Khoya or mawa recipe – step by step post on how to make khoya in the traditional way.
Khoya also known as mawa or khoa is dried evaporated milk solids. the milk is slowly simmered in a large iron kadai, till all its moisture evaporates and it reduces to solids. In Indian cooking, especially in northern parts of India, khoya forms a base of almost all sweets. Depending on the type of khoya, which can range from being hard to soft to granular, they are used accordingly in sweets. Khoya is also added to curry recipes.
After I got some requests to post the method of making khoya, I did decide to make a few khoa based sweets for this Diwali. Hence I thought its better I prepare khoya at home and add a post too. Few of the Sweets recipes where khoya is added are:
Usually I buy khoya from outside. It saves time and one does not have to go through the long process of cooking. However, if you prepare the khoya as a side task, with you doing something else in the kitchen, like chopping, preparing some other recipes etc, then it does not look like a time consuming method. Since the milk gets reduced on its own on a low flame and all you have to do is stir and scrape at intervals. Its not tedious. So i do suggest to prepare khoya simultaneously when you are cooking or doing some other chore in the kitchen. This is multi tasking and you have to be attentive 🙂
The pan to be used for making khoya, should be thick bottomed or an overall thick pan or kadai. This is so that the milk does not get burned or browned from the bottom. If this happens, then whatever effort you have put, goes waste. The pan has to be deep too, so that the milk does not fall out, while simmering. I used my large non stick kadai to make the khoya. Non stick works very well when making products like khoya.
This is not a recipe as such, but A method sharing on how to make khoya. you can use any amount of milk to prepare khoya. The milk has to be fresh and full fat milk. Whole milk gives better results. 1.25 litres of milk yielded 250 gms of khoya. Depending on the quality and fat content, the khoya yield can be less or more. You can even make khoya from 1 litre to 2 litres of milk.
Like all homemade stuff, homemade khoya is also 100 times better than the store brought ones. There is just the richness & goodness of milk in this homemade khoya. No additives or preservatives are added. This khoya stays good for about 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. in the freezer, you can keep for 6 to 8 days.
khoya recipe
Ingredients
- 1.25 litres fresh full fat whole milk or 1250 ml milk or 5 cups milk
Instructions
- Pour the milk in a large thick bottomed pan and place the pan on the stove top.
- Bring milk to gentle boil first on a low to medium flame.
- Then lower the flame and simmer the milk. Stir at intervals whilst the milk is simmering.
- The milk will froth many times, while its being simmered. So when you see this happening, with a spatula stir the milk.
- Scrape the milk solids from the sides and add to the milk.
- The milk will continue to reduce and thicken as its being simmered on a low flame.
- A stage will reach when the reduced milk will resemble rabri (an indian sweet).
- Continue to simmer and stir.
- Towards the end when the milk has reduced much, you will see bubbles bursting in the reduced milk. At this point continuously stir. If you don't then the reduced milk will get browned or burnt. The bubbles are due to moisture in the milk.
- When you see no bubbles in the reduced milk, its time to switch off the flame. It took me 2 hours and 8 minutes overall on a low flame.
- With a spatula, scrape the milk solids from the sides and add these to the bowl. Cover the bowl and let the khoya cool at room temperature. Then you can refrigerate it.
- Add this homemade khoya or mawa as required while making various indian sweets or indian curries.
Nutrition Info (approximate values)
Step by step method on how to make khoya or mawa
1. Pour milk in a large thick bottomed pan and place the pan on the stove top.
2. Bring milk to gentle boil first on a low to medium flame.
3. Then lower the flame and simmer the milk. Stir at intervals whilst the milk is simmering.
4. Consistency of the milk after 23 minutes right from the beginning.
5. The milk will froth many times, while its being simmered.
6. So when you see this happening, with a spatula stir the milk.
7. Scrape the milk solids from the sides and add to the milk. The consistency after 1 hour 40 minutes. The milk has reduced considerably.
8. Stir and continue simmering.
9. You can see below the consistency like that of rabri.
10. More simmering and this is what we get after 2 hours. Just few minutes more 🙂
11. After 3 minutes.
12. Towards the last 7 to 8 minutes, you will see bubbles bursting in the reduced and condensed milk. at this stage, continuously stir the reduced milk. If you don’t then the bottom will get browned or burnt. The bubbles signify the presence of moisture in the reduced milk. Stir and simmer till you see no bubbles in the milk solids.
13. when you see no bubbles bursting in the reduced milk, its time to switch off the flame. Took me 2 hours and 8 minutes overall on a low flame. Side by side I was prepping and cooking veg fried rice along with mushroom manchurian.
14. Collect the khoya or mawa in a bowl. With a spatula, scrape the milk solids from the sides and add these to the bowl. Cover the bowl and let the khoya cool at room temperature. Then you can refrigerate it.
15. Add this Homemade khoya or mawa as required while making various Indian sweets or Indian curries.
Hi dassana… I am big fan of your food blog..since many years I m following your great recipes and for everyone I suggest to follow your recipes..I want to clear my doubt about khoya..i made it from malai,which i collected…it became little brownish.. can I use this for halwas
thank you shaila. some times some strains of moulds can be seen on khoya. if there is no off smell or aroma from the khoya, then its fine to use. in fact the batti variety of khoya is sometimes aged for months or upto a year and has mouldy surface.
Hii.. I have cow’s milk. will mawa come out well with this?
Ridhi, yes you can use cow’s milk to make khoya.
Tried this today, for 5 cups of 2% milk took me 3.15hrs. Thanks for the step by step pics, really helped.
Welcome Vidya. Nice to know this.
Hello Mam. Thank u so much for all ur recipes. I have been following you since I got married in 2014 and now I am appreciated by everyone for my food. All thanks to you. I didn’t know anything about cooking before that. This is my first comment but I have always thanked you in my heart 🙂
I tried this khoya recipe and it came out just the way it should. Thank u again and very Happy Diwali to u and ur family:)
Welcome Deepika. Glad to know that I could help you in learning cooking. Wishing Happy Diwali to you and your family.
Omg !! This was so time taking. I made it for the first time today. I took 2 litres full fat milk and it took me 3 hours and 45 minutes to get the khoya. But at the end it was all worth it because the khoya came out so well. Feeling proud of myself 🙂
rashmi, preparing khoya does take time. with two litres of milk, it will take more time. but as you say its worth it and homemade khoya is better than the store brought ones.
I feel that 2 things are important.
1] Take a wide thick bottomed pan. If the surface area is more, the whole process will be quicker.
2] If you are going to stand next to it, it may not be necessary to simmer on very low heat. I used medium-slightly high heat, stirring continuously and was done in 1 hr 45 mins for 1 gallon milk.
Thank you Dassana for inspiring us!!
agree SV. thanks for these helpful suggestions and inputs. it will help the readers for sure. also thanks for the last comment.
Hello Dear,
Tried this recipe yesterday for the first time & it came out exactly the same as shown in pics here. Thank u so much. Please share some more recipes of ladoos & barfi made with khoya which can be prepared on diwali.
glad to know this. i will be adding some more barfi and ladoo recipes before diwali.
Can we use toned milk or full cream milk for this recipe
sindhu, you can use either. i have used full cream milk.
thanx mam,everytime i make ur recipe it turned out soo well than any other channel or show…keep inspiring us
thanks a lot naman 🙂
Love your recipes and pics. Just reinforces stuff/processes that I remember.
thanks manali
Hi
I tried this khoya recipe today for my lauki halwa and it came out fantastic. This is the first time I made khoya. Thank you for the recipes. I have tried some of them till now and they were loved by my family. Your pics really help in the process of cooking. Please keep adding more recipes along with the pics. I really depend on the pics a lot.
thank you bhagya for your positive views 🙂 we will surely add pics on our step by step recipes. allow us some time to do the same thanks.
Thank you very much.
This is very useful esp. When we khoya is not available in small quantities , anybody with little efforts and lot of patience can prepare at home.
????
thanks and welcome. true, does not take a lot of effort but takes some time and patience 🙂
Very delicious I hav tried some helpful to those who don’t know how to make snacks n sweets
thankyou renuka 🙂
Thanks for all your recipes Dassana. I enjoy reading and making some of them.
Can you make khoya from condensed or evaporated milk?
Best wishes.
Faiza
thanks faiza. from condensed milk, khoya can be made. since we often use condensed milk as a substitute for khoya. but to tell you honestly, i have never tried making khoya with condensed milk. i have seen some methods online but never tried it. with evaporated milk i have no idea, as we do not get evaporated milk in india and so i have never got the opportunity to use it.
Hi Dassana, I am a big fan of all your recipes. You make tough recipes look so easy. I was looking for gulab jamun recipe and then switched to how to make khoya. I always make Khoya at home. Earlier I also used to make khoya in non stick kadhai. BUt when I got to know about the negative aspects of cooking in non stick utensils, I have stopped using them. Can I make khoya in iron kadhai? I use my iron kadhai a lot for almost everything as non stick material can be carcinogenic at high temperatures. You can also refer to this article and it will surely leave you craving for your good old cast iron utensils. Just like your old paniyaram chatti.
I know its not a comment related to recipe but I felt like sharing it with you.
thanks a lot akriti. yes you can make khoya in iron kadai, but it has to be thick bottomed one and a heavy kadai. which article? you can share the link. i only have two non stick pans and one ceramic one. the rest of all my pans are steel and iron based ones. for the blog pics, i use non stick and i cook food at low or medium temperature. so till now no issues with the non stick. perhaps i need to reinvent my kitchen utensils 🙂
Very nice recipe.Will try it soon coz I want to make khoya kaju with home made khoya.Thnks.
welcome falguni
Helloo…
Its a nyc recipe
i’ll try this someday
I love your all recipes
I need your help
Mjhe MISHTI DOI ki recipe chahiye please tell me
nd maine aj tak nai banaya hai so please
thanks misbah. i will try to add the recipe soon.
Hi – thank you for this recipe – I love Indian gulab jamun and have been looking for a way to make it at home. I am wondering if I can use cream (10% or 35%) instead of homogenized milk (3.8%) – would this yield more milk solids?
i have seen some recipe with cream, but myself never tried making one. i think using cream should work.
If someone doesn’t want to make especially then while preparing home made ghee the khoya left out can be stored in freezer for few days and use it too.
Can I make khoya by evaporating unsweetened condensed milk?
bhavana, i don’t know. i have never tried.
thank you very much for the receipe….god bless
welcome bindu
oh my god, Iam surprised because yesterday I was thinking about the Receipe of the homemade khoya, thanks a lot dassana madam, I live in japan so here not easy to find fresh full creme milk, please teach us also how to make khoya with dry full creme powder please please please
thats a nice coincidence sony 🙂 you can make with toned milk too. but the amount of khoya will be less. i have not tried with milk powder. but i think it won’t be rich and good as the one made from milk. i know a few recipes though of making khoya this way. i will see if i can get the time to add this.