Malpua Recipe | How To Make Easy Malpua At Home

Malpua Recipe: Let’s celebrate Holi with these delicious sweet easy malpuas!

This delectable Indian pancake recipe (malpua recipe) consists of all-purpose flour (maida) and semolina (sooji or rava), soaked in milk, deep fried in clarified butter (desi ghee), and dipped in sugar syrup (chashni or sira) that is delicately flavoured with cardamom.
 

Malpua is an integral part of all auspicious occasions and festivals like Holi, Diwali, and Navratri.

The origin of the malpua recipe is said to be a sweet cake called apūpa from the Vedic period. Barley flour was either fried in ghee or boiled in water, and then dipped in honey. Malpua is claimed to preserve both the name and the essentials of this dish, making it arguably the oldest dessert in the Indian subcontinent.
 

Malpua recipes are popular across northern, western, and eastern India, and regional variations of this beloved and irresistible malpua sweet treat are found in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, and Maharashtra, as well as Bangladesh and Nepal where it is served during festivals along with other sweets.

These regional malpua versions use a variety of ingredients—flour (rice flour, maida, ragi), khoya/mava (milk solids), rava or sooji (semolina – to make sooji malpua), fruits (banana, mango, pineapple), milk, and even coconut.
 

Bengali, Maithili, and Odia malpua is traditionally made only with thickened milk and a little flour (at times rice flour instead of wheat flour). These have a lengthy process of the slow reduction of milk compared with our instant malpua recipe, which are ready much quicker.

In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the pua recipe made for Holi is usually not soaked in sugar syrup. In UP, humble hot pua (with no sugar syrup) is one of the staple Holi dishes and some people even eat it with homemade lal mirchi ka achar (red chili pickle).
 

The Bihari version of the malpua recipe with banana is so soft that the pua almost melts in your mouth – it is considered one of the many delicious Bihari breakfast recipes. Non-vegetarian Maithil homes (in the Mithila region in northern and eastern Bihar) make an easy malpua recipe that is served along with mutton curry during Holi.

In Bengal, malpua with rabri is prepared during the harvest festival of Poush Sankranti.

In Odisha, malpua is served during Raja Sankranti or the Swing Festival. An Odia version of this malpua recipe called amalu is part of the chhapan bhog (56 food offerings) of Lord Jagannath at the famous Jagannath Temple in Puri.

In Nepal, in sight variation to the Indian malpua recipe, malpua (known as marpa) is made with a batter of maida, mashed-up ripe banana, fennel seed, peppercorn, milk, and sugar.

Malpuas are also popular during Eid and the Muslim holy month of Ramzan as part of iftar (evening meal to break the fast).
 

Follow our malpua recipe step by step and learn how to make malpua at home, quickly and easily, adding to the festive cheer of Holi.

For best results, rest the batter for 30 minutes before frying the malpua. Fry the malpua at medium-high heat, adjusting the temperature to make sure the malpua has crispy edges and a soft centre. The sugar syrup should be sticky or have one-string consistency though that’s not necessary. The batter should have an easy pouring consistency, being not too thick nor too runny. Adjust the consistency of the batter depending on whether you want thick or thin malpuas.

While the malpuas are hot, garnish with chopped almonds and slivered pistachios if you like. Add some milk-soaked saffron (kesar) as we have done for a lovely aroma and flavour.
 

For a more earthy taste and unusual flavour dimension, you can try using jaggery instead of sugar in the syrup.

Piping hot malpua paired with cold creamy rabri (sweet thickened milk) is absolutely divine and is a classic combination – malpua with rabri.

For a wonderful Holi feast, serve malpuas along with other Holi dishes like gujiya or karanji, Holi Recipes,  thandai, pakoras, palak ki chaat, papdi chaat, bhel puri, kulle ki chaat, Gulab Jamun, Granola Recipe, Semiya Payasam and samosas.

Or if it’s only sweets that you want, then take a look at all our Dessert Recipes right here!