Kaju katli or Kaju burfi recipe

Kaju Katli or kaju burfi or cashew fudge is an Indian style traditional festival sweet prepared in most of Indian kitchens.

Easy stepwise recipe with pictures to make thin nutty cashew fudge. Learn how to make Kaju Katli or Kaju burfi at home.

We also call this as godambi burfi in Kannada.

It is one of the most popular Indian dessert. This is one of the most preferred sweet after motichoor ladoo and besan laddu in North India.

During festivals like Navaratri and Diwali, most North Indian houses make this delicious sweet and gift to friends and relatives.

Few years back, I never bothered to make kaju katli at home, it was always store brought ones during festive seasons.

However, as my kids started growing, this sweet became their favourite and I started making it at home.

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What is Kaju katli ?

Kaju katli name says it all. Kaju means cashew and katli means thin slices. If its burfi they are slightly thicker compared to katli. We can also call this as cashew fudge.

An easy traditional Indian sweet recipe which sets in few minutes. Indian festival sweet Kaju katli means thin slices of cooked kaju or cashewnuts in sugar.

The easiest recipe that can be made ahead of time and served during festive celebrations. It’s a great holiday gift as well.

Why you will love Kaju katli

Rich, buttery texture and delicious

Easy & Quick sweet recipe

Soft and melt in mouth

Only 4 ingredients

Vegetarian dessert

Glutenfree dessert

Preservative free

Homemade

Festive sweet

Party sweet

Holiday gift

Another reason to make these Kaju Katli

They are easy and delicious, powder the cashew, dissolve the sugar and mix the two. Make a dough, roll it thin and slice them. These have rich taste of cashew nutty flavour. It’s so easy and quick.

Ingredient notes

Cashew nuts or godambi – This is the important ingredient for making kaju katli sweet. I have used good quality cashew nuts. Have used broken cashew nuts, this makes grinding them much easier compared to big whole cashews. Do not use skinned cashew. This will change the colour of katli. The cashew should be completely dry, fungus free.

Cashew nuts are frequently prone to fungal growth. So take care to use fresh batch of cashews either whole or broken. If you have stored the cashewnuts in refrigeration, do not forget to bring it room temperature.

Do not use roasted or flavoured cashews to make katli, as it changes the aroma.

Sugar – I have used refined sugar while make this fudge.

Ghee – Homemade ghee is used; you can always use store brought ghee.

Water – water is added to melt sugar. If we don’t add water, it will caramelize if melted directly.

Equipment

Mixer Grinder – I have usedhigh speed spice blender to powder cashewnut.

Thick bottomed wok – Always use a thick bottomed wok to make any burfi. This is because most of the burfi are stirred under low heat and thick bottomed wok prevents burning at bottom.

A ladle to continuously stir the kaju katli dough.

Parchment paper – or butter paper to roll the dough into thin sheet.

Rolling pin – use a wooden or steel rolling pin to roll the katli.

How to make easy kaju katli at home?

The recipe is very simple however care to be taken at few critical points.

Powdering cashewnuts:

This is an important step. If we go wrong with this, then you will end up in an oily lump of cashew paste.

I have used a high-speed blender to powder the cashewnuts. I have powdered it in three parts. Repeat the process until all the cashew are done.

Always powder it in parts, this way you can pulse it perfectly into fine powder. If you powder it in large quantities at once, there are chances that few large pieces are left out. So, I would suggest powder it in batches.

Sift the powdered cashewnuts and remove any big chunks if any. You can either regrind them again or use these in gravies.

Use the finely ground cashew powder to make these katli. Keep this aside until you make sugar syrup.

Making dough:

The first step in making dough is dissolving sugar in water.  In this recipe I am not making any sugar syrup.

Heat a thick bottomed wok, add sugar and water together. Mix well and cook on medium heat. See to it that sugar melts completely in water. This might take 5 to 7 minutes. (This time depends completely on the flame heat you are cooking, I have done the entire process on medium heat)

Let it boil for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the ground cashew powder, keep mixing well on low heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Keep stirring on low heat.

The dough will start thickening and leave the sides of the wok.

At this stage add ghee and mix well for another 2 to 3 minutes.

While making the kaju katli dough, keep in mind to check the consistency of paste. As the mixture starts thickening, remove little pea sized paste and keep it aside. Cool this and make a ball from it. You should be able to make a non sticky ball. If the consistency is right, then switch off the flame.

If it is still sticky, then mix for few more minutes and check again (the mixture will thicken as it cools).

Kneading and rolling:

Next step is to cool down the dough until you can handle the temperature. Always remember the dough should be rolled while its still warm. Don’t let it cool completely.

Leave the paste to cool in the wok or put it on greased parchment paper. You can also pour it on greased steel plate to cool. For quick cooling you can mix the paste on plate with a spoon.

With the help of parchment paper edges, you start to knead the dough as shown in the video. As you start kneading, it becomes soft and comes together. Knead for 5 to 6 minutes, so that it forms a smooth pliable dough.

Place this dough between two parchment paper and roll. (Roll the kneaded dough immediately)

Slightly press with your hands and start rolling using a rolling pin. Keep the size and thickness of katli small or big based on your preference.

If you are not rolling between two sheets, then rub few drops of ghee or oil on rolling pin and back of flat steel plate. Directly roll the dough on the plate into thin sized katlis.

I have not used any silver vark on kaju katli in this recipe. Garnishing with vrak is personal choice.  If you want them, apply vark at this stage.

Make marks on the rolled dough in diamond shape. As shown in the video make marks and keep aside.

Let it set completely before you separate the katli pieces.

Storage suggestions

After kaju katli pieces are set, store them in airtight containers. It remains good for a week at room temperature, it is so delicious, I am sure you will left with nothing to store…

I always suggest serving any sweet fresh, that is the beauty of homemade sweets. If you are still left with some sweets, then you can refrigerate them in airtight container. It remains good for 15 days.

My experience with making kaju katli

First time I made Kaju katli, it was a disastrous as I blended cashewnuts for long time, the paste was oily lump and I could never make the burfi.

Second time, I didn’t dissolve the sugar properly and got a crunchy kaju katli.

One more time I added more ghee and the final output was oily katli.

Though there are many recipes on google. This sweet which needs a little practice, it becomes easier and you get perfect slices.

Over the years and my trials I have finally standardised the way of getting a perfect katli.

So with little practice, you can easily judge the consistency and make the perfect katli.

Recipe notes to make good Kaju Katli

After all my failures with earlier trails, I have mentioned few troubleshooting tips to remember while you plan to make kaju katli

• First important note to remember is selection of cashew nuts. The cashew nuts should be unsalted and good quality ones. Since the key ingredient is cashew nuts, it has to tasty fresh cashew. Try to avoid using stale or rancid nuts.
• If using whole cashews, then check for pest in the nuts as they are room to worms.
• Whole or split cashews: If we use whole cashews, it takes more time to get grounded. If you are first timer preparing this sweet, then you will end up grinding for more time leading to oil release from nuts.
• Do not roast the cashews, as it changes the colour of kaju katli. Always use room temperature cashew nuts and maintain it moisture free. This helps to grind into powder quickly.
• After selecting, next is grinding cashews. For grinding cashew, use a high speed blender preferably spice blender.
• Pulse the cashew in small batches as shown using pulse button in your mixer grinder. This way you can powder them fine.
• Do not over grind the cashews.
• Grinding it for more time, cashews start releasing oils, they become paste and sticky, it will become cashew butter.
• If you end up with an oily paste, then you cannot make kaju burfi, it doesn’t set and you end up with a mass.
• If you follow all the above tips and still end up in coarse powder, no need to worry. Sift the powdered cashew using a sieve. This gives you fine powder.
• Always cook the mixture on low heat otherwise it will burn at the bottom. The cashew powder should cook well in sugar syrup.
• Never over cook the Kaju mixture, it will lead to dry dough and katli will become dry instead of soft. However, if you under cook then katli will not set.
• Keep stirring the mixture continuously otherwise it tends to stick to bottom and easily gets burnt.
• Do not refrigerate the dough it will become dry, always keep in room temperature.
• Do not add too much ghee, since cashew has natural oil, if you add more ghee, it will come out while we are rolling.
• Ensure to apply few drops of oil or ghee on parchment paper or workspace or steel plate before kneading the dough. This way it helps in kneading the dough. 
• The mixture may seem grainy, however on kneading it becomes smooth. So kneading the kaju katli dough is important step, this gives smooth textured easy to cut slices.
• Roll the kneaded dough immediately before if dries completely. Do not refrigerate the kneaded dough, this will make the dough split or dry up completely.
• Do not refrigerate the katli as it forms a layer at the top and they become dry.
• If the kaju paste turns very hard while mixing in the wok and if it becomes difficult to knead the kaju dough, then here is what you can do. Simply put it back to wok, add a spoon of water, mix again for 2 to 3 minutes and cool, roll and slice the katli.
• If the kaju katli do not set even after keeping at room temperature for a day. Then put it back to the wok and start to cook again for 2 or 3 minutes on low temperature. This way paste dries up, make a dough again, roll and prepare the Katlis.

Substitutes and recipe variations

Cashew can be replaced with commercially available cashew powder.

Refined sugar can be replaced with cane sugar or coconut sugar, however you will see a change in colour and flavour.

My family prefers plain kaju katli, so I have not added any other flavours. However, you can any flavours of your choice to kaju katli.

Cardamom powder can be added for aroma. Mix cardamom powder at the end and stir the paste well.

Rose water can also be added to make it more flavourful.

Even vanilla essence can also be added to kaju katli.

Cocoa powder can also be added to cashew powder, proceed with the next step and make yummy chocolate kaju katli.

Instead of katlis, if you want stuffed rolls, then simply take small balls of dough, stuff with dry fruits and make a roll. Here is your stuffed kaju rolls.

The other flavour combination is you can add half badam or almonds with cashew and make the katlis.

If you are craving for more sweet recipes, then here are few recipes you might be interested

7 cup burfi

Mixed millet fudge 

Murmura laddu

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is this sweet healthy?

Any sweet dessert is not healthy since it is made of sugar and high in calories. It can be served in moderation as an dessert after main course food.

Can I double the recipe ingredients?

Yes you can double the recipe or reduce the ingredients. Make a small batch or large batches of Katli as per requirement.

Can we make this recipe vegan?

Yes we can make this recipe vegan if using non-refined sugar and avoid ghee. However any sweet requires a small quantity of ghee for flavours and kneading the dough.

How long can Kaju Katli remains fresh?

No milk is added in this kaju katli recipe. Therefore, we can store them for a week and if refrigerated can be stored for two weeks. I like to serve them fresh as much as possible.

Can we refrigerate the cashew powder?

Yes we can refrigerate the powder if you plan to use it later. However, do not forget to bring it to room temperature.

Can we freeze kaju katli?

You can freeze them, however bring it to room temperature before you serve them.

Can I use store brought cashew powder?

Yes commercially available pure cashew powder can be added. Make in small batch and check for purity of cashew powder.

What can I replace parchment paper with?

If you don’t have parchment paper, not to worry. Simply grease back of flat steel plate, also grease the rolling pin and roll the dough on this.

Can I leave the kneaded dough as it is?

No you cannot refrigerate or leave the kneaded dough as it is. They will harden up and you cannot prepare the kaju katli from them.

Can I use butter instead of ghee?

No butter cannot be used in place of ghee in this recipe.

What can I do if my dough is very sticky even after cooling?

Add the sticky dough back to kadai and quickly stirring again or you can add a spoon of milk powder. The texture will change however you can make the katli.

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