This is an easy recipe that uses milk powder to make fluffy gulab jamun which is soaked in a not-too-sweet cardamom, saffron, and rose syrup.
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What are gulab jamuns?
Gulab jamun is a delicious, spongy, milk-based donut that is fried and dunked into a cardamom, saffron, and rose syrup. My amma (mom) would turn our home into a gulab jamun-making factory during Diwali time so that we could hand out these sweet treats to all of our neighbors.
I made over 200 gulab jamuns trying out different variables and ingredients, including using khoya vs. paneer, changing the ratio of flour and milk powder, and using baking soda vs. baking powder to give you insights on what works and what doesn't. You can read all about my trials and errors with ingredients and techniques in this blog post packed with tips and tricks to help beginners make the best gulab jamuns.
Why whole milk powder is the key to easy gulab jamuns
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- Milk powder delivers the taste of milk without the prep time of khoya/mawa. Traditionally, gulab jamuns were made by condensing milk into a thick and sweet substance called khoya or mawa. However, this process takes many hours of patiently stirring and ensuring that the milk doesn't burn.
- Milk powder helps standardize the recipe. Loads of recipes use khoya or paneer to achieve the milky flavor in the gulab jamuns. However, the quality and water content in different brands of khoya and paneer differ widely, which can dramatically alter how much flour is needed to create a stiff dough. Using milk powder helps standardize the amount of liquid needed and yields in a consistent recipe for beginners to follow.
- Milk powder tends to be more accessible than khoya in the United States.
- Whole milk powder is better for tenderness and fluffiness than low-fat milk powder. It has tons of milk solids which is key to making really rich tasting gulab jamuns. If you are in a pinch and only have low-fat milk powder, use ~1 tablespoon of melted ghee. In addition, you may need to add heavy cream in additions of 1 teaspoon as low-fat milk powder tends to require more liquid to form a supple dough.
Making a not-too-sweet gulab jamun
My biggest issue with gulab jamuns is that they can be too sweet. Typically folks use a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water; however, as the syrup thickens it gets even sweeter. This recipe uses a 4:5 ratio of sugar to water, which means that for 1 cup of sugar there are 1.25 cups of water, which yields a less sweet syrup. If you are looking for ideas on how to use your leftover gulab jamun syrup, you can check out this blog post that dives deep on how to use the leftover gulab jamun syrup.
Ideas to serve gulab jamun
Gulab jamuns are so delicious served warm with either vanilla ice cream or pista ice cream. The combo of warm and cold is a match made in heaven. Alternatively, adding a crunchy element such as crushed nuts or chikkis (Indian jaggery peanut brittle) contrasts nicely with the soft jamun.
Storing gulab jamuns
Store gulab jamuns in the syrup in a wide tupperware with a lid. Do not over-crowd or stack gulab jamuns on top of each other as they can break. You can store gulab jamuns in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Important tips for making gulab jamuns
Here are some high level tips for making gulab jamuns. However, check out this detailed blog post if you want in-depth tips and solutions for common mistakes when making gulab jamuns.
- Fry gulab jamuns at 325 Fahrenheit for 3-4 minutes. Frying low and slow is key to fluffy, fully cooked jamuns that can absorb syrup.
- Use pressure and ghee create smooth balls. Greasing your hands with ghee helps create a smooth exterior on the gulab jamun balls.
- Soak the jamun in syrup right after frying. Soaking the jamun while it's still warm will ensure that it is soft and spongy.
- Serve gulab jamuns at room temperature or slightly warmed for the softest texture. When heating gulab jamuns in the microwave, heat in small, 10 second intervals as the jamuns can burst if they get too hot.
Gulab jamun variations
This is my original gulab jamun recipe that serves as the base for these gulab jamun variations. The stuffed gulab jamun recipe is great for adding an extra surprise in the center of the gulab jamun and the dry gulab jamun is a perfect variation to pass out during the Diwali season. I hope these give you inspiration for how you can riff and create gulab jamun variations of your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store gulab jamuns in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Gulab jamuns are so delicious served warm with either vanilla ice cream or pista ice cream.
The easiest way to warm gulab jamuns is in the microwave in short intervals of 10 seconds. Heating the gulab jamun too much can cause it to break apart.
Kala jamun is jamun that is a deeper brown and almost black in color whereas gulab jamun is a lighter shade of brown. You can use this recipe to make kala jamun but simply turn the heat up when you reach the 3 minute mark to get a darker color on the exterior.
Yes! Use whole milk powder for a tender gulab jamun with a more pronounced milk flavor. If you are in a pinch, you can use low-fat but compensate by adding 1 tablespoon of ghee. You may have to add additional heavy cream in 1 teaspoon increments until the dough is supple as low-fat milk powder tends to need more liquid.
There are many reasons ranging from using too much leavener (baking powder/baking soda) to the consistency of the dough. Check out this blog post that goes into detail about why your gulab jamun may have broken in the oil and how to fix it.
There are many reasons ranging from using too much leavener (baking powder/baking soda) to the consistency of the dough. Check out this blog post that goes into detail about why your gulab jamun may have broken in the syrup and how to fix it.
There are many reasons ranging from using too much flour to not frying the jamuns properly. Check out this blog post that goes into detail about why your gulab jamun may be hard and how to fix it.
You can buy milk powder at most grocery stores or online.
You can use gulab jamun syrup as syrup for pancakes or cocktails. This blog post gives many ideas about what to do with extra gulab jamun syrup.
Gulab Jamun with Milk Powder
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 15 gulab jamuns 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This is an easy recipe that uses milk powder to make fluffy gulab jamun which is soaked in a not-too-sweet cardamom, saffron, and rose syrup.
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- ½ cup (50 grams) whole milk powder (Refer to Note 1 about sourcing milk powder)
- ⅓ cup (50 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup (75 grams) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon ghee or butter, melted, plus more to grease your hands
Syrup Ingredients
- 2 cups (480g) sugar
- 2.5 cups (535g) water
- 3-5 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 10-15 saffron strands
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- (Optional) ½ teaspoon rose water
Frying Ingredients
- Vegetable oil - enough to fill pot 3 inches deep (for frying)
- (Optional) ~¼ cup ghee (this helps add flavor to the oil)
Instructions
Note before starting: If you have a scale, this recipe benefits from measuring out everything in grams! Different types of milk powder can have different volume measurements (note 1 explains more).
- In a large bowl, add milk powder, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until all the dry ingredients are combined.
- Add in ghee and rub it into the dry mixture to form a slightly coarse texture. This step to ensures that the dry mixture is coated in fat and will result in a tender jamun.
- Add in heavy cream to the dry mixture and knead for 1-2 minutes to form a supple dough that has no dry spots and feels similar to play dough. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. If the dough feels sticky or tacky, then add 1 teaspoon of flour until it is no longer sticky. If the dough feels hard or tough, then add 1 teaspoon of heavy cream until it feels soft like play dough.
- Get a deep and wide pot to prepare the gulab jamun syrup. Add sugar, water, cardamom pods, and saffron strands and place on the stove on medium heat. Allow the syrup to come to a boil and stir to ensure that all of the sugar dissolves. Turn the heat off, add rose water and lemon juice, and mix. Keep the syrup on the stove as the gulab jamuns will be dunked into this syrup once fried.
- Uncover the gulab jamun dough that has been resting and divide into ~15 pieces that are approximately 10 grams each.
- Grease the palms of your hands with a bit of ghee. Take one piece of dough to work with while covering the others with the damp cloth. Using a little bit of pressure, roll the dough ball in between the center of your palms until a smooth, non-sticky, round ball is formed with no cracks. Set aside the ball under the damp cloth and repeat this process with the remaining dough, remembering to grease your hands as needed.
- Take a deep, heavy-bottomed pot for frying. Add ghee and enough oil to fill the pot ~3 inches deep. Heat the oil to 325° Fahrenheit. The oil can range between 325 and 350° Fahrenheit when frying.
- While you wait for the oil to warm up, check the temperature of the gulab jamun syrup. It should be warm, about 100 to 130° Fahrenheit. If not, turn the stove on low to warm the syrup up before turning off the heat.
- Once oil is hot enough, gently lower in gulab jamuns in batches into the oil with a metal slotted spoon.
- Constantly and gently rotate the gulab jamuns by creating small waves in the oil to ensure every side is cooked evenly without disturbing the balls . The gulab jamuns should take 3-4 minutes to completely cook and turn golden brown. Make sure the oil is not too hot as this will result in the outside browning before the inside is fully cooked and fluffy.
- Remove the gulab jamun with the slotted spoon and add them into the warm gulab jamun syrup. Using a different utensil, gently spoon some of the syrup to the top of the jamun to ensure the entire ball comes in contact with the syrup. Allow the gulab jamun to soak in the syrup for at least 20 minutes before eating to ensure the gulab jamuns can fully soak all the syrup.
- Gulab jamuns can be stored in the fridge with the syrup for up to two weeks. They taste best when served warm or room temperature either by reheating them in the microwave or warming them on the stove. You can optionally serve pistachio ice cream with the gulab jamuns for the perfect warm and cold dessert combo.
Notes
- (Note 1) Use whole milk powder and NOT low-fat milk powder for a tender and tasty jamun. If you only have low-fat milk powder then add an additional tablespoon of ghee to the dough. In addition, low-fat milk powder absorbs more liquid, so you may have to add heavy cream in increments of 1 teaspoon until the dough is tender and supple. Some Indian milk powder brands are much more coarse than American brands so always use gram measurements. Indian milk powder is much coarser and 50g measures out to be closer to ¾ cup whereas 50g of American milk powder measures out to be ½ cup. Since American milk powder is more fine with a larger surface area, it absorbs more liquid and thus requires more heavy cream.
- If you are looking for detailed tips and tricks or are looking for solutions to common gulab jamun mistakes, then check out this blog post.
- If you have extra gulab jamun syrup, don’t throw it out! Filter it if needed and use it in cocktails or mocktails and as a syrup for pancakes/waffles. You can check out this blog post for more ideas on how to use the syrup.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
Keywords: Gulab Jamun with Milk Powder
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