Dry Fruit Sunnundalu – Easy, healthy and irresistible Andhra sweet snack with lentils, nuts, jaggery and ghee. Rich in Iron, Protein and Minerals!

What are dry fruit sunnundalu?

Sunnunda is an authentic and classic sweet snack from Andhra Pradesh, India. The main ingredient is Urad Dal or Minapappu (skinned black gram). The traditional version of sunnundalu are made with urad dal, jaggery / sugar and ghee (clarified butter)

Dry fruit sunnundalu is a new and fusion variation of the classic sunnundalu where I have added some nuts to make them rich, delicious and more nutritious.

These are rich in Iron, Protein and Minerals.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

Makes a wonderful edible gift.

Can be stored up to 20 days

Requires only 5 ingredients

Perfect to make during festivals like Sankranti, Diwali and Raksha Bandhan!

Very healthy and tasty!

Ingredients & Substitutions:

Urad Dal – Urad dal is skinned black gram. You can find these lentils in any Indian store or online easily. You could also use whole black gram (minumulu in telugu) but the color of the laddus will be black.

Jaggery – It is a natural and unrefined sweetener made from sugar cane juice. Traditionally, we use jaggery to make these urad dal laddus. However, you can replace it with equal quantity of sugar or brown sugar.

Ghee – Ghee is clarified butter and can be easily made at home by melting some butter. Ghee makes it easier to bind and roll the laddus and helps in better digestion too.

Nuts – I have used almonds, cashews and pistachios in this recipe. You can swap them with any of your favorite nuts.

Can I replace urad dal with any other lentils?

Absolutely, you can use moong dal or yellow mung lentils.

Serving suggestions:

These are best served with a cup of coffee or tea

Can be served as a sweet snack.

Storage suggestions:

They stay fresh up to 20 days if you store them in an airtight container.

They don’t require refrigeration.

Variations:

You can also add a couple of teaspoons of roasted poppy seeds

I haven’t added any spices but cardamom is a good option.

Tips & Notes:

Always roast the lentils over a low – medium flame.

Make sure you keep stirring to prevent the lentils from burning.

Urad Dal should be well roasted to prevent raw taste.

Do not use cold or solid ghee. The ghee should be warm.

Adjust the quantity of ghee. Add ghee little by little till you are able to shape the mixture.

Always roll laddus immediately after adding ghee to the lentil-jaggery mixture.

I have used chopped pistachios. They add a nice crunch and lovely color.

Step by step instructions:

Heat a pan and dry roast the lentils over a low-medium flame.

Keep stirring to prevent burning. Once it is golden brown color, take it out of the pan and let it cool completely.

In the same pan, add cashew nuts and dry roast them for 5 minutes or until they start changing the color.

Take them out and set aside.

Then roast almonds for 5 minutes or until they start changing the color.

Let them cool completely.

Grind the roasted nuts to a coarse powder.

Do not make it into a fine powder. Transfer it to a mixing bowl.

Add the roasted urad dal to the jar.

Grind until you get a little coarse or fine powder.

Add jaggery to the ground urad dal. blend it again until well combined.

Blend it again until well combined.

Add the urad-jaggery mixture to the ground nuts.

Add chopped or slivered pistachios to the mixing bowl.

Mix everything well.

Add warm ghee little by little over the ladoo mixture and mix it well using a spatula.

It should look like wet sand. Add more warm and melted ghee if needed.

You should be able to roll the ladoos.

When it is still warm, take a portion of it and roll tightly to make laddus.

Arrange them on a plate and let them set for sometime.

Serve & enjoy!

How to make dry fruit sunnundalu recipe video below: