Mawa and Kaju Ladoo with Gulkand Centre (No-Bake Diwali Sweet)

These mawa and kaju ladoos have a sweet surprise inside: a filling of gulkand and chopped nuts. Soft, rich and fragrant with saffron and cardamom, they are a mouthwatering no-bake sweet for Diwali.

These ladoos are very easy to whip up at home. They make a perfect gift for the festive season and a great sweet to serve to guests. Enjoy them with your loved ones!

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you! 💛 Shop the ingredients and tools I use in my Amazon storefront.

Why you’ll love these ladoos

• No oven needed, and only a few minutes on the stove.
• A surprise centre of gulkand and nuts in every bite.
• Rich and festive, with mawa, cashews, saffron and cardamom.
• Perfect for gifting and for serving guests during Diwali.

My tips

• Soak the saffron in warm milk first so it releases its colour and aroma.
• Cook on gentle heat and keep stirring so the mawa doesn’t stick or brown.
• Cool the mixture completely before shaping. It is much easier to stuff and roll.
• Seal the edges well around the filling, then roll again for a smooth ladoo.
• Use any nuts you like in the filling: pistachios, almonds or raisins.

Mawa and Kaju Ladoo with Gulkand and Nuts Centre

Soft mawa and cashew ladoos with a surprise gulkand and nut filling. A quick, no-bake Diwali sweet for gifting and serving guests.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Cooling 15 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 10 ladoos

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients

  

For the ladoos

• 4-5 saffron strands
• 1 tablespoon milk warm
• 1 teaspoon ghee
• 100 g mawa (khoya) crumbled
• 1/4 cup cashews ground, about 30 g
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar about 30 g
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder

For the filling and topping

• 1 tablespoon gulkand (rose petal jam)
• 2-3 tablespoons mixed nuts pistachios, almonds, raisins etc., chopped
• dried rose petals for decorating

Method

 

1. Add the saffron strands to the warm milk, stir and keep aside.
2. Heat the ghee in a non-stick pan. Add the crumbled mawa and cook for about a minute, stirring, until soft and melted.
3. Add the ground cashews and the saffron milk. Mix well and cook for about another minute.
4. Add the powdered sugar and cardamom powder. Keep stirring until the mixture comes together like a smooth dough. Take it off the heat, move it to a bowl and let it cool completely.
5. In a small bowl, mix the gulkand with the chopped nuts.
6. Take a little of the mawa mixture, roll it into a ball and flatten it into a disc with a hollow in the centre. Put a little gulkand-nut filling in the middle, bring the edges up, pinch to seal and roll it back into a smooth ladoo.
7. Press some chopped nuts and dried rose petals on top of each ladoo and serve.

Video

Notes

Makes 10–12 ladoos, depending on the size you roll them.

Let the mawa mixture cool completely before shaping, so it is easy to stuff and roll.

Keep some chopped nuts aside for the topping.

Related Recipes You’ll Love

• Coconut Ladoo with Condensed Milk — the easiest Diwali ladoo, ready in 30 minutes.
• Eggless Paan Cake — gulkand and paan flavours baked into a festive cake.
• Rose Pistachio White Chocolate Fudge — another no-bake sweet for Diwali gift boxes.

Want more baking magic in your life? Subscribe to my YouTube channel — Deepali Ohri — for new recipes every week. Follow along for daily baking inspiration: Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook