Sweets and desserts
Calories in Til Ladoo
One til ladoo has about 109 kcal, with 2.9 g of protein, 12 g of carbohydrate and 5.4 g of fat. The Indian Nutrient Databank figure is for a small ladoo made of just two things, 12 g of sesame seeds and 12 g of jaggery. A bigger ladoo, or one with peanuts, ghee or khoya added, has more.
Nutrition in 1 til ladoo
| Nutrient | 1 til ladoo | 2 til ladoos |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 109 kcal | 218 kcal |
| Protein | 2.9 g | 5.8 g |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 12 g | 24 g |
| Total fat | 5.4 g | 10.8 g |
| Dietary fibre | 2.1 g | 4.2 g |
| Sugars | 10.6 g | 21.2 g |
Of this energy, about 44% comes from carbohydrate, 45% from fat and 11% from protein.
1 til ladoo is about 5% of the daily energy requirement of a sedentary adult man and 7% of a sedentary adult woman's (ICMR-NIN, 2020).
These figures are from the Indian Nutrient Databank (INDB), which calculates each dish from a standard recipe using Indian food composition data. They describe that recipe and that serving: a larger portion, or more oil, ghee or sugar, gives more. Source: Vijayakumar A, Dubasi HB, Awasthi A, Jaacks LM. Development of an Indian Food Composition Database. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2024;8(7):103790 (Indian Nutrient Databank, INDB).
What this figure covers
Til ladoo in this recipe has no ghee, no flour and no milk: 50 g of roasted sesame seeds are stirred into 50 g of melted jaggery and shaped into 4 ladoos. Each one is 12 g of til and 12 g of jaggery, which makes a small, firm ball of the kind exchanged at Makar Sankranti. Because it is small and simple, it is the 2nd lightest of the 20 sweets in the set, heavier only than a piece of peanut chikki at 79 kcal. Softer til ladoos made with khoya or ghee are a richer sweet than this one, and shops shape theirs in every size.
Fat supplies 45% of the energy, carbohydrate 44% and protein 11%. The 5.4 g of fat is the natural oil of the sesame seed, not added ghee or oil. The carbohydrate is almost all jaggery: 10.6 g of the 12 g is counted as sugars. The sesame also supplies the 2.9 g of protein and most of the 2.1 g of fibre. Those are properties of the seed, and in this ladoo they come with the sugar attached.
What goes into one serving
The recipe INDB analysed makes 4 ladoos. These are its main ingredients; spices, salt and water are left out.
| Ingredient | In the recipe | In 1 til ladoo |
|---|---|---|
| Sesame seeds (til) | 50 g | 12 g |
| Jaggery | 50 g | 12 g |
What changes the number
- 01
The size of each ladoo
The recipe gets 4 ladoos from 50 g of til. Sankranti ladoos are made in every size from a marble to a lemon, and the figure of 109 kcal moves with the weight of the ball.
- 02
Jaggery to sesame ratio
This recipe uses equal weights. More jaggery gives a harder, sweeter ladoo with more sugar and less fat; more sesame gives a nuttier one with more fat and protein. Either change shifts where the calories come from.
- 03
Peanuts, coconut or khoya
Many households add crushed peanuts or dry coconut, and some bind the ladoo with khoya. Each addition brings its own fat, and khoya turns a seed-and-jaggery sweet into a milk sweet.
- 04
Ghee on the hands and in the pan
The reference recipe counts no ghee, but cooks often melt the jaggery in a spoonful and grease their palms to shape the hot mixture. A teaspoon of ghee worked into one ladoo would bring it to about 154 kcal.
How til ladoo compares
Other dishes of the same kind, one serving each, lightest first. Serving sizes differ, so read the serving before the number.
| Dish | One serving | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peanut Chikki | 1 piece of peanut chikki | 79 | 1.7 |
| Til Ladoo | 1 til ladoo | 109 | 2.9 |
| Atta Ladoo | 1 atta ladoo | 142 | 3.4 |
| Besan Barfi | 1 piece of besan barfi | 162 | 4.3 |
| Besan Ladoo | 1 besan ladoo | 168 | 3.1 |
| Rava Ladoo | 1 rava ladoo | 169 | 2.1 |
| Milk Barfi | 1 piece of milk barfi | 178 | 4.3 |
| Rajgira Ladoo | 1 rajgira ladoo | 199 | 4.4 |
| Rabri | 1 bowl of rabri | 226 | 7.7 |
| Coconut Barfi | 1 piece of coconut barfi | 265 | 5 |
| Kulfi | 1 kulfi | 266 | 8.7 |
| Seviyan Kheer | 1 bowl of seviyan kheer | 279 | 7.8 |
| Gajar ka Halwa | 1 bowl of gajar ka halwa | 290 | 5.2 |
| Makhana Kheer | 1 bowl of makhana kheer | 300 | 9.2 |
| Rice Kheer | 1 bowl of rice kheer | 301 | 9.2 |
| Shrikhand | 1 bowl of shrikhand | 327 | 16.1 |
| Moong Dal Halwa | 1 bowl of moong dal halwa | 334 | 8 |
| Phirni | 1 bowl of phirni | 337 | 10.1 |
| Suji Halwa | 1 bowl of suji halwa | 360 | 3.5 |
| Kesari Bath | 1 bowl of kesari bath | 432 | 4.2 |
In a meal and in a day
A til ladoo is about 5% of a sedentary man's daily energy requirement and 7% of a woman's, which makes it one of the easier sweets to fit into a day. Two are 218 kcal and three are 327 kcal. It is hard and chewy, so it is eaten slowly, and the sesame gives it more substance than a sugar-only sweet. In winter it is often eaten mid-morning or after lunch with nothing else, which is a reasonable way to have it. It should not crowd out a proper source of protein or of calcium such as milk, curd or dal.
Ways to keep it lighter
- Shape small ladoos so that one is a couple of bites.
- Keep the recipe to sesame and jaggery, without khoya, ghee or sugar syrup.
- Wet your palms with water instead of greasing them with ghee when shaping the hot mixture.
- Stop at one ladoo at a time; half of one is about 54 kcal.
Before you rely on the number
One ladoo is counted at 10.6 g of sugars, nearly all from the 12 g of jaggery, and 5.4 g of fat that is the seed's own oil. Sesame is widely praised for its minerals, but a small ball of seeds bound in an equal weight of jaggery is a sweet first, and no promise about bones, blood or joints can be hung on it. Jaggery is sugar. People with diabetes should ask their doctor or dietitian before counting til ladoo as a safe sweet.
Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.
Til Ladoo: common questions
How many calories are in 2 til ladoos?
Two til ladoos of this size have about 218 kcal, with 5.8 g of protein, 24 g of carbohydrate and 10.8 g of fat. Three come to 327 kcal. Larger ladoos, or those made with peanuts or khoya, will be higher.
Is til ladoo healthier than other ladoos?
It is lighter per ladoo in this set, 109 kcal against 142 kcal for an atta ladoo and 168 kcal for a besan ladoo, and its fat is sesame oil, since it contains no ghee. It still gets 44% of its energy from carbohydrate, nearly all of it jaggery. Smaller and simpler is a fair description; a health food is not.
Does jaggery make til ladoo lower in sugar?
No. The ladoo has 12 g of jaggery and is counted at 10.6 g of sugars. Jaggery is less refined than white sugar and has a different flavour, but the body handles it as sugar and the calories are much the same.
Is til ladoo good for weight loss?
It is small, which helps: 109 kcal, with some fibre and protein from the sesame. Whether it suits a weight-loss diet depends on how many are eaten, since a tin of them is easy to dip into. One ladoo is a modest amount of energy; several in a sitting are not.
The recipe, the ingredients and related reading
Sesame seeds (til): nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Jaggery: nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Calories in Indian Sweets: Gulab Jamun, Ladoo, Jalebi and Rasgulla
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
Jaggery, Honey or Sugar: Which Is Actually Healthier?
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
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