When we were kids, my sister and I ate bowlfuls of ragi (nachni or finger millet) porridge. It wasn’t flashy or sweet like chocolate, but it was nourishing. These days ragi turns up in breads, biscuits and laddoos—my personal favourite for festivals.
Trust me, these laddoos don’t taste like supplements. It’s Diwali, which means lots of ghee, and that makes everything irresistible. Meet my favourite Diwali mithai: ragi jaggery laddoos.
These laddoos are wholesome, filling and just indulgent enough for the festival. They use oats, ground almonds and jaggery for sweetness—no refined sugar, but plenty of flavour.
The recipe came from a newspaper clipping my mother tried years ago. I suggested adding almonds or cashews and that turned out to be a small stroke of genius—the nuts add a roasted, nutty richness. Because almonds release natural oil when roasted, you can reduce the ghee slightly if you wish. Adjust the jaggery to suit your taste: more jaggery makes a firmer, drier mix that’s easier to roll; less makes a looser mix that benefits from chilling before shaping. Either way, they’re delicious and a quicker, healthier alternative to traditional besan laddoos.
Ragi flour is easy to find at grocers and supermarkets. Use powdered jaggery for convenience; if it has large pieces, blitz it briefly in a blender. Roasting the mixture requires some stirring but doesn’t take long. For a simple mithai, these are one of the easiest to make.
Describing ragi’s flavour is tricky, but these laddoos balance the earthiness of wholegrain flours with the molasses-like depth of jaggery and the luxuriously rich note of ghee. Make a batch—you won’t regret it.
Ragi Jaggery Laddoos
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/4 cup whole almonds (see notes)
- 1 cup ragi flour
- 6 to 8 tbsps ghee
- 1/2 cup powdered jaggery
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- Sliced almonds to decorate, optional
Instructions
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Grind the oats to a fine, flour-like texture. Transfer to a non-stick pan and set aside.
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Grind the almonds into a coarse almond meal; a few small pieces are fine. Add the almond meal to the oats and dry-roast both together for a couple of minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
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In a sturdy wok or kadhai, heat the ghee on low, taking care that it doesn’t smoke or boil.
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Add the ragi flour and roast on low heat with the ghee for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture darkens and gives a nutty aroma. At this stage the mix will be fairly liquid—don’t worry, that’s normal.
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Add the roasted oats and almond mixture and continue roasting for another 4–5 minutes, stirring constantly. The mixture will thicken slightly but still be somewhat runny. Turn off the heat, transfer the mix to a bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Some ghee may rise to the surface; stir occasionally as it cools and the mix will firm up.
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Once completely cool, add the powdered jaggery and mix thoroughly. The mixture will become firmer—taste and add more jaggery if you prefer it sweeter and drier (which also makes shaping easier). Stir in the cardamom powder. If the mixture feels too soft from ghee, chill for 30 minutes before shaping; this depends on your kitchen temperature.
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Shape the laddoos with your palms—rolling each once around one palm gives a neat round shape. Press a sliced almond on top for decoration if you like. Store in the fridge; the laddoos taste best on day two after the flavours settle. Allow them to warm at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy and have a wonderful Diwali!
Notes
If the jaggery has larger chunks, blitz it briefly in a blender for a smooth, even texture.