Coconut Balls (2- ingredient recipe)

Coconut Balls or Coconut Ladoo is an easy 2-ingredient dessert. They taste wonderful and can be whipped up in less than 10 minutes. I always make this delicious treat when I have last-minute guests at home. When they leave, they always ask for the recipe and are surprised by how effortless it is. 

I started making these coconut balls with condensed milk almost 7-8 years ago. They have always been a savior when I crave something sweet and don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen. Condensed milk is God-sent to make mouth-watering Indian desserts that take less than 15-20 minutes. Do I love shortcuts? Hell, yeah! I’m sure you will too, once you get on the bandwagon of condensed milk desserts. 

How to make Coconut Balls using Condensed Milk?

• Heat a pan and add the condensed milk
• Add the desiccated coconut and mix well
• Add flavorings of your choice
• Make balls out of it
• Roll it in desiccated coconut

It’s that simple! I call it 2-Ingredient coconut balls because I’m not counting the flavorings. They taste great even without any additional flavorings. 

How to make a No-Cook version of Coconut Balls?

• Just mix the condensed milk, desiccated coconut and your flavoring.
• Refrigerate the mixture for an hour
• Make balls and roll them in the desiccated coconut

I prefer my recipe because it’s easier to combine the raw ingredients and make balls when it’s warm. It’s faster than waiting for an hour for the mixture to solidify in the fridge.

These Coconut Balls 

• Are easy to make
• Has only 2-ingredients
• Taste absolutely delicious
• Can be made vegan by replacing condensed milk with condensed coconut milk

Check out other dessert recipes from my blog

White chocolate Strawberry mousse

Raspberry Thumbprint cookies

Almond Butter Brownies

Jam Roll-Ups

Ingredients to make Coconut Balls

Condensed milk

Sweetened condensed milk is the magic ingredient that makes this recipe very simple. If you want to make it vegan, use sweetened coconut condensed milk instead. 

Desiccated Coconut

Desiccated coconut is readily available in most grocery stores. It’s just dried shredded coconut. I always have a pack of it in my freezer and it’s saved me many times. 

Cardamom

I’ve used cardamom to add a hint of flavor to my coconut balls. Feel free to omit it if you don’t have it. 

A step-by-step method to make Coconut Balls

Cooking the raw ingredients

Set aside ½ cup of desiccated coconut for rolling the balls. Pour them on a plate and spread them out.

Open a tin of condensed milk and add it to a thick-bottomed pan. The pan must be thick-bottomed when you make milk-based sweets or desserts. Otherwise, they’ll burn easily. 

Add the desiccated coconut and mix well. Turn on the heat to medium-low.

How to check readiness

The condensed milk will slowly melt and the mixture will turn a little wet. The extent of wetness depends on how fine your desiccated coconut is. The finer is it, the wetter it will be. 

Keep mixing till the mixture starts to thicken. 

Add cardamom powder and mix well. 

Making the balls

When the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan, wet your fingers with water, take a small quantity of the mixture, and make a ball out of it. If it forms a non-sticky ball, then turn off the heat. 

Let it cool down for 5 minutes or till you can handle it with your hands. 

Grease your hands with ghee or oil(if you’re a vegan) and take a tablespoon of the mixture. Roll it between your palms till it forms a smooth ball. I use a cookie scoop to ensure I get even-sized coconut ladoos. You can also use a tablespoon measuring spoon after greasing it with ghee. 

Roll the coconut ball in the desiccated coconut and place it on a plate to cool down.

Similarly, make balls out of all the mixture and roll them in the desiccated coconut. 

If you have the restrain, wait till they cool down to take a bite. Or if you’re like me, you should try it warm. They melt in your mouth and taste juicier. 

Store them in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3 days or up to a week refrigerated. 

Flavor options to make Coconut Balls

I’ve tried the following flavors in place of cardamom

• Add a drop of rose essence to make Rose coconut ladoo
• Grind paan leaves with condensed milk to make Paan coconut ladoo
• Add almond extract to make Almond coconut balls
• Dip the coconut balls in melted chocolate to make coconut truffle balls

What is a substitute for desiccated coconut?

You can substitue Desiccated coconut with shredded coconut. You just have to make sure to cook a little longer, as shredded coconut is moist.

How to store Coconut Balls?

Store them in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3 days. If you want to store it any longer, refrigerate it. They stay good for a week in the refrigerator. Bring them to room temperature before serving.