Kaju katli is the quintessential Indian sweet and a popular item on any Diwali menu. My Vegan Kaju Katli is dairy-free but delectable and it is flavored headily with saffron and cardamom.
Also be sure to try out more traditional but vegan Indian sweets, including vegan gulab jamun, vegan kheer and vegan barfi this Diwali.
With Diwali knocking at the door, take a few minutes to cook up one of the season's most popular sweets: a divinely vegan kaju katli.
This is one of the easiest Indian vegan sweets you can put together and it needs just four ingredients, including the star ingredient, cashews (kaju). It takes mere minutes to make, and it is almost foolproof.
Table of Contents
What is kaju katli?
Kaju katli (translation "slice of cashew") is sometimes described as a "cashew fudge." But even if you love fudge, a kaju katli is so much more. This distinctively diamond-shaped Indian sweet, often coated with silver foil, is slimmer than fudge, has a delicate mouth feel and a firm bite. It is addictively scented with cardamom, as so many Indian sweets are. Eat one and it is impossible to stop!
Why you will love this vegan kaju katli recipe
- Truly delicious. A kaju katli is a simple combination of sugar, cashews and cardamom but it is truly a thing of beauty. The cashews play beautifully with the cardamom and saffron, creating a unique, gorgeous flavor that's hard to forget.
- Easy recipe. You will find all sorts of recipes for kaju katli around the web, but I've condensed all the wisdom down into an extremely simple, doable recipe that you can ace.
- Soy-free and gluten-free. Unfortunately this cannot be a nut-free recipe, but it is suitable for most other diets.
Ingredients
- Raw cashews. Since cashews, or kaju, are the star ingredient here, they are indispensable. You will need to grind the cashews very fine in a blender or food processor.
- Corn starch or tapioca starch. You need just a little bit of corn starch to help the cashews grind into a powder without glomming into a paste. Still, be careful not to overprocess the cashews.
- Sugar. You can start out with any granulated sugar but keep in mind that using an unrefined sugar will make the katli brown, veering away from its traditional, ivory-white color.
- Green cardamom or ground cardamom. You can powder green cardamom seeds yourself, which will always give you the best flavor, or use ground cardamom from a jar.
- Saffron. I love the warmth of saffron in kaju katli but you can skip it.
How to make vegan kaju katli
Blend the cashews with the cornstarch into a very fine powder. Set aside.
Place the sugar syrup ingredients -- sugar and water -- in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then add the ground cardamom and saffron. Continue boiling five more minutes until the syrup reaches 225 degrees Fahrenheit/110 degrees Celsius.
If you don't have a thermometer, you can test the syrup by carefully scooping some into a ladle. Blow on it to cool it before touching the tip of your forefinger to the syrup. Then gently touch the forefinger with your thumb. If the syrup pulls away in a single string, the syrup is done.
As the syrup is finishing up, place the cashew powder in a wok and toast for a couple of minutes. Don't brown the cashew powder, you just want to toast it lightly so it doesn't taste raw.
Pour the prepared sugar syrup into the cashew powder and mix immediately with a ladle.
With the heat on medium or medium-low, continue cooking the cashew-sugar-syrup mixture until it begins pulling up from the sides and forms a wet-dough-like consistency.
Turn the cashew mixture onto a clean surface. Rub some oil into the palms of your hands. Now carefully, using a bench scraper if you have one, knead the cashew mixture briefly. Be very careful because the mixture is very hot at this stage. Wait a minute or so if it's too difficult to handle, but don't wait too long.
The dough should look smoother and shinier when you are done.
Grease a small plate or baking sheet. Press the cashew paste evenly into the tray using your fingers or a rolling pin, to a thickness of a third of an inch. Set aside to cool for a couple of hours. Once the kaju katli has set up and firmed, use a sharp knife to cut into diamond shapes.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Raw cashew flour is available online and in some stores and you can simply substitute that for the raw cashews. Be sure to roast it.
For the longest time the silver foil used to decorate the top of kaju katli, also called "chandi ka vark," was not vegetarian: it was made by pounding silver sheets between cow intestines or skin. This should have made it a major no-no for all Hindu vegetarians, who consume silver vark in all sorts of Indian sweets and shun eating cow meat, but for some reason it didn't. Now, with more awareness, you can easily buy silver foil or vark labeled as "vegan". Here in the United States it is available from online retailers, including Amazon. Because it's just decorative and doesn't really change the flavor of the kaju katli, I leave it out.
You can add a small splash of edible rose water to the sugar syrup, which would be divine.
Storage instructions
- At room temperature: You can store the kaju katli at room temperature in an airtight jar for up to a week.
- Refrigerate: Store the vegan kaju katli in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.
More yummy vegan Indian sweets
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Vegan Kaju Katli
Equipment
- Non-stick wok or skillet
- Small cookie sheet or tray
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon saffron
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (to grease tray and palms)
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a blender with the corn starch and blend until a very fine powder forms. There shouldn't be any cashew pieces. Be careful and do this slowly because any nut, when overly processed, can turn into nut butter.
- Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and let it come to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer, add the cardamom and saffron, and let the syrup cook about five minutes. Check it regularly to see if it has achieved a one-thread consistency. What this means is that when you place a drop of the hot sugar syrup on the tip of your thumb and touch the tip pf your forefinger to it, the syrup should pull up in a short thread as you separate the thumb and forefinger. If that is too complicated just get yourself a candy thermometer and take the syrup off the heat when the temperature reaches 225 degrees Fahrenheit/110 degrees Celsius.
- Heat a nonstick wok or skillet over low heat. Add the cashew powder and cook, stirring, about two minutes or until it is warmed through. Then add the sugar syrup to it. Turn heat to low and continue mixing the mixture with the ladle. Eventually, in a couple of minutes, the mixture will thicken and will start pulling away from the sides of the pan, and will achieve a wet-dough-like consistency.
- Turn out the cashew paste on a clean surface, rub some oil on your palms and fingers, and knead the paste a few times until it looks really smooth. Be very careful because the paste is still hot.
- Pat the cashew paste into a greased plate or tray and spread it evenly. You can also do this with a rolling pin if the mixture is still hot to handle. The layer should be about a third of an inch thick.
- Set the plate aside to cool completely for two hours. Use a sharp knife to cut into diamond shapes.
Swapna Mazumder
Thanks for this lovely recipe. My vegan son is coming over for dinner and while indian mains can be easily vegan desserts are a different story. Can i soak the cashews in almond milk, grind to a paste and cook it down to fudge consistency. I am worried that blitzing them in the vitamix might turn it into cashew butter. Thanks again.
Vaishali
Hi Swapna, I think that might be okay. Blitzing for short spurts with the cornstarch for the dry powder should work, but blend it with milk if that makes you more comfortable.
Alamelu Sundaram
Questions
Raw cashews or roasted unsalted cashews?
My syrup must have been to thick. It was too dry. So I added coconut oil and made into balls.
I really want to dry one more time after I get my answers.
Thanks
Alamelu
Vaishali
Always raw cashews, unless specified otherwise.
Tara
I love this kaju katli. I've been making your recipe for years, and plan to again this year for Diwali. Thanks for keeping us well fed on a vegan diet, Vaishali. 🙂
Vaishali
So happy you loved it, Tara!
Sidrah
This looks yum.... what can I use instead of any oil... I’m completely on oil free dairy vegan diet . Thanks
foodfeud
Oh man, I remember having had these a couple times - they are delicious! I had no idea what was in them, though.
Happy Diwali to you! I was in an Indian part of town yesterday and it was so beautifully decorated in the street. Everything smelled so good and there was music playing out of storefronts!
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Foodfeud, a very happy Diwali to you!
East Meets West Veg
Happy Diwali! This looks delicious. Thanks for sharing! I love your vegan Indian recipes!
Vaishali Honawar
Hi EMWV, thanks, and a very happy Diwali to you!
Archana@FeedingTheFoodie
Happy Diwali Vaishali! I'm no exception, I love Kaju Katli as much as the next indian. I've never made it myself though. You make it sound easy enough that I'd want to try it.
Vaishali Honawar
Happy Diwali to you, Archana, and it really is easy. I hope you try it!
Sunila
Happy Diwali Vaishali !
Love your posts and looking forward to many more exciting ones 🙂
Vaishali Honawar
Thanks, dear Sunila, and a very happy Diwali to you!
ammasdtr19
Very Happy Diwali to everyone! Holy Cow recipe blog is a festival of light among food blogs and I'm so happy to be a part of this festival. Thanks Vaishali, for keeping the light bright and delicious.
Vaishali Honawar
Ammasdtr, a very happy Diwali, and thanks for your lovely and motivating words! 🙂
Manasi
Happy Diwali to you, dear Vaishali!
The kaju katli looks delicious. The use of walnut oil is new to me. Bet it adds to the flavor.
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Manasi, happy Diwali! The walnut oil is a ghee substitute but any vegetable oil would be fine.
Kumudha
YUM! I often make kaju katil. I use vegan sugar -sugar in the raw , to make these yummy sweet.
Thanks again for posting so many tasty vegan sweet recipes...
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Kumudha, happy Diwali to you. I use sugar in the raw too for this and all sweetl recipes.
Kath
Happy Divali from one of your readers living in England!
Mum lives in an area where she has many Indian neighbours. I love the many tiny lights and decorations at Divali, we were blessed when Mums neighbour brought us round some gulabjamun.
I do enjoy your blog, I often make your dads not-mutton mushroom curry.
Vaishali Honawar
Happy Diwali, Kath! Thanks for the wishes, and I am so happy you enjoy the blog-- and my favorite curry!
Anonymous
Does the cornstarch make it easier to powder the cashews? Keep the powder from sticking maybe? What's the reason for adding it?
Vaishali Honawar
Right on both counts. It also helps with setting.
Samridhi
Hi ? love your blog post ?? Is there a replacement for corn starch? Can we use something else instead of it ?
Vaishali
Hi, Maida would be a good substitute.