Here's a simple recipe for badam katli, a delicious Indian sweet, made without ghee. It's easier than making kaju katli: you don't have to blanch or blend whole almonds, just use blanched or finely blended almond flour. A couple of smart substitutions for ghee infuse this vegan badam katli with gorgeous flavor.
I have many vegan Indian sweets on the blog for the Indian festive season, which begins with Ganesh Chaturthi and ends with Diwali. These include favorites like vegan gulab jamun, vegan barfi and vegan kheer. This vegan badam katli recipe, which riffs off my vegan kaju katli recipe, is just as delicious as these other sweet recipes, and easier.
Table of Contents
What is badam katli?
In some Indian languages, including Hindi, badam = almond and katli = thin slice. Ergo, badam katli is a slim slice of sweetened and flavored almonds with a dense consistency, like fudge. It is typically flavored with aromatic cardamom and a bit of ghee, which adds both fat and a rich flavor to the recipe.
To make up for the flavor lost from ghee, I use a bit of vanilla extract, a trick I've frequently used in my vegan Indian sweet recipes, a sprinkle of rose water, and a few threads of saffron. They may not taste exactly like ghee, but they add richness and make the badam katli even more delicious.
Like kaju katli, this is a simple recipe, needing just a few ingredients. But the technique used to put these ingredients together makes all the difference to the flavor and consistency.
Why you should make this recipe
- No compromise on flavor and texture. Albeit vegan, this badam katli is loaded with flavor from cardamom, saffron and vanilla. It's dense and fudgy, with the perfect texture.
- A healthier alternative. If you're vegan, for health or ethical reasons, this is a great snack option for Diwali or anytime. If you're an omnivore or vegetarian Indian, you might want to consider this: milk and milk products, like ghee, pack a ton of cholesterol and sugar. India has one of the world's highest rates of diabetes and heart disease per capita. This is not coincidental. Cutting out or cutting down on meat - and dairy - can contribute to a healthier heart and lower blood sugar. This vegan badam katli is also a great alternative for those who are lactose intolerant.
- Foolproof recipe. Making a badam katli is not rocket science, but there are a few things you need to get right, like the sugar syrup consistency. I will walk you through each step so you have the best chance for success.
- Feeds a crowd. This recipe makes about 36 katli because I designed it for sharing during the festive season. You can easily halve or double the recipe according to your needs.
- Quick. This badam katli is ready to eat in under an hour, and most of that is the cooling time.
- Allergy-friendly. The recipe is dairy-free, soy-free and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- Almond flour. You need superfine or blanched almond flour for this recipe. A coarser flour won't hold together. If you prefer making your own almond flour, see FAQs below.
- Corn starch. You need just a tiny amount, a teaspoon, to help bind the almond flour.
- Sugar. Any granulated sugar, including white sugar, will work in this recipe. I use turbinado sugar.
- Rose water. A tablespoon of rose water adds a festive flavor and aroma. You can skip it.
- Ground cardamom. The is the powder of the black seeds inside the green cardamom pods. You can use store-bought ground cardamom but if you have green cardamom pods in your pantry, peel the pods (whacking them with a heavy object, like a knife or pestle, makes this easier) and powder the black seeds within in a spice grinder or in a mortar and pestle for the best aroma and flavor.
- Saffron. This is also an optional ingredient. I love the hint of color from the saffron and the warm flavor undertone. You need just a pinch of saffron for this recipe.
- Pure vanilla extract. A small amount, added near the end, pops the flavor and makes this badam katli taste extraordinarily good.
How to make vegan badam katli
- Place the sugar, rose water, if using, and water in a heavy-bottomed pot or saucepan. A non-stick surface works best for this, or use an enameled pot, as I did. Turn heat to medium.
- Once the sugar has melted and the liquid is transparent, add saffron and cardamom and mix. Bring the sugar syrup to a boil over medium heat, then let it simmer until it has thickened, about five minutes. Stir frequently.
- Test if the sugar syrup has reached a "one-string" consistency: take a bit of it in the ladle, blow on it to cool it, then dip the tip of your forefinger into the syrup. Press your finger into your thumb and slowly separate them. If the syrup forms a string, like you see in the picture above, you can proceed with the next step. Otherwise continue to simmer the syrup.
- Once the syrup is at the one-string consistency, quickly add the almond flour and cornstarch to it. Stir the almond flour into the syrup until thoroughly mixed. Continue stirring with the ladle for a couple of minutes - this will need some muscle work as the mixture thickens rapidly - until you have a very thick, dough-like consistency.
- At this point add the vanilla and a tablespoon of oil and mix it in. You are ready to take the pot off the heat when you pinch off a bit of the almond dough with your fingers and form it into a ball and it doesn't feel sticky.
- Remove the hot dough to a chopping board or any surface coated lightly with oil.
- After a couple of minutes, once the dough is cool enough to handle, rub some oil on your hands and knead it into a smooth ball. Don't wait too long to do this because the dough will harden swiftly at this point.
- On a piece of parchment paper, roll out the dough into a square about a fourth of an inch thick. You can even make it a little thinner. Set this aside to cool for about 30 minutes.
- Once cooled, use a knife or pizza cutter to cut into diamond-shaped slices. The katli should slice easily.
Tips for success
Making a badam katli is simple, but depending on your experience you could have a learning curve. Following these tips will greatly amplify your chances of success:
- A non-stick pan or an enameled cast iron pan will make it easier to handle the dough.
- Make sure that the sugar syrup has reached the one-thread consistency. This is really easy to do once you have done it a couple of times and have gotten the hang of it. There are recipes that will tell you to skip this step, but in my experience just eyeballing the syrup for consistency results in badam katli that is either too soft to roll and slice, or too hard.
- The second stage to exercise caution is when you mix the almond flour into the sugar syrup. Once the dough looks thick and comes together and off the bottom of the pan easily, pull it off the heat. And once it has cooled down just enough to handle, knead it and roll it right away. Waiting too long at either of these stages can result in the katli dough getting too dry and hard.
Vegan badam katli FAQs
To make your own almond flour for this recipe, use blanched almonds and process them into a very fine grind. Almonds ground coarsely won't hold together.
Yes! If you have a candy thermometer, let the syrup reach a temperature of 225 degrees Fahrenheit or 110 degrees Celsius and then add the almond flour. You don't have to test for the string consistency.
Store the badam katli at room temperature for 2-3 days. For longer storage refrigerate it for up to two weeks, or freeze it for 3-4 months (flash-freeze first by placing the badam katli side by side on a baking sheet, then store the frozen katli in a freezer-safe container or bag).
More vegan Indian sweet recipes
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Recipe card
Vegan Badam Katli (Almond Barfi)
Ingredients
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon rose water (optional)
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon saffron (optional)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil (plus more for oiling your hands)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the sugar, rose water, if using, and water in a heavy-bottomed pot or saucepan. A non-stick surface works best for this, or use an enameled pot, as I did. Turn heat to medium.
- Once the sugar has melted and the liquid is transparent, add saffron and cardamom and mix. Bring the sugar syrup to a boil over medium heat, then let it simmer until it has thickened, about five minutes. Stir frequently.
- Test if the sugar syrup has reached a "one-string" consistency: take a bit of it in the ladle, blow on it to cool it, then dip the tip of your forefinger into the syrup. Press your finger into your thumb and slowly separate them. If the syrup forms a string, like you see in the picture above, you can proceed with the next step. Otherwise continue to simmer the syrup.
- Once the syrup is at the one-string consistency, quickly add the almond flour and cornstarch to it. Stir the almond flour into the syrup until thoroughly mixed. Continue stirring with the ladle for a couple of minutes - this will need some muscle work as the mixture thickens rapidly - until you have a very thick, dough-like consistency.
- At this point add vanilla and a tablespoon of oil and mix it in. You are ready to take the pot off the heat when the dough easily pulls off the bottom of the pan. When you pinch off a bit of the almond dough with your fingers and form it into a ball, it shouldn't feel sticky.
- Remove the hot dough to a chopping board or any surface coated lightly with oil. After a couple of minutes, as soon as the dough is cool enough to handle, oil your hands and knead it into a smooth ball. Don't wait too long because the dough will harden swiftly at this point.
- On a piece of parchment paper, roll out the dough into a square about a fourth of an inch thick. You can even make it a little thinner. Set this aside to cool for about 30 minutes.
- Once cooled, use a knife or pizza cutter to cut into diamond-shaped slices. The katli should slice easily.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
Ilene Ungerleider says
At what point did you put the nuts on top?
Vaishali says
Hi, I just scattered them on top at the end, but you can press nuts into the dough after rolling it out and before it hardens up fully.
Neet says
I'm hoping to try this recipe for Diwali! Would ground almonds work as well as almond flour? And vanilla paste instead of vanilla extract? Do you have any suggestions on how to store it please? Thanks
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Neet, you can but remember the almonds need to be powdered very fine. Vanilla paste instead of vanilla extract will work well. Store it in the fridge for up to 30 days and freeze for up to six months.