Gulab jamun
गुलाब जामुन
Soft balls of milk-powder dough fried slowly to a deep brown, then soaked warm in cardamom and rose syrup until they swell.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: गुलाब जामुन.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Rest
- 1 hr
- Total
- 1 hr 55 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Gulab jamun are small balls of milk dough fried slowly until evenly brown, then dropped into warm syrup scented with cardamom, rose water and saffron. They soak for at least an hour, swelling and turning soft and spongy right through. The traditional dough is khoya, milk reduced for an hour or more to a crumbly paste. This version uses full-fat milk powder bound with a little flour, ghee and milk, which is what many Indian home cooks use too. The rules are a soft dough with no cracks, oil kept low, and syrup that is warm, not boiling, when the jamun go in.
What you'll need
12 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Syrup
- Dough
- To fry
Ingredients
Syrup
- Sugar400 g
- Water450 ml
- Cardamom, green pods, cracked4
- Rose water15 ml
- Saffron (optional)1 pinch
- Lemon juice, stops the syrup crystallising4.9 ml
Dough
- Milk powder, full-fat120 g
- Wheat flour, plain30 ml
- Baking soda1 pinch
- Ghee15 ml
- Milk, warm; you may not need it all60 ml
To fry
- Neutral oil, or ghee, for frying500 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Simmer the sugar, water and cracked cardamom in a saucepan for 5 minutes, until the syrup feels slightly sticky between two fingers but does not form a thread. Off the heat, add the lemon juice, saffron and rose water. Keep it warm.
8 min
Step 2
Mix the milk powder, flour and baking soda in a bowl and rub in the ghee. Add the warm milk a spoon at a time, bringing it together gently with your fingers, until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough. Do not knead. Cover and rest 10 minutes.
15 min
Tip: If the dough cracks when you press it, it is too dry. Add a few drops of milk.
Step 3
Grease your palms with ghee and roll the dough into about 18 balls of 2.5 cm, pressing and rolling until the surface is completely smooth with no cracks. Cracks open in the oil.
10 min
Step 4
Heat the oil in a wok over low heat until a small piece of dough sinks and rises slowly to the top, about 140°C. Fry 5 or 6 balls at a time, swirling the oil gently around them rather than touching them, for 8 to 10 minutes until evenly deep brown.
30 min140°C
Tip: If they brown in under four minutes the oil is too hot, and the centres will stay hard.
Step 5
Let each batch drain for 30 seconds, then drop it into the warm syrup. Soak at least 1 hour, ideally 2 to 3, until the jamun have swollen and are soft right through. Serve warm with a spoon of the syrup.
2 min
Watch: The syrup must be warm, not boiling. Boiling syrup makes the jamun collapse; cold syrup will not soak in.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 265 kcal
- Protein
- 2.1 g
- Carbs
- 25.9 g
- Fat
- 17.6 g
- Saturated fat
- 3.1 g
- Fibre
- 0.1 g
- Sugar
- 25 g
- Sodium
- 78 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Milk
- Wheat
- Vegetarian
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Milk powder and milk → Khoya (mawa)
Use 250 g crumbled khoya kneaded with 2 tbsp flour and the baking soda, adding milk only if it is dry.
Vegetable oil → Ghee
Sweet shops fry in ghee. It gives a richer jamun and holds a low, steady heat well.
Tips
- They keep a week in their syrup in the fridge. Warm them gently before serving.
- A few slivers of pistachio on top is the usual garnish.
- Gulab jamun with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a restaurant habit worth copying.
History & culture
Gulab jamun turn up at every North Indian wedding, at Diwali and Eid, and wherever sweets are handed round in boxes. Restaurants serve two in a bowl of warm syrup after a meal. Bengal has its own darker, firmer cousin, kalo jam, and Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh all treat it as their own.
The name joins the Persian gulab, rose water, with jamun, the purple Indian fruit the fried balls resemble. Fried dough soaked in syrup came with Persian and Central Asian cooks and is related to the Arab luqmat al-qadi. The story goes that it was first made in the kitchens of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, though nothing firm backs that up.
Modern adaptation — Sweet shops make gulab jamun from khoya, sometimes with a little chhena, and fry them in ghee. Milk powder gives a slightly lighter, more cake-like jamun and saves an hour of reducing milk. To make khoya, simmer 1.5 litres of full-fat milk, stirring, until it is a thick paste of about 300 g, and use 250 g of it in place of the milk powder and milk.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Gulab jamun take?
1 hr 55 min all in — 20 min prep, 35 min cook, 1 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 18 pieces. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Milk, Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Nut-free.
8 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Mixing bowl, Wok, Spider or strainer.
How much salt do I put in?
This recipe does not list a salt amount. We will not invent one.
How much sugar?
400 g of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Milk powder and milk → Khoya (mawa). Use 250 g crumbled khoya kneaded with 2 tbsp flour and the baking soda, adding milk only if it is dry. Vegetable oil → Ghee. Sweet shops fry in ghee. It gives a richer jamun and holds a low, steady heat well.
What should I watch for?
The syrup must be warm, not boiling. Boiling syrup makes the jamun collapse; cold syrup will not soak in.
Any tips from this recipe?
They keep a week in their syrup in the fridge. Warm them gently before serving. A few slivers of pistachio on top is the usual garnish. Gulab jamun with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a restaurant habit worth copying.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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