Gulab Jamun – The classic Indian dessert enjoyed in any occasion. Follow my Super easy and no fail Gulab Jamun recipe (using ONLY 4 Ingredients) & video for melt-in-the-mouth Gulab Jamuns.
“Kuchh Meetha Ho jaye”… This line best describes GULAB JAMUNS in Indian culture. Soft and spongy Gulab Jamun are like the ESSENTIAL for every celebration in India. These mouth melting, rich, creamy and soft fried balls of a milk-based dough that are soaked in sugar syrup appear on wedding banquet tables, festival menus, Birthday party menus, restaurant menus and in-home kitchens for a reason.
It’s because almost everybody loves Gulab Jamun and they are just perfect for feeding a crowd.
Many people buy this delicious dessert from the mithai shop but I always prefer to make them at home. So, I know first, quality ingredients are used and second, made with hygiene and cleanliness.
With the festive season about to begin, I had to share my favourite melt-in-mouth Gulab jamun recipe with you friends. Plus, it’s so easy to make with this no-fail recipe.
I know so many people assume it to be a most difficult dessert but believe me, it’s quite simple to make it at home if you take some basic precautions while making it.
There are so many different ways to make Gulab Jamuns.
My version of Gulab Jamun Recipe uses khoya and refined flour / maida. This blend produces soft and spongy Gulab Jamun with a rich and creamy texture inside.
Many people choose to use skimmed milk powder instead of khoya or paneer because it’s much more widely available in any place. It gives also a desired texture and flavour.
Most of people like to make Gulab Jamun with readymade premix. There are dozens of different Gulab Jamun premix packet available in the market. Mix them up according to instructions and have Gulab Jamuns in 15-20 minutes.
This process is quite famous in people who loves bread more. You can use fresh or leftover bread. I’ve seen lots of people have success with this option, but I’ve never tried it for myself.
The final Gulab Jamuns appear to have a soft texture but not the smooth texture mawa Gulab Jamuns have.
Lots of jamun recipes uses sooji (semolina). But the final product has grainy texture.
Few people make jamuns combing both condensed milk and milk powder. Gulab Jamun you prepare in this way are much sweeter and caramel-like in flavour.
Milk solids or khoya is a traditional ingredient in Gulab Jamun recipes. My Gulab Jamun recipe calls for it.
To make khoya, full-fat milk is boiling until all you are left with is a solid mass. It takes time for the milk to reduce. I agree that making khoya at home with the milk is a tedious job.
So, to cut short the process, few people buy khoya from market and its easily available at any sweet shop or dairy shop.
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Here’s a list of all the ingredients you’ll need for making my version of Gulab Jamun at home.
Take care of these things at every step of making the gulab jamun!
When making Gulab Jamuns, don’t look for any consistency while making the sugar syrup.
If the sugar syrup is too thick, the jamuns will not absorb the syrup and if it’s too thin, they will break apart. What we need is what’s called a simple syrup.
Add sugar and water in a pan and once it comes to a boil, let it simmer for 2-3 minutes only. It should only be little sticky.
Add any flavourings, stir and set aside to cool slightly before using.
The syrup should be warm when we add the jamuns.
Main ingredient of gulab jamun is khoya / mawa so using best quality of khoya results perfect jamuns.
So always try to use fresh khoya.
If using frozen khoya then defrost it before your work forward. Grate it and measure perfectly.
Making gulab jamun is very simple actually, the only thing which people find complicated is making the dough perfectly. Once you have mastered in dough making process, then you will never think of buying gulab jamuns from the market again.
The dough needs to be smooth and soft. So, while making dough, first knead the khoya alone until you get smooth texture. Add refined flour / maida and again knead adding water little by little until you have a soft dough.
If you have stand mixer then voila it saves your time and hard work.
But at the same time, you also have to keep in mind that you don’t want to over knead the dough. Mix until the dough comes together.
Use soft hands and do not apply too much pressure while rolling the balls. Work with soft hands!
The gulab jamun balls should be totally smooth without any crack. If you see cracks on top, knead again till it’s all smooth.
Here again you have to be very careful while frying the balls. The most important thing is to fry at medium-low heat. If you fry at high heat, the jamuns will not be cooked from inside and will also turn hard.
It’s best to first heat ghee/ oil at medium heat for 5 minutes, then low the heat to low and then drop the balls in the ghee/oil.
Fry on low heat until they evenly cooked and have nice dark golden brown in color. This will take time as you fry on low heat, be patient.
(watch video carefully how I perfectly fried jamun balls in less ghee)
While adding the jamuns to the syrup, make sure the syrup is warm but not hot.
The gulab jamuns will likely lose their shape if the syrup is too hot and they will not absorb the syrup if the syrup is cold. So warm is what you need here.
If you are making gulab jamuns for fasting replace refined flour with arrowroot Powder.
The gulab jamuns have to be rolled properly. If your dough balls have cracks, then they will break apart in the ghee / oil.
The perfect temperature of ghee / oil is also important here. If the dough contains too much moisture, the balls that break whilst frying may also occur due to a very low ghee / oil temperature.
Your Gulab Jamun might be too hard due overcooking whilst frying.
They will also turn hard, if the dough is very stiff. So, make sure that the dough is soft enough and you can roll it easily.
Jamuns will become hard, if you fry them on high heat. Frying jamuns on high heat will harden them. They would be cooked from outside and remain uncooked from inside. Also, they won’t soak up the syrup.
If you overcook jamun, they will develop a hard outer coating which prevents syrup absorption.
This can also occur if the sugar syrup is too thick.
If the jamuns are hot, make sure the sugar syrup will be warm.
If you add hot jamuns to very hot syrup, then they will lose the texture, shape, and they will tighten and shrink.
Undercook Gulab Jamun or fry them at too high temperature and they will develop hollow centres. This will cause the jamuns to collapse inwards and deflate when you add them to the sugar syrup.
You did not knead Dough perfectly.
You jamun dough does not have enough moisture.
The Gulab Jamuns balls are too soft. Too much moisture in the dough, not fried long enough or the sugar syrup is too watery are the reasons.
If you keep all these tips and tricks in mind, you will end up with the most delicious melt-in-mouth Gulab jamuns!
Gulab Jamun can be served hot with vanilla ice-cream or just a stand-alone warm or chilled dish.
Immerse the Gulab Jamun in the sugar syrup and store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a month.
I recommend warming them before you serve.