Check out more simple and easy Indian sweets and desserts, including traditional coconut ladoo recipes.
About the recipe
If you are looking for a simple yet best dessert for this holiday or festival season, try this caramel coconut ladoo recipe. This sweet recipe is inspired by our traditional coconut ladoo and coconut burfi with jaggery, which takes a little longer time to reach the final stage—a shortcut method where even beginners can make this ladoo or balls easily: no sugar syrup consistency or long time stirring. You can make this even on a double boiler method. A no-fail dessert, and if you are lazy to make the balls, simply transfer the mixture to greased pan or parchment paper and spread it evenly. Then cut them into barfi or fudge. I have used a can of homemade dulce de leche to make these delicious coconut balls or nariyal laddu. You can make this using sweetened condensed milk or caramel sauce if desired. These laddus or coconut balls can be given in the form of a gift box or mithai box to your family and friends during Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Raksha Bandhan, Christmas, and Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
Dulce de leche: You can use homemade or store-bought dulce de leche sauce for this recipe. But if dulce de leche is unavailable, use a can of condensed milk (milkmaid) or 14 oz of caramel sauce to make caramel ladoo. Coconut: Shredded coconut flakes - fresh, dry, desiccated, or frozen- work best for this recipe. Garnish: Optional, for decorative purposes only. Flavoring: For traditional Indian flavor, use cardamom powder, and for Western flavor, add vanilla extract, and it will taste like coconut fudge. Ghee: Use desi ghee or butter to grease your hands to roll them into balls easily. See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make coconut balls or no-bake coconut fudge?
In a blender, mixie jar, or food processor, add 1 ½ cups of coconut and grind it to a coarse mixture. (This step gives a nice texture to your ladoo but is optional) Warm the store-bought or homemade dulce de leche using a double boiler or nonstick pan on low heat. Add coarsely ground coconut, remaining 1 ½ cups coconut, and cardamom powder, and keep stirring it in a double boiler or nonstick skillet until this mixture becomes thick and forms a mass, about 4 to 6 minutes. To check if the mixture is ready - take the mixture in a spoon and check if you can form balls out of this. Be careful, as this is going to be hot. Switch off the flame and keep this aside for 5 minutes. When the mixture is warm, grease your palm with ghee and prepare bite-size balls. Garnish it with almonds if desired. Store the ladoo in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to seven days.
Tips
Add a total of 3 cups of coconut if you have a sweet tooth and 3 ½ cups if you like it moderately sweet, and 4 cups if you like it mildly sweet. You can use the double boiler method or make this ladoo on a nonstick pan. Instead of balls, you can even grease the plate with butter/ghee or use parchment paper. Transfer the mixture and spread evenly. Cut it to the desired shape of coconut fudge or barfi once it cools down completely. I have tried this recipe with both fresh and dry shredded coconut flakes. Coconut powder can also be used. If you do not have dulce de leche, you can make this ladoo with condensed milk or caramel sauce by following the same steps.
Variations
¼ cup of cocoa powder can be added to make chocolate coconut balls or ladoo. Dip the coconut balls in melted chocolate to taste like Bounty chocolate. Roll each ball in toasted coconut flakes. Add ¼ cup of gulkand to make gulkand coconut ladoo. Add more dry fruits and nuts to get a crunchy texture.
More best coconut sweets
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Recipe card
