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    Home » Indian Sweets

    Besan Barfi

    Published: Aug 24, 2020 · Last Modified: Oct 13, 2022 by Kanan Patel / 18 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
    besan barfi pieces in a plate with text on top.

    The easiest way to make besan barfi recipe at home, and it’s ready in 20 minutes only! This burfi is perfectly sweet with great texture and made with very few basic ingredients (gram flour, ghee, sugar and semolina). This is a beginner-friendly recipe and no sugar syrup is made. 

    These are great for the festive season and to pack into sweet gift-box to giveaway during Diwali.

    6 pieces of besan barfi in white oval plate with colorful napkin on side
    Jump to:
    • ❤️Why I Love This Recipe
    • 🧾Ingredients
    • 👩‍🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions 
    • 💭Expert Tips:
    • 🍽 Serving Ideas
    • 📋 Recipe Card
    • ⭐ Reviews

    ❤️Why I Love This Recipe

    • This besan barfi beginner-friendly, there is no way you can mess this up.
    • No-sugar syrup is required for this besan barfi recipe. The traditional method of making besan barfi calls for 1½ - 2 threads consistency of sugar syrup which is a little tricky and if messed up then barfi end with rock hard texture.
    • It has a good grainy texture (no sticking to the teeth or roof of your mouth).
    • These are soft with melt-in-your-mouth feel.
    • Adults, as well as kids, sure love this barfi.

    🧾Ingredients

    Here is the pic of ingredients to make a simple, easy besan barfi recipe. You’ll need the main 5 ingredients (plus, your choice of nut for garnish).

    Image of ingredients for besan barfi includes besan, semolina, ghee, sugar, cardamom, almonds

    Besan (gram flour): Besan is ground up chana dal (split bengal gram) and very easily available in Indian grocery stores. There is similar flour called chickpea flour (garbanzo flour) and it more popular in American grocery stores. This chickpea flour is ground up white chickpeas (garbanzo beans). 
    - FYI, besan is very fine vs chickpea flour is little coarse. To make BEST besan burfi, you must use besan (gram flour). 

    Semolina (rava or suji): The very little amount of rava is required, but it adds nice grainy (danedar) texture. 

    👩‍🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions 

    Prep: 

    • Grease the 5-6 inch tray or plate with ghee and keep it aside.
    • Blanch the almonds (soak almonds in boiling hot water for 10-15 minutes, peel the skin). Then cut into halves. You can use your choice of other nuts.

    1) Heat the ghee in a heavy bottom pan on medium-low heat. Once hot add besan and semolina.

    2) As soon as you mix, it looks dry and lumpy, you feel the mixture is heavy as your stir. You may think that the quantity of ghee is less. But no, it is perfectly fine. Keep stirring constantly and roast.

    3) After roasting for a few minutes, you will see that the mixture becomes pasty and notice a nice color change. Plus, the mixture feels lighter compared to earlier. 

    4) Keep roasting till it becomes a thin, runny mixture and ghee starts to ooze out from the sides. The whole kitchen is filled with a toasty aroma of the besan. At this time besan is roasted nicely.

    collage of 4 steps showing adding flour to ghee, mixing, roasting with spatula and roasted besan

    5) Now add sugar and cardamom.

    6) Mix well and immediately turn off the stove. The mixture looks dry, but the heat from the besan mixture will melt the sugar.

    collage of 2 steps showing adding sugar & cardamom, mixed besan barfi mixture

    7) Now pour into the greased tray and spread it evenly.

    8) Garnish with almond halves. I have estimated the square cuts and put the almond half in the center of the square piece.

    9) When it is half-way through set (meaning it is warm), cut into pieces to make the indentation.

    10) Now let the besan barfi set completely for a few hours. Grease the knife with ghee and cut into the previously made indentation. Gently remove the pieces. PS: as it gets cools, it becomes slightly lighter in color.

    Collage of 4 steps showing barfi mixture in a tray, garnished with almonds, indentation made and set burfi with one piece removed

    💭Expert Tips:

    Roasting the besan is the key to make the best besan barfi. For that keep below points in mind.

    • Stir constantly: While roasting besan-semolina mixture, you must keep stirring continuously to get even browning and to avoid burning the mixture.
    • Heavy bottom pan/kadai: Always use the pan with a heavy, thick bottom so besan does not burn. Otherwise, besan gets color quickly without being roasted properly.
    • Medium-Low heat: During the entire cooking process keep the gas heat to medium-low

    Storage: besan barfi stays good up to 1-2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.

    🍽 Serving Ideas

    • Enjoy a piece of besan barfi as a dessert after a meal or along with your meal.
    • It is served to guests during the Diwali festival along with few savory Diwali snacks.
    • You can pack besan barfi in decorative mithai box to giveaway in this festive season. 
    Close up of besan barfi garnished with sliced almond in white oval plate.

    Check Out Other Barfi Recipes

    • Coconut burfi
    • Kalakand
    • Lauki barfi
    • Walnut burfi
    • Carrot burfi
    • Chocolate burfi

    PS Tried this besan barfi recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comment section.

    📋 Recipe Card

    Step by Step Photos AboveWant to make it perfect first time? Don't forget to check out Step-by-Step photo instructions and helpful Tips & Tricks !!
    6 pieces of besan barfi in white oval plate with colorful napkin on side
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    Besan Barfi (No Sugar Syrup)

    4.58 from 7 votes
    Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and/or give ★ ratings
    The easiest way to make besan barfi at home, and it’s ready in no time! This burfi is perfectly sweet with great texture.
    Author: Kanan
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Indian
    Calories: 169kcal
    Servings 10 pieces
    Prep Time 2 minutes
    Cook Time 18 minutes
    Total Time 20 minutes
    US measuring cups are used (1 cup = 240 ml) See details

    Ingredients  

    • ⅓ cup Ghee (clarified butter) measured in semi-solid form
    • 1 cup Besan (gram flour)
    • ¼ cup Sooji (rava or semolina)
    • ⅔ cup Sugar (If the sugar has bigger granules then grind to make powder)
    • ¼ teaspoon Green cardamom seeds powder
    • 5 Almonds (blanched, skin removed and halved)

    Instructions 

    • Prep:
      - Grease the 5-6 inch tray or plate with ghee and keep it aside.
      - Blanch the almonds (soak almonds in boiling hot water for 10-15 minutes, peel the skin). Then cut into halves. You can use your choice of other nuts.
    • Roast besan-rava mixture:
      - Heat the ghee in a heavy bottom pan on medium-low heat. Once hot add besan and semolina.
      - Keep stirring constantly and keep roasting until besan get nice golden brown color, becomes aromatic and ghee starts to ooze out from the sides.
      Different stages while roasting from start to finish - (dry, lumpy, feels heavy) → (loose, pasty) → (aromatic, thin runny, fat separated, golden brown, feels light).
    • Add sugar & cardamom:
      - Now add sugar and cardamom. Mix well and immediately turn off the stove. The mixture looks dry, but the heat from the besan mixture will melt the sugar.
    • Set barfi & cut:
      - Now pour into the greased tray and spread it evenly. Garnish with almond halves. I have estimated the square cuts and put the almond half in the center of the square piece.
      - When it is half-way through set (meaning it is warm), cut into pieces to make the indentation.
      - Now let the barfis set completely for a few hours. Grease the knife with ghee and cut into the previously made indentation. Gently remove the pieces.

    Notes

    Storage: Besan barfi stays good up to 1-2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.
    You can double, triple the amount here. But keep in mind that larger quantity will take a little longer to roast.
    Roasting the besan is the key to make the best besan barfi. For that keep below points in mind.
    • Stir constantly: While roasting besan-semolina mixture, you must keep stirring continuously to get even browning and to avoid burning the mixture.
    • Heavy bottom pan/kadai: Always use the pan with a heavy, thick bottom so besan does not burn. Otherwise, besan gets color quickly without being roasted properly.
    • Medium-Low heat: During the entire cooking process keep the gas heat to medium-low
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1barfi | Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 113mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
    *Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 serving
    Did you make this recipe?Snap a pic, mention @spice.up.the.curry or tag #spiceupthecurry. I would love to see.

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    1. Padma Arunpama Arun

      July 24, 2019 at 12:03 am

      It is a wonderful recipe I have tried but without Sooji it was sticky. I shall try it again.

      Reply
      • Kanan

        July 24, 2019 at 9:22 am

        true, try with sooji and it won't be sticky.

        Reply
      • Supri

        November 05, 2021 at 1:27 pm

        Best part of the recipe is stages of roasting besan! I saw that happen and it was awesome!!

        Reply
    2. Uma

      May 14, 2019 at 4:20 am

      Wouldn’t it be better to use boora instead of sugar?

      Reply
      • Kanan

        May 14, 2019 at 10:12 am

        doesn't matter. You can use any.

        Reply
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