If you’re a fan of unique and flavorful desserts, Paan Gulkand Ladoo is a treat that will delight your taste buds! This sweet, indulgent paan ladoo is inspired by the traditional Indian paan. If you don't know what Indian paan is, it is a betel leaf-based after-meal refresher. I like to stuff these ladoos with gulkand (rose jam). Which adds the Indian paan flavors to come together.
I love to make Paan desserts for Diwali. And instead of serving them as mithai, I serve them cold after the meal. And it is the same with these delicious melt-in-mouth paan mawa ladoos too. They have a stuffing of gulkand, which is chewy, floral, and sweet! These Paan truffles or Ladoos in my opinion do full justice to the classic Indian Mithai x Fusion Diwali Recipe.
These paan truffles are made with ricotta cheese and milk powder, which adds creaminess to the ladoos. It is flavored with bettle leaves and rose jam. Once you try this recipe, I bet you will make it again and again! You can also make this recipe and bring it to potlucks! Everyone will love it! If you love floral flavors, you should check out my rose cheesecake truffles. They are melt-in-mouth delicious and perfect for tea-parties!
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What is Paan Ladoo?
Paan Ladoo is a modern fusion take on the beloved Indian paan, and if you’re a fan of the sweet paan like I am, this recipe will quickly become your favorite! I’ve always adored the flavors of paan, especially the sweet variety, and I’ve been wanting to share this recipe ever since I made these delicious ladoos for Diwali last year.
What makes paan ladoos so special is how they bring together the minty freshness of paan and the richness of Indian mithai, creating a truly unique dessert experience. The rose jam, or gulkand, adds that unmistakable paan flavor, making this recipe a perfect fusion of tradition and innovation to try this Diwali!
Why You'll Love This Recipe?
- Unique Flavor: The blend of paan and sweet ladoo gives a refreshing and creamy experience in every bite.
- Easy to Make: These ladoos are quick to prepare and don’t require too many ingredients.
- Festive Vibe: Perfect for any festive occasion like Diwali, Holi, or even weddings, they are sure to impress your guests with their distinct taste and vibrant green color.
- Customizable: You can adjust the sweetness, and paan flavor intensity, and even add some variations to suit your preferences.
Ingredients to Make Paan Ladoos
Betel (Paan) Leaves - You will need 4-5 bettle leaves for this recipe. And, you can easily find fresh bettle leaves at any Indian grocery store.
Milk - We will pulse the bettle leaves with milk, and make a puree to add to the paan mawa ladoos stuffed with gulkand. This step will flavor our ladoos with minty paan refreshing flavor.
Ghee - I like to use ghee to make ladoos and pedas.
Ricotta Cheese - I like to use ricotta cheese as it adds creaminess exactly how mawa does to Indian mithais, and it cooks faster! It works as a great substitution to mawa to make Indian mithais.
Milk Powder - We will use milk powder as it thickens the paan ladoos mixture, along with giving it a crumbly ladoo and peda-like texture after it cooks.
Sugar - Use castor sugar to sweeten these ladoos.
Rose Water - Adding rose water adds beautiful floral notes to this recipe!
Gulkand - Gulkand in English is rose jam. We will add rose jam as stuffing to these delicious paan ladoos.
How To Make Paan Ladoos At Home?
1. Measure and keep all the ingredients ready. Wash and dry the beetle leaves, and with a knife cut the thick stems off.
2. For paan puree, add 4 betel leaves torn, and 3 tablespoons of cold milk, and blend until pureed.
3. Now, on a low flame, add 2 teaspoons ghee and 1 cup ricotta cheese in a non-stick pan.
4. You will see that the ghee and ricotta cheese will melt, and start to bubble. Keep stirring.
5. You will have to stir continuously for 6-7 minutes for ricotta to thicken until all the moisture is evaporated.
6. Add ½ cup +2 tablespoons milk powder, ½ cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon of rose water and prepared paan puree.
7. Stir for another 10 - 12 minutes until the mixture starts to leave the pan and fold over easily. At this point, it shouldn't be sticky anymore. Turn off the flame.
8. Take the prepared ladoo mix out in a mixing bowl.
9. Once the mixture is cool, grease your palms with a drop of ghee.
10. Use a cookie scoop and scoop the paan ladoo mixture.
11. Scoop the ladoo mixture in your palm. Roll it and flatten it. Pree down in the center of the flattened ladoo mixture.
12. Add 1 teaspoon of gulkand (rose jam) in the center.
13. Bring the edges together and seal the ladoo mixture.
14. Now roll the ladoo, between your palms. It should be a perfect round and hold its shape.
15. Roll the prepared paan ladoo in desiccated coconut. Repeat the same process with the remaining ladoos.
16. Keep the paan ladoos refrigerated in an airtight container.
Expert Tips to Make This Recipe
Cook The Ladoo Mixture: Cook the ladoo mixture on low flame until it thickens, and rolls over itself smoothly.
Roll The Ladoos: Cool the prepared ladoo mixture and bring it to room temperature. Cool it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and then roll the ladoos.
Stuffing The Ladoos: You want to add about 1-1.5 teaspoons of gulkand stuffing in the ladoos. It also depends on the size of the ladoos you can. Make sure you stuff enough stuffing to get a taste in every bite.
Texture Variations: If you prefer a bit of crunch, add chopped nuts or sugar-coated fennel seeds as stuffing along with gulkand.
Storing: These ladoos stay fresh for 4-5 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze them for up to a month.
More Recipes From The Blog
Paan Ladoo
These nutrional values are automatically generated. Use them for estimation only.
Ingredients
- 4-5 Betel Leaves
- 3 Tablespoons Milk
- 2 Teaspoons Ghee
- 1 Cup Ricotta Cheese Full Fat
- ½ Cup +2 Tablespoons Milk Powder
- ½ Cup Sugar
- ¼ Teaspoon Rose Water
- ¼ Cup Gulkand
Instructions
Make the Paan Puree
- Measure and keep all the ingredients ready. Wash and dry the beetle leaves, and with a knife cut the thick stems off.
- For paan puree, add 4 betel leaves torn, and 3 tablespoons of cold milk, and blend until pureed.
Cook The Paan Ladoo Mixture
- Now, on a low flame, add 2 teaspoons ghee and 1 cup ricotta cheese in a non-stick pan.
- You will see that the ghee and ricotta cheese will melt, and start to bubble. Keep stirring.
- You will have to stir continuously for 6-7 minutes for ricotta to thicken until all the moisture is evaporated.
- Add ½ cup +2 tablespoons milk powder, ½ cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon of rose water and prepared paan puree.
- Stir for another 10 - 12 minutes until the mixture starts to leave the pan and fold over easily. At this point, it shouldn't be sticky anymore. Turn off the flame.
- Take the prepared ladoo mixture out in a mixing bowl. Take the prepared ladoo mix out in a mixing bowl.
Roll The Paan Ladoos
- Once the mixture is cool, grease your palms with a drop of ghee.
- Use a cookie scoop and scoop the paan ladoo mixture.
- Scoop the ladoo mixture in your palm. Roll it and flatten it. Pree down in the center of the flattened ladoo mixture.
- Add 1 teaspoon of gulkand (rose jam) in the center.
- Bring the edges together and seal the ladoo mixture.
- Now roll the ladoo, between your palms. It should be a perfect round and hold its shape.
- Roll the prepared paan ladoo in desiccated coconut. Repeat the same process with the remaining ladoos.
- Keep the paan ladoos refrigerated in an airtight container.
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