Gulgule Recipe | How To Make Gulgula | Sweet Pua

Gulgula or gulgule are deep-fried traditional sweet treats from northern India that are crispy, spongy, tender, and an absolute treat for your tastebuds. If you've always wanted a perfect gulgule recipe and haven’t found it yet, we have your back. All you need to do is gather some wholesome ingredients such as whole wheat flour (atta), jaggery (gur), milk, and get cooking. We know you’ll be devouring a plate of piping hot gulgule in no time at all!

Make a traditional snack with our easy Gulgule Recipe:

Gulgule are traditional Indian sweets and are an intrinsic part of certain festivals such as Karva Chauth and Basauda; they are also prepared for weddings. They are sometimes referred to as ‘meethe pakore’ or sweet fritters. In the state of Punjab, they are called ‘pua’ or ‘pooda’. For Karva Chauth, gulgule are a part of the prasad after the puja. This gulgule recipe with jaggery results in a crisp exterior but with soft, tender crumb inside. Gulgule is the Indian version of doughnuts, or actually, the Indian wholewheat version of beignets.
 

Gulgule are known to have originated in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. There, gulgule are often made by the new bride after marriage when the relatives of the groom come home to get to know her better. A variation of this gulgule recipe is made in the state of Maharashtra and uses a mix of wheat, rice, and jowar flour.
 

Gulgule ingredients at a glance:

Our perfect gulgule recipe calls for wholesome ingredients easily available in most Indian kitchens. To make this recipe, you need whole wheat flour (atta), whole milk, jaggery (gur), fennel seeds (saunf), cardamom seeds, and baking soda. Jaggery (gur) besides bringing its sweet and earthy taste to this goolgoola recipe, is high in iron and improves your overall digestion. Cardamom is a natural anti-oxidant and is also anti-bacterial while fennel seeds help in regulating blood pressure. Besides, the addition of fennel and cardamom give gulgule a unique aromatic flavour.
 

How to make gulgule recipe well:

While making gulgule, follow our step by step gulgule recipe video above and ensure that you prepare the jaggery syrup. Not dissolving the jaggery (gur) will result in a lumpy batter that is a tad too sweet in parts. If you are using jaggery powder, you could skip this step though we suggest you still follow it for best results. In case you do not have jaggery (gur) available, replace it with sugar.
 

Make healthy gulgule: If you do not want to deep fry gulgule for health reasons, you can make them in an appe / kuzhipaniyaram pan. This requires just a bit of oil.

Though ghee has always been the preferred fat to fry gulgule, with time people have switched to frying it in vegetable or seed oils. That is a personal choice, and you can decide which one you prefer. For simple instructions on making our easy gulgule recipe, do watch our instructional video which takes you through the process in detail.
 

Note that it is important to aerate the batter by beating it with a wooden spatula so that you get fluffy gulgule. Do this just before you start frying the gulgule.

Chef’s tips for our gulgule recipe:

Wet your hands before picking up the gulgule batter to drop it into the hot oil in the kadhai.  Wet hands will help the batter not stick and will be easier to manage.
 

While frying the gulgule it is important that the oil is not too hot or your gulgule will darken from the outside and will remain uncooked or semi-cooked inside, and that is definitely not the end result we want. You can test this by dropping a very small quantity of batter into the hot oil – it should turn golden brown in 1 to 1½ minutes. This means the oil is ready and at the right temperature.

Also, do not crowd the kadhai by adding too many gulgule at one time. This will cool the oil down and you will end up with hard gulgule.
 

Serving suggestions for gulgule:

Gulgule can be served hot or at room temperature. They can be eaten on their own (that’s how we like them) or with spicy green chutney. They also pair well with rabri (hmm, we enjoy that too). You can even serve them with coconut chutney. Enjoy them with masala chai or dalgona coffee during evening tea. Kids love it as an after-school snack treat.
 

Variations to the gulgule recipe:

Some recipes call for the use of yogurt instead of water and milk to make the batter. Doing so adds a touch of tanginess to the gulgule. A tablespoon of semolina or suji / rava is sometimes also added to make the gulgule batter easier to handle.
 

Try this quick and easy gulgule recipe with whole wheat flour. Learn how to make the best gulgula at home with step by step pictures and video recipe.

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And see all our Festive Recipes right here!

Or If you have an interest in learning about Indian cuisine, read our guide to Traditional Indian Cooking Techniques.