Kaju Katli- How To Make Kaju Barfi

Kaju Katli is a delicious Indian sweet, melt in mouth thin slices of cashew fudge sweetened with sugar. It is one of the most popular Indian sweets. During Diwali people love to gift and receive boxes of this mithai. While this sweet is super expensive in shops, it is very easy to make kaju barfi at home.

You need just three ingredients and no ghee is required. Although many recipes suggests adding ghee, you don’t really have to. Read on to know why. Here is how to make best kaju katli at home with step by step photos, loads of tips, tricks and trouble shooting.

For more Indian sweets recipes please check sooji halwa, rasmalai, rasgulla, jalebi recipes.

Kaju katli is one of the most sought after, popular and classic Indian sweets in sweet shops, halwai. Slices of thin barfis in diamond shapes decorated with edible silver foil are not only delicious but also very beautiful to look at.

These katlis are very expensive as they are made of cashews alone but did you know that you can make perfect kaju katli recipe at home in super easy steps? You need just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes to make this quick recipe of cashew sweet at home that too at a fraction of cost. Read on, try it out and enjoy!

About This Recipe

Kaju katli is a classic Indian sweet made of cashew nuts and sugar as main ingredients. Kaju means cashews and katli means slices or pieces.

So kaju katli literally means slices of cashews (Fudge). This is a vegan and gluten free exotic sweet that you can literally make in 15 minutes. It also goes by the name kaju barfi, katli kaju.

For the amount of time and effort goes in, this kaju barfi tastes like million bucks, really. It is so expensive in shops and apart from certain mithai shops, this kaju katli sweet tastes stale in many places.

That is due to the use of low quality or rancid cashews. But with this recipe you make at home you can make best ever fresh, hygienic, & economical, delicious kaju katli in 15 minutes 🙂

Indian festivals like Diwali is all about sweets. There are loads and loads of sweets made at home not only for family but also for gifting near and dear ones.

The aroma of fresh homemade Indian sweet gulab jamun, kaju katli, besan ladoo, badam halwa, adirasam, chocolate burfi, ashoka, kalakand, mysore pak etc literally fill the home for days.

Unlike common belief not all Indian sweets are difficult to make. For example this kaju katli may be intimidating to try as it looks very exotic but it is such a simple recipe. Especially the recipe of kaju barfi I am sharing here.

Why This Recipe Works?

Many people dread making kaju katli at home fearing the one string sugar syrup. The most common recipe for this sweet calls for one string syrup which is often a hit or miss with many. By following my recipe you just need to dissolve sugar in water and cook it boils vigorous

It is super easy to make kaju katli. Only three main ingredients.

You just have to mix and cook powdered cashews in sugar syrup, knead and make slices. As easy as that. Unlike most of the recipes you will fond online and in books, my recipe for kaju katli does not call for one string consistency sugar syrup.

Yes, for this kaju barfi recipe, you will just have to boil the sugar with water and need not check consistency.

If making sugar syrup is difficult for you, simply follow this recipe to make kaju barfi and try this sweet today. You cannot mess up.

Trust me when I say I have made this kaju katli so many many times, scaling up and down and every time rewarded with best ever kaju katlis, thin smooth and melt in mouth. Just look at the pictures 🙂

You may find the process a bit complicated if you are a beginner but there are lot of ways to troubleshoot the mistake as well as many tips to make this kaju barfi recipe right.

Once prepared you can store kaju barfi for a week at room temperature. This sweet does not contain milk or ghee, so the shelf life is somewhat higher.

Serve kaju katli as snack with tea or dessert or as always pack these kaju barfi in a pretty box and gift to your loved ones for Diwali.

Cashew and almond based sweets are quite popular in north India. Nowadays we do find an array of these sweets in south Indian shops too.

Along with kaju katli I also make kaju strawberry, kesar kaju barfi, chocolate kaju katli, badam katli, kaju pista rolls, badam peda recipes. These are so easy to make and ideal for gifting.

This Kaju Katli Recipe Is

kaju goodness with less effort. Easiest recipe you will ever find 🙂

Better than the ones from sweet shops, fresh, hygienic & economical.

Delicious sweet, rich and melt in mouth for special occasions

Simple, quick & easy

3 ingredients & 15 minutes to make from scratch

Vegan & gluten free Indian sweet

Kid friendly sweet with mild flavor.

Ingredients You Will Need

To make kaju katli recipe or kaju barfi you will need just three ingredients. Cashews, sugar and water. That’s it. Like any recipe that calls for minimum ingredients, go for finest quality cashews for this sweet.

Cashew nuts– Use best quality fresh cashews that are absolutely not rancid. Taste a few before committing in the recipe especially if you are making large scale.

No amount of flavoring will cover up the rancid taste of cashews, if you know what I mean.

Sugar- Traditionally kaju katli is made with granulated white sugar only. Here I have used organic raw sugar so the color is slightly dark. I have not tried making this sweet with any other sugar.

Flavoring– Traditionally this kaju barfi sweet is not flavored at all. Just cashews and sugar. However you can add a pinch of saffron, cardamom powder or rose water.

How To Make Kaju Katli Recipe

Making Cashew Powder

1. Heat a pan and add cashews and roast for 3-4 minutes. Do not change the color. let cool.

2. Transfer to a grinder jar and spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Grind at small intervals. Refer to the tips above. This is the cashew powder for kaju barfi. You can also use a food processor.

Making Sugar Syrup For Kaju Katli Recipe

Measure 1/2 cup sugar first of all. Add sugar and 1/4 cup water in a heavy pan. You can use a non stick pan if you prefer.

Mix gently and cook in medium heat until sugar melts.

Let the sugar dissolve completely. Add cardamom powder and few saffron strands. Adding flavorings is totally optional.

Once the sugar completely dissolves the mixture will start to boil. First bring to a rolling boil.

Once the syrup starts to boil vigorously, it is the correct stage. No need to check for sugar syrup consistency.

Making Kaju Barfi

Once the sugar syrup boils vigorously, quickly add the prepared powdered cashew. This is your cashew sugar mixture.

Mix well thoroughly. Start cooking the cashew mixture in low flame.

After 3-4 minutes the kaju barfi mixture will begin to thicken.

11. And after 6-7 minutes the whole cashew paste mixture will come together as a soft mass and begin to leave the sides of the pan. Remove from flame when the kaju mixture leaves the sides of the pan but let the mixture cook in the residual heat for another minute in the same minute. You need a very smooth paste.

To check if the kaju katli mixture is in right consistency to make katlis here is what you do. Take a small pinch of cashew paste and roll between your fingers. If you are able to form a soft ball that is non sticky and dry then the mixture is in the correct stage.

If the mixture is sticky and you are unable to form balls, switch on the flame and cook the mixture for another 2 minutes in low flame.

Now remove the whole mixture to a butter paper or parchment paper. You can also use a greased plate. Scrape the edges and add them as well. We will knead this kaju katli dough and make everything very smooth. If the paste is too sticky for you to handle you can add few drops of ghee (not vegan) or coconut oil (vegan). I have not used coconut oil or ghee here. On kneading cashews will release oil which will help you knead.

15. Add few saffron strands and start kneading the kaju barfi mixture. If using coconut oil or ghee apply in your palms now. Knead for 3-5 minutes into a very smooth soft dough. This step is crucial for melt in mouth kaju katli.

16. After kneading roll the cashew dough into a 1/4 inch thick circle using a rolling pin. You can now gently press an edible silver leaf if you like.

17. Slice into square or diamond shapes using a sharp knife or pizza cutter.

18. Let cool completely. Store in airtight containers and serve kaju katli as required.

Store kaju katli in airtight container. You can refrigerate if you prefer.

Tips To Make Kaju Barfi

Choosing Cashew nuts- Use fresh and plump cashews that are at room temperature. If you have refrigerated cashews, remove them to the counter before an hour. This is an important step as if you try to grind cold cashews directly from refrigerator, they will clump up and you will not get fine cashew powder.

I like to dry roast the cashews nuts briefly say for 3-4 minutes. This will make them crispy and easy to powder. You can make kaju barfi that is smooth and melt in mouth.

Grinding Cashews- The first point to remember while making kaju barfi is to get your cashew powder right in perfect texture. You need a smooth powder that is as fine as possible.

There should not be any lumps or big pieces absolutely. If your powder is not very fine, sieve and grind the big particles again.

While grinding make sure to not grind them for long at a stretch. If you do so the nuts will release cashew butter and instead of powder we will end up with greasy paste and also the kaju katli will be sticky

Use the pulse option on your mixer and grind at small intervals. If you have coffee grinder or spice grinder it is also a good choice to grind cashews for kaju katli.

Sugar syrup- You don’t have to use a candy thermometer or check the consistency of syrup here. Just make sure to mix the sugar dissolve in water completely and then let the syrup boil vigorously. You can use granulated white sugar or raw sugar. Do not alter the quantities of water, sugar and cashew powder for best results. You have to quickly add cashew powder as soon as sugar syrup begins to boil vigorously.

How long to cook– Typically you cook the mixture until it starts to leave the sides of the pan and not until it completely leave the sides of the pan. Over cooking leads to dry and brittle kaju katli. Main low medi

If by any chance you over cook and the mixture turns very dry, just add 2-3 tablespoons milk and mix well. Note that If you add milk the shelf life of the kaju barfi  sweet will be less though.

If you under cook the Kaju dough on the other hand the katlis will be very sticky and not set at all.

Shelf Life & Storage

You can store kaju katli for a week at room temperature and around 2 weeks in refrigerator.

However if you have used milk or ghee the shelf life is only 2-3 days in refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions

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