There's nothing quite like the sweet, syrupy goodness of homemade gulab jamun. This traditional subcontinental dessert is a favorite for Eid, holidays, and just about any occasion that calls for something sweet. And while you can buy ready made gulab jamun from bakeries or grocery stores, nothing comes close to the delicious goodness of homemade gulab jamun, especially when they are warm.
While it may seem daunting to make this dessert from scratch, it's actually quite easy and requires just a few key ingredients, especially in this "cheat" version which uses milk powder instead of actual milk solids (or "khoya"). I will walk you through the steps to make delicious gulab jamun at home. So, whether you're a seasoned cook or a beginner in the kitchen, get ready to indulge in this decadent dessert!
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WHAT IS GULAB JAMUN?
Gulab jamun is a popular dessert that originated in the Indian subcontinent and is now enjoyed all over the world, especially in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and even Mauritius. The recipe I am sharing today is the one I grew up eating in Pakistan.
Traditionally, gulab jamun is made from khoya, a type of milk solid that is obtained by simmering milk until most of the water content has evaporated. The khoya is then kneaded with a small amount of flour and shaped into small balls, which are fried until golden brown.
After frying, the gulab jamun balls are soaked in a sugar syrup flavored with cardamom and often rose water, which gives the dessert its signature sweet and floral taste. The syrup also gives the gulab jamun a beautiful moist and spongy texture.
WHAT DOES GULAB JAMUN TASTE LIKE?
Gulab jamun is a "mithai" or a proper confection. Unlike popular desserts like cakes or brownies, mithai is meant to be eaten in small portions and is usually very sweet and heavy. My recipe is modified so it is NOT too sweet and heavy, but even then, 2 balls are quite satisfying as a dessert.
While it is hard to describe the flavor of gulab jamun to someone who hasn't tried them before, here's what you can expect from my gulab jamun:
- Balanced sweet flavor with a hint of cardamom (and you can add rose water if you like that flavor)
- Caramel-y notes of toasted milk
- A moist, soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
This recipe is an easier take on gulab jamun without compromising on the taste and texture. Here's what you will need:
- Milk powder - it is important to use a good quality whole milk powder for best results. I have always used Nido and found it to be the best for this recipe!
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Egg - now, I know egg isn't used in many gulab jamun recipes, especially in India. And if you don't consume egg, you can replace it with a similar volume in milk (about 3-4 tbsp). The reason why I use egg in this recipe is it adds structure to the gulab jamun and prevents them from absorbing too much oil when fried
- Heavy cream or fresh cream
- Ghee or clarified butter
- Water
- Sugar
- Cardamom pods
- Oil for frying
Optional add ins include saffron and rose water, which are often added to the syrup of gulab jamun. I omit them as saffron is expensive, and I am not a big fan of rose water.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE GULAB JAMUN
Now, let's quickly talk through the process of making gulab jamun. Here's a quick video walkthrough:
1. Make the dough
You will mix together the wet and dry ingredients separately and then add them to each other to form a dough. Knead it with clean hands for 1-2 minutes. It will feel quite soft and oily, don't worry. Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes, and then knead it again for a few minutes until it feels smooth and soft, and has no lumps in it.
Kneading the dough is important to ensure the smooth soft texture of gulab jamun. If it feels like the dough is dry and not holding together, add a little milk and see if the consistency improves. If it feels like the dough is too wet or sticky, try refrigerating it for longer and the texture should improve.
You need to knead until the dough feels smooth, but don't knead further as that can make the gulab jamun tough!
2. Form balls
Now you will divide the dough into 20g balls - this recipe should make 12 gulab jamun. These are quite small, about the size of a large grape.
This step is quite important to get right: you need to make sure the balls are perfectly rolled and don't have any cracks in them. If the balls have cracks, the gulab jamun will fall apart during frying.
The best way to form the balls is by gently rolling between your palms, applying a little bit of pressure to bind the dough. Then you alternate between just rolling with no pressure and applying a bit of pressure until you get a smooth ball. You can do it with practice!
3. Fry the gulab jamun
Heat ~2 inches of neutral oil in a wok. You want the oil to be medium hot, not hot-hot. To test, drop a small piece of dough into the oil - it should take ~5 seconds to rise to the surface. If it takes longer, the oil isn't hot enough. If it takes less time, it's too hot. Once the oil is at the right temperature, turn the heat to medium low.
Fry the gulab jamun in two to three parts depending on the size of the wok. Carefully drop them into the oil, and then gently roll them around while frying so then brown evenly on all sides. There are 2 ways to do this:
- You can carefully lift your wok and swirl it so the oil inside swirls and makes the ball rotate. This needs practice, though, so don't do it if you are not experienced in the kitchen
- Take a large steel strainer (the mesh thing you use to take out fries from the oil), and use it to move the gulab jamun around gently
Fry for at least 4 minutes until the gulab jamun are a deep golden (almost brown) color.
Tip: Always do 1 gulab jamun as a test first! This will give you an idea of how long it will take for it to cook through and if your oil is at the right temperature.
4. Make the sugar syrup
While you are frying the gulab jamun, start making the syrup in another pot or saucepan. Mix all the ingredients and simmer on medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Then turn off the heat.
5. Soak the gulab jamun
Transfer the fried gulab jamun to the syrup. Swirl the pot to coat the gulab jamun on all sides, then cover and let sit for a minimum of 30 minutes. This is when the gulab jamun will soak in the syrup, become larger in size, and soft and squishy inside!
6. Serve & enjoy!
These are best when still warm!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If you don't consume eggs, you can substitute the egg for ~3-4 tablespoon of milk. Add 3 tablespoon first to see the texture of the dough, and add more if needed.
If your gulab jamun turned out hard and dense, it may be because the dough was overworked or the heat was too high when frying. Be sure to knead the dough gently and fry the gulab jamun on low heat to prevent them from becoming tough. Frying on low heat allows enough time for the baking powder to activate and make the gulab jamun expand in size. It is also possible you fried for too long.
This can happen if the dough is too dry. When you are kneading it, it should be quite soft. If it feels dry, add a tablespoon of milk and see if the texture improves. It is also possible you did not form smooth balls and they had cracks in them, which will in turn cause the gulab jamun to have cracks after frying.
You should store the gulab jamun in an airtight container in the refrigerator and they will keep good for ~5 days. I suggest warming them in the microwave for just 10-15 seconds before serving.
EASY GULAB JAMUN RECIPE
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12
Description
An easy take on delicious homemade gulab jamun! This recipe uses milk powder instead of khoya and makes the softest, better-than-bakery gulab jamun.
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk powder (100g) - I use Nido
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour (~30g)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 egg (or substitute 3-4 tablespoon milk)
- 3 tbsp heavy cream (~40g)
- 2 tbsp melted ghee (30g)
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1-2 cardamom pods
- Optional: saffron and rose water if desired
Instructions
- Mix the milk powder, flour and baking powder in a bowl
- Separately whisk together the melted ghee, egg and cream
- Pour into the dry ingredients and use a spoon to bring together into a dough
- Lightly knead the dough for 1-2 minutes to make sure there are no lumps and refrigerate for 20 min
- Knead the dough again when it’s cooled to make sure it is smooth. Once it is smooth and binds together properly, stop kneading. If it feels too dry, add a tablespoon of milk and knead
- Divide the dough into small balls (jamuns) about 20g each (you should get around 12 total). Apply light pressure between your palms while circling one palm, and lightly roll to form perfect balls. Make sure there aren’t any large cracks on them. Put back in the fridge
- Heat 2" of oil in a wok on medium heat
- Separately, mix sugar, water and cardamom in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sugar dissolves, then turn off the heat and cover
- Once the oil is warm (but not too hot, test with a small piece of dough - it should rise to the surface slowly), gently transfer half of the balls into it
- Swirl your wok so the jamuns start to float and turn, then use a large strainer to gently swirl them as you fry them. Fry for about 4 min until they are evenly brown
- Transfer the gulab jamun to the saucepan with the hot syrup. Swirl them around to make sure they are well coated on all sides. Then cover and rest for at least 30 minutes to allow the gulab jamun to soak the syrup.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If the dough feels too dry, add milk a tablespoon at a time. it should be a soft dough, but not sticky
- If the dough feels sticky while kneading, refrigerate for 10-15 minutes and it should become workable again
- For the frying process, it is best to test one gulab jamun first! This will allow you to see how long you need to fry for the gulab jamun to be cooked through, as well as know if the oil is too hot
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
Zee says
My all time favorite dessert! Excited to try this
Maisah A. says
This is seriously a fool-proof recipe with amazing results! I was so intimidated by making gulab jamun, especially the frying aspect, that I never attempted it. Having a video to follow Zoha along with, as well as this easy recipe she developed were the magic formula. She even gave me suggestions as to what to do with sticky dough (worked out great) and jamun size (I made them too big at first). However, the true test was my desi husband. He LOVED them. They’re so much better than any packet mix or restaurant. Plus you can adjust the sweetness down if you’d like. Recommend having them the second day, as they’ve had a chance to really soak it all in. Mmm! Sooo good!
Zoha says
Hi Maisah - this comment made my day! Thank you so much! I am SO happy to hear this recipe worked well for you - I am personally also quite biased to it as it's my mom's recipe and nothing beats Mama's gulab jamun. 🙂
Bakhtawer says
This review has been a long time coming. I have made these two times and were loved by everyone. Very soft and dare I say, better than the ones I get from my local shops.
The thing I changed the second time around is to increase the amount of sugar syrup. These store really well in the fridge too. And I microwave them for 15 20 seconds to soften them.
In Sha Allah making them for Eid too. Thank you for an amazing recipe Zoha.
Zoha says
Awww, you made my day, Bakhtawer! That's so sweet of you. I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying these and honored to be a part of your Eid spread!
Sana says
These were so wonderful and deceptively easy! They were such a pleasure to eat fresh and warm after the recommended 30 minute soaking period, but I have a preference for cold gulab jamun, so they were even better to me after sitting overnight in the fridge. They were just firm enough and tasted perfect, like I bought them from a shop. Definitely make these asap!! Thanks Zoha for the perfect recipe, I can't wait to make them again.
Zoha says
Hi Sana! Your praise means a lot to me, as I know people are very particular about gulab jamun 🙂 Thank you for trying my recipe and I am so happy it worked out for you!
Zeenat Barlas says
This is so easy and real thanks alot for posting it,I don’t have to buy gulab jamon from bazar anymore ❤️??
Zoha says
Wow, what a massive compliment! Thank you!
Svetllkh says
Novyny
Alishba says
Hello Zoha, I am writing to ask if I could use your recipe in a cookbook my class and I are making. A group of 7th-grade kids from Thaden school are putting together food recipes we cherish. About 50 kids in our grade will present and publish recipes of their own, and we hope to include yours. I chose to make your delicious Gulab Jamun. I will cite your recipe, giving you full credit for your creation. May I use your recipe for our book?
Thank you, - Alishba K. Ali
Zoha says
Hi Alishba! Yes please go ahead and thank you for asking <3
Alishba says
Thank you so much!
Zara says
Hi Zoha, what size egg did you use?
Zoha says
Large!
Aman says
Eid Mubarak!
Made these today for Eid for the first time. They are a hit with my family! Easy, fool-proof recipe. I quadruped the recipe, so glad I did! Sharing with friends now. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Zoha says
Eid Mubarak! This made my day. Thank you so much!
Syeda Farwa Fatima says
I’ve always wanted to make gulab jamun at home but thought it’s too hard and I’d be disappointed if it didn’t come out right. I tried them last night for Eid and I was amazed how easy they were to make and how tasty they turned out with the right level of sweetness. I live in Seattle and it’s hard to find fresh gulab jamun but I know I can just make them at home with your recipe, thank you so much for sharing! Prayers for you and your mom!
Zoha says
AWWW thank you so so much!! Sending you so much love and duas <3
Aman says
Best recipe!
Zoha says
Thank you Aman!!
Nadia says
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. I've tried other recipes, but this is the best one. I have one question, my gulab jamans tasted a bit salty in the middle, why do you think that happened?
Zoha says
Hi Nadia! Thank you so much. It's likely because the syrup did not soak all the way to the middle. Try soaking for longer and make sure your syrup is not thick when you add the gulab jamun to it
Hena says
Hi!
I was wondering if I wanted to use store bought khoya, would the ratios stay the same? 100g khoya in place of 100g milk powder?
Thanks!
Zoha says
No Hena - that would become a different recipe 🙂