Lapsi | laapsi is a traditional Gujarati delicacy made with broken wheat grains, ghee, and jaggery or sugar. It is flavored with either cardamom or nutmeg.
Here’s a step-by-step guide that shows you how to make the best lapsi recipe. Find detailed instructions for both, stovetop pressure cooker and the Instant Pot!
Lapsi is also prepared in the states of Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Though the ingredients vary slightly amongst the different versions, lapsi is made primarily with cracked wheat or broken wheat.
Broken wheat is known as fada in Gujarat and, dalia, or daliya in the Northern states of India.
Dalia offers so many health benefits and is great to be used in both savory and sweet dishes. Upma, porridge, sweet dalia, khichdi are some of the most commonly prepared dishes using broken wheat.
Lapsi halwa is mostly made for special occasions such as a house warming ceremony, naming ceremony of a baby, or any other joyous occasion in most Gujarati households. It is made specially as an offering to God during the festivities.
Lapsi sweet is usually prepared on Dhanteras since it is considered to bring in good luck for the coming year as per the Hindu calendar. Since Dhanteras will be celebrated tomorrow, what better time than now to share the recipe.
It is also made during other festivals like Diwali, Raksha Bandhan, Navratri, etc. This sweet dalia recipe with jaggery is great to be served as a dessert after meals as well.
If you have never made the healthy-ish laapsi sweet before, definitely try it this season!
Table of Contents
What is Lapsi?
Lapsi is cracked wheat pudding that is made by cooking dalia with ghee and sweetened with jaggery or sugar.
Sometimes, lapsi is also made with coarse wheat flour, i.e churma ladoo flour and its known as Kansar in Gujarati.
It is also known by other names such as lapshi, lapsee, laapsi, Gujarati fada ni lapsi, dalia sheera, lapsi halwa, lapsi aur gur ka halwa, cracked wheat pudding, gulachi lapsi, and gud ki lapsi. Gur or gud means jaggery in Hindi.
Why you will love this broken wheat halwa recipe?
✓ A super easy recipe that requires just three ingredients, most of them are pantry staples
✓ Comes together quickly using the pressure cooker
✓ A healthier alternative than refined flour and sugar-based desserts
✓ Nutritious and delicious
✓ Can be enjoyed for breakfast
✓ Can be made-ahead
Ingredients needed
To make this Gujarati broken wheat sweet, you will need,
Dalia
Lapsi rava comes in three types depending on the size of the broken wheat, i.e., coarse, medium, and fine. Some prefer coarse while some use the fine variety. I personally prefer using the fine variety of dalia for the preparation of lapsi.
Sweetener
You can use either jaggery or sugar as a sweetener. I prefer to use jaggery as it makes it healthier on the whole since jaggery offers many health benefits, unlike refined sugar.
Ghee (clarified butter)
Lapsi has to be made with ghee, period! Using oil will alter the flavor completely. Roasting the wheat grains with ghee imparts a delicious nutty flavor, aroma, and a lovely brown color.
Other ingredients
There are whole spices like cinnamon, cloves, and green cardamom that are added in the first step, and other spices like cardamom powder added towards the end. Dried coconut pieces, nuts, and raisins add another layer of texture to this cracked wheat pudding.
How to make lapsi – Step by step process
Stovetop pressure cooker instructions
Heat 1/4 cup of ghee in a pressure cooker over medium heat. (Photo 1)
Meanwhile, in another pot boil 3 cups of water.
Add 2 tablespoons each of cashew nuts and chopped almonds. Saute until the nuts turn golden brown. Set aside. (Photos 2 to 4)
Add 9 to 10 dry coconut pieces, saute until golden brown, and set aside. (Photos 5 and 6)
Add the 2 tablespoons raisins, saute until they puff up. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. (Photos 7 and 8)
Add 1-inch cinnamon, 2 cloves, 3 green cardamoms, saute for 30 seconds. (Photo 9)
Next, add the dalia, saute on medium-low heat. (Photo10)
Cook for about 8 minutes or until it turns golden brown and gives out a nutty aroma. (Photos 11 to 14)
Add 3 cups of hot water, mix well and bring to a boil. (Photos 15 and 16)
Cover the pressure cooker with the lid, pressure cook on medium-low heat for 3 to 4 whistles. (Photo 17
Let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid of the cooker. To check if the dalia is cooked, take a little, mash it between your fingers. If it mashes easily, it is done.
If it is not done, add some more hot water, mix well, and pressure cook for 1-2 whistles more.
Add 1 cup powdered/grated jaggery or sugar, mix, and cook, stirring, until most of the moisture is absorbed and the ghee oozes out from the sides of the pan. (Photos 20 and 21)
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee, ghee-roasted nuts, and raisins along with ground cardamom. Give it a good mix and switch off the heat. (Photos 22 to 25)
Cover with a lid and let it sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. (Photo 26)
Open the lid, fluff the lapsi with a spoon. Serve, garnish with the reserved nuts. Enjoy warm. (Photos 27 and 28)
Instant Pot instructions (Instant Pot 6 quart Duo 7-in-1)
Note: The recipe is halved for the IP
Press the ‘SAUTE’ button, and set it to ‘NORMAL’. Once it displays ‘HOT’, add 2 tbsp ghee, let the ghee melt.
Add 1 tablespoon cashew nuts, saute until golden brown, and set aside. (Photos 29 and 30)
Add 1 tablespoon of raisins, saute until they puff up. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. (Photos 31 and 32)
Add 1-inch cinnamon, 2 cloves, 2 green cardamoms, saute for a few seconds. Add 1/2 cup dalia, cook on medium-low heat, about 8 minutes until it turns golden brown and gives out a nutty aroma. (Photos 33 to 35)
Add 1.5 cups of hot water, mix well. (Photo 36)
Press cancel, close the lid of the Instant Pot with the valve in sealing position. Pressure cook on high for 12 minutes. It will take some time for the pressure to build up (about 4 minutes), after which the timer will start. (Photo 37)
Once the cooking cycle is complete, let it depressurize for at least 10 minutes, then do a quick release of leftover pressure following the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the float valve (silver pin) drops, open the lid. (Photo 38)
Give the contents in the pot a good mix. (Photos 39 and 40)
Add 1/2 cup powdered/grated jaggery or sugar, mix, and cook, stirring, until most of the moisture is absorbed and the ghee oozes out from the sides of the pot. (Photos 41 and 42)
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of ghee, ghee-roasted nuts, and raisins along with 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom. Give it a good mix and switch off the heat. (Photos 43 to 45)
Cover with a lid and let it sit undisturbed for 10 minutes.
Open the lid, fluff the lapsi with a spoon. Serve, garnish with the reserved nuts. Enjoy warm. (Photo 46)
Storage suggestions
The great thing about this recipe is that it can be made in advance. You can refrigerate it for up to 1 week in an airtight container.
Lapsi hardens as it cools down. Transfer the required quantity to a pan, add milk or water as required to loosen it up, and reheat it until warmed through.
You can also warm it in the microwave before serving. You will still need to add some liquid in the form of water or milk if you warm it in the microwave.
Serving suggestions
Drizzle a few teaspoons of ghee over a serving of warm laapsi. Garnish with dried fruits and enjoy!
You can also serve this cracked wheat pudding as a dessert on the side along with some piping hot kadhi chawal.
Lapsi kadhi chawal is a very popular meal pairing in Rajasthani cuisine. If not for kadhi, you can also serve it along with dal and rice.
Recipe Tips to make this cracked wheat sweet
Don’t skimp on the ghee
This recipe needs just three main ingredients. Ghee is important here because it really adds a lot to the overall flavor of the laapsi. You can use an equal amount of ghee as that of the dalia. I find it a bit too heavy and prefer cutting it back, which works great as well. You can use anywhere from 20% to 100% ghee to that of the quantity of lapsi. I don’t suggest going below 20%.
Be attentive while roasting the dalia
Pay attention while roasting the dalia or it may burn and render a bitter taste to the laapsi.
Use hot water
The roasted wheat grains absorb the hot water quickly, making the grains soft, fluffy, and well cooked. Always use hot water to prepare this recipe.
If the dalia is old, you will need to add more water for cooking.
Swap the water with milk
You can swap half of the water with milk if you prefer a creamy lapsi.
Saffron
You can add some saffron-infused water before pressure cooking.
Fennel seeds (saunf)
Some versions use this ingredient. You can also add in about 2 teaspoons of fennel seeds along with the whole spices.
If making it as an offering for God
When laapsi sweet is made specifically as an offering to the Gods, one cannot taste it unless and until it is offered to God. If you have never made this before, you may be confused about the proportions to get this right.
Remember, the proportions of daliya to water is 1:3 for the pressure cooker and about 1:4 for the stovetop in an open pot.
As for ghee, say, for instance, if you use 100 grams of dalia, you can use anywhere from 20 to 100 grams ghee.
For sugar or jaggery, you can use 1/2 or equal amount as that of daliya. I prefer to use the same quantity of dalia and jaggery. It is just the right amount of sweetness for us.
When in doubt, always test the recipe by scaling it down. Adjust as required when making it for an offering. Even if you try the recipe as such, I’m sure you will love it, because I’ve tested these ratios multiple times.
Color of the lapsi
Since I’ve used dark-colored powdered jaggery, this lapsi has a dark brown color. If using sugar, it will not be as dark.
Whole spices are optional
You can skip the whole spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. But I suggest you do use them as they add a lovely flavor to the lapsi.
Nuts
You can skip all that roasting of the nuts, raisins, and dried coconut pieces if you are short on time. You can mix them in the last step. But roasting the nuts with ghee makes them tastier enriching the flavor of the lapsi.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What is lapsi rava made of?
Lapsi rava is made by milling wheat grains into different sizes. You can use the coarse variety of broken wheat that offers more of a bite and chewy texture. Or you can use the fine variety like I did which works good as well.
Is lapsi and daliya the same?
The two are not the same. Lapsi is the name of the dessert made with daliya. And daliya, as stated above is nothing but broken or cracked wheat.
Many people confuse dalia as bulgur but the two are different.
Here are the differences if you’d like to read more.
What is lapsi called in English?
There is no English name for lapsi as far as I know. Lapsi is the name of a dish made from dalia and not the name of the grain itself.
How to make lapsi without the pressure cooker?
You will need to follow the same steps. Use about 4 times the quantity of water to that of dalia if making this in a pot. Once you add the hot water, bring it to a boil, then lower the heat. Cover and cook until all the water is absorbed and dalia is fully cooked. Remember to keep stirring in between. It should take about 10 to 15 minutes.
Can I make a vegan version of this recipe?
Yes, you can. You can use oil, but the flavor will change. Coconut oil would be a better substitute than regular vegetable oils. It will impart a slight coconutty flavor that pairs really well with the earthy sweetness from jaggery.
If you don’t like the coconut flavor, use your preferred vegetable oil.
Is this gluten-free?
This is not gluten-free, because dalia is made from wheat grains.
To make this recipe gluten-free, you can use split sorghum (jowar dalia) instead.
Quinoa is also another good alternative. The ratio of quinoa to water is 1:1 for the pressure cooker and 1:2 for the stovetop, that is twice the amount of water to quinoa. Remember to rinse the quinoa well before using it in the recipe.
You may also enjoy these traditional Diwali sweets and snacks
★ Did you enjoy this lapsi recipe with jaggery? If you happen to try it out, I would love to hear from you! I’d appreciate it if you could rate and leave a review below in the comments. Your reviews help others know the recipe better too. Thanks so much 🙂
You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Twitter
Lapsi Recipe | Laapsi {Stovetop + Instant Pot}
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons ghee
- 2 tablespoons cashew nut halves,
- 2 tablespoons chopped almonds
- 8 to 10 pieces of dry coconut, optional
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 2 cloves
- 3 green cardamom
- 1 cup dalia, I've used the fine variety
- 3 cups of hot water
- 1 cup jaggery or sugar
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 tablespoon slivered pistachios, for garnishing, optional
Instructions
Stovetop pressure cooker instructions
- Heat 1/4 cup ghee in a pressure cooker over medium heat. Meanwhile in another pot boil 3 cups of water.
- Add cashew nuts and chopped almonds. Saute until the nuts turn golden brown. Set aside.
- Add the dry coconut pieces, saute until golden brown, and set aside.
- Add raisins, saute until they puff up. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, saute for 30 seconds.
- Add the dalia, saute on medium-low heat.
- Cook for about 8 minutes or until it turns golden brown and gives out a nutty aroma.
- Add 3 cups of hot water, mix well and bring to a boil.
- Cover the pressure cooker with the lid, pressure cook on medium-low heat for 3 to 4 whistles.
- Let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid of the cooker. To check if the dalia is cooked, take a little, mash it between your fingers. If it mashes easily, it is done.
- If it is not done, add some more hot water, mix well, and pressure cook for 1-2 whistles more.
- Add powdered/grated jaggery or sugar, mix, and cook, stirring, until most of the moisture is absorbed and the ghee oozes out from the sides of the pan.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee, ghee-roasted nuts, and raisins along with ground cardamom. Give it a good mix and switch off the heat.
- Cover with a lid and let it sit undisturbed for 10 minutes.
- Open the lid, fluff the lapsi with a spoon. Serve, garnish with the reserved nuts. Enjoy warm.
Instant Pot instructions
- Note: The recipe is halved for the IP
- Press the 'SAUTE' button, and set it to 'NORMAL'. Once it displays 'HOT', add 2 tbsp ghee, let the ghee melt.
- Add 1 tablespoon cashew nuts, saute until golden brown, and set aside. I've skipped adding almonds. Feel free to add it.
- Add 1 tablespoon of raisins, saute until they puff up. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add 1-inch cinnamon, 2 cloves, 2 green cardamoms, saute for a few seconds. Add 1/2 cup dalia, cook on medium-low heat, about 8 minutes until it turns golden brown and gives out a nutty aroma.
- Add 1.5 cups of hot water, mix well.
- Press cancel, close the lid of the Instant Pot with the valve on sealing position. Pressure cook on high for 12 minutes. It will take some time for the pressure to build up (about 4 minutes), after which the timer will start.
- Once the cooking cycle is complete, let it depressurize for at least 10 minutes, then do a quick release of leftover pressure following the manufacturer's instructions. Once the float valve (silver pin) drops, open the lid.
- Give the contents in the pot a good mix.
- Add 1/2 cup of powdered/grated jaggery or sugar, mix, and cook, stirring, until most of the moisture is absorbed and the ghee oozes out from the sides of the pot.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of ghee, ghee-roasted nuts, and raisins along with 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom. Give it a good mix and switch off the heat.
- Cover with the lid and let it sit undisturbed for 10 minutes.
- Open the lid, fluff the lapsi with a spoon. Serve, garnish with the reserved nuts. Enjoy warm.
- Serve, garnish with the reserved nuts. Enjoy warm.
Video
Notes
Leave a Reply