3 ingredient Kaju Katli | Cashew Katli Recipe
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3 ingredient Kaju Katli | Cashew Katli Recipe | Easy Kaju Katli Recipe | Cashew Katli | Indian Cashew Fudge | How to make Halwai style Kaju Katli with step by step instructions
3 ingredient Kaju Katli | Cashew Katli Recipe is a popular Indian sweet made from cashew nuts. This is one of the most iconic royal sweets for festivals, giveaways, and social gatherings. Cashew Katli has a characteristic thin diamond shape.
The heart throb of 3 ingredient Kaju Katli is fresh white cashews, sugar and water. A dab of ghee for brushing and the frenzies are entirely optional. The best thing about this sweet is that it stays good for fairly long time, hence it is preferred for giveaways for festivals and for dear ones staying overseas.
The scene at Indian sweet shops during festivals is worth its sight, their extended counters brimming with sweets displays. Within the sweets showcased, a section is allocated for royal sweets such as kaju katli, kaju roll, and other cashew sweets of varied shapes and colors.
With this recipe, now you too can prepare Halwai style Kaju Katli with step by step instructions. Enjoy this decadent homemade Indian Cashew Fudge, in its purest form, without the addition of any inferior ingredients.
Perhaps you maybe interested in some more sweets recipes on this blog. Have a look:
History of 3 ingredient Kaju Katli | Cashew Katli Recipe
Kaju Katli is said to have originated in 16th century by a famous chef Bhimrao, who worked for the royal family of the Maratha Empire. As legends say, Bhimrao was inspired by a Persian sweet called ‘Halwa-e-Farsi’ made with ground almonds and sugar. He then decided to create a version akin to this, with locally available cashews. Bhimrao’s creation garnered much appreciation and adoration from the Maratha royals. They named this crafted sweet as Kaju Katli.
Over time, Kaju Katli became a popular sweet not just in Maharashtra, but across India. Today, it stands as one of the quintessential Indian sweets, integral to various celebrations including weddings and festivals.
To know more about the origin of Kaju Katli read here.
Why should you make
- Exotic royal sweet
- Stays good over a week
- Good for giveaways near and far
- Made with 3 basic ingredients
- Can be customised into different shapes and flavors
Planning to prepare Kaju Katli? Ensure you read this entire post thoroughly for step by step instructions, helpful tips and view the embedded video further down in the recipe card for a clearer understanding.
3 ingredient Kaju Katli | Cashew Katli Recipe
Kaju Katli is an Indian sweet made with cashew nut, sugar and water. It is a melt-in-mouth fudgy textured sweet with the rich goodness of cashews.
Literal meaning – ‘Kaju’ means cashew nut, ‘Katli’ implies slice.
Kaju Katli is gluten free and can be vegan if using plant based ghee for working with the cashew mixture. .
Ingredients for Kaju Katli
For Measurements refer to the RECIPE CARD further below.
- Cashew nut – Use premium quality fresh stock.
- Sugar– Refined sugar for making sugar syrup.
- Water – For making sugar syrup.
- Ghee – for brushing. For vegan, use vegetable ghee.
- Silver edible varak – for decoration -optional
How To Make Kaju Katli
How to make Kaju Mixture for Kaju Katli
Make Cashew nut powder
1. Firstly, coarsely crush the cashew nuts for ease in grinding.
2. Then grind the crushed cashew nuts in a grinding jar. Use pulse grind method. Do not grind at a stretch. Pulse twice or thrice as needed.. The cashew powder should not become a paste due to heat of grinder motor. The resulting cashew powder should be loose and crumbly, not clumped together. Cashew nut powder is ready.
How to make Sugar Syrup
3. Now in a nonstick pan, take sugar and water. Bring to boil on medium flame. Sugar will melt and the sugar water will boil. Maintain low to medium flame.
4. Upon checking, we will observe that the solution is slowly becoming sticky and is changing to sugar syrup. Let the syrup continue to simmer. Check the consistency once or twice.
5. When the syrup forms half a thread syrup consistency- the stickiness of syrup becomes more prominent and when you pull a drop of syrup between thumb and index finger, it makes half a thread and then breaks. This is the correct time to add cashew nut powder.
Mix Sugar syrup with Cashew nut powder
6. Now add cashew nut powder and mix well. Work on low to medium flame.
7. Maintain low flame and keep stirring continuously otherwise the mixture may burn. At first the mixture will be loose and sticky. Slowly, it will leave the sides of nonstick pan, and collect in the centre. Must read tips given below.
How to shape kaju mixture for Kaju Katli
8. Transfer on a lined work surface. For vegans, use vegetable ghee for brushing work surface.
9. Smoothen out the mixture as shown in video in recipe card
10. Shape it into a square or rectangle taking help of parchment paper and rolling with a rolling pin
11. Finally, apply the silver vark (optional)
12. Keep aside the sweet for 2-3 hours and then cut into diamond shape pieces. Kaju Katli is ready.
What to serve with
Serve at Tea time alongside Nankhatai and a cup of Karak Chai or a glass of Badam Shake
Pin for Later
Tips for Perfect Kaj Katli
- Buy premium quality cashew nuts – white in colour. Fresh cashew nuts are crunchy and have a sweet-ish taste. Upon storing for a long time, they become soft and pale in colour, turn rancid and may not taste like fresh stuff.
- Right stage of katli mixture
- With a spatula drop some kaju mixture from the edges of pan, it will slowly slide down the sides of pan.
- When you lightly touch kaju mixture, it will be dry.
- When you tilt the spatula with some cashew mixture on it, the mixture will cling to the spatula and not fall off.
- Do not grind for a long time. It is for this reason that I coarsely crushed in mortar pestle and then ground so that the heat of the grinder motor does not change texture and colour of cashew powder.
- If you are not using non stick pan, make sure you have a heavy-bottom one. If so, an extra teaspoon of ghee would be needed to prevent the cashew mixture from sticking to the pan. To simplify all this jargon, I would suggest simply use a non stick pan.
FAQ
Why is the cashew fudge sweet very soft
Cashew fudge might be soft for various reasons. Better to make it at least one day ahead, so that enough setting time is there for the kaju katli to firm up. Secondly, the sugar syrup (chashni) is not cooked enough to half a thread consistency. In that case cook cashew mixture further for more minutes till it starts leaving sides of pan.
Leave the rolled out cashew mixture for 2-3 hours before cutting the kaju katli.
Recipe Card
3 Ingredient Kaju Katli | Cashew Katli Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Non Stick Pan
- 1 spatula
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole cashew nuts 125 gm
- ¼ cup sugar 50 gm
- ¼ cup water 50/60 ml
- Ghee (optional) for brushing
- Edible silver varak (optional) for decoration
Instructions
Make Cashew nut powder
- Firstly, coarsely crush the cashew nuts for ease in grinding.
- Then grind the crushed cashew nuts in a grinding jar. Use pulse grind method. Do not grind at a stretch. Pulse twice or thrice as needed.. The cashew powder should not become a paste due to heat of grinder motor. The resulting cashew powder should be loose and crumbly, not clumped together. Cashew nut powder is ready.
How to make Sugar Syrup
- Now in a nonstick pan, take sugar and water. Bring to boil on medium flame. Sugar will melt and the sugar water will boil. Maintain low to medium flame.
- Upon checking, we will observe that the solution is slowly becoming sticky and is changing to sugar syrup. Let the syrup continue to simmer. Check the consistency once or twice.
- When the syrup forms half a thread syrup consistency- the stickiness of syrup becomes more prominent and when you pull a drop of syrup between thumb and index finger, it makes half a thread and then breaks. This is the correct time to add cashew nut powder.
Mix Sugar syrup with Cashew nut powder
- Now add cashew nut powder and mix well. Work on low to medium flame.
- Maintain low flame and keep stirring continuously otherwise the mixture may burn. At first the mixture will be loose and sticky. Slowly, it will leave the sides of nonstick pan, and collect in the centre. Must read step by step instructions mentioned in the post above and tips given below.
How to shape kaju mixture for Kaju Katli
- Transfer on a lined work surface.
- Smoothen out the mixture as shown in video in recipe card
- Shape it into a square or rectangle taking help of parchment paper and rolling with a rolling pin
- Finally, apply the silver vark (optional)
- Wait for 2-3 hours and then cut into diamond shape pieces.. Kaju Katli is ready.
What to serve with
- Serve this alongside Nankhatai and Karak Chai or a glass of Badam Shake
Video
Notes
- Buy premium quality cashew nuts – white in colour. Fresh cashew nuts are crunchy and have a sweet-ish taste. Upon storing for a long time, they become soft and pale in colour, turn rancid and may not taste like fresh stuff.
- Right stage of katli mixture
- With a spatula drop some kaju mixture from the edges of pan, it will slowly slide down the sides of pan.
- When you lightly touch kaju mixture, it will be dry.
- When you tilt the spatula with some cashew mixture on it, the mixture will cling to the spatula and not fall off.
- Do not grind for a long time. It is for this reason that I coarsely crushed in mortar pestle and then ground so that the heat of the grinder motor does not change texture and colour of cashew powder
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