Ras Malai is a South Asian dessert made from milk solids (paneer) soaked in cardamom scented sweetened milk. I used to make this recipe the traditional way, which included separating the milk solids from the liquids, and then forming a dough out of the solids.
The end result was phenomenal, but very labor-intensive. So after spending hours upon hours of making Ras Malai the traditional way, I finally came upon a recipe that uses powdered milk and cut down my cooking/prep/overall kitchen time down to 1/4 of what I was originally spending.
This technique of using dry milk powder to make Ras Malai is one that I first learned from my Phupi (paternal aunt), and the end result is phenomenal! It comes together quick, can be made in advance, and is incredibly delicious! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Ras Malai
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 4 green cardamoms
- 1 cup full-fat powdered milk
- 1 tablespoon neutral flavored oil
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 large egg
- A few drops of kewra essence
- Ground pistachios or almonds, for garnish
Instructions
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In a large and wide vessel, bring the milk, sugar, and cardamoms to a boil over medium heat.
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While waiting for the milk to come to a boil, in a large bowl combine the powdered milk, oil, baking powder, and egg. Using a gentle hand, knead and form the batter into a cohesive dough. Make balls, approximately 2-teaspoons worth of dough, and flatten them lightly.
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Add the balls of dough to the boiling milk. Once the balls start rising and floating to the top, cover and reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes.
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Transfer to a serving dish and add the kewra essence and nuts. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.
Recipe Notes
Only regular full-fat dry milk powder will work for this recipe (brands such as Nido and Carnation are excellent choices); avoid brands such as Everyday and Coffeemate, as they are formulated differently. Also, when purchasing a brand such as Nido, please make sure you are getting the basic milk powder, and not the infant/toddler formula. Lasty, it is essential to use a full-fat (whole milk) powder; nonfat will not work.
Half of the milk quantity can be replaced with heavy whipping cream for added richness.
Ras Malai tastes best after being refrigerated overnight.
Adapted from Diana’s Desserts.
Such an easy recipe to follow. Turned out perfect!
Thank you for this recipe, Henna…I’ll be making this ras malai over and over again 🙂
Thank you so much Manahil! Messages like yours bring me so much joy ❤️
This recipe was so easy to make and was a hit at our last dinner party! Thanks for sharing 🙂
So happy to hear that! Thank you for your feedback!
Is there an alternative to the egg? Have you tried any substitutes for it?
Unfortunately the egg is used as a binder in this recipe, and cannot be replaced. Ras Malai is typically made from fresh paneer, and although time-consuming, it is a fantastic traditional technique.
Is Peak milk powder good to use for this recipe?
Honestly, I’m not sure as I’ve never used it not heard of it. If it is a full-fat powdered milk (not tea whitener like Everyday), then you should be fine.
How many rasmalai pieces do we get for this recipe as I need 40 pieces
I would suggest tripling the recipe.
Just made this yesterday and it was fool proof ! I halved the sugar in the milk though and it was perfectly sweet. Thank you for sharing this recipe, it went straight to my permanent recipe binder!
Just a question, what do you think would happen if I double the baking powder? As it was perfectly spongy but just as a personal preference i want it to be a tad bit fluffier, do you think that would accomplish it?
Thank you so much Taiba!
I would be careful about doubling the baking powder as there would be a high chance of the ras malai balls exploding from too much leavening. If you do want to add more baking powder, I wouldn’t do more than 1.5x.
Thank you for stopping by and leaving your feedback! It makes me so happy ❤️
I really like your recipe. What are the tips for making the dough balls smooth? Mine had cracks and were crumbly.
So typically I just roll them around with a bit of pressure between my palms, and that seems to help.
Asalam o Alikum WRWB, I know this recipe is fool proof, I have been making rusmalai for almost 8 years now woth almost same recipe, the only difference is I use 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
In the current scenerio, as we are not using Israeli products so I searched in the supermarket and can find only superstores’s own skimmed milk powder, but not the full fat milk powder. It’s eid tomorrow in shaa ALLAH, and I don’t know whether I should give it a try with skimmed milk powder or not. Can you please help me out. Jazak ALLAH khair
Wsalam!
I would avoid skim milk powder because we need the fat content here for the ras malai to hold their shape. I’ve seen the following full-fat brands (although you may have to order online)-
Organic Horizon
King Arthur
and a whole bunch on Amazon whose parent companies do not support the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people!
I think the recipe is missing flour. They all fell apart as soon as I put them in milk.
I’m sorry to hear that! No, the recipe is accurate and I’ve never used flour in it. What kind of milk powder did you use?
My rasmalai turned very hard. I made from scratch first and then tried with the shan rasmalai mix but both times it went hard. Im not sure what I’m doing wrong.
I’m so sorry to hear that! I can’t speak for the Shan mix, but for this recipe you may have overkneaded the dough.
I’ve scoured the internet for help but can’t seem to find any, so i’m asking here lol. I haven’t tried this recipe but your expertise & experience making ras malai the traditional way is needed!
I made it the traditional way (paneer, boil in sugar water, dunk in sweet milk) and everything is fine but when I tasted it this morning, I feel like it’s not sweet enough. What can I do to up the sweetness, or is there no fix after its cooled?
Salam!
My apologies for the late reply- we had been out of town.
I would suggest making an ultra sweet milk (less milk, more sugar), and adding it to the cooled ras malai. I hope this helps!
Thanks so much for such an easy way to make rasmalai. Could you please provide a substitute for egg?
Unfortunately I’m not too sure what can replace the egg here. I’m so sorry!
Oh god! Loved the recipe! Tried instantly and it turned out awesome! Everyone else in the family loved it you! Your recipes are fabulous! Keep going 😋💞
Thank you so much!