Ras Malai, cotton soft cheese in a creamy milk sauce, is a delectable Indian dessert. Find out how easy it is to make and impress your family and friends. Ras Malai is a delicious and perfect end to any Indian meal. Make it for your next party or holiday celebration!
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: approx 1 hour (in various stages)
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
Whole Milk – 8 cups (divided)
Lemon Juice – 2 Tbsp
Water – 5 cups (in a pressure cooker)
Sugar – 1 cup
Saffron – pinch
Cardamom Powder – 1/4 tsp
Pistachios & Almonds – 2 Tbsp, roughly chopped
Sugar for the Ras – to taste
Method:
1. Boil 4 cups milk in a steel pan and boil the remaining 4 cups milk in a non-stick pan (The milk in the non-stick pan needs to be reduced to half the quantity so once it comes to a boil, keep the flame low and keep cooking while stirring occasionally. Grind saffron with a small amount of sugar and add it to the milk while boiling).
2. Once the milk in the steel pan comes to a rolling boil, slowly add lemon juice.
3. When the milk curdles (paneer), switch off the stove and strain the paneer in a cheese cloth.
4. Pour a little cold water over the paneer and hang the cheese cloth on the tap for approx 30 minutes to remove all of the liquid.
5. Remove the paneer from the cheese cloth and run it through a food processor to smooth it out. You can knead the paneer by hand but it will take a long time to make it smooth.
6. Divide the paneer into 12 equal portions a little smaller than the size of a ping pong ball.
7. Roll the portions in your hands until a smooth ball is formed. Lightly press the ball until it flattens out.
8. In the pressure cooker with water, dissolve 1 cup sugar and add the flattened paneer.
9. Close pressure cooker lid and cook until one whistle sounds. Immediately switch off the stove and set the timer for exactly 5 minutes.
10. After 5 minutes, carefully take the pressure cooker to the sink and pour cold water over the lid to remove the pressure.
11. Remove the cooked paneer with a slotted spoon into a bowl and allow it to cool.
12. Meanwhile, the milk in the non-stick pan should have reduced to half. Add sugar to taste, cardamom powder and nuts. Switch off the stove and keep milk aside.
13. Once the paneer is cool enough to handle with your hands, gently squeeze out the sugar syrup from the paneer and place the paneer into a serving dish.
14. Pour the prepared reduced milk over the paneer and chill in the refrigerator.
15. Garnish with additional chopped nuts.
Hi Sarita,
Wondering if the ras malai was soft or not. Usually, if it doesn’t increase in size, it is a little hard. We’ve had instances when the flattened balls did not increase as much as times before, but if they are soft, they still taste great. We’re thinking it may be the type of milk that causes the variances.
Hi Anuja and Hetal
I made Rasmali for the first time using your recipe and it tasted great my whole family loved it!! Thanks
The only question i had was when i put the rasmali in the presure cooker they did not really increase in size much, do you have any advice?
PS: Really like your easy to follow cooking methods- I now enjoy cooking! 🙂
Hi Judy,
We say “1 cup Sugar” but sugar is like salt — very hard to judge how much you need from person to person. Some people like their desserts very sweet, and others not so sweet. We would suggest you add a little at a time and just taste it according to your taste.
The sauce should be a little lumpy. It is the cream that is formed when the milk is reduced.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I have never made or eaten this before, but I have heard it is good. My question is, how much sugar would you normally add to the sauce on top. I couldn’t tell in the video and as I have never tasted it, I don’t know how sweet it should be. Also, is it normal to have the lumpy look to the sauce? I would like to try to make this for a friend of mine. Thanks so much
Judy
hi hetal!
First of all, many congrats on this wonderful website.I totally appreciate ur style of keeping in touch with ur audience/readers/watever. 🙂 Im referring to the replies u guys post to questions.thats truly remarkable.Starting a website, posting videos regulary are big tasks in itself.Dedicating urself to it n responding to teh queries promptly..Wow…What shall i say? i wish i cud stay commited in such a fashion! I mean, these words of appreciation are not bcoz u responded to my Q…i hv alwys bn telling my husbamd about this site..i like the detailed description in each of ur recipe…i take a print of it whenever i start cooking…its so useful…
nywys…the point is..u guys rock..keep up the good work ppl…..
tchao..
priya
appreciated…same thing i wuld like to say u to guys…the way u gv a complete detailed recipe, is vry much appreciatable..
Hi Roopa,
Blenders (mixi) and food processors work very differently. Blenders tend to “blend” at the very bottom and the things at the top only reach the bottom if there is enough liquid. Food processors, on the other hand, move the the entire contents all around — evenly blending everything. They are especially great for grinding and blending dry ingredients.
Most probably, the reason for the pasty texture of the paneer is because of the mixi. You can try kneading the paneer like dough next time (by hand). It may take a little longer.
Hi Priya,
All pressure cookers are different so you would really need to experiment with your’s to get it exactly right. You can try to put just one or two paneer balls in the cooker and try it out. You can of course re-use the sugar water again for the rest of the paneer. A good guideline is probably about 1 minute to 1 whistle and then switch it off.
hi anuja n hetal,
i tried this recipe..i just have a small Q regarding coking the paneer. i have this amerixcan pressure cooker which doesnt giv oout a whistle….so..was wondering how long i shud cook with this pressure cookr?
tchao
priya
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
What can i say.. You guys ROCK… I try all your dishes and they turn out great always…
I did try the rasmalai it tasted excellent…But I have a few questions on the consistancy..
My panner was a little paste like..
I am not sure what I did wrong. I followed you receipe as is but changes 1 thing – I used a MIXI not a food processor. Is this the amy panner was a little sticky or dint I presses out the water.
I am nto sure.
Can you help me?
Hi Robina,
Interesting question…have never tried it that way but can’t imagine it not working. I’m very curious though so if you try it, please post your comments back here.
Thanks!
Hi,
I was so surprised that Rasmalai is so easy to make. I am definitely going to try it today. I just wanted to know if we can cook the paneer dough balls in milk with added sugar, instead of water.
<<>>
hate it>>>
Hi,
I have tried your receipe. I unable to make the balls spongy. Can u tell me why?
Hello:
I did not have a pressure cooker so I just put the rasgullas in the boiling water-sugar mixture for 10 minutes. Seemed to work fine that way – turned out great!
Hello Anuja and Hetal! I was wondering, how do you cook the milk balls without a pressure cooker as I do not have one at home.
Thank you!
heyy hetal and anuja,
its a wonderful recipe.i made it when i had party at home.and that was my day bcaz ras malai came out so well.i was the star of the day ! all credit goes to u gals.thanx a lot !
i tried this recipe n for the first time itself i am success. i tried using 2 cups milk. i made 6 medium size n 1 small size. so totally i made 7 rasgullas. i used 2%milk. n i dont have saffron at home. i added cardamom for flavour n pistachios n almonds
it has turned out well. n the taste is also the same which v get frm sweet shop.
really awsome!!!!!!!!
thanks for the wonderful recipe
Just a note to let you know how fantastic your site is. I would never have DARED to make Indian food before. My mother is a genius and very well known for her cooking. This, of course, makes it a very difficult act for a daughter to follow!
After using some of your recipes for guests I was told that good cooking is in my genes…little do they know it’s actually in my computer! My mother was completely impressed and said that the dishes were better than most restaurants.
My husband said my (your!) butter chicken beats my mom’s. None of us dare tell her that though. Seriously, thank you so much and keep up the good work! You girls are fabulous!
Pl remove foll paragraph from my previous posting.It was by mistake
I felt very sorry as I was mislead by so many recipes available on net, not giving good results.This happened with Rasgullas only!!!U also tried a lot to get consistent results not with relable success.
Thanks for guiding me through out honestly and frankly
Hi Anuja ji!
Today I M very happy,as my friends and relatives could enjoy Rasgullas made by me.
After a lot of trials, I got the success in Rasgulla making.I could make soft spongy rasgullas 4 times continuously yest.I started from sat, spoilt few batches, thought over and over again and started preparing 2 rasgullas at a time from half a cup of milk to minimise wasting.
I combined rational things of diff formulas and prepared what I thought was scientific, rational and correct, in cooker as well as in open vessel.
Ur Recipe was a perfect one for cooker.U only advised to switch the gas off after 1 whistle.All others advised to keep the gas at low for 5 min, which spoilt my many Rasgullas.Ur advice to use only whole milk also worked wonders.It should be 3-4%. not less nor more than that.Pl try to be exact next time as whole milk is diff in diff countries.
Pl send me ur mail id to khatwani123@hotmail.com
I M eager to send U Snaps of Rasgullas.I have devoted these to both of U.U will be remembered whenever I will make the Rasgullas.
Thanks for 100% guaranteed Recipe.
Regards
Dr Rajesh Khatwani
I felt very sorry as I was mislead by so many recipes available on net, not giving good results.This happened with Rasgullas only!!!U also tried a lot to get consistent results not with relable success.
Thanks for guiding me through out honestly and frankly
Thanjs Hetal and anuja!
I tried this at home and it came out awesome. I used bottled lemon juice (real lemon) and paneer came out good.
Kneading it in food processor makes it smooth for sure. I love this dish and the fact that I can now make it at home by myself is a great feeling 🙂
Thanks again!
Hi Dr. Khatwani,
Honestly, we always make paneer with whole milk and it works perfectly for us so we can’t comment on using low fat milk. People refer to paneer as cottage cheese, and it is anything but that. The cottage cheese available in American grocery stores tastes and feels nothing like our homemade/store bought paneer.
Hi Niky,
You can use half and half but we feel that the ras will still not be as thick as boiling and reducing the milk. You will still have to boil the half and half for a while. You may save a little time. Of course, the consistency of the ras is entirely up to you. Some people do not like it thick. Also, boiling the milk creates a different flavor as well as texture to the ras.
Thanks for ur recipe.All the recipes for making Rasgullas advocate low fat cow milk.U R recommending whole milk, saying that it will give more paneer.Will it give the same sponginess also???Is it that u recomm whole milk for ras malai only ?I have tried lot many rasgulla recipe with 80 % results.I would like to try whole milk.Pl help n guide me.wikipedia says that Cottage cheese is low in fat and carbohydrates while high in protein.Can we use renin tablets for cheese making?
Thanks dr Rajesh Khatwani
Hi hetal n anuja
i really love this show
i have a question for this recipe..
Can I use half and half milk for the RAS? because boiling milk for an hour is too mch.
Thanks,
Niky
Hi Sridevi,
Sorry, the above comment was meant for you.
And sorry Pavithra, we used bottled lemon juice. Fresh lime/lemon juice should work just as well. Some people even use vinegar.
Hi Pavithra,
The food processor we are using in this video is made by Krups. It comes with a blender jar plus a food processor. It is convenient to have two in one, and the food processor works well (although not many attachments). However, the blender does not grind many Indian things like dosa/idli batter or coconut chutney well. If you already have a blender, you can try the Black & Decker Pro II which works well as a food processor.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
Thanks for this recipe. I cant wait to try this one. I have one doubt. Did you use fresh lime for lemon juice or the bottled one?
Thanks,
Pavithra
Hai hetal
Wonderful dessert….
Just want to know which food processor u r using…..??
Thanks for sharing recipe Rasmalai is always among one of my favourite.
Nupur
Hi Sejal,
Thanks for reporting your results on making rasgullas with ready-made paneer. I’m sure it will answer a lot of people’s questions.
Regarding the milk, try to find the milk which is given to children to drink. This is usually the full fat or whole or 4% milk. The percentage refers to the amount of fat which is in the milk. I am guessing that your full cream milk is the same thing. We get fresh milk here so I am not sure about the long life milk.
full cream milk is the same as whole milk.
Hi Nima,
A good alternative to cheese cloth would be a men’s handkerchief. The cloth should be thin, not towel like. You can find cheese cloth at a fabric store.
Regarding the saffron, really, take a tiny pinch and it should do the trick. Never really counted the strands :). If you get a little more or less, it will not make too much difference.
hi
Hi Hetalben,
I dared to say this.I tried Rasgulla from readymade Paneer but really paneer is so dry,we can’t make soft dough from it.Next time I will make from fresh paneer.Generally in India we use Cow milk for making Rasgullas.
I’m really confused about milk types.I am living in Hong kong.here we got fresh milk but it was watery and paneer is not also good soft.I never saw Full Fat Milk,I saw FullCream Milk, it may LOng Life(can be use for one year).What is 3% fat/4%fat milk ?Is it written on the front side? Thanks.
Hi Gopaul,
Thanks for letting us and other viewers know of your experience and the outcome. We are sure it will be useful information.
Also, 3% milk should be fine for paneer(atleast better than your previous experience;-)!
Finally, thanks for your feedback…will look into doing something about it…but you really should consider investing in a pressure cooker, not only is it great time saver and quite a bit faster cooking-wise but also a lot healthier.
Cheers!
Hello Ladies,
I tried this recipe with ready-made paneer, I chopped it up and placed in the food processor and then kneeded it. It wasn’t as smooth as it should be but still worked, also when boling some of them broke apart. Also it had a rubbery feel when eating.
Next time I will try making my own paneer, but whole milk is hard to find here, can 3% milk work?
Finally, I didn’t use a pressure cooker because I don’t own one, can you maybe suggest a cooking time or how to do it in a regular pot? (also most of your recipes use the pressure cooker, in the future can you suggest alternative cooking times using regular pot in your videos?)
Thanks for the great recipe, I can’t wait to try it using my own paneer.
Keep the videos coming, they’re great!
Hi Tasnime,
The pressure cooker can be between medium and high. Not sure about the soya milk, never tried it that way. Please let us know if it works for you and we will add that tip in our recipe.
Thanks.
Hi Hethal and Manuja,
great website, great recipes! Indian food without indian complexity!
I have two questions and thank you to answer as soon as possible since I can’t wait to make that recipe!
1) On what heat to you put the pressure cooker (medium or high?)
2) Do you think it would work with soya milk?
Thank you!
Hi, I was wondering if there is an alternatives to using a cheese cloth. I never heard of a cheese cloth, where would I purchase one? Second question, Do you have an estimate on how many strands of saffron are in a pinch? Thanks!
hi hetal and anuja,
very good recipe and very well presented as usual.
will try to make it for diwali.
keep up the good work.
thanks for the recipe.
Hi Sejal (btw, nice name…it’s what I named my daughter 🙂 ),
Honestly, we have never tried to use the ready made paneer for rasgullas. The trick to getting super soft rasgullas is soft paneer. Since the frozen/ready made kind is very dry, I don’t know if it will yield the same results. If you decide to try it, please let us know your results.
Just curious, where do you live? Wondering where or why you don’t have whole milk available. Maybe its called by a different name (full fat, 4% fat, etc)?
Hello,
I have tried with ready made nanak paneer but it didn’t work.
hi,
can I use frozen paneer(Amul Paneer)instead of fresh paneer to make Rasgullas.here,we don’t get whole milk.
hi,
I have a question i.e.can i use frozen paneer(Amul Paneer) instead of fresh paneer to make Rasgullas.
yes u can use frozen paneer
Hi Renu,
Food processors and blenders (mixers) work differently in that food processors move the entire contents all around, even if it is not liquid. On dry items, a blender will only grind the bottom well and the top will remain as is.
Hi,
Can a regular mixer with small pulses can be done instead of a food processor?
yes you can use a regular mixer with small pulses can be done the job
Hi Mam!
Thanks for clarifying my doubt!
Ill use whole milk as u have since i do understand how much it would affect the quality of the ” Real master piece Dessert” !! 🙂
Once in while, thoda fat chalta hai!! 🙂
Thank u so much for posting this reciepe!! and clarifying my doubt so soon!!
Thanks a million!!!
Regards,
Priya
Yummy!! I never knew ras malai was so easy to make!
Thank u
Shalini
Hi Priya,
You cannot use 1% milk for the paneer (balls) because paneer is nothing more than milk fat which has been separated from the whey. The less the fat in the milk, the less quantity of paneer which it makes.
For the thickened milk, you could try evaporated milk. I would still boil it once and maybe thicken it just a bit more than it already is.
Lastly, you do not absolutely need a food processor. The same thing can be done by hand, but it just takes a little longer to achieve the same results by food processor.
And ALAS…..!!!
I don have Food processor!! 🙁
if u do nt hv food prcssr.den its ok.u can also finely mixed paneer wid ur hands like for 5 to 10 min..n its ready…seriously as i did a tryal…
hi mam!
Priya again!! And back with my doubts!
This recipe is also one of my favorite!!! Muh me pani aa gaya!!! 🙂
Cant we use 1% mÃlk for both? But I think not much Malai (cream) will come. Or can i use 1% milk for the balls n evaporated milk for the milk that is thickened? I know this sounds stupid. Im a ameteur cook and henceforth these questions!! But pl clarify mam!
Regards,
Priya
No
I LIK EIT
its really good my sister and i made it
Yummmm,…..
Thnx for the recipe!
hello kem cho majama cho?
how do you do?
why do you use whole milk?
telll me! hello body ?
Whole milk has more fat content and produces greater quantity and richer paneer.
oh i c, but i like fatty substances in intestine, maybe that is it? no ?
The result was satisfying, beyond imagination actually.
wow wa ji wa
does it go rubbery when overcooked ?