Last updated on April 29th, 2020

Gulab jamun with milk powder is an easy and quick way to make this classic Indian dessert. If you want to make this sweet but have no access to khoya, using milk powder is your best bet. Gulab jamun with milk powder turns out just rich and delicious as the ones with khoya. Serve soft warm jamuns with vanilla ice cream for the best treat ever. Here is my easiest tried and tested recipe for gulab jamun with milk powder with loads of tips.

Do you have a top favorite Indian sweet? I am the one with big sweet tooth and I love all delicious Indian sweets like atta ladoo, ragi ladoo, dry fruits ladoo, gulab jamun, besan ladoo, jalebi, rasgulla, badam halwa kalakand etc. But if I should pick one sweet, it will be gulab jamun any day. I mean I can have it literally everyday, with every meal 🙂

Gulab jamun is traditionally made for festivals like diwali, holi, navratri, eid etc. Basically it is the most preferred sweet for any Indian celebration.

Traditionally gulab jamun is made with khoya or unsweetened milk solids. These are berry sized deep fried balls dunked in sugar syrup and the term means rose berries.

This recipe is heavily tried and tested. It is my mom’s recipe that we have been making for decades at home. Given to that, it is our favorite sweet my mom makes this for all festivals, birthdays and just like that too.

I picked up this recipe from my mom and I have been making it for years too. Follow this recipe to T and I am sure you can make the best gulab jamuns.

This Gulab Jamun Recipe Is

Tried & tested many times

Yields super soft and delicious jamuns

Uses milk powder & does not require khoya

Easy & beginner friendly

Requires very few ingredients

Making this recipe is really easy and beginners can definetly make it. Unlike the common thought making gulab jamun is not difficult if you keep few points in mind. Here I have tried to cover all the tips, troubleshooting for you. Let’s begin with the breakdown of ingredients.

Gulab Jamun Ingredients

Milk powder- Milk powder is the main ingredient for tis recipe. Always use freshest best quality milk powder. The full fat ones works best.
Plain flour- A bit of plain flour acts as binsing agent to bring the dough together. Do not add more than mentioned in the recipe
Curd- Adding a small quantity of plain yogurt helps in making the jamuns flaky.
Ghee- ghee or clrified butter is added for flavor and flakiness.
Milk- Just a small amount of milk to bring the dough together
Baking soda- Baking soda is a must in this recipe. It ensures the proper cooking of the balls in oil
Flavoring- Cardamom powder, saffron, rose essence or kewra extract are the ones usually used. You can use your favorite among these. I love the flavor of saffron in this gulab jamun. Just like saffron milk, here also saffron compliments the flavor of cardamom so well.

This is a very useful recipe especially if you cannot source khoya easily. Also as we all know making khoya at home takes considerable time. You can also make this milk powder gulab jamun for surprise guests.

Making gulab jamun with milk powder is easy. I would say this gulab jamun recipe is for beginners. Just few tips and tricks to take care of and you will be rewarded with melt in mouth, delicious and addictive gulab jamuns. These are perfect dessert after a grand meal for guests or any special occasions also.

How To Make Best Gulab Jamuns?

Getting the dough right– This is the first and most important tip for making gulab jamun. If your perfect, rest is really easy. You need a soft and smooth dough that is not heavily kneaded. Treat this as your pastry dough and do not over knead. Just add all the ingredients and mix well. Add milk little by little and bring the dough together. Knead just for 2-3 minutes

Shaping the jamun balls– the rule of thumb while working with gulab jamun dough is feather touch handling. Be very soft while kneading or shaping.

Also you should shape the dough into balls without any cracks. If there are cracks, oil will get into it and the balls will disintegrate while frying.

Frying the jamun balls- Always fry in lowest flame until the balls turn dark golden. If you cook in high flame, the outer layer will turn dark very soon but the inside will remain uncooked.

I usually heat the oil for few minutes, once it is hot lower the flame and fry the jamuns.

Making sugar syrup- All you need here is a sticky sugar syrup prepared with equal parts of sugar and water. No need to check for consistency. If the sugar syrup is very thick they will just coat the jamuns and will be absorbed.

Also make sure to prepare the sugar syrup first and let it cool down a bit before adding the jamuns. If the syrup is very hot, the jamuns will break.

Storing the gulab jamuns- Store refrigerated dunked in sugar syrup. Serve jamuns with a some sugar syrup.

Serve gulab jamun warm with a scoop of ice cream or chilled as dessert. Gulab jamun with vanilla ice cream is a classic hit combo! Apart from khoya gulab jamuns I have shared paneer jamun, bread jamun and vegan sweet potato jamun recipes too.

Your Questions Answered

Why do gulab jamuns turns hard?

Gulab jamuns will turn hard if you over knead the dough or apply too much pressure while saping the balls.

Why do gulab jamuns break while frying?

Your dough was either very soft or the balls has crack in them. If the dough is very soft just add 1-2 teaspoons maida and knead again. Also make sure the balls are rolled absolutely smooth.

Why are my gulajamuns uncooked and hard from inside.

If you fry the gulab jamun in high flame and very hot oil this happens. Always lower the oil temperature and fry till the balls turn dark brown.

Step by Step Recipe

Making sugar syrup for gulab jamun:

Take water and sugar in a thick bottomed pan. Mix slightly and start heating.

Cook until a sticky syrup is formed. Switch off the flame and remove from heat before it reaches one string consistency.
Add few drops of lemon juice, saffron and cardamom powder. Mix well and set aside.

Making the gulab jamun dough and frying the jamuns:

Add milk powder, plain flour, curd and ghee in a mixing bowl.

Add milk little by little and gently mix with your finger tips and bring the dough together. Do not knead. rest the dough for 10 minutes.

Make 20-25 tiny balls or 15 normal sized balls. Roll the balls gently.

Heat oil or ghee for deep frying. The ghee or oil should not be smoking hot. Just hot. Slide the prepared jamun balls gently and deep fry until golden brown.