Gulab Jamun

Name: Gulab Jamun
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 cup full-fat milk powder; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 tsp baking soda; 2 tbsp ghee; 1/4 cup whole milk; 4 cups neutral oil (for frying); 2 cups granulated sugar; 2 cups water; 1/2 tsp ground cardamom; 2 tsp rose water; pinch saffron strands

Soft, melt-in-your-mouth milk-solid dumplings deep-fried to a golden brown and soaked in fragrant rose-cardamom sugar syrup. A beloved Indian festive sweet.

50 minMediumServes 6310 cal/serving

IndianDessertStovetopVegetarianHalal-friendlyNut-FreeEgg-FreeLow-SodiumPork-FreeAlcohol-FreeNightshade-FreeCorn-Free

Ingredients

1 cup full-fat milk powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp ghee
1/4 cup whole milk
4 cups neutral oil (for frying)
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp rose water
pinch saffron strands

Instructions

1

Make the syrup first: combine 2 cups granulated sugar and 2 cups water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then add 1/2 tsp ground cardamom, 2 tsp rose water, and pinch saffron strands. Simmer for 5 minutes. Keep warm on low heat.
2

In a bowl, mix 1 cup full-fat milk powder, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, and 1/4 tsp baking soda together.
3

Rub in 2 tbsp ghee until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
4

Gradually add 1/4 cup whole milk, a little at a time, mixing gently until a soft, smooth dough forms. Do not over-knead. The dough should be slightly sticky.
5

Divide the dough into equal portions and roll into smooth balls with no cracks. You should get about 18-20 balls from the standard batch.
6

Heat 4 cups neutral oil (for frying) in a deep pan over low-medium heat to about 300°F (150°C). The oil must be low in temperature - high heat will brown the outside before cooking the inside.
7

Gently add the balls in batches. Stir constantly and fry for 6-8 minutes, turning continuously, until they turn golden brown all over.
8

Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately add to the warm syrup. Let them soak for at least 20 minutes before serving.
9

Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled, spooned with extra syrup.

Questions

Can I make Gulab Jamun dairy-free?

Yes. The dairy in this entry is 1 cup full-fat milk powder, 2 tbsp ghee, 1/4 cup whole milk. Swap the milk for unsweetened oat or soy milk; the butter for olive oil where it melts, or a plant-based block butter where it is creamed. The richness shifts slightly, but the method does not change.

Can I make Gulab Jamun gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in this entry is 1/4 cup all-purpose flour. Swap the flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend (where it only thickens a sauce, half as much cornstarch also works). Everything else proceeds as written.

How long does Gulab Jamun keep?

Keep it covered in the refrigerator and eat it within three days.

Can I halve or double Gulab Jamun?

Yes. As written it serves 6. Every ingredient in this entry carries precomputed half and double quantities, and the app's batch dial rewrites them inside each step. When doubling on the stovetop, use your widest pan or work in two batches so the food sears instead of steaming.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,504 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.