Khoya gulab jamun recipe with video & step by step photos – Traditional gulab jamun recipe made with khoya. Wishing all the readers a very happy, prosperous and safe Diwali. Gulab jamun was originally prepared with milk solids known as khoya / mawa /kova which is made by condensing full fat milk.
There are also many modern versions of making gulab jamun using milk powder, potato, sweet potato and even with bread. But the taste of the khoya gulab jamun is much superior from all these & is rich, soft, juicy and light.
To make this gulab jamun recipe, you can use homemade khoya or store bought one. I have used store bought one as making khoya at home needs hours of hard work. This recipe can also be used to make dry gulab jamun and kala jamun.
If khoya or mawa is not available in the place where you live you can try this Gulab jamun with milk powder.
The texture of this Khoya gulab jamun is soft, yet slightly firm with no grits. They soak up the sugar syrup well and turn juicy after soaking. This recipe can be doubled or even tripled. But make sure you have a helping hand to make the balls as the dough & balls begins to dry up and lead to cracks if not fried in time.
The key to making good khoya gulab jamun lies in
1. Making the dough correctly – soft & smooth using enough moisture to bind the ingredients.
2. Making smooth balls that do not have cracks.
3. Frying them in time on a medium heat.
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Khoya gulab jamun recipe
Khoya gulab jamun recipe | Gulab jamun with khoya mawa | Indian sweets
Ingredients (240 ml cup used)
- 125 grams khoya or mawa or kova - 1 heaped cup grated
- 2½ tbsps maida or plain flour (can use organic flour)
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp cardamom powder or elaichi powder
- 2 to 4 tbsps milk or water as needed
- 2 tbsp paneer (optional)
- Oil as needed for frying
For sugar syrup
- 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups sugar (refined sugar is best)
- tsp cardamom powder / elaichi powder
- 1 tsp rose water
- 1½ tsp lemon juice
How to make the recipe
Making sugar syrup or chasni
- Add sugar to a medium wide pot. Pour water and heat it. Boil the syrup till it turns sticky. The syrup should not reach 1 string consistency otherwise it may not be absorbed by the jamuns.
- Turn off the stove. Add rose water, cardamom powder and lemon juice.Stir and set aside to keep the syrup slightly hot.
Making dough for jamuns
- Add grated mawa to a mixing bowl. Add maida, cardamom powder and then baking powder to the bowl.
- Mix up the flour with baking powder and cardamom powder.
- Add milk as needed little by little and make a smooth dough. You can gently knead it but don't over knead as it may affect the texture. You must get a dough ball that is smooth with not many cracks. It should not be dry.
- Divide the dough to 14 to 16 parts.
- Take each balls in between your palms, rub it gently a few times until smooth and roll to a ball. The balls should not have cracks and must be smooth.
How to make khoya gulab jamun
- Heat oil in a deep pan or kadai.
- Check if the oil is hot by dropping a small piece of ball to the hot oil. The ball must go in and rise slowly with bubbles. This is the right time to fry the balls.
- Regulate the flame to medium. Begin to drop one ball at a time. Slowly add as many balls as possible. Keep stirring the oil to fry them evenly.
- After frying for few minutes they will firm up. Keep stirring and fry them uniformly until golden brown. If needed regulate the flame to low and medium often.
- Remove the balls that are done to a kitchen tissue. Continue frying and removing when ever a ball is done frying.
- Allow the balls to cool a bit for 3 to 5 mins. Add them to slightly hot syrup, The syrup should not be very hot. When you dip your finger you must feel the syrup is hot but not very hot.
- Gently rotate the gulab jamuns in the syrup and allow them to soak for 30 to 45 mins.
- They soak up the syrup quickly and turn soft and juicy.
- Serve gulab jamun with syrup.
Recipe Video
Prepare syrup for khoya gulab jamun
1. Add sugar and water to a slightly wide pot. Boil on a medium heat till the syrup turns sticky. Do not use a cast iron pot for sugar syrup. Most times the sugar syrup turns very thick & crystallizes after cooling down since it gets cooked even after turning off.
2. Check if the syrup is sticky by taking little in between the thumb and the forefinger. When you separate the fingers the syrup must be sticky. This is a stage that is attained prior to reaching a single string consistency.
If the syrup reaches a single string consistency it will not be absorbed by the jamuns. If the syrup is not sticky and is thin then the jamuns may break in the syrup. So the right consistency is the syrup being sticky and must not be cooked beyond this stage.
3. Take off the syrup from the stove and add lemon juice, cardamom powder and rose water. Set this aside.
Making dough & jamun
4. Add grated mawa, maida, cardamom powder and baking powder. Do not use baking soda as a substitute to baking powder. Please ensure you measure all these ingredients correctly.
5. Mix baking powder well with flour first, then mix all of them together.
6. Try to bring the ingredients together to make a dough. If the mawa used is dry like mine, then you will need milk or water to bind them. I used 1 tbsp at a time and made the dough. I used about 4 tbsps milk totally, you can also use water.
Do note that you will need to use milk or water only as needed to make a smooth dough.
7. You will have to knead it gently to make the dough smooth and should not be dry. Do not over knead as it may alter the texture of the jamuns.
8. Divide the dough to 14 to 16 parts.
9. Take each part in between your palms and rub it gently a few times.
10. Roll it to a smooth crack free ball gently with out putting pressure on them. Do not over knead the dough.
11. Finish making all balls and cover it until fried. It is good to fry them immediately.
How to make khoya gulab jamun
12. Heat oil in a pan. Check if the oil is hot by dropping a very small piece of the dough in the hot oil. The ball has to go down and slowly rise up with bubbles. If the oil is not hot enough, a crusty layer will form over the jamuns.
If the oil is too hot, mawa may get dispersed in the oil or may get browned without cooking inside.
13. Regulate the flame to medium. Drop the balls one after the other slowly while stirring the oil in between.
14. Continue adding and keep stirring. If needed regulate the flame between low to medium.
15. As you see the balls that were first added gets fried to golden brown. Remove them to a kitchen tissue. Keep stirring for frying the rest evenly.
16. Remove them to a kitchen tissue and cool for 3 to 5 mins.
17. Add them to slightly hot syrup. The syrup must be slightly hot and not very hot. When you dip your finger in the syrup it must be hot but not very hot.
18. Gently stir them in the syrup. Soak for 30 to 45 mins.
Serve gulab jamun with syrup.
Fatema says
Great tips, i always made with only mawa and maida but it use to spread out the moment I put it in the oil. Adding milk helped it bind well. And adding lemon to the syrup it enhanced the taste so well
Thank you so much My son loves it
swasthi says
Hi Fatema
You are welcome. Thanks for trying.
Santosh says
Thanks for sharing the recipe. My daughter loves Jamuns so I used to make with the read-made mix but was shocked to see the amount of additives (chemicals) in them. So this time I tried to make with Khova and used your recipe. It turned out quite good but one issue I faced is that the Jamuns didn’t absorb the syrup as good as the ones I used to make with the read-made mix. One thing different from what you suggested is that the syrup was already cool by the time I added the Jamuns. Next time I will ensure that it is hot.
swasthi says
Hi Santosh
You are welcome. Yes the readymade mix has many additives. Gulab jamuns will absorb syrup only if the syrup is hot and has not reached string consistency. Do try it another time.
Thanks for the comment.
Ankita says
Hi Swasthi,
Very well written recipe.
The khoya which is store bought need not be fried first ?
swasthi says
Hi Ankita
Thank you. No you don’t need to fry it. Just grate it finely and use.
Subasri says
If making kova in home how much litre of milk needed to make in this proposition
swasthi says
Hi Subasri
I have no idea about it. It depends on the kind of milk used. I know it is damn tedious to make kova at home. Sorry couldn’t help you.
Anu says
Hi swasthi
Before trying ur recipe i hv few questions
1. Why havent u used paneer n milk powder in the dough……most other cooking channels hv shown adding paneer n milk pwdr
2. How long generally does it take for the jamuns to fry……in youtube channel cookingshooking I’ve seen the chef saying 13to 15min……does it really take that long
swasthi says
Hi Anu
The recipe shared above is the traditional way made just with khoya and maida. Milk powder is added just for that unique flavor but it has additives or preservatives so I have not used. Paneer can also be added but if it is homemade otherwise the texture may turn out chewy. Paneer gives a slightly porous texture to the jamuns.
It is hard to tell the exact time to fry them as it depends on the quantity of oil used, intensity of the flame , the size of the kadai & number of balls added to the kadai. I fry them in a first in first out method. Adding balls one after the other, after adding few, need to gently stir and continue adding few more, I do not add them in a batch, I drop one by one – same way, i remove one by one. The entire batch doesn’t get fried at the same time. So I suggest don’t go by the time, it might have taken him so long but it may differ. Hope this helps.
Vasanthi says
You have given very detailed recipes which even.a novice will be able to try out. Your repertoire is impressive
Good show. Keep it up. By the way, can you share the twcipe for carrot hawa minus condensed milk?
swasthi says
Hi Vasanthi
Thanks. You can check this recipe of carrot halwa without condensed milk.. Hope this helps
Tanisha joshi says
Turned out ossum. My first attempt itself resulted in success. Thanks a lot for the recipe.
swasthi says
Welcome Tanisha
very happy to know it came out good