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 Hetal and Anuja,
I have just tried using this recipe. I love how you girls have made a classic dish, but used modern gadgets such as the non-stick saucepan and pressure cooker.
I live in the UK. I converted everything into UK weights so I knew how much of every ingredient I would need. So I used basically 1 litre for the paneer and 1 litre for the ras. Damn – I forgot to weigh the amount of paneer I got out of the 1 litre of milk! Never mind. Anyways, the quantity of paneer I got seemed rather low, and there was no way I was going to get 12 small golf-ball sized balls out of it, so I divided the paneer into 6 balls instead. I reckon I should have stuck to your instructions and got 12 small balls instead, because after pressure-cooking, the balls weren’t really all that much bigger, and not really very spongy either. I went back online to re-watch your video and those balls that Anuja was rolling weren’t the size of small golf-balls – they were more like large marbles! Next time I will try making 12 smaller balls and see if this works. One consideration is that not everyone’s pressure cookers are of the same capacity and so they will not all work the same. Please can you tell me: If I were to use a simple saucepan instead, for how long should I boil my paneer balls?
Oh and as note, I was also wondering whether I ought to try using double cream to make my paneer, and when I am not busy trying to make this item as a gift for someone, I will definitely try this and let you know.
hi hetal,
please clarify my doubts
ur website is fantabulous.No words to say about ur wonderful cooking receipes.
please tell me the diff between cottage and ricotta cheese.
can we use both to make rasamalai and kalakand and any other sweets to substitute homemade paneer.
if we can use both which one is better.
Hi
I want to know how do you mean by cup in this recipe ?
As i have different sizes of cups confused which one to use.
Can you give the milk quantity in litres or gallons.
Thanks
Veena
Hi Veena,
We have used 8oz cup measure for this recipe (and for most of the others).
For this recipe you will need total of 1/2 a gallon. So 1/4 gallon for the paneer and 1/4 for the rabri.
Hope that helps!
Hi Hetal n Anuja,
Ras Malai is my husband’s fav dessert. But I never attempted to make it as I thought that it is too difficult. But after seeing ur recipe and making Ras Malai successfully, I was very happy. I finally made my husband happy by serving him his fav dessert made by me. 🙂 thanks a lot.
Madhavi
Another hit from my kitchen. Just finished making ras malai. Looks amazing. Have kept in fridge for making chilled. It looks so great that I can hardly wait to eat them.
On a funny note, I was hoping that I will get enough paneer both for 5 rasmalais and for palak paneer. But, didn’t expect it to be this less in quantity. Now, I don’t even have extra milk in the home, so I finally I will be using half frozen store paneer, and half my fresh one……. 🙂
Next time, I will make sure to have a gallon to make paneer.
also an easy recipe for kari laddo (motichur)
recipe for moong daal halwa?? please soon………..thanks in advance……..
i love ur easy recipes…thank u both soo much………
hi hetal and anuja
I made the ras malai with whole milk today and heres what happend:
1) paneer came out great
2) i didnot use cooker – i boiled paneer balls in a big pot for 10 minutes
3)balls didnot double in size – incrased only a little bit
” I was not happy”
4) ras malai was not soft at all
5) felt like i was eating paneer
what could i have done wrong
i will try cooker next time
please reply
i didnot cover the pot
also consistency of the milk was thin – i let at boil for 1 1/2 hours…first at #5 for 15 min then on #2 for 1 hr 15min…
we should knead the paneer alot till it forms a very smooth ball,evn the first time when i made rasmalai the same happenned for me.try to knead the paneer till it becomes soft.
Hi Ami,
We always use the pressure cooker method so I cannot give you an accurate answer about the paneer. Regarding the milk, you can always keep the stove a little higher if you know you’ll be around to keep an eye on it. Depending on how much milk you are boiling, it will change the amount of time needed.
You should never use a plastic spoon for cooking it melts and goes into body and causes cancer.
that spatula is made of silicone and is heat resistant,,,, it never melts
Hi dear sisters…
A great dessert…i like to try it soon…i just wanna knw i dnt hv a pressure cooker..so can i use cook it normal pan..? is dat want to cover it? pls reply me…
Hi Shahira,
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can bring your sugar/water mixture to a rapid boil in a regular pot with a tight fitting lid. Drop the paneer balls in the boiling water and cover the pot. Cook until they have doubled in size (5-8 minutes).
Thanx for reply…i try it…its v tasty…i loves it…u knw this is first tym i made n taste rasmalai..i love indian desserts…thanx lots…
Hello Hetal & Anuj,
I am a great fan of you both. I just love the way you explain everything. I tried ras mallai just now & couldnt wait to tell you how much my fiance was happy after having it. Thanks a million 🙂
Hi Gayatri,
Awesome! Glad your fiancee liked the ras malai. Thanks for the feedback and congratulations for your upcoming wedding.
i have never tried to make this dish with paneer. i always use the milk powder to make the balls :S
hey guys..
jus wanted to know i don hav a cooker can i use something else instead ????
Hi Pooja,
We’ve never tried it, but have heard that some ppl just use a regular pot to boil the paneer.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
Great recipe! But I don’t know where did I go wrong. Even though I used whole milk and did everything just like your recipe, my ras malai came out hard and rubbery. Do you girls have any tips to make it soft next time? Me and my husband both love ras malai. So, please please please give me some tips to make it perfect. Thanks.
Hi Mithila,
The texture of paneer becomes hard if you let it boil for too long in the whey. As soon as the milk solids separate from the whey, strain out the paneer and dip them into cold (or ice cold) water. This will prevent the paneer from becoming hard and rubbery. Proceed as normal with the rest of the process.
Hi, i made the rasmalai and it turned out really well…Thank you for the recipe! The only thing that i would like to find out is that when i make it it comes out soft but after it has been in the fridge it goes hard…Is there anything that i can do to keep it soft..many thanks…..
reba
Hi Reba,
The ras malai will be harder (denser) once it cools, but it shouldn’t be hard to a point that it doesn’t taste good. If that is the case, maybe it did not cook enough?
Wow…what a great recipe…will try out for sure….thanks…u both are gem.. 🙂
Hi Hetal, Anuja,
Thanks for the great recipe. I tried it and it came out really good. My only concern is it’s not as liquidy as I would like specially after refrigerating it. Do you think making more ras will solve this issue.
Thanks again,
Pooja
Hi Pooja,
You can either make more rasa or just cook it less so that it doesn’t become as thick.
Hey guys thanks for ur recipe…. i made them at home and evrybody loved it… keep up the good work…. 🙂
I have two questions for you….
1.The water:sugar ratio is 5:1… can i increase it to make the dumplings a tad bit sweeter or should i pressure cook it for more than 5 mins????…
2.For how long can i store them in the fridge???…
hope i get a speedy reply……
thanks again for ur recipe…. 🙂
luv,
Anu
Hi Anu,
Did you want to increase the sweetness or the softness. For more sweetness, you can just make your rasa more sweet. Cooking them longer may make them fall apart. Just curious…were they not soft enough?
Hey thanks for the reply.
I wanted to increase the sweetness of the malai.Coz even though my hubby loved the preparation, his only suggestion was that the malai needs to be a lil more sweet… :)… he has a sweet tooth.. 😉
yaeh they were soft… no problem with their softness only the sweetness….
thanks for ur help,
Anu
oh ok…then you can definitely increase the amount of sugar in the water. It shouldn’t be syrupy though or it will not work.
They should keep fresh in the fridge for about a week.
Hi hetal,
I love ur recepie….
i have one question is the cottage cheese in american market can be used for rasgullas??
whats the difference between home made chesse and cottage cheese…
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
Thanks for your great recipe. I’ve followed your instructions and the ras malai came out so well. My very first trial was a success!
I Look forward to learning more stuff from your website.
Cheers,
salma
As I don’t have a pressure cooker, am I able to gently simmer the flattened paneer instead? If so, for approximately how long?
Kind regards.
Hi! Anuja and Hetal,
I am so glad I came across your website..I was always very apprehensive about trying dishes like Navratan Korma and Malai Kofta which are almost everyone’s favourite curries, because of the calorie content of them. Your recipes are so calorie conscious we can eat without any guilt! I tried both above curries and received a lot of aprpeciation!! Ras Malai was extremely tasty and got a great complements from very senior cooks! Thanks for all your recipes……Keep up the good work! Good Luck!
Hi Hetal/Anuja,
I love your website. Although there are may websites giving recipies, but this one make great sense since we can visually see the steps exactly.
I tried making rasgullas earlier, but they either break or turn out hard (if I add little suji to absorb water). To my understanding I do not know how much water to squeeze out of the cheese cloth. I did keep for 1/2 an hour to drip and squeezed water.
How do we know if there is exact amout of moisture left before we put it to boil?
What other factors could make them break?
Thanks and waiting eagerly to hear back from you!
Ravi
Hi Ravi,
There really is no exact way of telling how much moisture is left in the paneer. If you squeeze the cheese cloth and no more water squirts out, it should be good enough.
If you are making paneer, you can add all-purpose flour (just a Tbsp) to help bind, but I’ve not tried that for rasgullas.
hi
i tried rasamalai 2day.it came out very soft..thanhks alot for a wonderful recipe..i follow all ur recipes
Thank you very much. It is really nice. The steps are very easy and cleared.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
I guess in above comments someone was asking about what to do with leftover sugar syrup in cooker….
Here’s some simple suggestions.
we can jst mix wheat flour in it…..just as we prepare our regular chapati dough n make thick layered chapati’s out of it.Heat a griddle and cook this chapati with ghee or oil(just like paratha). If you like more sweet then add some more sugar or jaggery to water mixture before mixing it with wheat flour.
This sweet chapatis tastes yummy with any powdered chatni and they last for about 4-5 days outside fridge.
We normally do this by dissolving jaggery in water n then mix it with wheat flour. And this is called as goud(Sweet) dashmi.
Hey
You could even use left over sugar syrup to make any kind of kheer. I made sabudana kheer. Turned out great.
Thanks so much Harshada! Those are great suggestions!
i want basundi recipe plzzz
Dear Ketal, Anuja,
I got linked to your lovely site through Deeba’s (passionateaboutbaking). Thank you so much for the tutorial. I made rasmalai with home-made ricotta and could knead the cheese with hands well. The result is perfect. The rasmalais are getting chilled but i did pop-in one rasagulla to check and they’re great. I saved so much time doing the malai and rasagulla in parallel.
I’d like to know if i want to make rasagulla only should i soak them in another sugar syrup. this sugar quantity is way too less sweet for the r.gulla only:)
thanks again.
Hi Latha,
You can definitely add more sugar to your syrup to get the right amount of sweetness for the rasgullas.
Please do no try this method. Only a fool would give pressure cooker to the rasgulla.
Bad method.
Hey
First of, it does not look like you tried the recipe. If you did and screwed up, try heating the water in a regular pan. When the water comes to a rapid boil, put in the paneer balls, cover and turn off the heat. Let them sit in the water for 10 minutes and then transfer to milk. Hope this helps.
Hi!
I learnt this in steps. First i learnt how to make paneer then ras gullas. All went well but only the sugar syrup or chasni was not good – it was kind of watery and the sweetness didn’t go through inside the rasgullas. But the rasgullas were nice, soft and round. So can you please suggest for the ras gullas how much sugar and how much water should we use to make the perfect sugar syrup and i also have the rose essence. And do we have to make the chasni and then insert the balls to cook.
I also saw your chocolate burfi it is great i am definitely going to try it for Diwali. Your videos have a very good quality now.
And finally Wishing you both and your families a very happy deepavali and a prosperous new year!
Thanks for your quick reply! i did add half and half milk for making the paneer. The ras malai was just perfect! it was the highlight of my eid party!
Hi Asma,
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you enjoyed the Ras Malai. Eid Mubarak!
Ok…I tried your receipe and the ras malai turned out hard i.e. it was not soft and fluffy. I did the following things different, let me know what cause this:
1. I used 1% milk. Does using 1% as opposed to full cream milk make a difference, if so, why?
2. I did not use a pressure cooker, I just boiled the small patties on high heat for 5-6 minutes. Does pressure cooking do something different then boiling at high heat for 5 minutes. if so, why?
3. I did not use a food processer but did need the cheese so that it was soft. Is it esssential to use a processor to knead the dough. I would have used a processor, didn’t have one. All I had was a blender. I didn’t think that a blender would be the right tool because that would make it into a wet paste. Was this the problem?
Other than that you have some great vids and a good presentation style.
ray
Hi Ray,
1. The higher fat content in the milk you use will yield more paneer. 1% milk hardly has any fat so the paneer you get will be very less. Some people even mix half and half in the milk while boiling.
2. This is probably where your biggest problem is. Pressure cooking cooks anything in a fraction of the time it takes in a regular pot. Cooking for only 5-6 minutes in a regular pot is probably not enough and therefore the paneer didn’t get a chance to become soft.
3. Food processors make life easier but they are not a necessity. If you kneaded the paneer enough and made it super soft, it should be fine. You are right, you cannot use a blender for this application.
Can we add heavy whipping cream/half n half to the milk boiled for paneer?
We’ve never tried it, but some people do add whipping cream or half and half to get “more” paneer out of the milk.
Hi Ketal, anonymous,
Yes I did. I used 1/4 cup of heavy cream for 1 litre of 1.5% milk and the paneer was definitely a good yield:)
Hi Hetal and Anuja
Thanks for this delicious recipe !! Really Yummy.
It had the perfect taste and the texture as store bought.
Thanks once again.
Subha.
Hello Hetal & Anuja
One more doubt….. after my paneer came out of the pressure cooker…. they were all stuck together…. how can i avoid this??? i had to seperate them myself manually and it has partially lost its texture.
Thanks
Poonam
Hi Poonam,
You can avoid the sticking problem if you do not over stuff the pressure cooker. Keep in mind that the paneer expands, so put in just enough so that they have room to grow.
Hello Hetal & Anuja
An awesome recipe, which wld be tried first thing tomorrow.
Just curious, what do u do with the water + sugar mixture we used in the pressure cooker, after we are done with it? trash it? or are there any alternate suggestions?
Hi Poonam,
Unfortunately, we have not come up with an alternative use for the left over water. If anyone else has any ideas, we’d love to hear them.
can i use the same water + sugar quantity for making another batc of ras malais the next day? if i store the water in fridge?
hmmmm…..we’ve never done that, but if you keep it in the fridge, it should be fine.
After some disasterous attempts with other recipes, I tried yours and Voila, the ras malai turned out great 🙂 Thanks for the clear instructions.
I haven’t tried it yet but I think that the left over sugar syrup could be used to knead the dough for the sweet version of namak parey – we call them shakar parey or meethi khajoor!
Wow, that sounds like a great idea. Let us know if it works for you.
You can also use it to make Halwa! Just a thought;)
Hi Anuja ji, I’m very pleased to find this site, I already try this rasmalai and found out perfect 🙂 thanks a lottt to you for such wonderful site.
I was searching for rasgulla recipe. I saw 31. Dr Rajesh khatwani Says: you have given such a wonderful rasgulla recipe. I try some recipe which is not making perfect rasgulla. Can you please give me the prefect recipe?
Pleaseeeeeeeee.
Thanks
Hello Hetal And Anuja
Thanks a lot for sharing such a lovely receipe. I never thought making ras-malai could be so damn easy.
I used 2%milk and instead of cheese-cloth i used tea strainer. This was fine but i made a mistake, i left the cheese in the strainer for only 10 mins(as i was in a hurry), but it turned out excellent.
Thank u ladies and keep up doing the great work.
Regards
Abhi
thanks for wonderful RASMALAI, ohhhhhhhhhh… yumm
Hey how many litres will be a 8 cup milk measure upto
1 liter = 4.2 cups
Hope that helps:)
HI Anuja,
I like your website and your recipes are clear and you deliver them very well.I havent tried them yet but thanks for simplifying the complex recipes.
On the lighter side,have you noticed how you start every sentence identically with ” Now we are going to go ahead and just….” .It sounds like going overboard with the americanism! (More Anuja than Hetal).
Anuja,Somehow I thought from your general personality that you have a defence services background and are probably Maharashtrian. Are you ? (Dont have to reply to that if thats too personal!)
Keep up the great work.
Hi hetal n Anuja,
thanks for this wonderful receipe. I tried it jst now. I used readymade paneer……..i it still turned out suburb….firstly I grated the paneer and i added i tps of milk to give it a slight moisture…..I don’t have food processor …..so i simply used my electric hand blender…..and finally before making the bal i kneaded that paneer with steel spoon..jst smashed it over n over again until it was really soft. Rest of the procedure i followed as told by u…….n there i was… with the yummy and tempting bowl of ramalai!!!!
Thanks again…i really love this site……
Hi Harshada,
Thank you so much for taking the time to post your results of the ras malai with store bought paneer. It’s a question that was asked so many times and now we have an answer. I’m sure many of our viewers will thank you as well.
Cheers!
Hi
I tried ras malai twice.still it wasn’t up to date
🙁
First time the rasgullas were not sweet. i used exactly same amount of ingredients that u mentioned. but the rasgullas were not sweet at all and it spoilt everything. when i ate it. only the ras part was sweet and the rasgulla part was tasteless paneer
the second time, i increased the amount of sugar in pressure cooker to more than double and gave two whistles. still they r not as sweet and soft. we do not like very sweet desserts but u know when u take a spoonful, the entire thing should be thing….but here the gulla part becomes tasteless as soon as ras is gone in …. i hope i m able to explain my problem..
I am not using food processor but knead it well…otherwise the balls are soft when i take them out of cooker…i kepy them soaked in ras for more than two hours before serving…still not sweet enuf…
is it supposed to be like that according to your recipe?? Indian ras malai is soft and rasgullas are also sweet…
please tell what mistake i am making!!!
Hi Lavi,
The ras malai is usually eaten with the ras so the sweetness will always be there. The key to getting the liquid to absorb into the paneer is to have it super smooth before forming the balls. If you have a food processor, try kneading with it. Another tip is to take a piece of rock sugar (sakar) and “hide” it in the middle of the paneer ball before cooking it.
can we use same sugar syurup to cook another batch of ras malai?or we have to add more water
Hi Alka,
Yes, you can reuse the sugar syrup. You would only need to add additional water/sugar if the level of the liquid goes down and is not enough for the paneer to soak.
hi hetal ,
i just tried making rasgulla ,, just the way you said ..
i must say its come out pretty well but then from with in it tastes lil more like paneer than the actually expected texture though it is soft ..
would you be able to tell me what do i do to avoid this next time or is there anyway i can improve it now ??
Hi Swapna,
The key for the rasgulla to absorb the liquid and taste less like paneer is to make the paneer super soft. Did you use a food processor to knead the paneer or if by hand, it has to be super smooth.
Hello Ladies!
I tried this recipe last sunday. My paneer was in very light yellow colour. Laughs! i used 1 litre milk for the paneer and another 1 litre for the sause – is that what we call? I used full cream milk. That’s what i got from the supermarket. And after setting aside the paneer, I had a hard time kneading the paneer together! Ha Ha Ha! Seems like my food processor wasnt working.. But according to the video, you paneer looked fantastic! Its like sooo white! But mine was yelloW! guess its the milk and after finishing the taste of paneer wasnt spongy. i dont know where i went wrong, because over here in Singapore its hard to get fresh milk. If you ladies know where i went wrong pls help me!
And i really enjoy watching your recipe videos! You guys should upload more recipes! You guys rock!!
Cheers!!!!
Hi Ghayathri,
We only get one type of milk here in the US (cow’s milk with varying fat content). The type of milk you use may affect the color of the paneer. Also, kneading the paneer to a very smooth consistency is a key step to get the spongy texture. If it is slightly crumbly, it will not absorb enough liquid to make it soft.
Hi Hetal!
How are you? Exactly! My paneer didn’t absorb liquid. Sobs sobs… I’ll try it again after getting a new processor.. 😉
And I tried the molten lava cake yesterday! It was fantastic! Thank you for uploading such a wonderful recipe guys! Take Care! And God bless you ladies!
Could you share Rasmalai recipe made from Ricotta cheese, I have heard it has nice taste and easy to prepare.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
My Ras malai did not come out soft and spongy. They did not increase in size in the pressure cooker. What could be the reason? Please advice.
Uma
hi hetal N anuja
i made ras malai jst 10 min before nd it turn so nice so yummy. thank u so much to share this all receipe it so simple 2 make. i cnt beleive that i can make ras malai. i m a girl who never make this all thinks. when i say 2 my relatives that i made veg korma, malai kofta, shahi panner, differnt type of pulao they dnt believe me as i did not make any thng back in india, every1 is so surpised. nd say its my secrete recipe. 😉 hehehe. anyways thank u so much.
Hi Shruti,
Thanks for the lovely feedback! We’re so glad to see people who have never cooked before try their hand at Indian cooking. Keep up the great cooking effort!
Hi Sarita,
Yes, if the ras malai was soft, then you can just make them a bit bigger.
Hi Hetal,
Thanks for your reply, the rasmali were very soft and did taste good
Next time should i just make the balls a little bigger and thicker?
I used whole milk (full fat)
Thanks
Sarita