Whole wheat flour is a versatile ingredient. The proof of the pudding lies in the fact that it can be used to prepare dishes ranging from savory/salty to sweet. Like this Atta Laddu or Atta Ladoo, which is made with whole wheat flour and just 2 other ingredients. This delicious Wheat Ladoo recipe is quick and easy to make. Quite a change that you sometimes need from your other regular Ladoo.
About Wheat Ladoo
There are some recipes you learn while growing up and some later in life. Although this Atta Ladoo recipe falls into the latter category, it has grown on me like no other. I can easily say that this Atta Laddu is one of my favorites now.
I learned how to prepare Atta Ke Laddu from my mother-in-law. This sweet is primarily a Punjabi/North Indian specialty. Thus, it is a winter favorite. Following the same trend, my mother-in-law would also make 1-2kg of this delicious ladoo for the whole family.
During the numbing cold months of northern India, the heat warms and comforts hands as you shape the hot Ladoo mix. Hence, it was an annual ritual in the Punjabi household every winter season.
Although Maharashtra and surrounding regions are not that cold, I still make the rustic Atta Ke Laddu at home. Flour ladoos are easier to make at home. And so were these Atta Laddu. Made with just atta, sugar, and ghee, these filling ladoos are not only good for the winter, but also for the monsoons.
Atta Laddu is a great snack for kids and adults. It is also suitable for celebratory occasions where the recipe can be doubled or tripled to make a large batch. The only tiring and time consuming thing would be toasting the whole wheat flour in a huge batch.
Keep in mind that these laddu are made from ‘atta’, a whole grain flour used to make Indian flatbreads such as roti, chapati and paratha. Atta is finely ground wholemeal flour made from soft to medium-hard wheat grains. Unlike whole wheat flour (available outside of India), which is ground in metal rollers, atta is primarily ground in stone mills.
This recipe works with Atta and I think it should also work with whole wheat flour made and sold outside of India.
Step by step guide
How to make Atta Laddu
powdered sugar
1. Take ⅓ cup sugar in a dry grinder or small blender.
2. Grind to a fine powder and set aside.
Toasted Whole Wheat Flour
3. Take 1 cup of whole wheat flour (atta) in a kadai or wide, heavy-bottomed pan.
4. Keep the pan on low-medium heat or sim and start toasting the whole wheat flour.
5. Stir continuously and continuously as you toast the flour to help it toast and brown evenly.
6. Fry until the color changes and the whole wheat flour develops a nutty aroma. About 7 to 10 minutes on low heat.
The timing varies depending on the material, size and thickness of the pan. I used a steel kadai without a thick bottom. So it took me 7 minutes to toast the flour.
Do Atta Ladoo
7. Then add ⅓ cup of ghee to the flour.
8. Begin mixing very well.
9. Stir and roast this mixture for another 3 to 5 minutes. Again, the timing will vary depending on the material, size, and thickness of the pan.
Due to the steel kadai I used, it took me 4 minutes to finish the roasting in this step.
10. Check the taste of the whole wheat flour, it should feel cooked. There should be no rudeness.
11. Turn off the heat, remove the pan from the stove and set it on the kitchen counter. Add the powdered sugar.
12. Add 1 tablespoon of raisins and mix well with a spoon or spatula.
13. Using the spatula or spoon, break the sugar lumps, if any, into the mixture.
14. The sugar must be thoroughly mixed into the flour and ghee mixture.
15. When the mixture is still hot and the heat is tolerable, take a heaping portion into a spoon.
16. Use this portion to form a ladoo, or small to medium sized round ball. If the heat is unbearable, wait a few minutes. Don’t burn your hands.
17. Similarly, make medium sized Ladoo from the remaining mixture.
If you can’t form clean round balls and the mixture crumbles, add a few more tablespoons of warm ghee. Mix well and then continue to shape into round balls.
18. When done, store them in an airtight box or jar. These stay good for a month during the winter. But in hot weather, you need to cool them. Serve Atta Laddu as a sweet snack.
More with Atta
When it comes to versatile use, wholemeal flour or atta stands for it. For example, most of our regular Indian flatbreads like paratha, chapati, roti or phulka are based on atta. Besides these, there are many other recipes that include it as an integral part.
And not only salty or savory, the varied list of sweet dishes or desserts that can be prepared with Atta is also quite impressive. An example is this Atta Laddu and the very satisfying Atta Halwa candy, which is also loaded with cashew nuts.
These are some of the other sweet whole-wheat flour recipes I often make at home – atta cakes, panjiri (a traditional Punjabi sweet dish with a grainy texture, also a common offering at the Krishna Janmashtami Bhog), and kada prashad (the quintessential velvety , rich halvahs served in gurudwaras around the world).
expert tips
- At home I usually use “Khand” or “Khandsari” which is Indian raw sugar for Ladoo. When using raw sugar, I pulverize it first and then add it to the ladoo. But you can also prepare them with regular powdered sugar or powdered sugar.
- Raisins are my choice of dried fruit to go in this Wheat Ladoo. You can also use almonds. If using these, toast them separately first, then chop and add.
- Additional flavorings such as cardamom powder etc. are not required with Wheat Laddu. The nutty flavor of the toasted whole wheat flour is enough to make it absolutely delicious.
- As you increase the amounts, add more ghee if needed.
More Ladoo Recipes to Try!
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Atta Laddu | Wheat Ladoo
These wheat ladoos are a good sweet snack for children as well as for the whole family. Easy and quick to prepare delicious Ladoo made from wholemeal flour, sugar and ghee.
preparation time 5 minutes
cooking time 10 minutes
total time fifteen minutes
cooking modePrevent your screen from going dark while preparing the recipe
Roast whole wheat flour
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Take whole wheat flour in a kadai or wide, heavy-bottomed pan.
-
Keep the pan on low-medium heat or sim and begin toasting the whole wheat flour.
-
You must stir constantly and often as you toast the flour so that it toasts and browns evenly.
- Fry until the color changes and the atta (whole wheat flour) develops a nutty aroma. About 7 to 10 minutes over low to medium heat. The timing varies depending on the material, size and thickness of the pan.
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Then add ghee to the flour.
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Start mixing very well.
- Stir and roast this mixture for another 3 to 5 minutes. Again, the timing will vary depending on the material, size, and thickness of the pan.
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Check the taste of the whole wheat flour and it should feel cooked. The taste should not be raw.
Make atta laddu
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Turn off the heater. Place the pan on the kitchen counter and add the powdered sugar.
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Add the raisins and mix very thoroughly with a spoon or spatula.
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Break the sugar cubes, if any, into the ladoo mixture. The Ladoo mixture must be mixed very well.
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When the mixture is still hot and you can bear the heat, take a heaping portion into a spoon.
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Use this portion to shape Ladoo. The heat should be bearable. If the heat is unbearable, wait a few minutes. Don’t burn your hands.
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Form small to medium-sized balls from this whole mass.
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If you can’t form a ladoo, add a few more teaspoons of warm ghee. Mix well and then continue to shape the Ladoo.
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When you’re done, store them in an airtight box or jar. In the cold months these stay good for a month. But store in the fridge in hot weather.
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Serve Atta Laddu as needed.
- If the mixture crumbles as you shape it, add a few tablespoons of warm ghee. Mix and start shaping again.
- This recipe can be doubled or tripled. Add more ghee as needed as you double or triple the recipe.
- Dried fruits and nuts of your choice can be added. You can chop them up and add them when you add ghee. If you add almonds, toast them separately first. Chop them up and then add them in if you add raisins.
nutritional information
Atta Laddu | Wheat Ladoo
amount per serving
calories 124
Calories from fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.4 g
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
cholesterol 15mg5%
sodium 1mg0%
potassium 57mg2%
carbohydrates 16g5%
fiber 1g4%
sugar 8 gr9%
protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 1 IU0%
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) 0.1mg7%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.02mg1%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1mg5%
Vitamin B6 0.1mg5%
vitamin C 0.05mg0%
vitamin E 0.1mg1%
vitamin k 0.3 µg0%
calcium 6mg1%
Vitamin B9 (folate) 5µg1%
iron 0.5mg3%
magnesium 17mg4%
phosphorus 45mg5%
zinc 0.3mg2%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This Atta Laddu recipe from the archives, first published in July 2016, was republished and updated on July 6, 2022.
