Malai Kulfi Recipe - It is an Indian frozen dessert made from whole milk, heavy cream, khoya and sugar. It is flavored with cardamom powder and chopped nuts.
It is loved by kids as well as adults. Eating kulfi is like heaven during summer though you can enjoy it any day.
The texture of the it is rich and creamy. You will feel the creaminess at the roof of your mouth while eating. Addition of nuts give some texture and bite while eating. No ice crystals are forming once it is set. It is the best achievement when it comes to homemade kulfi or ice cream.
I was waiting for summer to make kulfi recipes at home. Summer is not started yet in my part of world. But in India, it is getting hot at many places. So I get an good excuse to make malai kulfi and share here with you guys. I have also made mango kulfi recipe.
I looked for many recipes in cookbooks as well as from google search. Many recipes call for condensed milk or cornstarch for making malai kulfi as a quick method. But those recipes were not convincing to me. Malai kulfi should have malai (heavy cream) in it, right? Otherwise you can’t call it malai kulfi, I would just call it a kulfi recipe. That is just my opinion.
During long search I came across to this recipe, it looked good to me and gave it a try. Oh boy, it is just fantastic, beyond my expectation. Hubby was kept eating it and appreciating. I was really happy with the results and comments.
So this summer, are you craving for kulfi? Make this perfect and easy to make homemade kulfi recipe. It is much better than store bought one. As those outside one might have preservatives or artificial flavors in it. At home you can make it with good quality ingredients or even use organic ingredients. Make hygienic and artificial flavor free kulfi.
Ingredient Notes
- Milk: Do not try this recipe with low fat or fat free or 1%, 2% milk. It will not give good result. Always use whole milk or full fat milk.
- Heavy whipping cream: I am using 35% fat content heavy cream.
- Khoya: Here I have used little amount of khoya. Instead you can add milk powder. Or leave it out completely.
- Nuts: Chop or slice the nuts using knife. Do not crush them in powder form. Chopped nuts give some texture to the kulfi.
- Here I am using almonds and pistachios which are our preference. But you can go with your preference. Add only almonds, make badam kulfi. Add only pistachios, make pista kulfi. Add mixed dried fruits like nuts, raisins, figs and make dried fruit kulfi. Add pinch of saffron while boiling the milk, make kesar malai kulfi. Variations are endless. Go with your imaginations.
Check out other frozen treats for summer
Mango popsicles // Mango ice cream // Falooda
Step By Step Photo Instructions:
1) Take milk in a sauce pan or wide pan.
2) Bring the milk to a boil on medium heat. Do stir frequently. Make sure it is not sticking to the bottom and sides of the pan. Stay nearby, milk may overflow. So be careful.
3) Once it come to a boil, make the heat to medium-low. Let it cook with stirring occasionally till it becomes ⅓ of original volume. It took me about 35-40 minutes. NOTE: It is crucial to stir the milk and also scrap the sides and bottom of the pan. If doing so, you are preventing the milk from burning. If milk burns, it tastes really bad.
4) Then add sugar.
5) add khoya or milk powder.
6) Mix well and simmer till sugar and khoya is melted. It took me 5 minutes. Then turn OFF the stove heat.
7) Add heavy whipping cream and stir well.
8) Add cardamom powder.
9) Also add sliced almonds and pistachio. Mix well.
10) Add rose water and mix.
11) Let it cool completely. It will get thicker as it cools. It is very important to cool completely before pouring and freezing into moulds.
12) I removed it to a large measuring cup. So it gets cool faster and it will be easier to pour into moulds.
13) Once it is cooled to room temperature, pour into moulds or Popsicle molds. Alternately you can use small plastic cups or shot glass or kullad.
14) Cover it with lid. Or cover with aluminum foil. It must be covered, so ice crystals will not form on top.
15) Prepare all the moulds and ready to go into freezer. Let it set overnight in freezer or until it is firm, frozen and set.
16) I lost or forgot where I put my mould stand, So I used ice cube tray. Luckily moulds fit perfectly in it.
Once it is set or frozen, it is time to serve. To remove the kulfi from the mould, dip it into warm water for 1-2 seconds only, it will come out very easily. Alternately, rub it between your palms. From the heat of the palm, side will get loose and will come out from the glass or mould.
Garnish with some chopped nuts like pistachios or almonds. Many like to slice it and serve just like restaurant or stall one.
Serving suggestion: Serve as a dessert after meal or anytime of the day. Add some falooda sev (vermicelli), sabja seeds and rose syrup on it to make kulfi falooda.
Did you try this malai kulfi recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.
📋 Recipe Card
Malai Kulfi
Ingredients
- 1 litre or 4 ¼ cups Milk
- ⅓ cup White granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons Khoya (Mawa) (or use 4 tablespoons of full fat milk powder)
- ½ cup Heavy whipping cream or fresh cream or malai
- ¼ teaspoon Green cardamom seeds powder
- 4-5 Almonds sliced
- 4-5 Pistachios sliced
- 1 tablespoon Rose water
Instructions
- Take milk in a sauce pan or wide pan.
- Bring the milk to a boil on medium heat. Do stir frequently.
- Once it come to a boil, make the heat to medium-low. Let it cook with stirring occasionally till it becomes ⅓ of original volume. It took me about 35-40 minutes.
- Then add sugar and khoya or milk powder.
- Mix well and simmer till sugar and khoya is melted. It took me 5 minutes.
- Then turn OFF the stove heat.
- Add heavy whipping cream and stir well.
- Add cardamom powder and sliced almonds, pistachio. Mix well.
- Add rose water and mix.
- Let it cool completely. It will get thicker as it cools.
- Once it is cooled to room temperature, pour into moulds or popsicle molds. Alternately you can use small plastic cups or shot glass or kullad.
- Cover it with lid. Or cover with aluminum foil.
- Let it set overnight in freezer or until it is firm, frozen and set.
- Once it is set or frozen, it is time to serve.
- To remove the kulfi from the mould, dip it into warm water for 1-2 seconds only, it will come out very easily. Alternately, rub it between your palms. From the heat of the palm, side will get loose and will come out from the glass or mould.
- Garnish with some chopped nuts like pistachios or almonds.
Ekta
Also i missed something in the previous comment dat my cake rises beautifully within 25 mints..but its still completely liquid from tge centre it takes another 20 mints to do the job and in return my cake gets shrinked from the sides nd get li'l hard...but its really tasty in eating..but the top layer gets really ugly..m tired of baking wrong but tell me..i want to have. A want a risen case from the centre nd evenly finished
Kanan Patel
Oh ok. If it rises, still uncooked from the center and cooked around the edges then it means oven temperature in not consistent.
Did you open the oven door to check very frequently? Try checking temp with oven thermometer.
Ekta
Nope..i didn't open before 25 mints..we'l check the temp..good idea.
Thanks for bearing me..
Sunand Sampath
Followed everything to the tee. Got really delicious Kulfi. Have been wanting to make Kulfi for many years . Thankyou for posting this recipe . Enjoyed eating this good reviews about the Kulfi as well.
Kanan
yay!! very happy to know.