Gulab Jamun
December 23rd, 2006 filed under DessertsThis tasty dessert is an Indian version of warm donuts floating in warm sweet syrup. Served as a dessert, this is a staple in most parts of India.
Makes 20.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup nonfat milk powder
- 1/4 cup All Purpose flour (plain flour, maida)
- 3 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup room temperature whole milk
- Pinch of baking soda
- 1 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 4 coarsely grounded cardamom seeds
- 1 tablespoon sliced almonds and pistachio
- Oil for deep-frying
Method:
Syrup:
- In a large pan, add water, sugar, and ground cardamom seeds and bring it to a boil.
- Let the syrup boil for a minute then remove it from the heat.
- Stir the syrup until the sugar is dissolved.
- Set the syrup aside.
Gulab Jamun:
- In a bowl, mix milk powder, flour and baking soda.
- Add the butter and mix well.
- Now add milk to make soft dough. The dough will be sticky.
- Let the dough sit for a few minutes. The milk powder will absorb the extra milk. If the dough is dry, add more milk, as the dough should be soft.
- Knead the dough.
- Divide the dough into about 20 equal portions and roll them into round balls with your hands.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. The frying pan should have at least 1 ½ inch of oil. To test if the oil is the right temperature, place a small piece of dough into the oil; it should take a minute to rise. If dough rises faster, oil is too hot; if dough just sits without rising, oil is not hot enough.
- Place the gulab Jamuns in the frying pan. It should take about 7 minutes to fry the gulab jamuns. While frying keep rolling the gulab jamuns around so they are evenly browned. Fry until the gulab jamuns become dark brown.
- Let the gulab jamuns cool off for a few minutes before placing in the hot syrup.
- The gulab jamuns should sit in the hot syrup for at least 20 minutes prior to serving. Gulab jamuns can be kept at room temperature for about a week and up to one month when refrigerated. Gulab jamuns can be frozen for months.
Tips:
- If the gulab jamuns are fried on too high of heat, they will become hard inside and not fully cooked.
- Too much baking soda will cause the gulab jamuns to get too soft or they will break apart when frying.
- Don’t place the gulab jamuns in the syrup immediately after frying. This will cause the gulab jamuns to lose their shape and become chewy.
Variations:
- Using the same recipe, make slightly smaller gulab jamuns (say, 24 instead of 20). After the gulab jamuns are soaked in the syrup, take gulab jamuns out of the syrup and roll them in ½ cup of unsweetened coconut powder. Also, you can substitute coarsely ground almonds for the coconut powder.
- Using the same recipe, make about 10 larger gulab jamuns. Cut the gulab jamuns in half when they are at room temperature. Garnish with sliced almonds and pistachios.



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August 24th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Hello Nani,
I have never used whole milk powder, try and use 1/2 tablespoon less butter, let us know hoe the gulab jamun turned out.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Does it make a difference if I use whole milk powder and reduce the butter?
I do not have any non fat milk powder. Would that make a significant difference?
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:15 pm
I love your recipes!
August 20th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Hi Alisha,
You get to know your stove by practice. Your dials should have some kind of markings on it - either numbers or letters like Lo - Med - High. Either way, turn the dial on midway between OFF and HIGH.
After a few minutes, put in a test piece of jamun dough in the oil and see what it does. From there you can decide if you need to increase or decrease the heat.
Whether you have gas or electric, you many need to adjust the heat slightly during the course of deep frying.
It all gets better with practice.
August 20th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Hello Alisha,
Every stove has different settings, you will have to use your own judgement. I like to fry in canola oil.
Manjula
August 20th, 2008 at 6:13 am
Hello aunty! hope you are well.
I have two questions:
what sort of oil for the frying? is it olive oil, etc?
and secondly,
i have an electric stove. when you say medium low do you mean 3 or 2? (this is assuming that we have the same sort of stove!)
August 19th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Hello Neeta, I have tried once and did not like it, also it had a funny smell.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
hello Aunty,I have tried Gulab Jamun & this time it was perfect …yammmyyyyy…
i want to ask 1 thing… what is this milk-mava powder…i have seen in the Indain shop ….is that same like dry milk powder or Powder of Mava.
August 11th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Hello Sadia, you can use bisquick use little less butter just texture comes out little different.
Manjula
August 11th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
hello aunty.
aunty can i use bisquick instead of all purpose flour??
August 9th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Yes anuty, ur rite I added to much of unsalted butter around 4 cubes. which resulted in very smooth balls. anyways i am trying again to day I hope it turns rite
August 9th, 2008 at 6:01 am
To follow up, I would also recommend frying a test piece of jamun to see if it fries correctly before adding more.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Hello Priti,
The only two reasons I can think, you had too much baking soda, or too much butter. I know gulab jamuns should be fried on very low heat but if it is too low thats the another reason gulab jamun will disolve in oil
August 8th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Onr more thing I added the butter in the same way as the video
August 8th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
it was exact a pinch with my figure tips >>>> I really dont know waht happen? they where smooth while rolling
Priti
August 8th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Look above at the Tips and see #2. Perhaps you put in too much baking soda. Do you remember how much you may have put in?
A “pinch” in cooking terms is “less than 1/8 of a teaspoon”, usually a small amount picked up between your thumb and finger.
Hope this helps.
August 8th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Hi anuty,
Today I tried gulab jamun. the ball where every smooth and soft while i was rolling and they looked good but the moment they where put in oil which was not too hot and was medium, I dont know why it started disolving in oil. Can you tell me why that happened ??? I want to try this recipe again.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:33 am
[...] Tags: dessert, Food, gulab jamun, India, Indian, milk, saffron — genineira @ 3:25 pm Making gulab jamun can be a bitch. For those of you who don’t know gulab jamun, it is a staple milk dessert of [...]
July 16th, 2008 at 8:34 am
basen ladoo is in the list to do
July 16th, 2008 at 6:46 am
hi aunty,
Your all desserts are good and i did try.
Do u know , how can make basen ladoo?
Pls tell us.
Thanks,
Archana
July 10th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Hi Aunty,
I love to cook, so when i found your recipes, cooking became fun.
You have a way of simplifying the recipes which is great for those of us who are learning to cook. So Thank you for sharing your knowledege with us.
Rimpy
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:41 pm
manjula ji,
I have tried gulab jamun the other day, follwed every step and they have come out good and my husband says they taste good even, but they have a hollow space in between, could you please tell me how i can make gulab jamun’s with out that hollow space in between
Many thanks for your very good recepies, i think you should be positng atleast one in day
Regards
Sujatha
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
is very easy and good recipe
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:13 am
manjula ji,
I have tried gulab jamun the other day, follwed every step and they have come out good and my husband says they taste good even, but they have a hollow space in between, could you please tell me how i can make gulab jamun’s with out that hollow space in between
Many thanks for your very good recepies, i think you should be positng atleast one in day
Regards
Sujatha
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:42 am
hi aunty!!!
I tried ur gulab jamun and it was very tasty!!! but it did turn a bit hard (maybe becuae maida was too much) but still me and my family enjoyed it!!!!! thanks a million for ur simple and tasty recepies!!! now im a great fan of urs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 1st, 2008 at 5:36 am
hi
in another site for making gulab jamun, they added a tablespoon of yogurt instead of whole milk? do u know y? and is it the same if add any of these? pls let me know
July 1st, 2008 at 5:33 am
Hi aunty
When I try to play your gulab jamun vedio, it says VEdio no longer available, y is thats so?
July 1st, 2008 at 5:22 am
hi manjula aunty
I am in gulf, and it was so difficult for me to find tasty gulab jamun from shops here, then I did find a shop but it was too costly there, but still i buy everytime from there,(as its my favourite) but now after i saw ur recepie, i dont have to buy anymore as I can make it myself, today im gonna try it and I will let u know how it turns out….
June 16th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Hello Preet, yes you may use full fat milk powder.
June 16th, 2008 at 6:59 am
hallo auntie
can we use full fat milk powder ,because the place where i live ,non fat milk powder isnt available .thanks
June 3rd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
hello manjulaji
loved ur gulabjamun recipe, i tried them n came out yummy…same like the one made with khoya in India. thank u for all ur recipes.
May 31st, 2008 at 10:42 am
Namaste…Manjula!!!
My from Brazil…thanks for videos!!!
Gulab Jamuns is very very very … delicious!!!
Congradulations and Thank you!!!
May 30th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Dear Manjula:
The first time I tried the Gulab Jamuns I fall in love for them. Then, my husband found you in youtube and we immediately tried to make them. At the moment I only had Mr.Coffee milk, so I went for it; but even when they came up ok, it was a hassle because the dough was very sticky and weird.
Anyway, it worked and we ate them. Today, for the second time, I actually made them with the right milk and WOOOWWW, they’re AMAZING!!! The dough was super easy to manage.
We are really glad that you take some of your time to put this recipes online and we hope you keep doing it because we just love them. Thank you soooo much!!!
P.D: Also your samosas and Palak Pareer came out delicious!!!
May 28th, 2008 at 6:40 am
why do we add Baking soda?? is it necessary? can we do without it?
May 21st, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Hi Aunty,
When i make gulab jamuns it comes really wel but it is bit hard from inside how could i make it soft from insid as well.
May 19th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Hello Sofina, I think dough was too dry just add another spoon of milk, dough should be soft enough that you can make balls smooth.
May 19th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Hi Aunty,
Thank you so much for your informative and detailed recipes. They’re so helpful!I just tried your gulab jamun recipe, and they taste really good…but they look a little different. Theyre more flat in shape, and not smooth…just a little confused as to why this happened.I think you’re so cute!:D:D:D Keep up the great work Aunty!
Sofina
May 10th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Hi Manjulaji,
I just tried your gulab jamun recipe and they turned out great!! Thank you so much!! I was a little doubtful about how much baking soda to use but I ended up using 1/4 tsp and they came out perfect.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Namaste Auntiji,
How are you?
Its an amazing recipe which I will try over the weekend.
I tried out the rasmalai yesterday, it was amazing!!!
I also added a little bit of Kewra essence though.. It turned out very well..
THANK YOU SO MUCH AUNTyJI..
I am diehard fan yours now!!!
May 5th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Hi Manujulajii,
First of all thanks a lot to show us these wonderful recipes. These are really helpful for us , who live abroad without their parents. I hava a request for you, could you please show us how to make boondi Laddoo? Everybody loves laddoo. If you have time please let us know how to make that.
thanks,
nira
May 1st, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Hello Aunty Manjula!!! I LOVE watching your recipe videos on youtube and I’m very glad that I discovered your website. My Mom has recently tried your recipe for gulab jamun and they came out just wonderful!! Thanks very much…all your recipes look very simple to follow and very delicious…thank you and keep cookin’!
May 1st, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Hi Manjula,
When i make gulab jamn it comes really wel but it is little bit hard from inside when we eat it is not sweetshop gulab jamun like soft from inside can u advise me please
Thanks
April 24th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Ms Manjula–a friend of mine’s mother makes a spicy chutney out of green chilis and green mango- I have yet to find anyone who has any idea how to make this. Would you know, by any chance?
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Hello Sean if you do not have measuring spoon try 1/8 cup of butter and use little more milk to make dough soft leave the dough for 3 to 4 minutes before making the balls.
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:45 am
Dear Manjula ji.
I love your recepies! However I would like to know how to measure & take 3 tbsps of butter for this recipe. This is because, my jamun dough was completely shredding,.. I couldnt make the balls! could you please help me with it!
I also wanted to know about how much time to leave once the batter is ready before making the balls!
Thank you so much ji!
SEAN
April 21st, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Hello Kavita, I dont thing you can do gulb jamuns without all purpose becauce you need some kind of binding.
April 21st, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Hi Manjula Aunty,
I want to make Gulab jamun without all purpose flour so that we can use it during fast
Is it possible? What should we use as substitute of all purpose flour.
Thanks!
Kavita
April 21st, 2008 at 11:08 am
Hello Rav, I think you added little too much baking soda.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:59 am
Hi actually i made gulab jamunas everything was fine but when i puted the mixture in the oil it scatered so it didn’t come really well i dont know what i have done wrong can you advise me please.
Thanx
April 15th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
yes powdered milk is same as milk powder
April 15th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Is milk powder the same as powdered milk?
April 9th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Hello Annette, If you will use salted butter you will have salteen gulab jamuns. I also have electric stove just heal the oil on medium low. This time gulab jamuns will be perfect.
April 9th, 2008 at 4:57 am
Hello Manjula Aunty,
What will happen if I used salted butter instead of unsalted butter when making Gulab Jamuns?
I have not yet tried to make them again-as the three times I tried they did not work out right. It is hard for me to regulate the temperature with electric stove top.
Pray for me Aunty that it will work out for me next time.
Im so excited about them finally working out-I cant wait to cook them for my family and friends.
From Annette
March 31st, 2008 at 12:34 pm
I love your site! I just recently had Indian cooking for the first time and love it. I have been looking for good vegetarian recipes and you have the best site of all of the ones I have seen. I love your videos and I look forward to more recipes! I am making this recipe next. Yum!
March 28th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Hello Kunal please check the recipe.
March 28th, 2008 at 1:05 am
can i add soda or beaking powder in gulab jamun.
please give me a answer.
kunal
March 27th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
manjula aunty…….it’s great u have got a proper site now……….i just loved it and shared it wid one of my friends…..i cud never make any Indian Sweet before but tried ma hands on gulab jamans as per your recipe, and they came out so well.
love ya aunty:D:D:D
March 27th, 2008 at 8:04 am
check the recipe for vegetable rice.
March 27th, 2008 at 7:47 am
rasgulla after you make few times you know exactley how much water to take out and how much to knead the paneer. May be you needed the knead the paneer little more.
March 27th, 2008 at 12:50 am
how can i make rice polaw.
March 27th, 2008 at 12:18 am
hello ,
i make your bangali rasgullas it is relly so tasty and beautiful but seems there is problem after took out rasgulla’s from pan size was not expand exactlly according to ur double size. so what i have to be do.
plz help me.
my phone no. is 09308091560 , 9431353080
March 27th, 2008 at 12:09 am
thanks alot for response . u r really great and great
March 26th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Sorry I have never made bathua sag murraba
March 26th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
i would like to know something
will u plz. tell me how can i make bathua pag murraba .
March 26th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
every grocery store carrys unsalted butter.
March 26th, 2008 at 2:57 am
hello ,
u r really great and great . please give me the suggestion that from whaere i can get unsaulted butter.
i was searched it alot everywhere but din’t got it.
if u r able to give ur phone number then plz.
March 20th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Dear Mrs. Manjula,
Thank you so much for creating this wonderful website! I am so excited to try your recipes.
March 15th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Dear Manjula,
Your desserts are sweet and delicious! … and I love your web site ( so clear, simple and humble!)
I am a French pastry chef (althought I have placed this profession on the side for a few years, I still love it) and have two suggestions you might find interesting.
More and more the pastry professional world find the wheat price sky rocketing (I think it has tripple within 1 year). Imagine what it means to a pastry chef face with this situation!
I think many of them might be interested to find alternative to wheat, not only because the price is climbing weekly, but also because it is an alternative to people with Celiac desease…. and it had an other flavor to the traditional wheat flavor.
For example you could transform a traditional pie dough, tart dough with another type of flour (i.e Gram flour, etc.).
Traditional italian pasta, sponge cake and other specialties could also use this type of flour replacement.
Coming from a pastry Europeen culture, I realized how advance the pastries are there and how much people from all around the world brag about them. With sadness, I rarely saw ethnic pastry to be taken to this level. They are often too sweet and/or too fatty.
I beleive, indian recipe as you make them could have an added twist such as of creativity, subtle balance of flavors, sweetness (not too much not too little), fat (not too oily, not too heavy, right fat flavor, yet transporting the flavors), having crunchy feeling in our mouth as we biting or creamy or both blended, final presentation, etc… you will send your love for them to the sky.
Olivier
March 15th, 2008 at 5:06 am
Dear Mrs Manjula,
Today I made gulab jaamuns for the fourth time. (Actually, I made jalebis today for the first time as well). All four times, I used your recipe. I followed your instructions to the dot and they came out perfect all four times. My family and I enjoyed this great Indian treat. This is my favourite all-time Indian sweets, at least out of all the ones I have tasted. Thank you very much for uploading this wonderful recipe for all of us.
March 13th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Gulab Jamuns you can leave them out or refrigerate texture should hot change. the only problem I see you cooked them on little high heat. Use your harden gulab jamun in little different way they will taste great. Cut them in small pieces and dip them in choclate and garnish with sliced almonds.
March 13th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Dear Mrs Manjula,
thanx for this great contribution! Please advise me why gulaab jaamuns turn hard when i leave in the fridge. they are perfect when fresh but as time goes they don’t soften only harden? i left them out for about 6 hrs before refrigerating.
i coolled them outside little bit before adding to very hot syrup.
please wat am i doing wrong?
thanx so much!