Fail-proof Gulab Jamun With Step by Step Photos

Gulab Jamun is India’s most beloved dessert. Popular at many Indian restaurants this soft, melt-in-your-mouth sweet can easily be made out of the comfort of your own home.  

If I actually have one regret in the case of Gulab Jamun, it’s that I waited way too long before attempting to make them at home.

Now that I actually have perfected the recipe, I hope to forestall you from making this same mistake and equip with the whole lot it is advisable to make essentially the most delightful gulab jamuns. 

Gulab Jamun recipe – a temporary history

Also known as ,  gulab jamun is a round-shaped, milk-based sweet with a young, melt-in-the-mouth texture.

This traditional Indian dessert is fried till it turns golden brown before being soaked in sugar syrup to soak up all of the sweetness. 

For many who care about slightly history – The word “gulab” means Rose, referring to the , and “Jamun” or “jaman” is the Hindi word for an Indian fruit with an identical size and shape.

Learn how to make gulab jamun

Ingredient notes

Indian buffets worldwide could be incomplete without Gulab Jamun – a dessert made traditionally from khoya.

Khoya is ready by heating milk over a low flame until many of the water content is evaporated. This process takes slightly over 2 hours.

That’s why I exploit milk powder as a substitute of khoya so you could make this recipe in 1/4th the time. Other ingredients on this recipe include flour, ghee, yogurt, and baking soda. 

In actual fact, most store-bought gulab jamun mix like Gits use milk powder as their key ingredient. With this recipe, you may make your personal gulab jamun powder at home :-).

Step by Step Instructions

Making homemade gulab jamun involves three steps, making the sugar syrup, making the dough balls, frying the dough, and soaking them in sugar syrup.

Make the sugar syrup

Note: Start making the dough because the sugar syrup is being cooked. Check the sugar syrup on the 10-minute mark for one string consistency.

1. Heat a deep medium-sized saucepan on a gas stove. Add sugar, water, rose essence (if using), and cardamom powder (if using) to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil.
2. After it boils, reduce the warmth to medium-low and proceed to cook until one string consistency is achieved. To test one-string consistency, place a droplet of sugar syrup in your thumb and press your index finger on it after which pull them apart – a string of sugar syrup should connect the 2.
3. Once one-string consistency is achieved, reduce heat to a simmer.

Make the balls from the dough

1. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl mix milk powder, all-purpose flour, ghee, yogurt, and baking soda to make a soft dough.
2. Knead the dough till it’s non-sticky and soft to the touch. The dough must be freed from cracks, or it should disintegrate within the syrup mixture. Add slightly ghee or clarified butter to the dough as needed to maintain the dough soft. If the dough is sticky, add just a few teaspoons of flour and knead again.
3. Next, divide the dough into the specified size while ensuring they don’t have cracks or creases.

Deep fry the balls

1. In a deep dish pan, pour enough oil to completely immerse the gulab jamuns for deep frying. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Once the oil is thoroughly heated, reduce the warmth to medium-low and If it slowly rises to the surface, the oil is prepared for frying. If the gulab jamun rises too fast, the oil is simply too hot. Reduce the warmth before you proceed. 
3. Once the oil reaches the correct temperature, add 5-6 gulab jamuns to the oil. 
4. Stir them repeatedly with a slotted spoon until they achieve a consistent golden brown color.
5. Drain the oil as you remove the gulab jamuns. Transfer to the sugar syrup which needs to be still hot. Cook the remaining batch and add them to the sugar syrup as well. Take the sugar syrup off heat.
6. Cover and permit the fried dough balls to soak up the syrup for roughly 1.5 to 2 hours or until they double in size and absorb the sugar syrup.
7. Serve warm and refrigerate the leftovers.

Suggestions for perfect gulab jamun

Even when you are using a Gits mix to make these gulab jamuns, the following pointers will apply. The three things that it is advisable to maintain to get the ‘Gulab Jamuns are:

1. Dough softness – To get soft Gulab Jamuns, the dough must be really soft. Using slightly ghee or clarified butter (as needed) through the kneading process, helps achieve that. Also, whenever you make the balls make certain there are not any cracks, or else they are going to disintegrate whenever you add them to the sugar syrup.
2. One string consistency – The sugar syrup needs patience and time. Don’t rush it. It should take about quarter-hour. You should use that point to organize the dough while maintaining a tally of the syrup to make certain it doesn’t thicken. Start checking across the 10-minute mark for one-string consistency.
3. Oil temperature –  The oil must be kept at medium-low. If the oil is simply too hot, then the outer layer will cook faster forsaking an uncooked center. Whenever you drop the balls within the oil, it should slowly rise to the surface. If it rises quickly, meaning the oil is simply too hot and if it doesn’t rise in any respect and stays at the underside, it is advisable to increase the warmth.
4. Milk Powder – The milk powder should be tremendous to get a smooth texture. For those living within the US, do NOT get the shop brand. Buy Bob’s Red Mill Milk Powder. They’re far superior in taste and have the tremendous texture that’s required for this recipe. In case you don’t live within the US, I believe the Nestle Brand of milk powder should work in addition to it’s a tremendous powder.

Steadily asked questions

Got leftover gulab jamun? Make these recipes

1. Gulab jamun shrikhand jars – layers of cookie crumbs, thick & creamy shrikhand and topped with gulab jamun!
2. No-bake gulab jamun cheesecake – An Indian inspired fusion cheesecake flavored with flavors like rose, cardamom, saffron and topped with assorted Indian sweets (mithai).

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Gulab Jamun

India’s most beloved dessert and a favourite at Indian buffets! Here’s a straightforward and fail-proof recipe to make these melt-in-the-mouth Gulab Jamun at home.

Prep Time : 10 mins

Cook Time : 45 mins

Servings : 15 -16 Gulab Jamuns

For the sugar syrup

• 2 cups water
• 2.5 cups sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder optional
• ½ teaspoon rose water / essence optional

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Make balls from the dough

I actually have included the dietary info for Gulab Jamun from Nutritionix for instance and I can’t vouch for its accuracy since I’m not a nutritionist or dietician. For a house cook, it’s difficult to calculate the dietary info for deep-fried foods. Even when you are using a Gits mix to make these gulab jamuns, the following pointers will apply. The three things that it is advisable to maintain to get the ‘Gulab Jamuns are:

1. Dough softness – To get soft gulab jamuns, the dough must be really soft. Using slightly ghee or clarified butter (as needed) through the kneading process, helps achieve that. Also, whenever you make the balls make certain there are not any cracks, or else they are going to disintegrate whenever you add them to the sugar syrup.
2. One string consistency – The sugar syrup needs patience and time. Don’t rush it. It should take about quarter-hour. You should use that point to organize the dough while maintaining a tally of the syrup to make certain it doesn’t thicken. Start checking across the 10-minute mark for one-string consistency.
3. Oil temperature –  The oil must be kept at medium-low. If the oil is simply too hot, then the outer layer will cook faster forsaking an uncooked center. Whenever you drop the balls within the oil, it should slowly rise to the surface. If it rises quickly, meaning the oil is simply too hot and if it doesn’t rise in any respect and stays at the underside, it is advisable to increase the warmth.
4. Milk Powder – The milk powder should be tremendous to get a smooth texture. For those living within the US, do NOT get the shop brand. Buy Bob’s Red Mill Milk Powder. They’re far superior in taste and have the tremendous texture that’s required for this recipe. In case you don’t live within the US, I believe the Nestle Brand of milk powder should work in addition to it’s a tremendous powder.

Read the post for helpful information on ingredient swaps, storage suggestions, meal prep ideas and variations!

Disclaimer: Approximate dietary information is provided as a courtesy and might vary depending on the precise ingredients/brands used. If you have got health issues, please work with a registered dietician or nutritionist.

Serving: 1gulab jamunCalories: 149kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 1.9gFat: 7.3gSaturated Fat: 1.5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 5.5mgSodium: 44mgPotassium: 88mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 18gCalcium: 70mgIron: 0.2mg

Keyword : milk-powder, soft, spongy

This recipe was first published on November 8, 2015, and has been updated with updated text and directions on December 01, 2020.