No Indian celebration is complete without sweets, and when it comes to timeless desserts that evoke childhood memories and festive joy, gulab jamun holds a special place. With its soft, melt-in-the-mouth texture and rich, syrupy sweetness, this golden brown delicacy has won hearts in India and worldwide. My Easy Gulab Jamun Recipe with Milk Powder is perfect and delicious! Many these gulab jamuns at home this Diwali!
When it comes to Indian desserts, Gulab Jamun stands as one of the most beloved and iconic sweets. Soft, spongy, and soaked in sugar syrup, this sweet treat is often the highlight of festivals, celebrations, and family gatherings. Whether served hot or cold, the irresistible allure of this mithai is undeniable.
I like my Gulab Jamus to be soft and yet firm to hold its shape. Do you agree? Gulab jamun has a special place in my childhood, often tied to the joy of festivals, birthdays, and family gatherings. For many, the sight of a tray full of golden gulab jamuns soaking in syrup is enough to evoke sweet nostalgia. Whenever we had guests visiting, Mom would ask Dad to get Gulab Jamuns from the Halwai shop. It is a no-brainer, everyone loves them!
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History Of Gulab Jamun
Gulab jamun has roots that stretch back to medieval India, drawing influence from Persia. The name "Gulab" comes from the Persian words "gol" (flower) and "ab" (water), referring to the rose-scented syrup in which the fried dough balls are immersed. "Jamun" refers to an Indian fruit of similar size and shape. Originally, it was crafted as an indulgence for royalty, using rich ingredients like khoya (reduced milk solids) and ghee (clarified butter). Over time, this exquisite dessert made its way into every home, becoming an integral part of celebrations across India.
What Is Gulab Jamun?
The magic of gulab jamun lies in its texture and flavor. It is traditionally made with khoya (reduced milk solids), which gives it a rich, creamy texture. The dough is shaped into round balls and deep-fried to golden brown perfection before being soaked in a sugar syrup flavored with rose water, saffron, and cardamom. My recipe uses full-fat milk powder to make it easy to source the ingredients.
Each bite offers a delicate balance of sweetness and softness, with the rich flavors of the syrup infusing every corner of the soft, fried dumplings. The syrup also keeps them moist, making them melt in your mouth with every bite.
This is a fairly easy gulab jamun recipe, with almost no room for screwing up if you follow it properly. We will make this gulab jamun recipe with milk powder. I use Nido, to make this recipe, which is easily available at any grocery store. It might feel daunting for you to make gulab jamuns at home. But trust me this recipe is easy and straightforward forward and you will start making them at home!
Variations Of This Recipe
While the classic gulab jamun is a favorite, there are several variations depending on region and taste preferences:
- Kala Jamun: A darker version of this recipe, fried longer to achieve a caramelized, almost black crust. They are then soaked in syrup with a slightly more intense flavor.
- Stuffed Gulab Jamun: Some recipes include stuffing these dough balls with dry fruits like pistachios, almonds, or even a bit of saffron for an extra luxurious bite.
- Bread Gulab Jamun: For a quicker version, some people make these using bread crumbs instead of khoya.
Ingredients to Make This Easy Gulab Jamun Recipe
This recipe is a two-part recipe, where we make the rose, cardamom, and saffron-infused sugar syrup. We will be making this Gulab Jamun Recipe with Milk Powder. I also add plain flour, baking powder, ghee, and milk to make these dough balls. Then, deep fry these dough balls until beautifully golden brown, and add them to the warm syrup. So gather all the ingredients to make gulab jamuns at home now.
Make The Sugar Syrup
Water - You will need 1 cup of water to make this sugar syrup.
Sugar - We use equal parts of sugar and water to make this recipe, so we will need 1 cup of castor sugar.
Flavors - We will infuse this sugar syrup with rose water (not in the picture), saffron strands, and green cardamom pods.
Lime Juice - Adding lime juice in the end make sure to deepen the sweetness of the sugar syrup. And lime juice also prevents the crystalization of sugar.
Make the Dough Balls with Milk Powder
Milk Powder - Traditionally this recipe is made with khoya but, we will be making it using milk powder. I use Nido full-fat milk powder, so the gulab jamuns have richer and creamier taste.
All-Purpose Flour - Plain flour is used to bind the dough balls together. I know some recipes also call for semolina. But, my recipe only uses all-purpose/ plain flour.
Cardamom (optional)- You can season your dough balls by adding half a teaspoon of cardamom powder to the dry ingredients.
Baking Powder - We add baking powder to these as we want them to be super soft. If you skip adding baking powder, your dough balls will be stodgy, and won't soak the syrup properly.
Ghee - Add ghee to make the dough balls, for its rich and nutty taste.
Milk and Heavy Cream - I prefer to use a combination of milk and heavy cream to bind the dough together. However, if you don't have heavy cream you can use only milk for this recipe.
How to Gulab Jamuns at Home
Prepare the Sugar Syrup
In a saucepan, add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. Add 5-6 strands of saffron, and 3-4 green cardamom pods.
Place the sauce pan on a low heat and keep stirring until the sugar dissolves completely.
Bring this sugar syrum until it starts to simmer, and then bring it to a boil.
Note* - You don't have to make a chasni like thick sugar syrup. Sugar syrup of gulab jamuns have to be thin so turn off the stove as soon as it starts to boil.
Turn off the flame. Now add 1 teaspoon each of rose water and lime juice. Mix it well.
Cover it and keep it aside.
Make the Dough Balls
Melt the ghee, and set it aside.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. You will need 1 cup of milk powder, 3 Tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour, and ยฝ teaspoon baking powder. Mix well.
To the dry ingridients add 2 tablespoons melted ghee. And mix it well with your fingers.
Also add ยผ cup of Full Fat milk + 2 Tablespoons heavy cream in a bowl. If you don't have heavy cream, use milk instead.
Add little milk and cream and start mixing the dough and combining it. It should form a soft sticky dough.
You don't want to knead the dough, as we don't want any gluten formation. All you need to make sure is the dough comes together.
Let it rest for 10 minutes.
Shaping The Dough Balls
After resting the dough, make Small sized dough balls. They should weigh about 15gms each. You should get about 18 Gulab Jamuns using this recipe.
I like to use 2-3 tablespoons of dough to make these dough balls.
Frying the Dough Balls
Heat 2" of Ghee+Oil in a wok or kadai on medium-low heat.
Gently shape the dough into small, smooth balls. Make sure there are no cracks to avoid them breaking apart during frying.
Once the ghee+ oil is hot enough, fry the dough balls in ghee or oil over low-medium heat, ensuring they cook evenly from the inside out.
Don't crowd the pan, I fried them in batches of 4 doughballs at at time, as I am using a small pot.
You want to swirl the ghee/oil around with slotted spoon, while frying continuously as soon as you add the dough balls to the ghee.
Stirring the oil will cook these gulab jamuns evenly.
*Tip* Frying at a high temperature can cause the outer layer to brown quickly, while leaving the inside uncooked.
Once the gulab jamuns are golden brown, add them to the paper towel lined tray/plate.
Fry all the gulab jamuns similarly.
Soak the Gulab Jamuns in Sugar Syrup
Place the sugar syrup on the stove on low heat, to heat it up. Once the gulab jamuns are rested add them in warm syrup.
Don't bring it to a boil. When you see the sugar syrup starting to simmer. Turn off the stove.
Cover and let them sit in the sugar syrup for 45 minutes.
Serve them warm or cold, however you prefer.
Expert Tips to Make This Easy Gulab Jamuns at Home
Let's begin with tips and tricks to make perfect Gulab Jamun with Milk Powder.
Knead The Dough
Bring the dough gently together. You don't have to knead the dough, as any gluten formation will make the gulab jamuns very stiff.
Shaping The Dough Balls
When shaping the dough into balls, make sure they are small because gulab jamuns will double in size after frying and soaking in syrup.
Cracks in the dough balls can cause them to disintegrate in the oil or syrup. To avoid this, roll the dough between your palms until itโs smooth and round. If needed, apply a little ghee to your palms while shaping.
Fry on Low-Medium Heat
- Consistent Heat: Frying gulab jamuns at the right temperature is key. Low-medium heat ensures the gulab jamuns cook evenly from the inside out. If the oil is too hot, the gulab jamuns will brown quickly on the outside but remain raw inside.
- Test First: Before frying the entire batch, test with one ball. It should rise slowly to the surface and turn golden brown evenly.
- Stir Gently: Keep stirring the oil gently while frying to ensure even color and cooking.
Make the Perfect Sugar Syrup
- Consistency: The syrup should be of a slightly sticky consistency but not too thick. For this, dissolve sugar in water and simmer for a few minutes, just until it forms a light, one-string consistency. Over-thick syrup wonโt soak well into the gulab jamuns.
- Flavoring: Add rose water, cardamom, and a few strands of saffron to the syrup for extra flavor. This fragrant touch elevates the taste of the gulab jamuns.
- Right Temperature: The syrup should be warm, not boiling, when you add the fried gulab jamuns. If itโs too hot, the gulab jamuns might break, and if itโs too cold, they wonโt soak in the syrup properly.
Let Them Soak Properly
- Patience is Key: Once the gulab jamuns are added to the syrup, let them soak for at least 1 to 2 hours to absorb the syrup fully. This will give them their signature soft and syrupy texture.
- Even Soaking: Make sure the syrup covers the gulab jamuns, and stir gently once or twice to ensure even soaking.
Serving Suggestions
Serve gulab jamuns warm for a comforting dessert or chilled for a refreshing treat. Many people prefer gulab jamun warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delicious contrast of temperatures and textures.
Make these Gulab Jamuns at home and top them with a layer of my Kesar Elaichi Shrikhanad in a dessert cup, or mini desset jars for a fun fusion recipe for festivities.
More Indian Mithai Recipes From the Blog
Gulab Jamun
These nutrional values are automatically generated. Use them for estimation only.
Ingredients
For Sugar Syrup
- 1 Cup Water
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 3-4 Green Cardamoms
- 5-6 Saffron Strands
- 1 Teaspoon Rose Syrup
- 1 Teaspoon Lime Juice
For the Dough Balls
- 1 Cup Milk Powder
- 4 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
- ยฝ Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 Tablespoon Ghee Melted
- ยผ Cup Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
- Ghee + oil For Frying
Instructions
Prepare the Sugar Syrup
- In a saucepan, add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. Add 5-6 strands of saffron, and 3-4 green cardamom pods.
- Place the sauce pan on a low heat and keep stirring until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Bring this sugar syrum until it starts to simmer, and then bring it to a boil.
- Note* - You don't have to make a chasni like thick sugar syrup. Sugar syrup of gulab jamuns have to be thin so turn off the stove as soon as it starts to boil.
- Turn off the flame. Now add 1 teaspoon each of rose water and lime juice. Mix it well.
- Cover it and keep it aside.
Make the Dough for the Gulab Jamuns
- Melt the ghee, and set it aside.
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. You will need 1 cup of milk powder, 3 Tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour, and ยฝ teaspoon baking powder. Mix well.
- To the dry ingridients add 2 tablespoons melted ghee. And mix it well with your fingers.
- Also add ยผ cup of Full Fat milk + 2 Tablespoons heavy cream in a bowl. If you don't have heavy cream, use milk instead.
- Add little milk and cream and start mixing the dough and combining it. It should form a soft sticky dough.
- You don't want to knead the dough, as we don't want any gluten formation. All you need to make sure is the dough comes together.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes.
Shape The Dough Balls
- After resting the dough, make small sized dough balls. They should weigh about 15gms each. You should get about 18 Gulab Jamuns using this recipe.
- I like to use 2-3 tablespoons of dough to make these dough balls.
Frying the Gulab Jamuns
- Heat 2" of Ghee+Oil in a wok or kadai on medium-low heat.
- Gently shape the dough into small, smooth balls. Make sure there are no cracks to avoid them breaking apart during frying.
- Once the ghee+ oil is hot enough, fry the dough balls in ghee or oil over low-medium heat, ensuring they cook evenly from the inside out.
- Don't crowd the pan, I fried them in batches of 4 doughballs at at time, as I am using a small pot.
- You want to swirl the ghee/oil around with slotted spoon, while frying continuously as soon as you add the dough balls to the ghee.
- Stirring the oil will cook these gulab jamuns evenly.
- *Tip* Frying at a high temperature can cause the outer layer to brown quickly, while leaving the inside uncooked.
- Once the gulab jamuns are golden brown, add them to the paper towel lined tray/plate.
- Fry all the gulab jamuns similarly.
For Soaking the Gulab Jamuns in Sugar Syrup
- Place the sugar syrup on the stove on low heat, to heat it up. Once the gulab jamuns are rested add them in warm syrup.
- Don't bring it to a boil. When you see the sugar syrup starting to simmer. Turn off the stove.
- Cover and let them sit in the sugar syrup for atleast 45 minutes. It is great if you can let them soak for 1-2 hours in the sugar syrup before serving.
- Serve them warm or cold, however you prefer.
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