Rasmalai recipe – Learn how to make easy & soft rasmalai at home. This detailed post will teach you how to make perfect juicy & soft rasmalai at home that not only tastes delicious but also melts in your mouth. Rasmalai is a Bengali delicacy that is very popular among the Indian Sweet Lovers. Ras malai – Ras literally translates to “juice” and malai to “cream”.
Rasmalai is a classic Indian festive dessert made with milk, an acidic ingredient, sugar and saffron. It is eaten all over India and is mostly bought from the halwai or the sweet shops.
Making rasmalai at home is similar to making rasgulla. Both of these are easy but quite tricky to make them perfectly soft and juicy.
It is a three step process – Curdling the milk to make chena or paneer, then boiling the chena dics in sugar syrup & lastly resting them in thickened milk or rabri.
These flattened puffed discs – Rasmalai soak up the creamy milk and turn delicious. Lastly they are chilled and then garnished with nuts. These juicy delights are a melt in the mouth and are loved by everyone.
In this post I have shared 2 ways to make rasmalai – the traditional way and the short cut method using the tinned or ready made rasgullas & condensed milk. The second method just takes about 10 minutes and are great to make if you long for a quick dessert anytime. Please scroll down for the second method.
Now back to the making traditional rasmalai.
3 key pointers to make soft rasmalai
- Making soft chena
- Proper kneading
- Boiling the rasmalai dics for the right amount of time on a right flame or heat.
Step-by-step photos
Method 1
Preparation for rasmalai recipe
1. Making rabri. Pour 3 cups milk to a heavy bottom pot. Bring it to a boil on a medium flame. Add saffron/ kesar and keep stirring every few minutes to prevent burning.
2. Next pour sugar. I used organic sugar. You can use white sugar as well.
3. Adjust the flame as desired to suit your convenience. Do not use high flame milk may overflow the pot. Keep stirring every 2 to 3 minutes, moving aside the malai/cream that comes on top. Turn off when it gets condensed to half the quantity.
Chill half of this in the fridge. Keep the rest in the same pot.
Make chenna for rasmalai
4. While the rabri is getting done, bring 5 cups milk to a boil in another pot for making chenna/paneer. If you are using non-homogenized milk then take off the milk from the stove and allow to rest for 5 mins. Then add the vinegar.
If using homogenized milk, add the curd or lemon juice or vinegar once the milk comes to a boil.
5. Keep stirring until the milk curdles completely. If needed add more lemon juice or vinegar. Switch off the stove.
6. When you see it has curdled completely, immediately add ice cubes or ice cold water. This is very important to keep the chenna soft.
7. Drain it up in a thin clean muslin cloth.
8. Wrap up the paneer in the cloth bringing together all the edges. Put the cloth under running water, making sure the paneer is wrapped well in the cloth. Rinse it well under the running water to remove the smell of lemon or vinegar.
Tie up the paneer in the cloth like shown in the picture. Squeeze off the excess water. Hang it up on a hook for 45 minutes to 1 hour for the whey to completely drain.
9. At this step you must have chenna that is just moist with no dripping water and not sticky. Knead it well until you get smooth, grain free and non-sticky chena. You must not knead to the extent that chenna begins to release grease or fats.
Please check the pictures I have shared in the intro to know the right texture.
How to make rasmalai
10. Divide it to 12 equal portions. Make balls and flatten them gently. You can also make rasgulla or chum chum. If you find the edges cracked up, gently smoothen them. Cover and set them aside.
11. Bring 3 1/2 cups water to a boil with 1 cup sugar.
12. When the syrup begins to boil, add cardamom powder.
13. Next when the syrup begins to boil rapidly, add flattened discs of chenna. Cover immediately and cook on a moderately high flame for exactly 9 minutes.
14. The discs would have doubled in size. Keep it covered and take off the pot from the stove. Rest for atleast 20 mins.
15. Take out one by one and cool. Gently squeeze them in between your palms to remove the absorbed sugar syrup. You can also do it with a spatula and spoon.
16. Add them to the warm rabri.
17. Add chopped pistachios, almonds and cashews. You can also simmer for just one to 2 minutes on a low flame for the milk to be absorbed by the discs. Do not overcook at this stage, they may break.
Pour the chilled rabri to this and serve rasmalai chilled.
Method 2 – Easy rasmalai in 10 minutes
Using ready made rasgulla and milkmaid.
Ingredients
- 12 rasgullas
- 1 tin milk maid condensed milk (392 grams)
- 2 cups milk
- ⅛ Tsp. Green cardamom powder / elaichi
- Few saffron strands
- Chopped Pistachios and almonds for garnish
Instructions
1. You can use any ready made rasgulla. Squeeze the syrup out of the balls. Do not press them too hard, they will break. Make sure that the syrup is extracted from the balls else they will not absorb the milk. Set these aside.
2. Pour milk and condensed milk in a pan and bring it to a boil.
3. Add saffron and cardamom powder. Simmer it for around 5 to 6 mins so that the milk blends well with milkmaid. Alternately, You can melt the saffron in little hot milk and add too.
4. Reduce the flame to medium. Add the rasgulla to the condensed milk.
5. Cover with a lid and simmer for a min or two. Overcooking can break them.
6. Easy rasmalai using rasgulla is ready in less than 10 minutes.
Garnish with nuts. You could add the chopped nuts at step 4 too.
Note: It will be sufficient even if you use ¾ th can of condensed milk (392 gms) and 1.5 cups of milk. We have a sweet tooth, so I use up the entire can and we enjoy the creamy milk too. So adjust to suit your need.
How to make super soft chena?
Boiling & curdling milk correctly will give to the super soft chena. If the chena is not soft then rasmalai will not turn soft but instead will turn hard.
The first step is to bring the milk to a boil & then curdle it to make soft chena. Well there are 2 methods to curdle milk to make soft chena.
Method 1 – Using homogenized &/or pasteurized milk: This first method is to curdle the milk immediately after the milk comes to a boil whilst milk is still on the stove.
Curdle first by adding the acidic ingredient & then turn off the stove. Immediately pour ice cold water or add ice cubes to stop it from cooking further.
This ice cold water or ice cubes will keep your chena super soft as it stops further cooking. This method is best if you are using pasteurized or/& homogenized milk.
This method has consistently yielded me soft chena. Do not follow this method if you are using non-homogenized milk or buffalo milk.
If you follow this method using non-homogenized milk then you will end up with rubbery & hard chena.
Method 2 – Using non-homogenized milk (not packet milk, but fresh from milkman): This method is to bring the milk to a boil. Turn off the stove and rest for about 5 to 10 minutes to cool down the milk slightly. Then curdle the milk by adding the acidic ingredient.
This method will work if your milk is unprocessed & is pure without any additives.
This method will not work if you are using pasteurized & homogenized milk. Infact the milk will not curdle at all unless you continue to boil the milk.
But back in India this is the method most people follow as they use non-homogenized milk. I have seen my mum following this method to make the softest paneer.
Tips
Now my tip is to bring the milk to a boil, then turn off the stove and try adding the acidic ingredient. If the milk doesn’t curdle then put it back on the stove and continue to boil until the milk curdles.
But remember to use ice cold water or ice cubes to stop the cooking further after the entire milk has curdled. This will give you the soft chena.
Faqs
1. Why does my rasmalai turn hard?
Hard chena, over kneading the chena, boiling the chena discs for too long will result in hard & dense rasmalai.
2. Why do my rasmalai or chena discs break or dissolve in sugar syrup?
Too much whey in the chena will dissolve them in the syrup while boiling.
3. How long do I need to hang the chena to drain whey?
This depends of the kind of milk used. If using non-homogenized milk 45 to 60 mins is just good enough. If using homogenized then it depends again on the kind of milk.
Some may take up to 6 hours. So do not go by the time go by the texture which I have explained below.
4. What is the right texture of chena after draining?
When the chena is still moist yet has no dripping whey in it then it is good for kneading. Here is a picture with details.
I consider chena to be perfect if it passes this test. Take a small portion of the chena and smear it to a smooth surface like your kitchen countertop or chopping board.
Chena must be non-sticky & grainy or crumbly. Very sticky chena indicates too much moisture . So hang it for longer.
Too grainy, dry or very crumbly chena indicates over drained. In this case you can knead with a moist hand. You can also dip your hand in whey as many times as required and knead.
5. How long to knead chena for soft rasmalai?
The main purpose of kneading chena is to make it smooth and soft without being grainy. So do not go by the clock, knead it until you get a soft, crumb free and smooth texture.
Over all the time it takes to knead depends on how grainy your paneer is. More acidic ingredient can make your chena more grainy. So just knead until your chena is crumb free and soft.
You can also check this Collection of 100 diwali recipes for the festive season.
For more Indian sweets recipes, do check
Rasgulla
Gulab jamun
Kalakand
Malpua with Rabri
Peda recipe
Kaju katli
Besan ladoo
Recipe
Easy rasmalai recipe
Rasmalai recipe | How to make soft rasmalai
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients for rasmalai
- 1¼ liter milk or 5 cups full fat milk for chenna
- 1 to 2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar (mix with 2 to 3 tbsp water) or 4 to 6 tbsp curd
- 1 liter ice water or ice cubes
For sugar syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 3½ cups water
- ¼ tsp cardamom powder or elaichi powder
To make rabri
- ¾ liter milk (3 cups full fat)
- ½ cup sugar for rabri
- pinch saffron or kesar (optional)
- 2 tbsp pista or almonds sliced
Instructions
Make thickened milk for rasmalai
- Pour 3 cups milk to a heavy bottom pot and boil.
- Add saffron and sugar when the milk comes to a boil.
- Reduce the flame to medium. Stir every 2 to 3 minutes to prevent the milk from scorching at the bottom.
- When a layer of cream forms, just move it aside.
- Boil until the milk thickens and reduces to half the quantity. Set this aside to cool.
- Cool half of this and chill in the fridge. Keep the other half warm.
Make chenna
- Bring 5 cups milk to a boil in a pot. Turn off the stove.
- Pour lemon juice and keep stirring until the milk has curdled completely.
- If it doesn't curdle then add some more and stir.
- Next if it fails to curdle then turn on the stove & regulate to a low flame. Stir until it curdles.
- Turn off the stove. Pour ice water or add ice cubes to the pot and set aside for 2 mins.
- Drain to a muslin cloth lined over a colander.
- Pour fresh water over the chena and rinse well. You can also do it under running water for the sour taste to vanish.
- Wrap the chena in the cloth. Squeeze off excess whey and make a knot.
- Next hang it for about 45 minutes to 1 hour for the excess whey to drain off.
- Chena should not have any excess dripping whey & should not be completely dry. It must be moist and grainy but not very sticky or dry. Please check the images above the recipe card.
Kneading chena
- Transfer the chenna to a plate. At this stage chenna should not have any excess whey in it.
- Knead well for about 3 to 5 minutes until smooth. Chenna should not be grainy but must be smooth. Do not go by the time but focus on the texture – smooth, non grainy and non-sticky texture is required.
- Make 12 equal balls and flatten them to make discs.
- If the discs are slightly cracked on the sides, roll the sides gently. Set these aside.
Sugar syrup
- Bring 3½ cups of water to a boil with 1 cup sugar.
- Stir until the sugar dissolves completely. Then add cardamom powder.
- When the sugar syrup begins to boil rapidly, then add the discs gently.
- Cook covered for about 9 to 10 minutes on a moderately high flame.
- Turn off the stove. Remove the pot from the stove to avoid cooking further.
- Keep the lid closed for the next 20 mins to avoid them turning flat or shrinking.
- When done they will sink in the syrup.
How to make rasmalai – Assembling Rasmalai
- Take off the discs to a plate and cool them.
- Squeeze them gently in between your palms to remove sugar syrup.
- Add these to the half of the warm thickened milk or rabri.
- Rest them for 3 to 4 hours. Pour the other half of the chilled rabri to this just before serving.
- Garnish rasmalai with chopped nuts.
NUTRITION (estimation only)
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.
© Swasthi’s Recipes
MEENA says
Mam…my malai is not spongy..the rabdi is not getting absorbed into the malai..i have made the recipie..3 times reading your instructions step by step..
I dont understand ..what is the mistake…
Tha malai soft..but not spongyy..
swasthi says
Hi Meena
Try with a different brand of milk and also read my replies to the other comments. You may understand where you went wrong.
Haarika vs says
I have followed ur recipe.. And prepared twice.. Amazing tips!! Both the times, it was a super outcome.. Thank u
swasthi says
Welcome Haarika,
Glad to know! Thanks for leaving a comment
Mariya says
Perfect… Was v delicious
.. M so happy to make it at home
swasthi says
Thank you
Rajitha says
Hi Swasthi Sreekanth, thankyou so much for the detailed recipe. I tried Rasmalai, yesterday on husband’s birthday and they came out very well.
swasthi says
Hello Rajitha
Glad to know they turned out well.
Thanks much for leaving a comment!
🙂
Shruti says
Hi Swasthi,
Thank you so much for sharing such an amazing recipe of Rasmalai..the first time I tried it was a disaster but this time your tips really helped me. The Rasamali turned out to be really soft and everyone in my family loved it.
Thank you again
swasthi says
Hi Shruti
Glad to know
Thanks for leaving a comment
Radhika Thatte says
Hi Swathi
Thank you for such detailed recipe.. tried this one for the first time and it was delicious ..
swasthi says
Hi Radhika
Glad to know!
Thank you
Samatha says
Hi Swathi
How are you doing?
U r amazing as making us like a pro in cooking.getting many compliments whenever I follow any of your recipes.
Now I want to make rasmalia for husband birthday party.can I use readymade rasgullas and make rabri by following your first method.i mean without using condensed milk?
Thank u
swasthi says
Hi Samatha
I am doing good. Thank you!
Glad to know! Yes you can do it.
Samatha says
Does it taste same if followed your method 2
swasthi says
It tastes good in its own way. But not the same as the original one
Mona says
This came out perfect!! Thank you for this easy to follow recipe!
RUJUTA says
Hi Swasthi,
Yesterday I prepared Rasmalai. I followed your recipe step by step and you know what it turned out to be the most amazing desert I have prepared till date. Thanks to your tips, step by step illustration and video. It helped a lot. I just love the way you explain everything and your recipes have become my all time favourite.
Thanks!
swasthi says
Welcome Rujuta,
Glad to know the recipe worked out well. Thank you so much!
Neema says
Hi… I tried this recipe yesterday…
After taking out chenna balls from sugar syrup they were perfect.. spongy, soft and doubled size but
it became dense, small and hard after adding them to rabdi… read in other comments adding them to hot rabdi will make them dense… how can I fix it ?
Vll taking it out and boiling in sugar syrup again work?
swasthi says
Hi,
My instructions say to put them in warm rabdi. They should not be added to hot rabdi. If you add the cooked rasgullas to hot rabdi they will become hard. Unfortunately there is no way to fix them
K. Sindhu says
Hi, I tried your rasmalai receipe. It came out very well for the first attempt. Except that the discs were not that spongy. Could you pl guide me about what could be the reason? They appeared soft and spongy soon after i cooked them in sugar syrup. I put them in the rabri soon after and they were less soft the next day. But for this, it was perfect.
Thank you
K. Sindhu
Chennai
swasthi says
Hi Sindhu,
Glad to know they turned out good. Please read all the instructions again and even the comments in the next pages to know where you may have gone wrong. Hope this helps
Lakshmi Sevugan says
My all time favourite sweet . Tried today and it came out extremely good.. so happy tat I made it all by myself.. thanks a lot for such a detailed recipe. I tried previously with another recipe it was a big flop for me.. but this time it won the show and am sooo happy. I must say this is a fool proof recipe. Thanks a lot once again..
swasthi says
Hi Lakshmi
You are welcome! Glad to know your rasmalai turned out good. Thank you!
Lakshmi Sevugan says
And I have some 4 Rasamalais left so kept in the fridge and had it the next day. It was more yummy yar. Superb it was.
swasthi says
Nice to hear Lakshmi!
Thank you
Meenakshi says
Hi Sawasthi,
Thankyou for sharing your reciepe. I dont know how to cook but have been trying some of your recipies.
I have tried this multiple times but doesnt come out properly. Last 2-3 times, rasgullas broke and they were flat and there was a layer of oil after cooking my rasgullas.
This time i drained the water by hanging the chenna for 2-3hours but still there was a layer of oil/ghee.
Also, while kneading chenna it was moist even though water was drained. And while making the balls, there was a lot of oil in my hands from the chenna. Any reason why tht happened.
Also, what is the total cooking time? I got lil confused with the instructions, it says cook for 10 mins and then after 5 mins check and gently stir. After 10mins turn off the stove. Is it 25mins in total?
Meenakshi says
This was for rasgullas not rasmalai. Commented in wrong.post
swasthi says
Hi Meenakshi,
It’s okay to post here. Oil or ghee is due to high fats in milk. Usually this happens with buffalo milk. Not sure what kind of milk you used. I feel it is a problem with milk. Total cook time is 10 mins. Whey will not drain well if the milk is not curdled properly. Turn off the stove only after the milk has curdled fully. You must add the acidic ingredient straight away to hot milk. If you cool it down and add then it becomes paste like and will not drain well. Please read all the comments to understand where else you may have gone wrong. Hope this helps.
Archana says
Hi, Rasmalia turned out delicious. Only one issue, i got enough misture to make only 8 chenna not 12. And there was less gravy too.
swasthi says
Hi Archana
Glad to know! The quantity of chenna depends on the milk
Venky Dev says
I have tried this recipe twice so far. It can out perfect. Right firmness and right taste. Came out better than any other rasamalai I have had so far. A big thank you.
swasthi says
Hi Venky Dev
You are welcome! Glad to know your rasmalai turned out good. Thank you!
Shruti Salimkumar says
Thanks Swasthi
Your recipes are too good for a basic person like me who rarely cooks 😜😎.
I made Rasmalai today and it turned out very yummy although it’s time consuming.
I have also tried several other recipes of yours which I felt is easy & understandable than any other cooks.
Thanks a lot to Lockdown because of which I am getting time to try out ur recipes
swasthi says
Welcome Shruti,
So glad to know the recipes are helping. Thank you so much!
🙂
Vidhya Shenoy says
Thanks Swasthi M’am. I prepared perfectly the Rasmalai recipe as per the guidelines given by u.
Also thanks to other recipes which my family too appreciates ND loves to eat.
swasthi says
You are welcome Vidhya
Glad to know!
Thank you
Suji says
This is my go to recipe every time I make rasmalai. It turns out soft and supple every time. Thorough explanation makes this recipe stand out. Thanks for taking your time to answer the questions in the comment section, that really helps to understand the do’s and don’ts. Keep up this good work!
swasthi says
Hello Suji
Glad to know! Thank you so much.
Anita Tanwar says
Dear Swasthi I’m your huge fan I try your recipes a lot and everybody loves them. Thanks
swasthi says
Hello Anita
Thank you so much! Glad to know the recipes work well.
Akhil Aggarwal says
Dear Swasthi madam,
I am a maggie-level cook. And yet I dared to try Rasgullas and rasmalais. Your recipes are easy to follow. They are carefully explained in detailed and with pictures. My rasgullas and rasmalais turned out to be amazing. My mother, sister and sister-in-law learnt this recipe from me 🙂
Thank you very much.
swasthi says
Hello Akhil,
So glad to know you could make amazing rasgulla and rasmalai. You are most welcome. Thank you.
Bindu says
My chennas sticked to each other after boiling it the way mentioned above. They dint break though, how do I avoid from sticking to each other?
swasthi says
Hi Bindu,
Either you used a small pot or the syrup is too thick. They never stick as the syrup itself if not sticky. Try with a larger and wider pot