Easy 3 Ingredient Malai Kulfi

Zoha Malik

by Zoha Malik

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Rated 5.00 out of 5

39 Comments
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This 3 Ingredient Malai Kulfi is my shortcut take on the beloved South Asian ice cream, and it comes together in under 5 minutes with no cooking required. The secret? Bread! Blended into cream and sweetened condensed milk, it helps mimic the rich texture of traditional slow-cooked kulfi without spending an hour at the stove. The result is creamy, perfectly sweet and surprisingly authentic. Add a pinch of cardamom or some crushed nuts, then freeze in molds or a simple 9″x9″ pan, and you’ve got yourself a simple, delicious dessert ready to impress.

A square piece of white Indian sweet, garnished with chopped pistachios and dried rose petals, served on a small silver dessert stand placed on a black and white marble surface.

If you’re hosting for Eid, Diwali or a similar occasion, I also have a few other easy desserts you might love, like this Easy Shahi Tukray that take 15 minutes to make, or this Easy Rus Malai Tiramisu in which you can use bread or ladyfingers!

Close-up of sliced squares of creamy white kulfi, sprinkled with chopped pistachios and small bits of red topping, arranged on a plate.

3 ingredients and why they work

Here are the 3 ingredients used in this malai kulfi, and why they work:

  1. Heavy cream: Cream has a higher concentration of fat than milk, which is exactly what we want for kulfi. Instead of cooking milk until it’s reduced, we just use cream to begin with
  2. Sweetened condensed milk: This is made by cooking down milk and sugar – again, exactly how kulfi is made! So it helps us skip the cooking step and adds the perfect amount of sweetness
  3. Bread: When milk is cooked down, the milk fat in it coagulates, adding a rich, slightly “lumpy” texture that is signature for Kulfi. A little bread blended into the cream and sweetened condensed milk helps replicate this texture. I love using King’s Hawaiian Original Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, but you can use any white bread

In addition, you can add optional mix ins! I love adding cardamom powder, which is also used in Malai Kulfi. You can also add chopped nuts like almonds or pistachios or freeze dried berries.

Two pieces of kulfi, an Indian frozen dessert, are served in a silver dish and garnished with chopped pistachios and dried rose petals. A spoon with a bite of kulfi rests on the edge of the dish.

Blending impacts the texture!

Here’s a fun little secret. How long you blend the mixture will impact the texture of the kulfi:

  • If you blending just enough so the bread incorporates (this is usually just a few seconds), the mixture will still be very liquidy. Freezing at this stage will result in a “harder” kulfi, which, in my opinion, is much more authentic! Anyone who’s eaten kulfi off a stick knows it snaps off and has a bite to it, instead of being really soft like typical ice cream
  • If you blend longer (approximately 30 to 60 seconds, depending on the strength of your blender), the mixture will become thick and fluffy like whipped cream. Freezing at this stage will result in a softer kulfi, with a texture more similar to gelato

Although the first option is more authentic, you can choose whichever one your prefer. Just don’t over blend, as that can cause the cream to split!

Two metal dessert cups each hold a square piece of kulfi topped with crushed pistachios and dried rose petals, placed on a checkered marble surface with scattered toppings.

Freezing Malai Kulfi

There are 2 ways you can freeze the kulfi:

  • Molds. You can divide the mixture between traditional stainless steel kulfi molds or regular ice cream molds to make ice cream sticks. This makes for beautiful presentation, but is slightly more complicated as it requires demolding
  • A 9×9″ cake pan. My preferred method is to line a 9×9″ square pan with cling wrap, and pour the mixture in it. Freeze, then take out of the pan by lifting the cling wrap, cut into slices, and serve! You can even scoop / spoon directly out of the pan. This is much quicker and uses equipment you likely have at home.
Twelve square pieces of kulfi topped with crushed pistachios and bits of freeze-dried raspberries are arranged neatly on a round plate, with some crumbs scattered around.
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A metal dessert dish holds a slice of kulfi, an Indian ice cream, garnished with chopped pistachios and dried rose petals. A spoon with a bite-sized piece rests beside it on the dish.

Easy 3 Ingredient Malai Kulfi Recipe

by Zoha Malik

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 stars from 15 reviews

A super easy, 5 minute Malai Kulfi made by blending together heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk and bread! No cooking required

Yield:9 servings

Prep Time:
5 mins
Chilling Time:
6 hrs
Total Time:
6 hrs, 5 mins

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Add the cream, sweetened condensed milk, bread and cardamom powder (if using) to a blender. Blend for about 20-30 seconds in pulses, or until the bread has just incorporated. The mixture should still be liquidy. If you want a softer, more whipped texture similar to gelato, blend a bit longer in 5 second increments until the mixture becomes fluffy like whipped cream. Do not over blend. If adding any mix ins, fold in now 
  2. Line a 9×9″ square pan with cling wrap. Pour the mixture in, and spread it out. Cover the pan with more cling wrap but don’t let it touch the mixture
  3. Freeze for ~6 hours, or until the kulfi is completely frozen
  4. When ready to serve, carefully pull the kulfi slab out of the pan using the cling wrap. Use a sharp knife to cut into slices, and serve. Garnish with chopped pistachios and crushed freeze dried strawberries if you want to add some color. Enjoy!

Video Tutorial

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Comments

  1. Mk

    This recipe is a win! I used to make kulfi the traditional way which used to take so much time and effort. But this is so quick and taste just as authentic! I’ve already made it multiple times and whoever has tasted it, asked me for the recipe.

    1. Zoha Malik

      That makes me so happy! And I agree, it feels just like traditional kulfi 🙂

  2. Dave

    The picture of Kulfi looks so good. Please
    send the
    recipe. Thanks

    1. Zoha Malik

      Hi Dave! The recipe is already written in this blog post!

  3. Darcie Mager

    Is there anything at all you can use besides the coffee or espresso?

    1. Zoha Malik

      hi Darcie, I am not sure what you’re referring to as this recipe doesn’t have coffee?

  4. Mehreen

    love this! i have always made kulfi with the traditional recepie. i wasn’t even sure if this one would work out but oh boy! this turned out to be so so so good.
    this is now my to go recepie for kufi

    1. Zoha Malik

      WOOOOO so happy to read this!

  5. Samara Khalid

    looks delicious

  6. Nina

    I never leave reviews but your recipes are SOOOO good that I feel guilty if I don’t!! Considering how easy and how YUMMY it is , I wish I could give it 10 stars!!

    1. Zoha Malik

      AWWWW you made my day!!!!

  7. Anusheh

    Heyy, love your recipe. Just wondering if this will freeze alright in kulfi moulds as well?

    1. Zoha Malik

      Yes, it definitely will!

  8. Zuhaa

    Hi Zoha!

    This recipe looks fantastic. I just wanted to ask how well the mixture freezes — can it be prepared in advance and stored in the freezer for a few days, or would that compromise the flavour or texture when serving?

    1. Zoha Malik

      Hi Zuhaa! Should be totally ok, just keep covered with cling wrap or a lid to avoid getting icy / freezer burn!

  9. Mrs. Najeeb

    turned out amazing yet so easy

    1. Zoha Malik

      Yay thank you!

  10. Warda

    When I got the invite to a potluck I was so nervous because I have a toddler and cooking is a no go zone for me specially with him around! But I really wanted to bring somthing fancy and then the video popped up on my feed and immediately I know I had to make this kulfi and trust me guys , they didn’t eat any other dessert except for this! It was such a hittttt thank you zoha ✨🥺

  11. Mahira zeeshan

    Amazing recipes I have tried so many
    But one of the best page👌

    1. Asma @ Bake with Zoha

      Thank you so much Mahira for trying and liking many recipes and especially liking Malai Kulfi. 🙂

  12. Laraib Shahid

    So quick and easy yet so delicious 💕

    1. Asma @ Bake with Zoha

      I totally agree Laraib. It indeed is quick, easy and very tasty. ❤️

  13. Zoha

    My favorite recipe!! So easy to make!!

    1. Zoha

      AWW thank you!!!

  14. Ashwathi

    I tried making Kulfi and it came out amazing. It is shocking how delicious the recipe is for just a few ingredients. 100% recommend trying it.
    thank you for sharing the recipe.

    1. Zoha

      The simplicity is what makes it so special!! The quality of those few ingredients does all the work. So happy you loved it 😍

  15. Aliya

    I’m all for simple recipes. I used ordinary rolls and slices of bread…I doubled the recipe (I took my chances 🫣)
    Turned out to be the talk of our Eid dinner. Don’t overthink it, just try it, was super yummy.

    1. Zoha

      Thank you so much, Aliya!

      1. Kiran

        I made this one night since I had all of the ingredients on hand and it was delicious! The whole family loved it. Will definitely be making it in the future and great easy recipe for hosting

        1. Zoha Malik

          So happy you and the fam liked this kulfi, Kiran <3

  16. Haddy

    Made this for Eid and it was an absolute hit!!!! Thank you so much for sharing this, it was delicious 🙂

    1. Zoha

      So glad you liked this!

      1. Daisy Dee

        Amazing! Thank you very much!

        So you are going to use only 3 pieces of the Hawaiian rolls right ?
        Just curious, what do you do with the other remaining pack ?

        1. Zoha Malik

          We love the rolls in our home and eat them every day! Toasted with butter, plain, or with jam!

  17. Chetna

    made this and super perfect!

  18. Srishti Jain

    I made this for my colleagues at work. It was so delicious and everyone took seconds! Thanks for sharing such an easy recipe

    1. Zoha

      It’s my pleasure!

  19. Rosheen

    Just tried this kulfi recipe for Eid today and it was amazing! 10/10
    It was so quick and easy to make with just a few ingredients.

    1. Zoha

      Yay, made my day!

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