Khajur roll is a festive and delicious Indian dessert made by combining chopped walnuts, almonds, cashew nuts, and pistachios with pitted dates. The chewy texture, natural sweetness, and caramel-like flavour of the dates complement the nuttiness making this date and nut roll a perfectly balanced dessert.
Khajur rolls are a healthier alternative to the sugar-laden sweets that are available in the market during the festive season. If you are someone who needs a sweet treat after a meal or if you are simply looking to gift sugar-free mithai to your friends and family, these date and nut rolls certainly won’t disappoint.
Khajur rolls are also known by other names like dry fruit barfi roll, dry fruit halwa, date rolls, khajoor dates barfi, dry fruit mithai, date and nut roll, etc to name a few.
These khajoor dry fruit rolls have a soft and chewy texture and a subtle crunch from the nuts and the poppy seeds. They are sweet, nutty, and flavored with the exotic fragrance of cardamom.
Table of Contents
Why should you try this recipe?
☑ Beginner-friendly recipe
☑ Not only delicious but also a good source of energy
☑ Free from refined sugar
☑ Much more economical to make it at home
☑ Can be enjoyed as a snack or dessert.
☑ Perfect for gifting this festive season
Ingredients you’ll need
- Dates: This forms the base of the recipe and also provides the sweetness needed for the rolls. Use any soft variety of dates.
- Nuts: I’ve used a mix of almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios, and walnuts. You can use either 1 or a combination of nuts. But stick to the ratio mentioned in the recipe for best results.
- Ghee: A small amount of ghee is used to roast the nuts and dates. Roasting the nuts in ghee helps in crisping them up while also enhancing their nutty flavour. Also, roasting the dates helps caramelize the sugars in them which gives these rolls a delicious depth of flavor.
- Cardamom: To flavor these rolls.
- Poppy seeds, slivered pistachios, and dried rose petals: These are used to coat the exterior of the roll. The poppy seeds and pistachios add a subtle crunch and also add a visual contrast making individual pieces of this date roll look beautiful!
How to make Khajur roll recipe – Step-by-step process
Step 1: Dates paste
Transfer 250 grams of pitted and roughly chopped dates into a blender. Process the dates using the pulse mode to make a coarse paste. (Photos 1 & 2)
Also, grease a plate with a little ghee or oil and set aside. (Photo 3)
Step 2: Roast poppy seeds, nuts, and dates paste
Dry roast 10 grams of poppy seeds on medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside. (Photos 4 to 6)
Heat 1/2 tablespoon ghee in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the chopped nuts (25 grams each of chopped cashew nuts, almonds, walnuts, and pistachios) and roast until they become slightly golden. Set aside. (Photos 7 to 10)
Heat the remaining half tablespoon of ghee. Add the dates paste and cook on low heat until it softens, around 3 to 4 minutes. (Photos 11 to 13)
Step 3: Combine nuts and cardamom powder with the roasted dates paste
Add the roasted nuts and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder to the dates mixture, mix well, and cook for another 2-3 minutes on low heat. (Photos 14 to 16)
Turn off the heat and transfer the date-nut mixture to a plate. Allow it to cool down for a few minutes. (Photo 17)
Step 4: Shape the mixture, refrigerate and slice
Grease your palms with a little ghee or oil and shape the mixture into a 7-inch-long log by pressing it with both your palms. (Photos 18 & 19)
Place poppy seeds, 1 teaspoon each of slivered pistachios, and dried rose petals on a plate or silpat. (Photo 20)
Roll the log in the poppy seed mixture, ensuring an even coating on the exterior of the log. (Photos 21 & 22)
Wrap the log in parchment paper, aluminium foil, or plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 to 60 minutes to firm up. (Photos 23 & 24)
Step 5: Slice and serve
Unwrap the parchment paper and slice the log into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Enjoy! (Photos 25 & 26)
Storage instructions
Room temperature: These khajur rolls will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks in a cool, dark place.
Refrigerator: For a longer shelf life, it’s best to refrigerate these date rolls in an air-tight container. It will help maintain their freshness. They will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Freezer: You can freeze khajur rolls for several months. Wrap each roll individually in a cling wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag or in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours before you intend to serve.
Tips to make the best khajur roll recipe
The ratio of dates to dry fruits: Please stick to the ratio of dates to dry fruits as specified in the recipe. Adding extra dry fruits will make it difficult to shape the mixture into a log. I like to use a 1:2.5 ratio of dry fruits to dates.
Dates: I’ve used Omani dates for this recipe. These plump, soft, and moist dates have a rich sweet flavor and a chewy texture. Any soft variety of dates works well for this recipe. If you can get your hands on Medjool dates, definitely use those, they are the best! If you have a dry variety of dates, you can rehydrate them by soaking them in hot water for about 30 minutes. This will help to soften them up.
Sweetness: These khajur dry fruit rolls are pretty sweet with the variety of dates I’ve used in this recipe. The sweetness may vary from one variety to another. If the dates aren’t too sweet, you can add a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup, agave nectar, jaggery, or any other sweetener of your choice.
Yield: I got about 14 decent-sized pieces with this quantity. But you can either make smaller or bigger rolls and slice the roll as desired. You can also scale this recipe easily to yield more servings.
Variations
- Make it a ladoo or barfi: Instead of making khajur roll, you can shape the mixture into ladoos or set it in a pan and cut it into desired pieces.
- Play around with the coating: Instead of poppy seeds, you can use desiccated coconut or crushed nuts to coat the khajur rolls. Crushed pistachios give these rolls a very beautiful appearance.
- Dry fruits: You can add more dry fruits like figs, apricots, plums, prunes, raisins, cranberries, etc. Feel free to use whatever you have at hand.
- Seeds: You can also add pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, muskmelon seeds, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, etc.
- Spices: Feel free to play around with the spices. You can use nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, etc to give it a different flavor.
- Flavour: You can also flavour these rolls with rose essence, vanilla extract, almond extract, or saffron extract, etc.
Frequently asked questions
What is khajur sweet?
Khajur sweet or khajur ki mithai is a delicious Indian dessert made from dates, nuts, and/or seeds, and ghee and usually flavoured with cardamom. The dates-nut mixture can either be shaped as a ladoo, barfi, or roll. It is prepared during special and festive occasions like Diwali, Holi, Eid, etc.
Can I make it vegan?
Yes, of course, you can! Simply swap the ghee with your preferred cooking oil.
Are khajur rolls healthy?
The ingredients used in these rolls are packed with good fats, fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They provide warmth and energy to the body, making it ideal to enjoy during the winter. Moreover, these are free from refined sugar, making them a healthier choice to enjoy as a dessert. Having said that, they are high in calories and should be consumed in moderation.
You may also enjoy these Diwali recipes
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Khajur Roll Recipe | Indian Date And Nut Rolls
Ingredients
- 250 grams pitted dates roughly chopped, 2 cups
- 25 grams chopped walnuts ¼ cup
- 25 grams chopped pistachios little less than ¼ cup
- 25 grams chopped cashew nuts ¼ cup
- 25 grams chopped almonds ¼ cup
- 10 grams poppy seeds approx 1 tablespoon
- 1 tablespoon ghee divided, plus more more to grease plate and palms
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
Other ingredients
- 1 teaspoon slivered pistachios optional
- 1 teaspoon edible dried rose petals optional
Instructions
Dates paste
- Transfer the pitted and roughly chopped dates into a blender. Process the dates using the pulse mode to make a coarse paste.
- Also, grease a plate with a little ghee or oil and set aside.
Roast poppy seeds, nuts and dates paste
- Dry roast the poppy seeds on medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat ghee in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the nuts and roast until they become slightly golden. Set aside.
- Heat the remaining half tablespoon of ghee. Add the dates paste and cook on low heat until it softens, around 3 to 4 minutes.
Combine nuts and cardamom powder with the roasted dates paste
- Add the roasted nuts and cardamom powder to the dates mixture, mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes on low heat.
- Turn off the heat and transfer the date-nut mixture to a plate. Allow it to cool down for a few minutes.
Shape the mixture into a log and refrigerate
- Grease your palms with a little ghee or oil and shape the mixture into a 7-inch-long log by pressing it with both your palms.
- Place poppy seeds, slivered pistachios, and dried rose petals on a plate or silpat. Roll the log in the poppy seed mixture, ensuring an even coating on the exterior of the log.
- Wrap the log in parchment paper, aluminium foil, or plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 to 60 minutes to firm up.
Slice and serve
- Unwrap the parchment paper slice the log into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Enjoy!
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