Laddus are the most popular Indian delicacy treat among all age groups. Mostly Indian desserts are famous worldwide and they are made with healthy and nutritive ingredients. Laddus make a good choice, be it a healthy snack for kidoos or be it an easy recipe. Mommies constantly look for healthy snack box options. Yes! The following healthy laddu recipes for kid’s snack box could very well be an answer.
However, the most important factor which is to be considered is the sugar and ghee level. Most of the recipes can have jaggery instead of white sugar. A couple of them taste better with the sugar; hence you can incorporate palm sugar or brown sugar in laddus. The quantity of ghee could vary depending on the consistency you are looking at. Ghee adds aroma and softens laddus.
1. Dry fruit and nut laddu
One of the easiest and yet healthiest form of adding dried fruits and nuts in daily diet is this dry fruit and nut laddu. Cute little boys, packed with nutrient and natural goodness served one for a day make your kids day healthiest.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dates
- ¼ cup dried figs
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 cup mixed nuts – cashews, badam, pista and walnut
Method
- Clean fig, raisins and dates. Remove the seeds from dates.
- Chop fig, raisins and dates into smaller pieces.
- Dry roast all the nuts separately and let it cool.
- Blend all the nuts into fine powder.
- Add all the chopped dry fruits and blend it together.
- Transfer it to a big mixing bowl.
- Add 1 tbsp of ghee to avoid stickiness.
- Now, mix them and make it as small balls.
- Store it in an air tight container and serve as 1 or 2 balls per day to your kids.
As the nuts and dry fruits are finely powdered, even toddlers can eat. No sugar is added as there is sweetness of dates. You can also add desiccated coconut for additional flavors.
2. Ragi laddu
Ragi (finger millet) is a healthy grain to be added in kids’ food. It is a store house of calcium and is an excellent snack recipe for kids and also for woman. One of the most important thing to be remembered while making these laddus is to dry roast ragi very well to avoid stomach aches due to rawness of ragi. You can also add dry coconut, peanuts and sesame seeds for adding flavors. The taste varies accordingly for each added ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1½ cup sprouted or plain ragi flour.
- 2 tsp cardamom powder.
- 1 cup jaggery powder.
- 1 tbsp roasted soogi.
- 2 tbsp ghee.
Method
- Take 1½ cup of ragi flour in a pan.
- Roast the flour till the color changes and you get nice aroma from the ragi flour.
- Add ghee to the flour and stir.
- Switch off the flame and keep it aside to cool.
- Add cardamom powder, roasted sooji and jaggery powder to the flour in a large bowl. Sooji acts as a binding factor. Mix well.
- When the mixture is blended well, you could notice oil oozing out of the mixture. It indicates that the mixture is ready to make small balls.
- Make it as small balls and store it in an air tight container.
3. Sathu maavu laddu
Sathu maavu laddu is highly rich in nutrients as it contains many of the millets and grains together. It would be very difficult to give sathu maavu porridge for grown kids. Hence laddu make a good choice to offer as a snack and yet a healthy one. Preparing sathu maavu by ourself in home gives us full satisfaction. For home made sathu maavu or sprouted sathu maavu recipe, Click the below link.
Homemade sprouted sathu maavu recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sathu maavu(Health mix powder)
- 1/3 cup palm jaggery(Karupatti)
- 2 tbsp Ghee
- 1 tbsp cardamom powder
Method
- Dry roast sathu maavu until you get nice aroma and keep it aside.
- Add palm jaggery and little water in a pan.
- Heat it up to make thick syrup. Switch off and strain to remove impurities(Consistency should be thick slightly thinner than honey)
- Take roasted flour in a mixing bowl and add the syrup slowly and mix well.
- Add ghee to the mixture.
- Now, mix everything and make it as small balls.
- Store it in an air tight container and enjoy your laddus.
4. Wheat flour laddu
Wheat is the major source of starch and energy. It provides substantial number of components which are essential for health, notably proteins, vitamins, dietary fiber and phytochemicals. There are other forms in which wheat can be added to the daily diet is by making chapatti, roti, poori. But wheat laddus make a good choice of snack which kidoos will love to have. You can add desiccated coconut, sesame seeds, raisins and your choice of nuts for additional aroma and taste.
Ingredients
- 2 cups wheat flour
- 1 ¼ cup of powdered jaggery
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tbsp cardamom powder
Method
- Take a pan and add 2 tbsp of ghee and 1 tbsp of cardamom powder.
- Add atta to it and roast on low flame until it changes to golden brown. Keep it aside.
- Add powdered jaggery in a heavy bottomed pan, add some water and heat it.
- Once the jaggery is dissolved, let it cook for few minutes to make the syrup thick.(Do not make it too thick as the laddus become hard)
- Filter the jaggery syrup to remove the impurities. Let it cool down.
- Add the filtered jaggery syrup to the roasted flour and mix it with the hand.
- Make smaller balls and store it in an air tight container.
5. Urad dal laddu (Ulundhu urundai)
Urad dal is one of the famous lentils used I southern part of Asia, especially in Indian cuisine. It is the richest source of protein and vitamin B. Urad dal brims with many health benefits especially for women. As this lentil is full of iron, folic acid, calcium, magnesium and potassium, makes a perfect health package for pregnant women too. There is a traditional way of saying – urad dal is good for backaches and also strengthening the bones. Urad dal laddu makes an excellent choice for kidoos taste palettes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups urad dal/ black gram
- 1 cup of powdered jaggery
- 2 tbsp ghee
Method
- Dry roast the urad dal on low flame till it becomes light golden color.
- Allow it to cool completely.
- Grind it to a coarse or fine powder based on your liking. Finely powdered balls will be easy to eat for toddlers.
- Blend jaggery along with it and transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Mix them well.
- Add melted ghee in few portions, so that you will be able to make balls.
- Store it in an air tight container.
6. Black sesame laddu
Sesame seeds are the nutritious source of plant protein . It also provides fiber, calcium, vitamin B, vitamin E and antioxidants. It plays a role in blood vessel functions which aids for increasing hemoglobin. Making sesame laddus is the bestest form of adding sesame to kids healthy snacking.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup black sesame seeds
- ¾ cup of powdered jaggery
- ¾ cup peanut
Method
- In a pan, dry roast sesame seeds until they are fragrant and just begin to pop.
- Remove it from heat and let it be warm.
- Dry roast peanut without skin till it changes color to light brown.
- Grind roasted sesame seeds and peanut and make it fine powder.
- Add jaggery and blend along.
- Transfer to the mixing bowl. As little oil extracts, it will be easy to make balls without adding ghee.
- Store it in an air tight container.
Note: Adding peanut is optional. Peanut enhances taste.
7. Moong dal laddu
Moong dal like other lentils and pulses is a good source of protein and dietary fiber. It is also enriched in iron which helps in baby’s growth and huge calories count gives an immense amount of energy.
Ingredients
- 1 cup moong dal
- ¾ cup of powdered jaggery
- 2 tbsp cardamom powder.
- Ghee
Method
- Dry roast moong dal in a pan until color changes to golden brown.
- Let it cool for sometime after roasting.
- Grind roasted moong dal into fine powder.
- Add jaggery and cardamom powder.
- Mix altogether by adding ghee to it in a mixing bowl.
- If you want, you can add roasted cashews for additional flavor.
- Now, mix it with a spoon and start making small balls.
- Store it in an air tight container for a week.
8. Poha laddu
Poha which is also known as pauwa, chira or aval among many other names. It is a flattened rice originating from the Indian subcontinent. Poha is actually a wholesome meal. It is a good source of carbohydrates, iron, fiber, vitamins and is gluten free. Poha laddu stands unique and healthiest recipe for kids.
Ingredients
- 2 cups poha
- Chopped almonds
- ¾ cup of powdered jaggery
- 1 tbsp cardamom powder.
- Ghee
Method
- Clean poha off from any husk.
- Add poha to a pan and dry roast until yje color changes to light golden yellow.
- Remove from flame and allow the poha to cool.
- Blend poha to coarse consistency.
- Add jaggery and blend together.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl and add 1 tbsp of ghee.
- Take small portion and roll it into balls.
- Store it in an air tight container.
9. Carrot laddu
Carrots are a good source of beta carotene, fiber, vitamin k1, potassium and also act as an antioxidant. There are number of health benefits mainly linked to lower cholesterol levels and improve eye health. Carrots are certainly the favorite vegetable for kids at all ages and having as a laddu, your kids will surely love to binge on them.
Ingredients
- 2 cups grated carrot
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 1 tbsp cardamom powder.
- Brown sugar/palm sugar as required.
- 2 tbsp ghee
- Raisins and almonds.
Method
- Saute grated carrot on low flame in a pan until the carrots change the color to brownish.
- Add desiccated coconut and 1 tsp of cardamom powder and mix well.
- Add brown sugar/ palm sugar, raisins and almonds.
- Cook on low flame until the excess water in carrot gets evaporated.
- Add little ghee to bind the mixture.
- Take small portions and roll it as a ball.
- Store it in an air tight container.
10. Coconut laddu
Coconut is a fibrous one-seeded drupe which is a great source of digestion and satiating fiber. You’ll also get vitamin B6, iron, magnesium, Zinc, copper, manganese and selenium. As it is rich in saturated fat, all would have a thought on its usage, but consuming moderate level of coconut adds on some of the health benefits. Kids will love to enjoy these coconut munchies.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup desiccated coconut
- 1 ½ condensed milk
- ½ tbsp cardamom powder.
- Brown sugar/palm sugar as required.
- Roasted nuts(almonds,pista)
- Raisins
Method
- Blend the desiccated coconut until it is smooth.
- In a pan, add desiccated coconut and condensed milk and bring the mixture to boil on low flame.
- Once the ingredients have binded well, turn of the flame (It is now in solid consistency).
- Add cardamom powder, roasted nuts and mix well.
- Make small balls of proportionate size.
- Store it in an air tight container. It lasts for 2 weeks.
The Takeaway
Though eating snacks are bad to our health, snacks are so important to satisfy hunger between meals and boosts energy during the day. Eating healthy snacks can round out the diet, ensuring that kids are getting all of the nutrients they need for their growth and development. Learning to eat and enjoy healthy snacks encourages our kids to develop healthy eating habits. Try out these various healthy laddu recipes for the kids snack box and make them love to enjoy their healthy eating.
Pingback: Finger Food Ideas For Babies & Toddlers - MOMKNOWZ