.
- 2Ā tablespoonsĀ almond flour,Ā optional, but recommended
- 1Ā cupĀ oat milk orĀ ,Ā or full fat coconut milk or cashew milk
- 1/2Ā cupĀ or more sugar,Ā Or coconut sugar or jaggery powder or date sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 1Ā teaspoonĀ vegan butter
Instructions
- If using dried shredded coconut that is not a small shred, pulse theĀ coconut shredsĀ in a blender to make small shred or coarse meal size shreds and set aside. Pulse for a few seconds, 3 to 4 times. CrushĀ cardamom seedsĀ in a mortar and pestle or press to crush using the flat edge of the knife and set aside.
- Dry toast theĀ coconut shredsĀ in a skillet over medium low heat. Toast until most of the coconut is golden. 3 to 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. Add in theĀ almond flourĀ and mix in and remove the pan from the heat.
- Make the condensed milk:Ā Combine theĀ milk, sugar, salt and butterĀ in a skillet over medium heat. Bring to a boil and continue to cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until it starts to thicken a bit.
Vegan Malai Ladoo
Vegan malai ladoo ā sweet, cardamom-scented, Indian fudge balls ā are a festive treat perfect for Diwali, Holi, or any holiday gathering! (gluten-free, soy-free with oil-free option)
IngredientsĀ
Ā
- 1/2Ā cupĀ raw cashews,Ā soaked in hot water for at least 20 minutes
- 1/3Ā cupĀ water
- 3Ā tablespoonsĀ vegan cream cheese
- 7Ā tablespoonsĀ sugar
- 1/4Ā teaspoonĀ salt
- 1Ā tablespoonĀ coconut flour,Ā or use 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1Ā teaspoonĀ oil or vegan butter,Ā omit for oil-free
- 5Ā tablespoonsĀ fine almond flour
- seeds from 2 cardamom pods,Ā crushed coarsely
- 1/4Ā teaspoonĀ ground cardamom
- shredded coconut, chopped pistachios, or other toppings of choice,Ā optional
InstructionsĀ
- Drain theĀ soaked cashews, and blend them with theĀ waterĀ for a minute. Add theĀ vegan cream cheese, sugar, salt, and coconut flour, then blend again until smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to a skillet. UseĀ 2 tablespoons waterĀ to rinse out the blender, and add that to the skillet, as well, along with theĀ vegan butter. Cook over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture will get lumpy then thicken evenly
- Mix in theĀ almond flour and cardamom, then continue to cook for another 10 minutes, or until the mixture pulls away from the sides and bottom of the pan.
- Cool, then chill for an hour before shaping into 12 balls. Coat inĀ shredded coconutĀ or top withĀ chopped pistachiosĀ or other decoration if you wish. Serve chilled.

For a sweet holiday treat that is naturally sweetened, try my Whole Wheat Date Ladoo recipe. A wholesome vegan twist on a traditional Indian sweet made with whole wheat flour, almond flour, nuts, and dates! Soy-free + Gluten-free option.
IngredientsĀ
Ā
- 1/4Ā cupĀ whole wheat flour,Ā I use atta
- 1Ā tablespoonĀ vegan butter or oil
- 1Ā tablespoonĀ flax meal
- 2Ā tablespoonsĀ almond flour
- 1/4Ā teaspoonĀ ground cardamom or seeds from 2 green cardamom pods crushed lightly
- 2Ā tablespoonsĀ chopped raw or roasted unsalted cashews
- 8-10Ā dates,Ā soft medjool dates are the best
- good pinch of salt
InstructionsĀ
- Roast your wheat flour in a skillet over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Keep stirring so that the flour doesn’t burn. Stir occasionally for the first 5 minutes. It will get evenly hot and will tend to burn faster after 5 mins so keep stirring frequently then
- Once the flour starts to smell fragrant and has changed color to a significantly darker shade evenly, you can add the flax meal, almond flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and mix and add in the vegan butter.
- Continue to roast for another 3-4 minutes over medium heat and then take off heat.
- Add the dates and the cardamom to a food processor and process until the dates break down.
- Then add in the cashews and wheat flour mixture and process until the mixture is well combined into fat crumbs.
- Check to see if you can make it into even ladoo balls.
- If it’s not sticking as much, add 1 or 2 more dates or a few sprinkles of water and then process again. Shape into balls of preferred size and store.
- You can store this on the counter for up to 5 days or refrigerate for a longer life for up to a month.
Notes
- Use other flours to makeĀ Glutenfree, such as oat flour or sorghum flour
- Add pistachios or hazelnuts instead of cashews, if you want
- Nutfree: omit the almond flour and cashews. Use 2 tbsp more wheat flour

Mango Coconut Ladoo
Mango Coconut Ladoo. Fudgy balls made with Mango Puree, Coconut and almond meal. Vegan gluten-free recipe. Easy soy-free dessert. Use sunflower or sesame seeds to make nut-free. Makes 8 balls
IngredientsĀ
Ā
- 1/2Ā cupĀ shredded coconut,Ā dried
- 1/4Ā cupĀ almond meal
- 1Ā cupĀ or more mango puree,Ā thick puree from can or ripe mango
- 1/4Ā tspĀ salt
- 1/4Ā tspĀ nutritional yeast,Ā optional – it adds a bit of khoya kind of flavor profile which is in dairy based ladoos
- sugar or other sweetener if needed
- 1Ā tbspĀ coconut flour
- 1Ā tbspĀ cornstarch or other starch
- shredded coconut for garnish
InstructionsĀ
- Add coconut, almond meal and pureed mango to a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes until bubbling away.
- Add the salt, nutritional yeast. Taste and add sugar or sweetener if needed. At this point you can also add other ground nuts or seeds or protein powder.
- Mix starch into the coconut flour really well and add to the mixture. Mix in really well and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Continue to cook until the mixture becomes stiff and leaves the sides of the pan. The cooking time depends on the moisture in the mango puree.
- Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for half an hour. Shape into balls or press into parchment lined loaf to cut into bars. Roll the balls in shredded coconut. Store on the counter for the day, or refrigerate for upto 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Coconut Ladoo
These fudgy Coconut Ladoo are super simple, have just 5 ingredients and perfect for Indian Festivals like Diwali or Dussehra. Vegan and Gluten-free
IngredientsĀ
Ā
- 2Ā cupsĀ unsweetened shredded coconut dried
- seeds from 4 to 5 cardamom pods
- 1/3Ā cupĀ full fat coconut milk
- 2Ā tspĀ coconut oil
- 2/3Ā cupĀ ground raw sugar or jaggery,Ā use a Tbsp less for less sweeter
- a pinch of salt
- 2Ā TbspĀ coconut flour
InstructionsĀ
- Grind or blend 2 cups coconut flakes in a blender or processor to make small powdery flakes. Blend a few short cycles, move the coconut around and pulse more to avoid making coconut butter. Pound the cardamom seeds in a mortar and pestle to break into a coarse mixture and mix with the coconut.
- Heat the coconut milk in a small skillet at medium heat. Add oil, sugar and salt and mix in. Bring the mixture to a bubbling boil (about 4 mins). continue to boil for another 4 minutes or until the mixture can form a half thread. (220 to 225 deg F temperature). Take off heat.
- Immediately add 1.5 cups of the shredded coconut and cardamom and mix in. Add the coconut flour and mix in. If the mixture appears too wet, let it cool for a minute, Then add more shredded coconut 2 Tbsp at a time. Do not add more than 4 Tbsp else the laddoos will be dryer. The mixture becomes less wet as it cools. Let the mixture cool for 2 minutes then shape into balls by picking up 1 to 2 Tbsp of the mixture, pressing and shaping with one hand. Roll the ball in the remaining shredded coconut and serve. Cool completely before storing. Store in an airtight container on the counter for upto 3 days or refrigerated for a week.
Notes
If you are not fond of cardamom, use other flavors like cinnamon or saffron.
Use more shredded coconut if you do not have coconut flour.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Burfi

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Instant Pot Gajar Halwa / Gajrela ā Vegan Carrot Halwa Recipe. Carrot Halwa is an Indian dessert, a flourless Carrot Cake Crumble/pudding that is spiced with cardamom and served during festivals. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Dairyfree Recipe.

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Cakes and Cookies

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No-Bake Carrot Halwa Cheesecake
This carrot halwa cheesecake is grain-free and doesn’t need to be baked! You make the carrot halwa crust with cardamom spiced shredded carrots on the stove and the cheesecake mixture in your blender. Then chill this cake to set it up, then slice and serve. Nut-free option

Kulfi Tiramisu (Indian Cardamom Pistachio Tiramisu)
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Vegan Rasmalai Cake
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Carrot Halwa Cake
Carrot halwa cake is a fusion carrot cake recipe that uses a traditional Indian dessert -Gajar Halwa(Indian carrot fudge) as the topping for a flavorful cake. It has such an incredible mixture of flavors and textures! Glutenfree option

Vegan Cardamom Cookie ā Cardamom Snickerdoodles
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Rabri and Puddings

Shahi Tukda (Crisp syrup soaked toasts with Rabri pudding)
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Vegan Rabri ā Indian Milk Pudding
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Carrot Pudding with Cardamom ā Carrot Kheer Recipe
Indian Carrot Pudding with Cardamom ā Carrot Kheer Recipe. Shredded Carrots slow cooked with almond milk, roasted nuts and cardamom. Serve as is or top with toasted nuts, seeds and chia. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Nut-free option

Thandai Phirni ā Spiced Rice Flour Pudding
Thandai Phirni ā Spiced Rice Flour Pudding for Holi Festival. Vegan Phirni Recipe with Thandai Masala mix. Vegan Indian Dessert Gluten-free Soy-free Refined oil free.
Serves 4 as a dessert helping. 2 otherwise.Ā

Brown Rice Kheer Recipe. Vegan Rice Pudding
Brown Rice Kheer Recipe. Vegan Rice Pudding. Indian Kheer for Diwali festival. Brown Rice simmered in almond cashew milk with cardamom, roasted nuts and currants or raisins. Vegan Gluten-free Recipe.

Vermicelli Pudding ā Seviyan Kheer
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Doughnuts and Jalebi

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Vegan Jalebi
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Pistachio Almond Cardamom Popsicle ā Pista Kulfi ā vegan glutenfree
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Kesar Kulfi Recipe ā Saffron Cream Popsicles. Vegan Kulfi with saffron, coconut milk, cashews and starch to thicken. Makes 4 to 6 popsicles
Sweet Drinks

Kesar Pista Masala Milk Mix ā Saffron Pistachio Beverage
Kesar Pista Masala milk mix or powder. Grind and keep in a jar. Blend with chilled non dairy milk and serve. Vegan gluten-free Soy-fee Recipe

Turmeric Lassi ā Golden Yogurt Drink
Turmeric Lassi ā Golden Yogurt Drink. Lassi is a yogurt based drink served as a beverage in India. This version uses non dairy yogurt, turmeric, black pepper and ginger for a cooling Lassi. Vegan Gluten-free Recipe.

Vegan Mango Lassi
Vegan mango Lassi ā Indian Mango Yogurt smoothie with ripe mango, non dairy yogurt and cardamom or saffron. Dairy-free, gluten-free.

Thandai (Spiced Almond Milk) and Thandai Lassi (Yogurt Drink). vegan glutenfree
a spiced almond milk served during the festival of Holi.Ā Creamy and refreshing, it is vegan and gluten free.