There a very few people who don’t like Gulab Jamun, as for us, we just love them. It is a perfect dessert for any occasion – wedding, birthday party, potluck or a romantic dinner for 2! An unbelievable combination is hot, hot Gulab Jamuns with cold, cold Ice Cream…yum…just thinking about it makes our mouth water. Gotta go now, have Gulab Jamuns to make!
Ingredients:
Instant Dry Milk (Milk Powder) – 1/2 cup
All Purpose Flour – 2 tbsp
Yogurt – 2 tbsp
Clarified Butter – 1 tbsp
Baking Soda – 1/4 tsp
Water – 2 cups
Sugar – 2 cups
Rose Essence – few drops, optional
Cardamom Powder – 1/2 tsp or to taste
Saffron – few strands, optional
Oil – for deep frying
Method:
1. Make the syrup in a pan by adding Water, Sugar, Rose Syrup, Cardamom Powder and Saffron.
2. Put the pot on the flame and bring to boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer.
3. Meanwhile, get the oil for deep-frying ready. Heat up the oil on low-to-medium heat.
4. For the dumpling, in a mixing bowl , add in all dry ingredients i.e Instant Dry Milk , All Purpose Flour, Baking Soda.
5. Mix well and add in the Clarified Butter and after that slowly start mixing in the yogurt. Make into a dough.
6. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Make desired size balls, make sure they are smooth and do not have any creases.
7. Test the oil by dropping a small piece of dough, if it sits at the bottom of the pan for a minute before coming to the surface, the oil is ready.
8. Carefully drop 3-4 dumplings in the oil and keep rotating them for an even color.
9. Once the dumplings are a dark golden brown, take them out into a paper towel.
10. Bring the syrup to another quick boil and drop in the dumplings.
11. Turn off the flame and cover the Gulab Jamuns and let them soak in the syrup for 45 minutes to an hour.
12. Gulab jamuns can be served hot or cold. This recipe makes about 10-15 Gulab Jamuns.
Tips:
1. The one thing we cannot emphasis enough is the temperature of the oil for frying…it is the key to making good gulab jamuns. It has to be on low-to-medium heat.
2. The dough is a little on the crumbly side…so use a little oil on your hands and make the ball and flatten it out and then roll it to a ball…this will help smoothening out the cracks.
Hi ladies,
I absolutely love your website! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I have made gulab jamuns a few times now and have started making big batches for family birthday parties. The last time I made the jamuns a week before the party, they turned out perfect again. Once they had cooled down i stored them covered in the fridge. But after a few days the syrup and jamuns had gritty crystallised bits. They are not visible and the syrup looks normal, but when eating I get slight crunchy bits under my teeth. This has never happened to me before. I have tried making them again using citric acid or lemon juice in the syrup, but I still keep getting these gritty bits. I always follow your instructions. The first few times they were perfect, I have no idea what I’m doing wrong now. Do you have any ideas? I hope you can explain whats happening.
Hi R,
hmmm….the first thing that comes to mind is the cooking time for the syrup. Usually, the longer its cooked, the more crystallization you get. Though the lemon juice should have helped with that, maybe you can cook the syrup less next time. Also, do you heat up the jamuns before serving…it may help break down the bits.
hi anuja and hitel
thank u for the beautiful recipe .i made gulab jaman n i follow the same recipe but my gulab jamun became very soft and when i put them into the oil even they lose their shape so kindly tell me the reason .
Hi Monika,
The only thing I can think of is that you added too much moisture while making the dough. The dough is usually stiff so that it does not lose shape when added to the hot oil.
Hi Hetal
What do you mean by adding moisture. My jamoon also turned out very mushy this time. I left the dough to rest for a while, can that be the reason?
i thought of preparing gulab jamun for my husband on his bday…but my dough is very sticky n iam unable to make da balls…i thnk i have added more milk…wat shud i do..plz give me a soln…
Hi Archana,
You can try to add more milk powder.
hi,
I follow many of u r recipes and they taste awesome. i made gulab jamoon today and taste is too good but when we try cutting with spoon they resemble kinda eraser(ha ha) but tastes good. can u help me y this happened.
thank u.
Hi S,
The trick to gulab jamuns is all in the temperature of the oil while frying. Too hot and you will get dark jamuns with gooey centers…too cold and you may get the rubbery texture :(.
Hey!!
Thank you so much for all your help.. I tried to make gulab jamun, andwhen i took them out after frying them, they became a bit flat at the bottom and became a bit flatter shaped instead of balls… why is that??
help!
Hi! i LOVE this recipe and have made it a couple of time and had fantastic results! i got a question though i have a few family members that are diabetics and i was wondering if making the syrup with Splenda or something work?
thanks! 😀
Hi Anjali,
We have not tried using Splenda but if you do try, you may want to buy the granulated Splenda. It measures out just like regular sugar.
Thank you so much! I actually tried it and it was DELICIOUS! thanks so much 😀
hi u both i made gulab jamun & it was nice colour and test but it was too soft inside and it was getting brake why is that my husband’s really like gulab jamun but he didn’t enjoy he said too soft .let me know please sejal
Hi Sejal,
If the middle is too soft, then the temperature of the oil was too hot. This makes the outside nice and brown in color, but it does not give enough time for the inside to cook all the way through.
can i use baking powder in gulap jamun instead of baking soda?
No matter Hetal, We love your work!!
Grtz from France.
Radha
hi Ladies 🙂
I Have a question, can I make this recipe withe Stevia in stead of sugar?
Thanx a lot
Radha
Sorry Radhi, we have never worked with Stevia (except mixing it in coffee 🙂 ).
No matter Hetal. we Love your work.
Greatz from France.
Radha
Thx, u guys are really generous!!! God bless u
Hey ladies! I just wanted to say how much I appreciate you guys taking the time out to teach all these awesome recipes ( I know for a fact cooking isn’t an easy task and taking the time out from your daily tasks is just so nice of you guys). I just had a tiny problem with my recipe I was wondering if you could answer my question. Unfortunately, at the time I wanted to make gulab jambus I didn’t have all these ingredients. So I kind of went old school LOL! I took 2 cups of carnation powder and 1/2 cup of bisquick pancake mix 2tbsp of melted butter and mixed it all together.I fried them and made the syrup. Now my question is what did I do wrong? Because my gulab jambus came out to be hard then soft but it tasted like gulab jambus ROFL! I was soo mad! Is there any solution to this? Because a lot of my friends make it this way and they said it works like a charm for them.
Hi Kp,
We have not tried your recipe but if your friends have used it before then the difference may be in the frying. The jamuns have to be fried at a lower temperature for longer, otherwise they will brown too fast and the inside will be either mushy or have a pit in it.
Hi
I would love to know how long can we keep this gulab jamun in the fridge if we use yoghurt as i am expecting visitors and was thinking of making this 2-3days early.
Also if i use 2cup water to 1 cup sugar then will it turn out ok as i am doing double the recipe and i dont want syrup to crystalize.
Please reply soon as i would like to make it in 2days time
Hi Swasti,
You can keep the jamuns in the fridge even with the yogurt. Just be sure to reheat them before serving. The sugar syrup is not cooked for a long time so it will not crystallize even if you double the amount. After it starts to boil, put it on simmer while you are frying the jamuns. If you are doing a double batch, then you can even switch off the simmer half way through the frying.
Sorry about the late reply. Your recipe was just OUTSTANDING AND EXTREAMLY EASY.
Evan my 10yr old son found it easy to make this gulab jamun and our family loved it
So thanks once again
How long can you keep cooked gulab jamun in fridge..I have them for 15 days,still edible?
hi
my name is shabnam..i like ur recipes …i love cooking…i like gulam jamul a lot ..i used to bring ready to use mix …sometimes it works sometimes not…but when i tried ur recipe it came out good….
i also started my own blog….so i want to share this recipe to all …so i want ur permission….
thank u…enjoying cooking…
Hi Shabnam,
We’re glad you enjoyed the gulab jamuns. Please feel free to share our recipe on your blog. We just ask that you provide a link to our video as well. Thanks and good luck with your blog.
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
I tried this fantastic recipe of the gulab jamuns today…and they were so appealing, that i ate one as soon as i dipped it in syrup…didn’t even let it absorb the sweetness!
Anyhow, when me n my husband ate it after dinner, they turned out to be a little harder on the outside, but soft inside. I mean they were still quite edible, but still wanted to know as to what can be the reason for the hardness? Is there any other way to improve the softness for the balls?
Hi Ankita,
Were they hard because the syrup had crystallized? If so, you’d have to cook the syrup less. Also, gulab jamuns taste best warm so even microwaving them for a bit before serving will help the softness.
Well yes, I figured out that they turned out to be soft once heated up a little! But the hardness wasn’t due to crystallization of syrup….the syrup was actually perfect, out of so many times that i have made it, this one was the best:)
But thank you for this awesome recipe of one of my favourite desserts. And also, please keep up with the gud job that you are both doing at bringing all us Indians away from out Country, closer to the authentic Indian taste. Thank you so much:)
hi, i tried ur gulab jamuns they were good … only thing is tht they shud b fried in ghee and not oil…plzz try u will see visble changes.. also we can use carnation milk pwd its so much better… all the best
Hi Nidhi,
We are sure frying in ghee makes all the difference in taste. We were going for a more healthy approach and many people feel really bad about having to discard used ghee. 🙂
Hi Hetal ma’am,
I am gonna make gulab jamuns for 5-6 ppl, and i need to make around 20-25 balls…so,shud i double the quantity of main ingredients?
Thnx in advance.
hi anuja/ hetal mams,
u people are really awsome… I love ur way of exaplanation..
i just wanted to know few things mam..
1 cup of sugar is equals to ??? grams of sugar.. and ???? ml of water.
and one more thing, milk powder, sweetened or unsweetened, which one is to be used???
Can i use Eveready milk powder(sweetened)???
Hope ull reply me mams.
Thank you.
Hi Hetel & Anuja, i must confess that i have become a fan of ur website. I was just browsing for a recipe for gulab jamun and thats when i came across ur website. Ur instructions are very clear, easy to follow and the video adds to it. I never knew it is so easy to make this dessert. I tried it out for my husband’s birthday and it really came out well. Thanks a lot guyz.
hiii…gr8 recipe,i tried it but they did not turn out well…will not lose hope,will try it again. jz one question,can i use the same dough to make rasmalai n rasgulla…i have lots n lots of powdered milk which i got from india during my visit..i want to utilise it in making sweet dishes..plz reply soon as i have a dinner party tomorrow n want to make rasmalai. one more thing i have dat nestle’s powdered milk from india…is it fine for the gulab jamuns u made?plz reply soon…thanxx
Hi Sam,
Sorry, the Gulab Jamuns did not come out good – and yes, keep trying…
Rasgullas are made from Paneer and we have not heard of them being made from Milk Powder/Powdered Milk.
We have not used Nestle’s Powdered Milk but have got responses from our viewers who have – it should be ok…
hii anuja…glad to see your reply. thanx. Actually one of my friend makes rasmalai with powdered milk,once i asked her d recipe but she jz told me that gulab jamuns r fried but the balls of rasmalai n rasgulla r not fried but r jz done the way u guys do,like in pressure cooker…but she wz not clear with the ingredients of the dough..ill try to take it out from her:) n will tell u guys too,of course before trying it myself!
ya one more thing today i tried your carrot cake…turned out awesome!but did a lil differently,i used atta instead of maida n it came out delicious n now its healthy too!!
Hi Sam,
Pl. do and let us know as well 🙂
Firstly, I love your website and have enjoyed everything I’ve made so far!
My question on this recipe is, does the milk powder have to be full fat or is it ok to use the skimmed version instead?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Dave,
We use the non-fat version in this recipe 🙂
Awesome, thanks Anuja!
want to try ras malai yummmyyyyyyyyyy
hello Hetal Anuja that was veryyyy nice recipe i tried it that was perfect we all like it alotttt thanx 4m u both……..
Hetal,Anuja,
Fabulous Gulab Jamun recipe. tried it today, everyone loved it.Want to try your khaman recipe .
I browse thru ur recipes everyday. Great presentation.
Hi Vibha,
Awesome! Enjoy the khaman and thanks for the compliment 🙂
This was the recipe which introduced me to ur site..
Great one ..
I make it for all occasions …My family just loves it
Thk u people
You ladies make awesome dishes!! I wanted to ask you how to make khoya?
– Zain
Hi Zain,
We do have that on our list 🙂
Thanks for your feedback!
never tried gulab jamun um english
Hi
I tried the recipe. I used ghee for frying and milk maiva powder from india shop. When i put the dumplings in ghee (for frying) they got flattened and when i put them in syrup they got very soft…
Is it b’cas I used ghee for deep frying or any other reason ..please relpy….
Thanks for all the recipes..i love u guys
I made these tonight and the taste and look (from the outside) was perfect. What was weird though is that the jamun were somehow hollow – and filled with ghee?! It was like the ghee had just become trapped on the inside. The outer part of the jamun was perfect consistency and flavor and everything. Have you ever had this happen or know what might have caused it? They were all like that.
Hi Kym,
hmmm…we’ve never had that happen. Our only guess would be the frying temperature. Maybe it was too low?
ipei thank you for thies reicipe i love it a lot
Hi ladies,
Thank you very much for posting the ever best and perfect way of making the king of mithai. i’ve tried a loads of way to make but i m sure it is the perfect one. so happy to get it. eventhough i used baking powder rather then baking soda, cuz dont have in home…but nehow it turned out quickly awesome. first i doubled the ingredients mentioned then when i saw them i fell still they are less, so i use 3 cup of dry milk, n so multiplied the rest of the things. it makes around 60 medium sized balls…. gr888
enjoyed a lot bcos i m visiting some country these days where we cannot find this gr8 mithai. so its a gulab jamun party we enjoyed yesterday… thank you again.
Thanks for the feedback Syeda!
Hello Hetal,
My pleasure !
Its 180 degrees C. One more thing I wanted to mention as you take out the gulab jamuns , soon pour Sweet HOT sugar syrup on them or other way round.
Thanks Harshala!
Dear Anuja and Hetal,
One tip while making Gulab Jamuns.
I tried baking the gulab jamun’s instead of frying in oil, Only change is make the mix little softer by adding more milk (toothpaste consistancy), make bigger flat balls.
Time was 180 degree for 15-20 min….you can check them for dark brown color. I hope this will help ladies you do not like frying.
Thanks for all your efforts
Harshala
Wow! Thanks Harshala for sharing your tip. Is the oven temperature in F or C?
Hello,
I suddenly decided to make Gulab Jamuns using the instant mix and give a surprise to my mum when she returns back from school after her work.. But my bad luck , i made the Jamuns and the syrup too.. I fried the Jamuns and at once socked it in the syrup.. At that time it was really tasting good.. But after a few minutes the syrup became hard and i was not able to take out the jamuns without breaking them and also the syrup was hard n crispy too.. 🙁 🙁 🙁
So can you please help me and let me know what should i do now to make the Syrup again normal and enjoy my jamuns.. Also tell me what should i do to avoide it happening again..
Thank you very much for taking your time in reading my comment..
Take care
regards
Darren
Hi Darren,
Sorry to say that there is not too much that can be done now :(. For future reference, the syrup becomes crystallized if you over cook it. Try not to cook it for so long.
The Gulab Jamuns came out just perfect! thank you so much for posting these amazing recipes and videos!
Thanks for the feedback Anne!
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I did a ‘practice’ run of this last week. I was amazed – so EASY! Perfect gulab jamuns! Out of the recipe, I got 8 beautiful gulab jamuns. In fact, for the quantity of syrup I managed to comfortably soak 16 (i.e. 2 quantities of dough), although they only lasted all of 1 day, they got wolfed as soon as I got them out of the ‘fridge.
A few days later I made some more because they were originally intended as a treat for my husband who was coming home after a trip abroad. He was lucky he got any at all, they were so good!
Yes they may turn out slightly differently in flavour and texture each time you make them, but that’s what makes them authentic/homemade.
I have now tried the khaman dhokla, rasmalai and gulab jamun recipes so far. I love the way that Hetal and Anuja have helped me overcome my fear of cooking these seemingly-complicated foods. I like being able to visit the relatives that live in areas where they can readily buy these foods and confidently talk about how I cook them at home for myself whenever I want – fresh. Thank you for this website.
Made gulab jamons little over a year ago and really were fab. Ready again for Diwali. The dough needs to be a little on the soft side. I weighed the dough & made equal weight balls.
Hi Hetal and Ahuja,
I simply love the idea of using yoghurt…
You’ve used a bit soggy/watery yoghurt with its small amount of whey to make this gulab jamun… What’s the purpose of using watery yoghurt? To make it fudgy – “fondant”? Is it advisable to use soggy yoghurt along with whey? I think it’s likely to decay quickly… which means that this kind of gulab jamun is quite perishable… What is the shelf life of this gulab jamun? Hope it can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days or at least for a week? I want to know the shelf life of this gulab jamun using yoghurt? Please do help. Thanks.
I made Gulab Jamuns with the MTR mix.
two disastres happened
1) Inside Gulab jamuns it was still un cooked.
2)My syrup was not sticky. It was watery. All gulab Jamuns put inside disintegrated.
Please do help
Hi Bhargavi,
You have to fry the gulab jamuns at a lower temperature so that the outside does not get burned before the inside has time to cook. If the syrup was not sticky, you can cook it for a few minutes more.
Hi…
Instead of using all purpose white flour…can I use whole wheat flour (finely grounded)?? And, for the syrup…can I use only 1 cup of brown sugar with 2 cups of water??? Please advise…Divali is coming soon…
In what way should I do to preserve it? In refrigerator?? For how many days??? What is the life time of this recipe? Please tell me…
hi hetal and anuja,
i made gulab jamuns but i used milk instead of yogurt for making the dough.. but my gulab jamuns turned to be hard and did not soak the syrup. i wanted to ask that if i use yogurt my gulab jamuns wont taste or smell like yogurt?? why they turn hard??
Hi Hira,
This recipe has baking soda in it so it is a MUST to use the yogurt to activate it. No, the gulab jamun will not have a yogurt taste.
Hi Hetal and Ahuja,
This website is a great help for me, you know something i just got married and trying out lot of new recipes from this website.. you guys just rock… while cooking you give lot of tips i really appreciate that.. keep continuing ..:-) to tell you the truth i have just become a fan … of this website..oh my god.. that aviyal was … so nice.. i just cant forget saying that.. thank you so much..
Hi Anu,
Thanks so much for the feedback! Glad you are enjoying SMTC!
hi,can i use yeast instesd of baking soda for making cake?is it good option?what is difference between baking soda & powder?
Hi Shilpa,
We have not tried making jamuns with yeast. You can see our Tip Tuesday video about the difference between baking soda and powder:
https://34.233.61.50/tips/baking-soda-vs-baking-powder-tuesday-tip.html
Hi Hetal & Anuja
I tried making jamuns…i followed all ur instruction and the jamuns came out well..but i am facing a different pblm in my jamuns inner part is soft and got soaked well…but outerlayer is littlebit hard.. i donno why? can u help me in fixing this…
charu
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
i just love your recipes and your videos too. I tried making the gulab jamun today and it came out pretty ok except that the consistency of the gulab jamuns was more like rasgullas…rubbery..rather than soft inside. I used the Nestle dairy whitener for this recipe. Pls let me know what could possibly have gone wrong…
thanks-Dew
Hi Dew,
We are not familiar with Nestle dairy whitener. What we use is Non-fat Dry Milk…that may be the reason for the rubbery gj’s.