Rasgulla is a popular bengali sweet made of milk and sugar. This recipe post shares how to make soft, spongy rasgulla at home.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 25 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 18 · 18 rasgulla
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Bengali

Ingredients

  • 1 liter milk (or 4 cups (full fat or whole milk))
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 liter ice water (or few ice cubes)
  • 1½ cups refined white sugar ((¼ cup optional) (refer notes))
  • 4 cups water
  • 3 green cardamom pods (or elaichi)
  • ½ teaspoon rose water ((optional))
  • 1 pinch saffron stands ((optional) kesar for garnishing)

Method

Making chenna

  1. Bring milk to a boil in a pot.
  2. If using non-homogenized milk (milk from milkman), then keep the pot aside. Wait for 5 mins.
  3. If using homogenized milk from packets or cartons then reduce the flame to low.
  4. Add 2 tbsp lemon juice & stir until the milk curdles.
  5. If it doesn't curdle, add more & stir.
  6. When you see the milk curdled completely, Switch off the stove. Rest for 2 mins.
  7. Then pour cold water to the pot. This will stop the chena from cooking further & keeps it soft.
  8. Place a colander over a large bowl & line with a thin cloth. Drain the curdled milk.
  9. Rinse the chenna under running water to remove the acidic flavor.
  10. Tie the cloth. Squeeze it well to remove the excess whey as much as possible.
  11. Hang it for 1 to 1½ hours. Chenna should not have any excess whey. It must be crumbly.

Making sugar syrup

  1. Add sugar, cardamoms & water to a wide pan or pot.
  2. Make sure you use a wide pot good enough to hold all the rasgullas.
  3. The balls will cook & almost double in size only if there is enough space in the pot.
  4. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring it to a boil.

How to make rasgulla

  1. Knead the chenna well to make it a smooth dough for 3 to 5 mins. I do it just for 3 mins.
  2. Do not over knead to the extent that the chenna turns greasy or soggy.
  3. When you see the mixture turns uniformly smooth and no more grainy, then stop kneading.
  4. Take small portions of this and roll to tiny balls.
  5. They should be tiny and not big as they expand in size after boiling. I made about 16.
  6. Add rose water to the sugar syrup. (optional).
  7. Bring the sugar syrup to a rolling boil on a medium flame.
  8. Remove the cardamom pods. Then add the balls one after the other gently.
  9. Cover the pot immediately with a lid.
  10. The syrup must be boiling steadily at a constant heat.
  11. Cook on a medium flame for 9 to 10 mins. The syrup must be bubbling & boiling steadily through out this time. So adjust the heat as needed depending on the kind of pot & stove used.
  12. After 5 mins gently stir the sugar syrup once with a skewer without touching the rasgullas. Cover immediately.
  13. This ensures even cooking and puffing. During the cooking time if you feel the heat is too much reduce the heat slightly, but ensure it is still bubbling & boiling.
  14. After 10 mins, remove the pot immediately from the stove to prevent rasgulla from cooking further.
  15. Keep the lid closed always otherwise they will shrink or fall flat. Do not open at least for 20 mins.
  16. They double in size and also sink in syrup when cooked completely.
  17. Allow rasgulla to rest and cool completely. Serve them chilled. If desired garnish with saffron.

Optional

  1. Once the rasgullas have rested for a while, taste the sugar syrup and check for sweetness.
  2. If you prefer more sweeter rasgullas or syrup, then add ¼ cup sugar to a small pot.
  3. With the help of a ladle transfer about 3/4 cup sugar syrup to the pot and make a sugar syrup. Cool this and pour to the rasgulla pot or pan.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.