Kaju Katli (Cashew Burfi)

Holidays were created for sweets and desserts! Here is a recipe for your favorite Indian burfi or mithai – Kaju Katli. This is a very easy recipe and you’ll never have to run to the sweet shop again ! Kajoo Katlee made easy…

Prep time: 15 min.
Cook time: 75 min. (including 60 mins for setting)
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:

Powdered Cashews – 1.5 cups (150gms)
Powdered Sugar – 1 cup (110gms)
Instant Non-Fat Dry Milk (Milk Powder) – 1/2 cup (60gms)
Cardamom Powder – 1/8 tsp
Water – 2 tbsp
Rose Essence – 2 drops (optional)

Method:

1. Take a double-boiler (see below) and bring the water to boil.
2. Once hot, add in the Powdered Sugar and Milk Powder in the top pan.
3. Stir continously for 2-3 minutes till the Sugar and Milk Powder are warm all the way through.
4. Pour the Cashew Powder in a mixing bowl.
5. Once the Sugar and Milk Powder are done, add them to the Cashew Powder in the mixing bowl.
6. Add the Cardamom Powder and mix them all well.
7. If you are using the Rose Essence, add the 2 drops to the 2 tbsp of warm Water.
8. Start kneading by adding a little water at a time.
9. Knead till it forms a dough and the cashew starts letting oil go.
10. Grease hands and rolling pin for easier rolling.
11. Roll out the dough to the desired thickness on to a wax paper to avoid sticking.
12. Cut the rolled-out dough into desired shapes (traditionally cut into diamond shapes).
13. Allow to set at room temperature for 1-2 hours or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
14. Store in the refrigerator and serve at room temperature for great taste.

Double Boiler:
1. Take a pan and add water to it and bring water to boil.
2. Take another pan that will sit well on top of the bottom pan (not submerged in).
3. The water in the bottom pan is boiled.
4. The top pan is used for cooking/heating so that it is not intense and direct heat.
5. The water from the bottom pan needs to touch the bottom of the top pan in order to be effective.
See Video for demonstration.

Tips:
1. Adding Varak gives it a very traditional and a grand look but if you don’t have it, the burfi will taste just as good.
2. We noticed that powdering the cashew is best done in a coffee grinder or an appliance meant for dry-grinding. The blender/mixie does not do a very good job and it needs to be very fine powder.

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173 thoughts on “Kaju Katli (Cashew Burfi)

  1. Hi there,

    I tried this recipe today and turned out really great, didn’t used varak though as it is not vegetarian.

    Quick question… I was looking at other recipe of same dish and all of them were suggesting to cook Kajus with sugar and little water. It is okay not to cook kajus at all?

    Thanks for great recipe…
    Zena.

    1. Yes, it is absolutely OK to eat Kajus raw.
      This is a short-cut method to the origianl way that the shops make and the traditional way. That takes a long time and is a tedious process.

    1. We are not aware of ‘Whipping Powder’, but Powdered Sugar is also known as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar.
      Hope that helps:)

  2. Hi Hetal & Anuja, i have never cooked more than 5 recipes before my wedding in Dec 08, however everytime i need a recipe now.. either old/ new. i check your website.
    Thnks again!

  3. hey thnk u so much fo ur quick reply :).. i will definitely talk to my hubby bout buying that machine ;)..you both r doing a great job…cheers!!!

  4. hi hetal and anuja….i am planning to make kaju katli next weekend…but i dont have a coffee grinder…i am planning to buy 1….which one will work the best?? will i be able to grind Indian spices in it?? i have been wanting a dry mixer since i am in US..will the coffee grinder work as a dry mixer??

    1. Hi Maithili,

      There is great one in our kitchen store:

      https://34.233.61.50/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/23/products_id/30

      It has a all the attachments – blender and dry grinder and since it is just one machine, it’s a great space saver as well. Check it out, we are sure you will like it.

      The one that we have used for this recipe is a coffee grinder:
      http://www.hamiltonbeach.com/coffee-grinders-custom-grind-deluxe-15-cup-hands-free-coffee-grinder.html
      Hope that helps:)

  5. Hi Hetal/Anuja,

    I tried a lot of delicious recipes from your website!! thanks for sharing them all.

    About this kaju katli, the taste turned out to be awesome but the dough is not soft n smooth as you show in the video,its very hard and hence cracks up when i try to roll it out, even though it leaves a lot of oil.

    plz help.

    1. Hi Anita,
      There could be few things you could tweak the next time you make this:
      – grind the kaju finer
      – make sure the sugar is heated very well
      – knead well

      Hope that helps!

  6. Hi Nitu,

    Since you’re in India, Sumeet makes an excellent spice grinder. It has a rotating handle which is great for wet or dry grinding.

  7. CAN U PLS TELL ME WHIC COFFEE GRINDER IS GUD FOR GRINDING CASHEW? I GOT BLACK AND DECKER COFFEE BEAN GRINDER..BUT WHILE GRINDING CASHEW I CAN C LITTLE CASHEW PIECES,,

  8. Thanks for the feedback Swati!

    Powdered Sugar is available at all American grocery stores in the same aisle as the regular sugar. It is sometimes called “confectioner’s sugar”.

  9. Hi Anuja & Hetal,
    I love your website showmethecurry. Your recipes are simple and nice. I have become a great fan of yours.
    I tried MeduVada, chutney and many other recipes and got real good comments from my guest for the taste.
    For Kaju Katli you said to use powered Sugar, is it available in all the grocery stores or only in Indian Grocery stores?
    Thank you.

  10. Hi Anuja & Hital,

    I tried kaju katli last night with regular sugar.It came out well.It is my hubby fav sweet.Thanks a bunch fr sharing.

  11. Hi Nisha,

    Unsalted Cashews are avaiable at Indian/Pakistani grocery stores. A lot of Health food stores also carry them in the bins.

    Take care

  12. Hi Annam,

    It is the same the we use to make milk and not anything special for baking!
    Here in the USA, we only get the non-fat milk powder…I can imagine it being any different if you use full fat milk powder. I would give it a shot, if I had a choice:-)

  13. hi anuja,
    thx for u r reply,one more clarification .u had used milkpowder is that ordinary milkpowder that we use for making milk r is it different for baking .if so can we use full cream milk powder.

  14. well u know i tried kaju katli,it came out well.but this one is for hatel.in this kaju katli video u’r bracelet is looking wonderful ! more than kaju katli i liked u’r bracelet this time !

  15. Hi Hetal and Anuja,

    Really you are showing very great receipes. I am very big fan of u people. Actually in my family everybody likes kaju katli. I want to try it. But,I have one question.That is,Where can i find unsalted and unroasted(raw) cashews? I searched in walmart but I found all salted or roasted.Could u please suggest me?

    Bye.

  16. hi hetal and anuja,

    thanks for your great receipes. i made kajukatli but my colour was light brown not white. why? but teast was good. i used regular white sugar and made powder at home.can u please suggess me?

    bye.

  17. Sorry, Annam, forgot to answer your question about using the food processor. Well, again, we have never used it but sounds do-able. Let us know if you do try it out.
    Thanks!

  18. Hi Annam,
    What we said in the video was ‘not to take the regular use sugar and blend it’ it does not work!:-(
    Powdered Sugar/Confectionary Sugar/Icing Sugar has cornstarch mixed in making it a little different. Regular Sugar will get crystalized and get hard!
    Try it with Powdered Sugar/Confectionary Sugar/Icing next time!
    Good Luck!

  19. hi ladies,
    i tried rasamallai with milk powdered and it turned out superb.then tried kaju,it turned out bit hard,not like the one we get from shop.was it due to the sugar ,i couldnt hear clearly in video,so used ordinary sugar,and i stired more then 4min ,lots of oil left out from kaju while kneeding,can u point my faultmso that i can try again.can we use the foodproc for kneeding.

    1. Hi there,

      I used a food processor and I must say it was an absolute delight to do so as it saved me the whole tiresome kneading bit. I normally use to to knead dough for chappatis and figured it might work just as well with this dish.To my delight it worked perfectly. I ended up with a nice round ball of dough with no wastage and barely any time spent on this process. In all, I made the dish in less than 10 minutes and it tasted great too. Thanks Anuja and Hetal , to your wonderful and easy recipe.

    2. Awesome recipe!! And yes, I used a food processor AND the microwave!I halved the recipe and did the heating part in the MW. it took me about 4 mins on high in the MW, of course mixing in between. Then kneaded in the Food Proc. How much simpler can it get?! And its soooo yum! Thanks a lot H & A!

      Now only one prob. How can I save some from my kids for my husband? 😉

        1. I made it today…….very late….(I just came to know about SMTC few days ago. I have a different problem…It turned out Great, but
          how can I save some for my kids from my husband? LOL

  20. Hi Nitu,
    Powdered Sugar can be bought at any grocery store- Walmart, Kroger, Target. It is also known as ‘Confectionary Sugar’ or ‘Icing Sugar’, avaialable in the sugar/baking aisle.
    Hope that helps!

  21. Hi Anuja and Hetal,
    I tried the same recipe with powdered pistachios and it turned out very well. I made this for a party and everybody loved it.

    Thanks for the recipe,
    Prathima.

    1. Hi Prathima,

      Did you try the pista katli using the microwave method?
      I do so want to try that.

      Also, how much water did you need as i am not sure how much oil the pistachios would release.

      Thanks!
      samyukta sunku

  22. Hi,

    First of all thanks to both of you for such a great job & wonderful recipes on your website. This Diwali I was looking for some nice sweet recipe & there you gave me one of the best Kaju Katri recipe. I just need to know that where I can find Silver Foil for decoration. I know I can fine them in India but do u know which place I should look for them.

    Thanks,
    Wish you both Happy New Year,
    Bijal.

  23. Hi Prathima,
    I use a coffee grinder as well for grinding powders and spices and it works really well, I am surprised yours did not- maybe, the setting was not right!

    Regarding the substitution of Almond and Pistachios with Cashews…I really don’t know, we have never tried it but on paper it looks do-able. Do let us know if you do try it. Thanks!

  24. Hi Anuja,
    Thanks for replying. I did make the Kaju katlis last night. I did have some problem powdering the cashew nuts. I tried the coffee grinder and the regular Indian blender. But I couldn’t get very fine powder. However, the Kaju katlis came out quite well and everybody loved it and it is almost getting over.
    I’m going to try another batch today using the microwave recipe.
    I had another question. Would this recipe work for Almond powder or pistachio powder also?

    Thanks,
    Prathima.

  25. Hi Prathima,

    Ofcourse, I remember you! It was really wonderful meeting you and thanks for stopping by to say hello!

    For the mircrowave, here is what I do:

    1. Combine the Milk Powder and the Sugar.
    2. Mix well.
    3. Heat in the microwave for 3-4 minutes stirring every minute.
    4. The mixture needs to very very not.
    5. Add it to the Cashew powder.
    6. Mix and then add in the water (warmed) and knead.

    Follow the rest of the recipe as is.

  26. Hi Hetal and Anuja,
    I wish you and your family a very happy diwali!
    I tried this kaju sweet for diwali and it came out well. But i experienced dryness while kneading and did not get the exact consistency of a tough dough which can be rolled like chapathi..I then put it in microwave for few seconds and oil from cashew comes out and it was easy to make it like a ball and roll it.Thanks for the easy and tasty recipe.

  27. Hi Anuja,
    I’m not sure if you remember me. I had met you at the Diwali Mela..and boy was i excited to see you:).
    Anyway, I remember you had mentioned that the same Kaju katli can be made in the microwave also. Could you please give me that recipe again? I don’t remember the exact recipe that you gave out there at the mela. Thanks a lot.

    Prathima.

  28. Hi Renu,
    Yes, it is available in Walmart and kroger. I have at times seen it in the baking/ugar aisle and sometimes in the hot cereals aisle. One of the most popular brand is Carnation but the store brands work just as well.

  29. Hi Hetal/Anuja,
    Where do i find the Instant Non-Fat Dry Milk (Milk Powder)? Is it available in walmart/kroger in sugar/baking item section?

  30. SR:
    The ladle is from a store here…unfortunately, we have not seen them for a long time now!

    Deepa:
    The DVD has a full menu from appetizer to dessert. It has one non-vegetarian dish but the rest of it is pure vegetarian but the most important part is that the DVD covers how to organize and have a stress-free and a successful party. We are sure it will be of great value.

  31. Madhavi, Vani & Khushbu:
    The ‘varak’ is from India, we don’t know if it can be bought here (USA). Best bet would be to try to get it from an Indian Sweet shop, they may be willing to sell you some. And yes, it does come in gold as well!

    Vani:
    Powdered Sugar can be bought at any grocery store- Walmart, Kroger, Target. It is also known as ‘Confectionary Sugar’ or ‘Icing Sugar’, avaialable in the sugar/baking aisle.

    1. You can buy Varak at any Indian Grocery store. They will not be placed on the isle shelf as it is very delicate. So, check with sales person at the counter and they will help you find.

  32. Hi Hetal and Anuja,

    Thanks for this wonderful recipe. I din’t know a single person who doesn’t like this sweet. One question though, From where did you buy that thin silver sheet? and I think you can buy thin gold sheet also, right? please do reply.

    Thanks
    Khushbu

  33. hi hetal and anuja,

    where can i buy the powdered sugar? becoz u have mentioned not to take sugar and powder. please let me know.

    thanks
    vani.

    1. Powdered sugar is in the baking aisle, usually next to the regular sugar, brown sugar and salt. It is different from regular sugar in that it contains some corn starch and you can’t get the same results by powdering regular sugar at home (that I know of).

  34. Hi Hetal, Anuja,

    My kids really love kaju katli. I’ll give them a surprise. Similarly can i please have the recipe of hash brown potatoe pattice please.

  35. hi hetal and anuja,

    i didnot know it is so easy to make these sweet. i wanted to know where u buy the silver thing that u put on the sweet…pls let me know.thanks in advance

  36. Hi Hetal & Anuja,
    Nice one..I didn’t know its that easy to make..have added it to diwali recipe list..Btw,i dont know where to post this question,reg ur stress free party dvd..basically i am a south indian pure vegetarian..so,can u guys tell me if the dvd has got recipe stuff for me also?

  37. Hi

    thanks for this wonderful recipe..will try it out very soon!
    where do u buy ur ladles(the ones with metal handles n coloured plastic ends). I found the spatulas in the dollar store but not the ladles..

    1. This is a very cool recipe…. i have tried many other recipes for Kaju Katli but never got the dish so close to perfection like this recipe….Thank you girls.

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