Craving Tirupati Laddu? Here's How to Make the Iconic 311-Year-Old Sweet at Home

Celebrate 311 years of the iconic Tirupati Laddu by learning its fascinating history and an easy homemade recipe. Recreate the famous temple-style prasadam with simple ingredients and enjoy its timeless taste in your own kitchen.

Tirupati Laddu crosses a 311-year milestone!

The Srivari Laddu from Tirupati's Lord Venkateswara temple is more than just a sweet for millions of devotees. It's a sacred prasadam that recently marked its 311th anniversary. For many, a Tirupati darshan is incomplete without this iconic laddu.

Why is the Tirupati Laddu so famous?

The laddu's fame isn't just about its taste. It's about the traditional preparation method passed down through generations and the high-quality ingredients like gram flour, ghee, sugar, cashews, raisins, and cardamom. Plus, the Tirupati Laddu has a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, which means no one else can commercially use its name. Here's a simple recipe to try and recreate that famous taste at home.

Ingredients needed to make it at home

This is a home-style recipe inspired by the Tirupati Laddu. You'll need: 2 cups gram flour (besan), 2 tbsp rice flour (for crispy boondi), 2½ cups sugar, ½ cup ghee, ¼ cup cashews, 2 tbsp raisins, 2 tbsp sugar candy (optional), ½ tsp cardamom powder, a pinch of edible camphor (optional; use food-grade only), a pinch of baking soda, oil or ghee for frying, and water as needed.

How to make it in Tirupati Laddu style?

First, mix the gram flour, rice flour, and a pinch of baking soda with water to make a batter like you would for bajji. Use a boondi ladle to fry small boondis in hot oil or ghee. In another pan, make a one-string consistency sugar syrup. Add the boondi, cardamom powder, ghee-fried cashews, raisins, sugar candy pieces, and a pinch of edible camphor (if using). Mix well. Once the mixture cools down a bit, grease your hands with ghee and roll them into laddus.

Follow these tips for an even better taste!

For the best taste, don't fry the boondi until it's too crispy; keep it soft. Getting the one-string consistency of the sugar syrup is very important. Frying the cashews and raisins in ghee adds great aroma and flavour. Adding a little sugar candy also helps mimic the Tirupati-style taste.

Disclaimer: This is not the original Srivari Laddu recipe from the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. It's just a 'Tirupati Laddu style' recipe you can try at home.