Mysore pak – Popular South Indian sweet recipe made with gram flour, sugar & ghee. Mysore pak is a classic traditional sweet dish which is said to have been originated in the kitchen of Royal Mysore palace. This aromatic and delicious sweet is prepared using besan/ gram flour, sugar and ghee. Commercially sold mysore pak also uses a small amount of oil to get a unique texture.
To make mysore pak, one need not possess any special skills but understanding the method is crucial to getting the perfect texture.
A correctly made mysore pak is light, slightly crunchy, not hard, edges with crumbs and the cube has a porous texture with a delicious aroma.
It should not have traces of ghee over it and should not release ghee when eaten.
To get the right texture, the ratio of the ingredients used is very important. I suggest not to alter the recipe if you are keen to get the same texture as seen in the pictures.
The mysore pak recipe I have shared here is to make a small batch that yields about 12 medium sized pieces. Even a beginner or a first timer will be able to handle this quantity with ease.
This recipe can be doubled or tripled but stirring a large batch would be a real arm work as it requires constant stirring and one needs to be quick. So I usually make 2 batches on the same day as it is easy to handle small batches.
Do use a heavy kadai or pan with a good strong spatula for stirring. About 3 to 4 years ago, I had made this in a brand new prestige omega plus nonstick handi. The entire coating completely came off to the mysore pak.
Even a cast iron pan didn’t work well for me as it is hard to control the heat and the mysore pak got overcooked towards the end. So a heavy bottom steel pan, pressure pan or a kadai works well.
More Sweet recipes
Ladoo recipes
Burfi recipes
Halwa recipes
Kheer recipes
1. Sieve besan well twice. Set this aside dividing to 3 parts. Make sure there are no lumps in the flour.
2. Grease a small pan well and set aside. I used a mini loaf pan.
3. Burner 1 – Begin to heat ghee and oil in a kadai or pot on a low to medium flame. We need hot ghee and oil to add to the bubbling besan and sugar syrup later as and when needed.
4. Burner 2 – Add sugar to a kadai along with water.
Making sugar syrup
5. Boil it on a medium heat stirring often until a one string consistency is achieved.
6. To check one string consistency, take a small portion of the sugar syrup in between your thumb and index finger. Move the fingers apart, you should be able to see a single string formed.Take care as the syrup will be too hot.
7. Make sure your oil and ghee are getting hot.
How to make mysore pak
8. Add 1/3 rd portion of the besan to the bubbling sugar syrup. The flame has to be medium and the syrup bubbling well at this stage else the mysore pak turns flat and not porous. Stir until all the flour blends well with the syrup.
9. Then add the next 1/3rd portion of flour and repeat adding the last part too following the same process.
10. At this stage there should be no lumps and the flour should have blended well with the sugar syrup.
11. Add in 1 ladle full of hot ghee & oil to the besan mixture. Immediately the oil and ghee must sizzle, meaning it is hot enough. Make sure the ghee is really very hot otherwise increase the flame of burner 1 to keep ghee & oil consistently hot. Quickly stir well until all the ghee has been absorbed.
12. Repeat adding the ghee in parts and repeat stirring until the ghee is well absorbed each time.
13. As you keep adding the ghee, every time it has to sizzle, then stir well until absorbed. If you do not have enough ghee and oil left in the kadai on burner 1, then you can add 2 tbsp more each of oil and ghee and heat it quickly. I did not use any excess.
Consistency of mysore pak mixture
14. At one stage, you will see the mixture just begins to leave the pan.
15. Quickly add some hot ghee and stir. Do not add a lot at this stage as it will leave out the excess.
16. When the mysore pak is about to finish, the mixture will become very thick, with lot of pores or bubbles. No more adding ghee at this stage otherwise it will ooze out the excess. The mixture will leave the pan completely within few seconds.
Setting the mixture
17. Be very very quick and transfer to a greased pan. With the help of a greased spoon, light level the top. Traditional mysore pak is actually not leveled but I suggest to reduce the crumbs.
18. Set aside for 10 to 15 mins. Invert it on a board. Cut to desired sized pieces.
Cool mysore pak completely and store in a air tight jar. It keeps good for 10 days at room temperature.
Related Recipes
Mysore pak recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 1 cup besan or gram flour
- 1 ¾ cup sugar (can reduce to 1¼ cup but texture will be like burfi)
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup ghee (pure good quality ghee)
- ½ cup oil (preferably peanut oil, if you skip it will be like burfi) (refer notes)
Optional – use if needed. I have not used
- 2 tbsps oil
- 2 tbsps ghee
Instructions
Preparation
- Pour 1 tbsp ghee to a small tray and grease it well for setting the mysore pak. Set this aside.
- Place a sieve over a large bowl. Measure and add besan to the sieve.
- Next sieve it well twice. Divide the flour to 3 parts and transfer them to small bowls. Set this aside.
- On one burner of the stove place a kadai and pour ghee and oil. Begin to heat it on a low to medium heat.
Sugar syrup for mysore pak
- On another burner, place a wide deep pan. Pour the sugar and water. Begin to heat it.
- Boil the sugar syrup stirring often until it reaches a one string consistency.
- To check one string consistency of the syrup, take a small portion of the syrup in between the thumb and index finger. Move the fingers apart. You must be able to see a single string in between the fingers.
- Ensure the oil and ghee are turning hot.
How to make mysore pak
- Add 1/3 rd portion of flour to the bubbling sugar syrup. Flame must be medium and the sugar syrup bubbling well otherwise mysore pak turns flat. Stir well until all the flour blends well with the syrup.
- Then add the next 1/3 rd portion of flour. Repeat adding the last part too following the same process.
- At this stage there must be no lumps & the flour must blend well with the sugar syrup.
- Next add in 1 ladle full of hot ghee & oil to the pan. Then immediately oil and ghee must sizzle, meaning it is hot enough. Make sure the ghee is really very hot otherwise increase the flame of burner 1 to keep ghee & oil consistently hot. Immediately stir well until all the ghee has been absorbed.
- Repeat adding the ghee in parts & repeat stirring until the ghee is well absorbed every time.
- As the ghee is added every time it has to sizzle. Then stir well until absorbed. If you do not have enough ghee left in the kadai, then pour 2 tbsp more each of oil and ghee. Then heat it quickly. I did not use any excess.
- Quickly pour some hot ghee and stir. Do not add a lot at as it will leave out the excess.
- When the mysore pak is about to finish, the mixture will turn very thick with lot of pores or bubbles. Do not add any more ghee at this stage otherwise it will ooze out the excess. The mixture will leave the pan completely within few seconds.
- Be very very quick and transfer to a greased pan. Level the top with the help of a greased spoon. Keep this aside for 10 to 15 mins. Invert it on a board. Cut to desired sized pieces.
- Cool mysore pak completely. Store in a air tight jar at room temperature
Notes
There will be no oil smell in the mysore pak if you use good quality oil.
For health reasons, I suggest using peanut oil as it has a high smoke point. While we heat the oil and ghee, it may smoke up sometimes.
The addition of peanut oil infact enhances the aroma of mysore pak.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Came out good.
Thank you
I tried the Mysore pak. Came out very well. Only modification I did was to roast the besan. Also, next time, planing to reduce sugar. Otherwise, perfect recipe. This is my first time trying it and it came out very good. I have been researching for a good recipe for a long time. Hats off to you!
Should we dry roast the besan flour or ghee
Or roasting the flour necessary?
No. You don’t need to roast the flour.
Best recipe ever! It turned out perfect in both taste and texture!! Was a hit for Diwali. Thank you!!
Glad to know!
I doubled the quantity and tried this for Diwali. My mixture started becoming airy and bubbly while I was 2/3 way through the ghee . I still had one whole cup of ghee and oil left.
The taste was good but my Mysore Pak was a little crumbly. It wasn’t too bad for the first try 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Sukshma
You are welcome. Making perfect mysore pak needs a bit of practice. I think you were not fast enough to work/stir while you added the oil and ghee. Just give another try you will get it. Also try 1X and don’t double the recipe until you are very confident. Hope this helps.
I’ve tried it this recipe 2 x. And I just can’t get it right. It flattens out after some time when I pour it into the tin. And the oil is too much. Not airy as picture….where am I going wrong?
Did you watch my video? If it flattens it means either the mixture or the sugar syrup is not cooked yet. It has to be airy which comes by adding hot oil and ghee. If you use less oil it will not be airy and will flatten.
Oil is too much means? I didn’t get you. If you use more oil that mentioned in the recipe it will ooze out. Hope this helps
Thanks for sharing. I tried it last night and it came out really well. I used half the portions as a trial. The pieces are not super soft and that’s because i added a little less ghee
Hi Dharini
You are welcome! Glad to know mysore pak turned out good.
Yes any changes to the ghee or oil proportions in the recipe will alter the texture. Thanks for the comment
Tried to make it today. Didnt turn out well. When I added the besan the texture got hard.
I will try again. Hopefully it turns out better.
Hi,
I guess you went wrong with the sugar syrup consistency. If you are not an experienced cook you won’t get it right in the first trial. Yes give another try. Also watch the video before attempting
Very very useful.
Thank you
Your recipe is awesome
But my besan turned brown while i poured the hot oil. Why is it so ?
Thank you .
Hope you used gram flour and not chickpea flour.
I tried it for the first time and I was skeptical if it would come well. But, it came so well. The texture was perfect and it tasted so good. It was especially loved by Friends from Karnataka… Awesome….
Hi Priya,
Glad to know! Thank you so much for leaving a comment
First time I tried it was a flap..today I tried it turned out very well..thank u
Welcome Jyothi
Glad to know
Thank you
tried the recipe, what i got was grainy besan which didn’t set at all. followed the recipe to the T, not sure what went wrong…
Hi Ritu,
The mixture got overcooked so it became dry. Did you watch the video? Getting mysore pak right is a bit tricky. Halve the recipe and give another try in a day or 2 so you know where you went wrong. Hope this helps
Hi Swasthi
I was a bit skeptical before making Mysore pak, if I could really pull it off. As always I read your entire recipe couple of times and then decided I have to try this as had many childhood memories attached to Mysore pak. my dad’s one of the favourite sweets. He would get it from store on festival/ occasions up until we grew up.
I had to try this out for him to have. this attempt of mine has been good as my parents loved it a lot. My mom said that she was very happy to eat the homemade Mysore pak and could never imagine it being made at home. a big thankyou to you for making this happen through your lovely recipe. Looking forward to try many of your recipes.
Hi Suhasini
Great to hear that! You are most welcome!
Thank you so much for sharing the pictures and leaving a comment here.
🙂
Hi Swasthi I always have trouble with sugar syrup consistency… Can u help me with it? Like how long will it take to reach single string on medium heat? Any other shortcuts like using a candy thermometer?
Hi Abinaya
Take a look at the video to know the correct string consistency. I haven’t checked with the thermometer. The timing depends on the flame and the kind of pot used. But it is easy to learn the string consistency. You may halve the recipe and try.
Thank u Swasthi will try 🙂
Hi!!
I want to use 3cups of besan N how much sugar should u use??
Hi
I suggest to try the recipe as it is with 1 cup besan.
3 cups is a lot and I haven’t tried it any time with so much in one batch.
I have tried with one cup of besan n it came out good!!
So just wanted to make it 3 cups for my huge family!!
So plz tell me how much sugar to use??
Or I should just take 3/4th cup extra like 3 cups bean top 3 3/4th cup of sugar??
Megha,
With 3 cups, it is very hard to stir the mixture. You need a lot of arm strength. If you thick you can, then just go ahead tripling all the ingredients. I had doubled this recipe before and felt it is too tiring. So I split up to batches now and make which is easier to manage. Hope this helps.
Hi I need to make like sweet shop ghee mysore pak deep brown in colour…. Can you please share that recipe
Srivani,
Yes I will share when I make it.
Hi… I have made this… Taste is good…. First time I have made with only one cup ghee, 11/4 cup sugar n 1cup besan… It tasted like medium soft burfi… But still tastes good… Second time I have used half cup ghee n half cup oil…. Sugar 11/4cup….i got very hard n crumbled texture…. I need to make like sweet shop mysore pak…
..
Hi Srivani
I made mysore pak with several variations. But the recipe shared in this post always yields me the best. It comes close to the authentic traditional mysore pak. Not hard at all but with a right crunch. Any changes may alter the texture and taste. Second time you got is hard may be because you altered the quantities or overcooked.
Hi… I wanna try this… Can I reduce oil or ghee.. Can I use non-stick pan for this… Please suggest any good brand nonstick… We stays in bangalore…
Hi Srivani
I haven’t tried it. But a reader mentioned in one of the comments below that he reduced the ghee/oil and turned out good. You can scroll down to read it. I don’t suggest non-stick for this. I have already shared in the post that non-stick did not work out well for me. Look for stainless steel cookware with heavy bottom. I have seen steel cookware from stellar brand in Bangalore. Check if you can get it. Hope this helps
Thank you….
Hi swasthi, I tried your recipe.. has come out excellently well.. and me being an amateur at making sweets, I personally felt that it was a very easy and comfortable recipe to follow. I have one doubt.. my Mysore oak has the same texture as the one you have made, but the colour is very very light. As light as the colour of raw besan. Any tips to help me with that ?? Thank you so much…
Hello Arpitha
Glad it turned out good. I always wonder why store bought besan comes in different shades. Some are too light in color and some are too yellowish. I think the lighter color in your mysore pak is due to the color of your besan. After cooking besan in hot boiling sugar syrup and pouring hot oil it will surely cook well. As long as you don’t feel the raw taste in the mysore pak it’s fine. The store bough mysore pak is deep golden to light brown color as they use iron kadai. This may be another reason. Making it in a nonstick or steel pan may not give the same dark color. But you should get something like mine. Hope this helps.
🙂
Thank you
Welcome