This air fryer oats ladoo is an easy way to make a nutty Indian sweet without continuously roasting the mixture over the stove. Rolled oats are roasted in the air fryer, ground into flour, mixed with ghee, coconut, almond flour and cardamom, then finished with powdered sugar.
The result is a soft, slightly grainy oats laddu with plenty of nutty flavour. The air fryer handles most of the roasting, making this especially convenient when you are preparing several sweets for Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi or another celebration.
I have also made this recipe using the traditional stovetop method. The two methods need slightly different ratios: the air fryer version uses a little less ghee but needs more almond flour for the right consistency. I have included both methods below.
If you like adapting traditional sweets to the air fryer, try this air fryer besan ladoo or browse my air fryer Indian sweets and desserts.
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Why Make Oats Ladoo in the Air Fryer?
The main advantage is convenience. Traditional ladoo recipes usually need frequent stirring while the flour roasts. The air fryer provides steady heat around the pan, so there is much less time standing over the stove.
In my testing, I used the same amount of ghee in both the air fryer and stovetop versions. The difference was in the almond flour. My original stovetop oats ladoo worked well with ¾ cup almond flour, while the air fryer mixture was still a little wet with that amount.
Increasing the almond flour to 1 cup helped bind the air fryer mixture properly. Because the air fryer version used more almond flour with the same amount of ghee, it also made more ladoos from the same quantity of ghee.
Ghee is still important for flavour, texture and binding. The main advantage of the air fryer is easier roasting, plus a slightly better yield in this version because the extra almond flour increases the total mixture.
Quick Summary: Roast 2 cups rolled oats at 170°C for 10 minutes, grind them, mix with ½ cup ghee and roast for another 15 minutes. Add ¾ cup coconut, 1 cup almond flour and cardamom, cool slightly, mix in ⅔ cup powdered sugar and shape into ladoos.
Recipe video: How to make oats laddu in air fryer?
Ingredients for Air Fryer Oats Ladoo
- Rolled oats
- Ghee
- Desiccated coconut
- Almond flour
- Powdered sugar
- Cardamom powder
How to Make Oats Ladoo in Air Fryer
1. Roast the rolled oats
Spread the rolled oats in an air-fryer-safe metal pan, air fry at 170°C for 10 minutes.
2. Grind the roasted oats and add ghee
Cool the roasted oats slightly, grind them into a fine flour, transfer back to the pan, add ghee.
3. Mix the oat flour and ghee
Mix the oat flour and ghee thoroughly, break up dry lumps, spread the mixture evenly in the pan.
4. Air fry the oats with ghee
Air fry at 170°C for about 15 minutes, stir during cooking so the oat mixture roasts evenly.
5. Keep the oat flour inside the pan
Place an air-fryer-safe perforated tray over the pan, allow hot air to circulate while keeping the light oat flour contained.
Pro Tip: Ground oats are very light and can move around in a powerful air fryer. A perforated metal tray over the pan helps keep the flour contained without completely blocking the circulating heat.
6. Add coconut, almond flour and cardamom
Add desiccated coconut, almond flour and cardamom, mix evenly through the roasted oats.
Why 1 cup almond flour? I initially used ¾ cup, the same amount as my original stovetop recipe, but the air fryer mixture was too wet to shape properly. Increasing it to 1 cup absorbed the extra moisture and gave the ladoo mixture a better consistency.
7. Mix the roasted oats and almond flour
Mix well until the coconut and almond flour are evenly distributed, remove the pan from the air fryer.
8. Add powdered sugar
Let the mixture cool until warm rather than very hot, add powdered sugar, mix thoroughly.
Pro Tip: Do not add powdered sugar while the oat mixture is extremely hot. Let it cool slightly so the sugar mixes evenly rather than melting immediately into the ghee.
9. Shape the oats ladoo
Take small portions while the mixture is still slightly warm, press firmly between your palms, roll into smooth round ladoos.
Oats Ladoo Variations
Mixed nut ladoo: Replace some of the almond flour with finely ground cashews or pistachios. Keep the overall quantity similar so the mixture does not become too wet.
Extra coconut oats ladoo: Add a little more desiccated coconut for a stronger coconut flavour. Since coconut also absorbs moisture, add it gradually and check the consistency before shaping.
Festival variation: Add a small pinch of saffron along with the cardamom for a more aromatic festive version.
Stovetop Oats Ladoo Variation
You can also make oats ladoo using the original stovetop method. The method needs more hands-on stirring and the ingredient balance is slightly different from the air fryer version.
For the stovetop version, use ¾ cup almond flour instead of 1 cup. The stovetop mixture does not need as much almond flour, but in my testing it needed approximately 20% more ghee than the air fryer version.
Dry roast 2 cups oats in a heavy pan over low heat, stirring regularly. Cool slightly and grind into flour. Return the oat flour to the pan and add about ½ cup plus 1½ tablespoons ghee. Roast on low heat for around 10 minutes, stirring continuously.
Add ¾ cup desiccated coconut, ¾ cup almond flour and cardamom. Mix well, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool slightly. Add ⅔ to ¾ cup powdered sugar or powdered jaggery, mix and shape into ladoos while still warm.
Pro Tip: Start with ½ cup ghee and add the extra ghee gradually. Pan size, heat and roasting time can change how much the oats absorb, so add only enough for the mixture to hold together when pressed.
The difference between the methods is useful to remember: the air fryer uses less ghee but more almond flour, while the stovetop method uses a little more ghee but only ¾ cup almond flour.
If you enjoy Indian sweets with an air-fryer option, you may also like this air fried modak.
Substitutions
Powdered sugar: Finely powdered jaggery, palm sugar or raw sugar can be used instead. Make sure the sweetener is finely ground before mixing.
Almond flour: Finely ground almonds work well in place of ready-made almond flour. You can also use a finely ground mixture of almonds, cashews and pistachios.
Ghee: The air fryer recipe uses ½ cup ghee. The stovetop version may need around 20% more, so start with ½ cup and add extra gradually while roasting. Coconut oil can be used for a dairy-free variation, although the flavour and texture will be different.
Recipe Card
Air Fryer Oats Ladoo
Equipment
- Air fryer
- Air-fryer-safe metal pan
- Grinder
- Mixing spoon
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup ghee
- ¾ cup desiccated coconut
- 1 cup almond mix or finely ground almonds little less for stove top version.
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
Instructions
- Add rolled oats to an air-fryer-safe metal pan. Air fry at 170°C for 10 minutes.
- Let the oats cool slightly, then grind them into a fine flour.
- Transfer the ground oats back to the pan. Add ghee and mix well.
- Return the pan to the air fryer and cook at 170°C for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice so the mixture roasts evenly.
- Add desiccated coconut, almond mix and cardamom powder. Mix well.
- Let the mixture cool slightly until warm, not very hot.
- Add powdered sugar and mix until evenly combined.
- Take small portions of the warm mixture and shape into round ladoos.
- Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Stovetop variation:
- Dry roast the oats in a heavy pan, cool and grind them. Add ghee and roast on low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often. Mix in coconut, almond mix and cardamom. Cool slightly, add powdered sugar, mix well and shape into ladoos.
Video
Notes
Add powdered sugar only after the mixture cools slightly.
You can use finely powdered jaggery instead of sugar.
FAQs
Yes. Add rolled oats to an air-fryer-safe metal pan and roast at 170°C. For this recipe, 2 cups of rolled oats take about 10 minutes before they are cooled and ground.
If the oats ladoo mixture is too wet, it may need more almond flour. In my air fryer batch, ¾ cup almond flour left the mixture too wet, so I increased it to 1 cup. Add almond flour gradually until the mixture holds together when pressed.
The mixture may be too cool or slightly too dry. Try shaping it while it is still warm. If it still crumbles, add a small amount of warm ghee, mix again and then shape the ladoos.
Conclusion
This easy air fryer oats ladoo uses the air fryer for the time-consuming roasting part of the recipe. Roast the oats, grind them, cook the oat flour with ghee, then add coconut, almond flour, cardamom and powdered sugar before shaping.
The air fryer and stovetop methods need slightly different ingredient ratios. In my testing, the air fryer version used around 20% less ghee but needed 1 cup almond flour to prevent the mixture from being too wet. The original stovetop version worked with ¾ cup almond flour but needed a little more ghee. Both methods give soft, nutty homemade oats ladoo.
Amandeep Sidhu says
Very easy and delicious
Kirti says
Very nutritious and simple...