Nariyal Ladoo - Indian style coconut truffle

Nariyal Ladoo is a traditional soft and creamy Indian coconut fudge ball made with shredded coconut, condensed milk and cardamom. This quick and easy coconut ladoo recipe comes together in a jiffy and is ready in 10-15 minutes.

Growing up, there was always a wide variety of Indian sweets around festivals, especially during Christmas. My mom would make some mithai (Indian sweets) at home and we would buy some at a local candy store. Nariyal Ladoo, also known as Coconut Ladoo, has been my favorite since childhood.

Years ago, when I was looking through my mom's recipe book, I found this quick recipe for Coconut Ladoo with a handful of easily available ingredients. My mom used to make this dessert whenever spontaneous guests showed up for dinner 🙂

This quick recipe has only 5 ingredients and is perfect for weeknight celebrations!

For my family, it has become a Christmas dessert essential in my home and I'm excited to share this easy recipe with you today.

What is Nariyal Ladoo?

Nariyal Ladoo is a traditional Indian fudge-like candy made with dried coconut flakes, condensed or dry milk, and sugar (or jaggery).

Ladoo or Laddu refers to the ball shape of this dessert. The texture of Nariyal Ladoo is just like fudge, it is soft, creamy and melts in your mouth!

Nariyal Ladoo - a simple and quick dessert recipe

• In this recipe, I'll show you how to make this ladoo very easily. You will simply love this recipe because of it:

• The dessert is ready in 10-15 minutes from start to finish, which makes it ideal for weekday celebrations.

• This sweet treat is finger food friendly, you can just grab a ladoo and pop it right in your mouth 😃. No extra utensils are needed, making it perfect for parties.

• It's completely vegetarian and gluten-free, with easy substitutions to make it vegan and lactose-free!

• It's a dessert recipe that's great for take-out and parties.

Ingredients for Nariyal Ladoo

• Coconut: shredded, dried, unsweetened coconut. Grated coconut is best for this recipe. However, you can also make it with fresh, finely shredded coconut. Since fresh coconut contains more moisture, the cooking process will take a few minutes longer. Just skip step 1 and omit the milk in the recipe and follow the other instructions.

• Condensed milk: Sweetened condensed milk is easy to find on the baking shelves of most supermarkets. Use the amount specified in the recipe. Transfer the rest of the can to an airtight container and refrigerate, or use it directly in Kesar Pista Kulfi.

• Milk: Although optional, it helps the ladoo stay soft longer. Use 2% or whole milk.

• Cardamom: Ground cardamom gives these ladoo an aromatic finish. For the best flavor, remove the seeds from 2-3 green cardamom pods and grind them with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. For alternative flavors, you can use saffron (dissolved in 1 teaspoon of water) or a few drops of rose water.

Nariyal Ladoo-Variations

• Vegan & dairy-free variation: to make Nariyal Ladoo vegan and dairy-free, replace the condensed milk with coconut milk condensed milk, use coconut or almond milk instead of milk, and use vegetable or coconut oil instead of ghee.

• Fun change for kids: making colorful Nariyal Ladoo is a super fun activity for kids and a great way to get them involved in cultural festivities. The color pink reminds me of my childhood, so I like to add 2 drops of pink food coloring occasionally and mix until a beautiful pink color is achieved.

• You can use any food coloring of your choice.

Storage suggestions

• Every time I invite friends over for an Indian feast, I make this recipe a few days in advance. These Nariyal Ladookeep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

• To freeze, seal tightly, label, date and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded, dried unsweetened coconut (shredded coconut) plus ¼ cup for coating the ladoos

• ½ cup sweetened condensed milk

• 2 tbsp full fat milk

• 1 tbsp Ghee

• ½ tsp Cardamom powder

Instructions

Heat the skillet over medium heat. Add shredded coconut and stir fry for 30 seconds. This will help the desiccated coconut to become moist and release its flavor.

Add condensed milk, milk and Ghee to the coconut and mix well. Stir every 2 minutes to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom and burning.

Stir until the mixture begins to dry and the mixture reaches a soft, dough-like consistency.

Keep a close eye on the mixture from the 10-minute mark. It can take anywhere from 12-15 minutes, depending on the heat level of your stove. Turn off the heat and add cardamom powder and mix everything well.

To make Ladoos, take about a tablespoon of dough in your hands and roll it in circular motions between your palms to form a soft ball.

Sprinkle the Ladoos with the reserved coconut flakes.

The Nariyal Ladoo will keep in a clean container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Tips

• Use fresh coconut if desired, then skip step 1 and omit the milk from the recipe.

• Whether you buy coconut pre-shredded or shred it at home, be sure to use finely shredded coconut in this recipe.

• Reserve ¼ cup of coconut for sprinkling. This last step improves the appearance and flavor of the ladoos.

• Make the Nariyal Laddos vegan and dairy-free. Replace the condensed milk with coconut milk condensed milk, use coconut or almond milk instead of milk, and use vegetable or coconut oil instead of Ghee.

• The gel food coloring is optional, but adds that special festive flair, and most importantly, the kids love it!

• Remove from the refrigerator for 5 minutes before serving. This takes away some of the chill and makes them taste even more coconutty!

I look forward to hearing from you...

...if you like my blog, my recipes inspire you and your curiosity for Indian cuisine has been piqued.

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