Gulab Jamun is perhaps one of the most popular sweets across the Indian sub-continent. Loved by one and all, our easy gulab jamun recipe shows you how to make this traditional dessert of fried khoya balls (evaporated milk solids) soaked in an aromatic saffron and cardamom-scented sugar syrup. The best gulab jamun recipe with khoya results in sublime gulab jamuns that melt in the mouth, quite literally. Absolutely no Indian celebration is considered complete without this splendid gulab jamun.
The traditional gulab jamun recipe is prepared using evaporated milk solids known as khoya or mawa kneaded with all-purpose flour to form the dough. Newer gulab jamun recipes, however, use milk powder and / or condensed milk in the preparation of this dessert.
Our gulab jamun recipe is the traditional version and uses khoya, but if you want to experiment with the newer milk powder version, we are sharing an easy gulab jamun recipe with milk powder below as well.
The name gulab jamun is derived from the Persian words 'gol' and 'ab' meaning flower and water respectively; collectively the words mean flower water or rose-scented water. The size of gulab jamun is similar (actually a bit larger) to Jamun fruit or Java Plum and hence the reference in the name.
Some believe that gulab jamun was first prepared as an accident by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's chef. Others believe that this dessert was initially prepared in medieval India and was a derivative of a fritter made by Turkic invaders from Central Asia.
If you are about to try our easy gulab jamun recipe for the first time, you’re in for a supremely pleasurable experience. Gulab jamun is like a soft yet dense and rich doughnut-like ball dripping with fragrant sugar syrup. You will taste a hint of cardamom and saffron as the gulab jamun melts in your mouth.
Gulab jamun is definitely not a health food – it is deep fried evaporated milk solids that are then soaked in a sugar syrup. Diabetics and people who are lactose intolerant should definitely avoid having them. They are unhealthy if eaten in excess. However, our gulab jamun ingredients are fresh and are not processed unlike many off-the-shelf desserts. Indulging in a gulab jamun or two on special occasions is perfectly okay.
Stage 1 or dough making: You just need the following gulab jamun ingredients – khoya, cardamom powder, baking powder, all-purpose flour (maida), ghee, and milk – to make the best gulab jamuns.
Chef’s tip: You can procure khoya from any neighbourhood shop which sells paneer and other dairy products.
Stage 2 or sugar syrup making: To make the fragrant sugar syrup follow our gulab jamun recipe below. You will need sugar, crushed cardamom pods, saffron soaked in warm water, and lime juice.
Stage 3 or deep frying: Once you have your dough ready you will need to shape it into balls and then deep fry them gently till brown. Note that you need to continuously turn the gulab jamun with a spatula or slotted spoon, so they brown evenly. You will also need to adjust the heat as you do not want them browning too quickly – that will result in the dough inside staying uncooked – so regulate the heat to fry them gently over 1½ to 2 minutes for each batch.
Stage 4 or soaking the gulab jamuns: Once fried, the gulab jamuns should be set on kitchen paper towels to absorb excess oil and then placed in the warm sugar syrup to soak. They need to soak for 2 to 3 hours before they are eaten.
While making the gulab jamun dough, keep in mind that the dough needs to be simply brought together into a ball and not kneaded as we don’t want the gluten in the flour to develop. It is also important to fry the gulab jamuns on a low to medium heat or else they will not be cooked from inside. Turn and rotate the gulab jamun continuously while frying to achieve even browning.
There are several reasons for this: Adding too much baking powder is often the main reason. Another reason is not adding enough all-purpose flour (maida). There needs to be a delicate balance between khoya and flour, and our gulab jamun recipe achieves it perfectly. You can increase the flour (maida) to 6 tablespoons in our recipe if you are making this for the first time and want to be safe – though this will result in slightly harder, or rather, firmer gulab jamuns. You should also ensure that the gulab jamun dough balls (before frying) are smooth and do have not cracks or joints in them. If they are not smooth, they will tend to split open and break.
Ensure your syrup is sticky as instructed in the recipe but does not reach the one-string consistency. Here again a delicate balance needs to be maintained: if the sugar syrup is too thin, the gulab jamun have tendency to absorb too much liquid and possibly break. While, if the sugar syrup is too thick, the gulab jamuns will not be able to absorb the syrup and result in hard gulab jamuns. Furthermore, when you are adding the gulab jamuns to the sugar syrup, the syrup should be warm and not hot, or they could break.
A common question is: Is Gulab Jamun served hot or cold?
That is absolutely a personal choice, although we prefer our gulab jamuns served hot or at least warm, with a side of rabri or vanilla ice-cream. You can garnish gulab jamun with slivered almonds or pistachios or a mix of both. Add some rose petals to decorate them for a festive occasion.
A common homemade variation to the traditional gulab jamun recipe uses milk powder instead of khoya. This is often because khoya is not readily available in the summer months.
For our gulab jamun recipe with milk powder, mix 1 cup of milk powder with 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour (maida), ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ghee and 1 tablespoon yogurt. Mix lightly just as the khoya version. Do not knead the gulab jamun dough. If the dough is dry and does not come together, add yogurt in 1 teaspoon additions till the dough comes together. Thereafter, follow the instructions in step 4 and step 5 of the gulab jamun recipe with khoya below.
Get all your ingredient details, cooking method, and general gulab jamun information right here at Yummefy. Learn how to make the best gulab jamun at home with our step by step recipe video above.
Take a look at all our Sweet Recipes right here!
Or If you have an interest in learning about Indian cuisine, read our guide to Traditional Indian Cooking Techniques.