poha ladoo aval laddu

Aval Laddu (Poha Ladoo)

By Swasthi on July 15, 2022, Comments, Jump to Recipe

Aval Laddu also known as poha ladoo are festive sweet balls made with flattened rice, jaggery and ghee. These are nutritious, delicious & make a great guilt-free snack. Poha is flattened rice and a staple in Indian cuisine. It is used to make various sweet and savory dishes. Poha is known as Aval in Tamil and atukulu in Telugu. So these are also known as Aval ladoo in Tamil and Atukula Ladoo in Telugu.

Aval laddu also known as poha ladoo

Poha ladoo are a popular sweet made during Krishna Jayanti, the Hindu God. It is said that Lord Krishna loved poha. So dishes made with it are prepared and offered to him especially on his birthday which is celebrated as Krishna Jayanthi.

Most South Indian homes make Sweet Poha, Butter Murukku & Thattai along with aval laddu. You can also offer these during the puja and share with your friends & relatives

These Aval laddu are quick to make and turn out delicious. Many years ago, I made this recipe for a health magazine & thought of sharing it here as well. I have been making this for many years now and these also go well in the kids’ school box.

To make these poha ladoo, you can use any kind of poha – thick, thin, white, red, all go well. But the taste of the red poha ladoo is different. They have a nuttier aroma and go well in these ladoos.

For the binding I used ghee, but milk can also be used. Jaggery and ghee go well rather than jaggery and milk. If making aval ladoo using sugar, you may use milk

Just to keep them simple I have made these with only a few ingredients. You can also use roasted peanuts, fried gram, fresh coconut or almonds for variation.

Here are more poha recipes,
Aval payasam
Poha chivda
Milk poha
Poha upma

More Ladoo Recipes
Coconut ladoo (traditional way)
Rava ladoo
Besan ladoo
Sesame ladoo
Condensed milk coconut ladoo

How to Make Aval Laddu

Preparation

1. Heat a heavy bottom pan and dry roast 1 cup aval / poha until they turn crunchy.

roasting poha

2. Add half cup desiccated coconut and Switch off the stove. Take care not to burn. If using fresh coconut, transfer aval to a plate first and then saute coconut in little ghee until you begin to smell good.

coconut for aval laddu recipe

3. Cool and then powder it. If using whole cardamom, you can add them to poha and powder. A fine poha powder binds well, while making balls. If the powder is coarse ladoo breaks quickly.

powder poha

4. Add ¾ cup jaggery and cardamom powder if not added earlier. Please note that store bought powdered jaggery is different from ball jaggery. So you may need more or less powdered jaggery. You may start with only half cup. If using sugar, powder the sugar first and then add the poha.

addition of jaggery for aval laddu recipe

5. Blend well and transfer to a mixing bowl.

addition of ghee

Make Poha Ladoo

6. Heat ¼ cup ghee and fry nuts and raisins. Add the ghee to the powdered poha. Take small portions and press down with your fingers to form balls. If your balls don’t bind, heat more ghee and add. If you want to use milk, just warm up and use it. Take small portions and roll them to balls. If using milk use up right away or at least on same day.

fried gram ladoo recipe 07

Poha ladoo keep good for 7 to 10 days at room temperature, if made using ghee.

poha ladoo aval laddu

Pro Tips

  1. Aval is a very dry ingredient and is hard to bind the mixture into ladoos. So do not skimp on the ghee as it helps the mixture to bind well.
  2. Press the prepared laddu mixture very well in your palm to bind it well. If the mixture breaks and falls it means it needs more binding ingredient like ghee or milk.
  3. I have used ghee to bind the ladoos which give a very good aroma. You can alternately use milk but the taste will be totally different as the poha absorbs milk and turns soft.
  4. Choose good quality jaggery that is free of debris or stones. Alternately you can also use palm jaggery or sugar.
  5. If your jaggery is not clean then dissolve it in 3 to 4 tbsps water. Filter and then boil until the syrup thickens. Then use this as mentioned below. But the taste of aval ladoo made this way is different.
  6. You can skip the desiccated coconut or replace it with fresh grated coconut. If using fresh coconut fry it well. Fresh coconut will reduce the shelf life so refrigerate them and use.

Aval ladoo make a good and healthy snack for kids and can also be packed in their school box.

Related Recipes

Recipe Card

poha ladoo

Aval Laddu (Poha Ladoo)

Poha ladoo are sweet balls made from flattened rice, jaggery and ghee. These are made during Krishna Jayanthi festival.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time7 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Servings8
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

  • 1 cup poha white or brown or beaten rice or rice flakes/ aval
  • ¾ cup jaggery grated or palm sugar or sugar
  • 2 green cardamoms or elaichi/ ¼ tsp powder
  • ½ cup desiccated coconut (optional)
  • ¼ cup ghee or milk
  • 8 to 10 cashews chopped
  • 8 to 10 raisins chopped


Instructions

Preparation

  • Dry roast aval/ poha till crunchy. Set this aside. Add coconut and fry till you begin to smell good. Cool these completely.
  • Transfer this to a blender along with cardamoms. Make a fine powder, add jaggery and blend well again. If using sugar then powder the sugar first and then powder the poha coconut. Transfer this to the plate.

How to Make Aval Ladoo

  • Heat a pan with ghee, add cashews, fry till they turn golden, and add raisins. Switch off the stove.
  • Pour this to the poha mixture. Mix everything well and take portions of this to your hands. Press down with your fingers to form balls.
  • If the mixture is dry and does not bind,, heat more ghee and add. If using milk, replace ghee with milk for binding. Dry roast nuts and use. Use milk only if using sugar and not jaggery.
  • Store aval laddu in air tight jar.


Notes

  • Note that ball jaggery (traditional jaggery) is different from the store bought powdered jaggery. The sweetness and moisture levels are both different. Store bought powdered jaggery is more dry and has less moisture. So you may need more ghee. Also start with half cup powdered jaggery and use more as needed.

Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Aval Laddu (Poha Ladoo)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 181 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Cholesterol 14mg5%
Sodium 2mg0%
Potassium 44mg1%
Carbohydrates 23g8%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 19g21%
Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
Calcium 10mg1%
Iron 1.1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

© Swasthi’s Recipes

Aval laddu recipe first published in July 2015. Updated and republished in July 2022.

Aval Laddu (Poha Ladoo)

About Swasthi

I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me

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5 stars
My first time making ladoo. SO YUMMY! I added pistachio bc I didn’t have many cashew. Now I want to make many more ladoo!

5 stars
Loved this recipe..need to try very easy too .

5 stars
Loved this recipe…need to try ?

5 stars
?✨loved this recipe ! I made it and it turned out soo well ! Thank u

5 stars
My preference for your recipes and successful results has prompted me to look for some new sweet this Diwali. I shall try and surely inform you of the unfailing result soon. Thank you Swasthi

5 stars
Made this today for gokulashtami… It’s yummy! Tq. ?

Hii mam, nyc recipe.. Mam how many days we store in Safe condition by using jaggery…pls tell shelf life of the poha laddu

Thank you mam… Thanks for your reply

Jaggery here is vellam or karupatti?

Hey swasthi..
Your recepies are simple and easy to follow. For me any new dish, i search for swasthi. I have prepared many of your recepies and they turned great. Thank you and all the best.

5 stars
Hi Swasthi, jaggery generally contains some impurities right. In that case can I melt it in stove, filter it and add to aval powder? Or that will affect the consistency?
Thanks!

5 stars
Your recipes are simple and easy to follow , detailed enough and I find them interesting to prepare.
Thanks Swasthi for your easy and delicious recipes.

5 stars
I agree you are very good chef. Thank you swathi. Your recipes are too good.

I love your recipes ❤️. They always turn on great.

5 stars
For how many days will this laddu stay if made with milk.

5 stars
There are two types of poha available, one it thick and other is thin (one used for making chivda) , which is preferable to use in making these laddoos?

Thankyou 🙂

5 stars
Hi Swasthi,

Tried this recipe and came out very well, though couldn’t bring perfect round shape to the ladoos, the taste was good.
Thank you for the healthy recipe.

5 stars
is heating coconut healthy. I heard that one should not heat coconut. Lot of your recipe involve heating coconut. Please clear my doubt so that I can use your recipes without any fear.

5 stars
Mam can i use atukulu (rice poha) in this pohaladdu

5 stars
Great recipes. All are very simple and easy. Thank you so much.

Great recipes.. Easy to make and healthy. Will definitely try.
Thanks for sharing..

Nice.thank u swathyji

Hi swasthi.i have been following ur recipes & sharing with my friends ..i love ur recipies.i have a 13 month old daughter.i want to make some snacks for her. She was a v good eater. Suddenly she became fussy & direct doesn’t want to eat rice or drink milk. So trying to find out a way to replace those.i am doubtful If I can give her palm jaggery,peanuts,sesame,dry cocconut etc for her.

5 stars
Hi dear, the aval laddu was awesome after a day, I tasted it immediately which gave a raw jaggery flavour but the right next day out was tasting really awesome, it’s a INNOVATIVE dish for kids. LOVE YOUR DISHES ?