rasgulla recipe with step by step pics. rasgulla is a popular bengali sweet. while the method of making rasgulla remains the same, there are two distinct types of rasgulla. one is the spongy rasgulla and the other one is a non-spongy rasgulla. in this recipe post, i have shared the method of making soft, spongy and delicious rasgulla recipe with plenty of tips and suggestions.
rasgulla is our favorite bengali sweet. rasgulla is also one of those few recipes for which i have got maximum requests. after many trials, i am sharing rasgulla recipe. after you try so many times, you realize your mistakes and improve upon them. so was it in my case. i learnt from all the mistakes i made. although making rasgulla can be tricky, but this post will help you to get it right. there are also some indian sweets which are easy to make and you can even try them for diwali or any festival – gulab jamun, besan ladoo, malpua.
in this rasgulla recipe, i have tried to give tips and suggestions wherever possible, so that you can also easily make these soft and spongy rasgulla at home. these round white beauties stay good for a week in the refrigerator. serve rasgulla plain as sweet. you can also make rasmalai with them, which is what i did with some of them. this recipe yields 18 to 20 rasgulla.
what is rasgulla ?
rasgulla is a famous bengali sweet made from milk. to make rasgulla, first milk is curdled to get chenna which is basically coagulated milk solids. these coagulate milk solids are drained of the whey and kneaded with some sooji (semolina) or all purpose flour (maida). round balls are made from the kneaded chenna which are then cooked in sugar syrup in a pan or pot. some cardamom powder or rose water is added to flavor rasgulla.
a spongy rasgulla should be soft and light. in this post, i have mentioned below frequently asked questions (asked by readers in the comment section of this post) with tips and suggestions so that you can easily make spongy rasgulla recipe in your own kitchen.
FAQ for rasgulla recipe
1. what should be the quality of milk to make rasgulla?
to make chenna based sweets like rasgulla or cham cham, always use full cream milk or full fat whole milk. you can even use homogenised milk or pasteurised milk. do keep in mind that milk should be fresh and must be in its shelf period. do not make rasgulla with toned milk or skimmed milk or low fat milk.
2. how to check the correct moisture in the chenna?
rasgulla is made from chenna. chenna is whey drained milk solids got from curdling milk. now the moisture balance is very important in chenna and one of the important factor to get the correct texture in rasgulla. so if the chenna has too much water or moisture, then the rasgulla disintegrates or breaks while cooking. if there is too less moisture in the chenna, then the rasgulla becomes rubbery, dense and shrinks or flattens after cooking and cooling.
- while kneading chenna, you can easily check the moisture content in it. if you see that the chenna is moist or watery, then this implies that there is more water. to rectify you can add some maida (all purpose flour) so that extra moisture is absorbed. the second method is to keep a heavy weight on the chenna again so that the extra water or whey gets drained.
- while kneading, if the chenna looks crumbly and dry, then this means that there is less moisture in it. so to correct this, sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons of water while kneading. this will add some moisture in the chenna. some moisture in chenna, helps in binding and results in soft rasgulla, but do note that too much moisture or water in chenna will ruin it.
3. how much time is taken to knead chenna?
depending on the force and pressure applied by your palms, the timing will vary. yet there is a test which you can use – which is to stop kneading chenna when your palms become slightly greasy. some fat from the chenna is released while kneading it. thus the palms should become slightly greasy when kneading. when you reach this step, stop kneading chenna and make round balls from it. the chenna should be kneaded to a smooth large ball which should be able to come together without breaking or falling apart.
4. what is the consistency of sugar syrup?
rasgulla is dunked in sugar syrup which is watery without any string consistences. so you don’t need to cook the sugar syrup till one or two string consistencies. this watery consistency helps the rasgulla to absorb the sugar syrup and makes it sweet.
5. why has rasgulla become rubbery?
if the rasgulla balls are overcooked, then they will end up becoming rubbery and dense.
6. why has rasgulla shrunk or flattened?
always use a large pan when cooking rasgulla so that all the rasgulla balls can easily accommodate and expand on cooking. also never stir with a spoon as the rasgulla can break. thus it is better to use a pan with handles so that you can shake and swirl the pan by holding the handles. another point to be noted is that the rasgulla can get shrunk or flattened if the chenna is dry.
7. how to check if the rasgulla is cooked?
when cooking the rasgulla will expand and increase in size. for this recipe, the cooking time will vary from 8 to 10 minutes or more. the time variation will depend on factors like the size of the rasgulla, the size & type of pan, flame intensity etc. so after 7 to 10 minutes, you can remove a rasgulla piece and keep it in a mug or bowl of water. if the rasgulla settles at the bottom, it is cooked. if it floats on the surface of the water, it is undercooked.
8. how to store rasgulla?
after making rasgulla, once they cool at room temperature, refrigerate them. do not keep them at room temperature as they get spoiled.
9. what can be done with the leftover sugar syrup?
the leftover syrup can be used to make nimbu pani (lemonade). you can also add it to shikanjvi or fruit juices or add to batters while making cakes.
i have divided the stepwise rasgulla recipe into four parts for ease of reading:
- making chenna
- making rasgulla balls
- preparing sugar syrup
- cooking rasgulla
on a side note, i kneaded the chenna and cooked the sugar syrup simultaneously. saves time this way. but you can also prepare the chenna balls first and then make the sugar syrup.
some more bengali sweets you can check are:
rasgulla recipe
ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)
- 4 cups full fat whole cow's milk or 1 litre full fat whole cow's milk
- 2 to 3 tablespoon lemon juice, add as required
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 cups water or 1 litre water
- 1 tablespoon milk (optional)
- 1 teaspoon sooji (rava or cream of wheat) OR all purpose flour (maida) OR corn starch
- 1 to 2 tablespoon rose water or kewra water OR ½ teaspoon cardamom powder (choti elaichi powder)
how to make rasgulla recipe
making chenna for rasgulla recipe
take milk in a pan and keep it to boil on a low to medium flame.
i used organic cow milk which does not have much fat. if you use buffalo milk, it has too much of fat and makes a thick layer of malai/cream floating on top. you have to remove the thick layer of malai, before you proceed with the making of chenna.
- so when the milk is heating up, line a strainer or bowl with a cheese cloth or muslin.
- keep on stirring the milk at intervals so that the froth is not formed on top and the base does not get browned or the milk solids get stuck to the bottom.
when the milk comes to a boil, then reduce the flame to its lowest. add 1 to 3 tbsp lemon juice. first add 1 tbsp lemon juice and stir. if the milk has not curdled completely, then add 1 tbsp more. keep the lemon juice handy with you.
depending on the quality of milk, you may need to add 1 to 3 tbsp of lemon juice. stir after adding the lemon juice. sometimes i have added 1 tbsp lemon juice and the milk has curdled and sometimes i needed to add 3 tbsp too. vinegar also can be added instead of lemon juice.
another option is curd/yogurt. add 4 to 5 tbsp of yogurt or more if required. with yogurt you don't need to rinse the chenna in water later.
- as soon as the milk curdles, switch off the flame. the milk should curdle completely with the green watery whey. if the milk does not curdle, then add ½ to 1 tbsp of lemon juice more.
- now pour the curdled milk in the cheese cloth/muslin lined strainer or bowl.
- gather the muslin from the sides and rinse the chenna or coagulated milk very well in running water. this brings down the temperature of chenna as well as removes the lemony flavor and tangy taste from the chenna.
now squeeze the muslin with your hands very well, so that excess water is drained from the chenna. remember there should not be excess water or moisture in the chenna as then the rasgulla will break when cooking.
- place a heavy weight on the chenna for 7 to 8 minutes. you can also hang the chenna for about 30 minutes.
making rasgulla balls
- after 7 to 8 minutes, remove the cheesecloth from the chenna. note that the chenna should not have too much moisture nor be too dry.
add 1 tsp sooji or rava or semolina. you can also add all purpose flour (maida). adding either of them helps to bind the mixture. for a gluten free option, add corn starch instead of semolina or all purpose flour.
- first mix the sooji with chenna and then begin to knead.
with the heels of your palms mash the chenna and knead. keep on collecting the chenna from the sides and continue to mash and knead.
this kneading process is very important and also decides the texture of chenna. when you feel your palms becoming a bit greasy, its time to stop. just a bit of greasiness is required.
avoid kneading to an extent where the whole chenna becomes greasy. i kneaded for about 10 minutes as i have very light hands. so depending on the quality of chenna and the pressure you apply while kneading, you can take more or less time. note that the chenna should just begin to get greasy.
- knead to a smooth ball of chenna.
- now pinch small portions from the chenna and roll them between your palms to a smooth round ball.
- prepare all small balls this way. cover all the chenna balls with a moist muslin or kitchen towel and keep aside.
making sugar syrup for rasgulla recipe
in a large pan, take 2 cups sugar and 4 cups water.
you have to use a large pot or pan so that there is enough space for the rasgulla to cook and increase in size. you can also use a pressure cooker. i used a pan measuring 8.5 inches in diameter and 4.5 in height. a 3.4 litre stainless steel pan.
- keep this pan on stove top and heat the sugar solution. stir so that the sugar dissolves. i cooked kneaded the chenna and cooked the sugar syrup simultaneously. you can also do this way.
add 1 tbsp milk and stir. adding milk helps in removing impurities. if there are no impurities then you don't need to add milk and directly proceed to step 6
- once the sugar solution becomes hot, the impurities begin to float on the top. you can either remove it with a spoon. or strain the impurities in a cheese cloth/muslin lined strainer.
now from the purified sugar solution, reserve ½ cup in a cup or mug. this ½ cup of sugar solution we will be adding to the cooking rasgulla.
- reserve another 1 cup of the sugar solution in a serving bowl.
cooking rasgulla
- the rest of the 2.5 cups of sugar solution you add it back to the large pan and bring it to a boil on a medium high flame.
slid the rasgulla gently into the sugar solution.
once all the rasgulla have been added to the sugar solution, shake the pan. don't stir the rasgulla with a spoon. just gently shake the pan.
cover immediately with a lid and let the rasgulla cook. keep the flame to a medium or medium high.
after 4 minutes, open the lid and add ¼ cup of the reserved sugar solution. shake the pan. adding this reserved sugar solution ensures that the temperature & consistency of the sugar solution is maintained and the sugar does not cook to its thread consistencies.
- cover again and continue to cook.
after 4 minutes, again add ¼ cup of the reserved sugar solution. cover and again cook for 2 minutes. i cooked for 10 minutes. the timing will vary depending on the thickness & quality of pan, the depth of the pan and flame intensity.
to check the doneness of rasgulla
there are two ways. first place the rasgulla in a bowl or cup of water. if the rasgulla sinks to the bottom its cooked.
second method is to press a small portion of the rasgulla with your finger. if the pressed portion bounces back to its original shape, its cooked
once the rasgulla are cooked, switch off the flame and keep the pan down.
serving the rasgulla
- now take each rasgulla with a spoon and place it in the bowl containing the 1 cup of sugar solution. cover and keep aside.
let the sugar solution in which the rasgulla were cooked, become warm. then add this to the serving bowl containing the rasgulla.
once the whole mixture has cooled down, add 1 to 2 tbsp rose water.
if you don't have rose water you can also kewra water (pandanus extract) or ½ tsp cardamom powder. stir gently and allow the rasgulla to be soaked in the sugar syrup for 30 minutes.
you can serve the rasgulla now or refrigerate them and serve later.
recipe notes
- leftover syrup can be used to make nimbu pani (lemonade). you can also add it to shikanjvi or fruit juices or while making cakes.
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how to make rasgulla recipe
a) making chenna:
1. take 1 litre of whole milk in a pan and keep it to boil on a low to medium flame. i used organic cow milk which does not have much fat. if you use buffalo milk, it has too much of fat and makes for a thick layer of malai/cream floating on top. you have to remove the thick layer of malai, before you proceed with the making of chenna.
2. so when the milk is heating up, line a strainer or bowl with a cheese cloth or muslin.
3. keep on stirring the milk at intervals so that the froth is not formed on top and the base does not get browned or the milk solids get stuck to the bottom.
4. when the milk comes to a boil, then reduce the flame to its lowest. add 1 to 3 tbsp lemon juice. first add 1 tbsp lemon juice and stir very well. if the milk has not curdled completely, then add 1 tbsp more. keep the lemon juice handy with you. depending on the quality of milk, you may need to add 1 to 3 tbsp of lemon juice. stir after adding the lemon juice. sometimes i have added 1 tbsp lemon juice and the milk has curdled and sometimes i needed to add 3 tbsp too. vinegar also can be added instead of lemon juice. another option is curd/yogurt. add 4 to 5 tbsp of yogurt or more if required. with yogurt you don’t need to rinse the chenna in water later.
5. as soon as the milk curdles, switch off the flame. the milk should curdle completely with the green watery whey.
6. now pour the curdled milk in the cheese cloth/muslin lined strainer or bowl. reserve the whey and add it to your chapati dough or in dals or curries. the whey is very nutritious, so don’t discard it.
7. gather the muslin from the sides and rinse the chenna or coagulated milk solids very well in running water. this brings down the temperature of chenna as well as removes the lemony flavor and tangy taste from the chenna.
8. now squeeze the muslin with your hands very well, so that excess water is drained from the chenna. remember there should not be excess water or moisture in the chenna as then the rasgulla will break when cooking.
9. place a heavy weight on the chenna for 7 to 8 minutes. you can also hang the chenna for about 30 minutes.
10. after 7 to 8 minutes, remove the cheesecloth from the chenna. note that the chenna should not have too much moisture nor be too dry.
b) making rasgulla balls
11. add 1 tsp unroasted sooji or rava or semolina. the rava i had were a bit coarse. fine rava or sooji also works very well. you can also add all purpose flour/maida. adding either of them helps to bind the mixture. for a gluten free option, add 1 tsp corn starch instead of semolina or all purpose flour.
12. first mix the sooji with chenna and then begin to knead. while kneading chenna, if you see that it is moist or watery, then this means that there is more water. you can add some maida (all purpose flour) so that extra moisture is absorbed. alternatively, keep a heavy weight on the chenna again so that the extra water or whey gets drained. if the chenna looks crumbly and dry, then this means that there is less moisture in it. so to correct this, sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons of water while kneading. this will add some moisture in the chenna. some moisture in chenna helps in binding.
13. with the heels of your palms mash the chenna and knead. keep on collecting the chenna from the sides and continue to mash and knead. this kneading process is very important and also decides the texture of chenna. when you feel your palms becoming a bit greasy, its time to stop. just a bit of greasiness is required. avoid kneading to an extent where the whole chenna becomes greasy. i kneaded for about 10 minutes as i have very light hands. so depending on the quality of chenna and the pressure you apply while kneading, you can take more or less time. note that the chenna should just begin to get greasy.
14. knead to a smooth ball of chenna which should be able to come together without breaking or falling apart.
15. a close up pic showing you the texture of the chenna dough.
16. now pinch small portions from the chenna and roll them between your palms to a smooth round ball.
17. prepare all small balls this way. there will be fine cracks on the chenna balls and its fine to have them 🙂
18. cover all the chenna balls with a moist muslin or kitchen towel and keep aside.
c) making sugar syrup for rasgulla recipe
19. in a large pan, take 2 cups sugar.
20. add 4 cups water (1 litre). i used organic raw sugar and hence the orangish golden tones to it. you have to use a large pot or pan so that there is enough space for the rasgulla to cook and increase in size. you can also use a pressure cooker. i used a pan measuring 8.5 inches in diameter and 4.5 inches in height. basically a 3.4 litre stainless steel pan.
21. keep this pan on stove top and heat the sugar solution. stir so that the sugar dissolves. just lightly heat and stir so that the sugar dissolves. you don’t need to heat more or boil the solution. if there are impurities in the sugar solution, then move to the next step. if no impurities, then move to step 26. i kneaded the chenna and cooked the sugar syrup simultaneously. you can also do this way.
22. add 1 tbsp milk and stir. adding milk helps in removing impurities. if there are no impurities then you don’t need to add milk and directly proceed to step 26.
23. once the sugar solution becomes hot, the impurities begin to float on the top.
24. you can either remove it with a spoon.
24. or strain the impurities in a cheese cloth/muslin lined strainer. i prefer this method.
25. from the filtered sugar solution (or if you have not filtered the sugar solution) reserve ½ cup of it in a cup or mug. this ½ cup of sugar solution we will be adding while cooking the rasgulla.
26. reserve another 1 cup of the filtered sugar solution in a serving bowl.
27. add the rest of the 2.5 cups sugar solution back to the same large pan and bring it to a boil on a medium high flame.
d) cooking rasgulla
28. slid the rasgulla gently into the sugar solution.
29. once all the rasgulla have been added to the sugar solution, shake the pan. don’t stir the rasgulla with a spoon. just gently shake the pan.
30. cover immediately with a lid and let the rasgulla cook. keep the flame to a medium or medium high.
31. after 4 minutes, open the lid and add ¼ cup of the reserved sugar solution. shake the pan. adding this reserved sugar solution ensures that the temperature & consistency of the sugar solution is maintained and the sugar does not cook to its thread consistencies.
32. cover again and continue to cook.
33. after 4 minutes, again add ¼ cup of the reserved sugar solution. cover and again cook for 2 minutes. i cooked for a total of 10 minutes.
34. after 10 minutes the rasgulla had increased in size and were cooked. once the rasgulla are cooked, switch off the flame and keep the pan down. the time to cook rasgulla will vary depending on the thickness & quality of pan, the size of pan and the intensity of the flame. so the time range can be somewhere between 7 to 11 minutes. so you can add the ¼ cup sugar syrup after 2 to 3 minutes also instead of 4 minutes. i used a thick bottomed wide and deep pan, so the cooking time was slightly more for me.
how to check the doneness of rasgulla
35. there are two ways. first method is to place the rasgulla in a bowl or cup of water. if the rasgulla sinks to the bottom and stays there, its cooked. second method is to press a small portion of the rasgulla with your finger. if the pressed portion bounces back to its original shape, its done. you have to check the doneness, while the rasgulla are simmering. so just take one rasgulla with a spoon and add it to the bowl of water. if the rasgulla does not settle down at the bottom and floats on top of the water, then you need to cook them further.
36. once the rasgulla are cooked, take each rasgulla with a spoon.
37. and place it in the serving bowl containing the reserved 1 cup of sugar solution. cover and keep aside.
38. let the sugar solution in which the rasgulla were cooked, become warm. then add this sugar solution to the serving bowl containing the rasgulla.
39. once the whole mixture has cooled down, add 1 to 2 tbsp rose water. if you don’t have rose water you can also kewra water (pandanus extract) or ½ tsp cardamom powder. you can even use both rose water and cardamom powder. stir gently. some flavoring has to be added, otherwise you will get a milky taste in the rasgulla. in case the milky taste is there, then you can increase the amount of rose water or add 1 teaspoon cardamon powder. allow the rasgulla to be soaked in the syrup for about 30 minutes, so that the flavorings gets infused in them.
40. you can serve the rasgulla now or refrigerate them and serve later.
Hi dassana
For the rasgulla recipe can I use 1.5% fat milk available at my region?
Thanking you in advance…
avoid using 1.5% milk. first of all chenna will have a loose texture and rasgulla will disintegrate while cooking.
Can we use pasteurized cow milk.
yes you can.
Hey,
Thanks for amazing and sweet article of Rasgulla Recipe To be honest I never tried this and i’m really excited to make that Hahaha,
Can you please clear my one question here that Is it possible to use persian saffron in it ? If yes then how much please mention the quantity also.
I will be waiting for your reply
Thanks
welcome and thanks. you can add saffron. for persian saffron, you can add 20 to 25 strands in the sugar solution or in the chenna. if adding in chenna, then add saffron strands when you boil the milk. alternatively you can add saffron strands in the kneaded chenna. mix the strands with the kneaded chenna and then form the rasgulla balls.
your recipe is very nice but when i am trying to make ras gulla
every time its break when I make in ball why???/
if there is more moisture in the chenna, then the rasgullas will break. so next time try to keep the weight longer on the chenna so that extra moisture is drained.
My rasgullas had a lemon flavor even though I had washed the cheena twice. Except that all was great.
if you rinse the chenna well, then the lemon juice aroma should not be there. not sure what must have gone wrong.
Hello mam…i really like ur recipes v much..i tried rasgulla recipe..bt they didn’t turn out good..rasgulla were flat and broken…pl tell me what might have gone wrong and what things should be taken care of?
jyoti, if there is more moisture in the chenna mixture then the rasgulla will break. so the water has to be drained well when making chenna. so keep a heavy mortar or pestle on the chenna at least for 7 to 8 minutes before you start shaping rasgullas. when kneading also when you see some fat or greasiness on your palms, then stop kneading and make the rasgulla balls.
Hi Mam I tried today but rasgulla are not spongy it’s like soft or not exact spongy from inside
rimple, if the rasgullas are cooked more then they don’t become spongy or soft. they become hard. this could be the reason that the rasgullas have not turned soft.
Hi! Tried your Rasgulla recipe today. They came out spongy but did not absorb the flavour of sugar syrup nicely. I will try again for sure. I think they were good for a first attempt 😊.
All your recipes are just amazing. Cooking was never my cup of tea until I came across Veg Recipes of India! Since then I have tried so many recipes of yours and will keep doing so.
You are too good!
Thanks a lot 😊😊
Welcome Pooja. Glad to know that you have tried many recipes successfully from the blog. Thanks for sharing this awesome feedback on recipes.
The texture of the rasgulla is nearly smooth on one side but cracked on the other side. What might be wrong? Can you help me out?
fine cracks are fine. large cracks can be due to less moisture or less fat content. also when rolling they have to be rolled well. while kneading a bit of fat should just start releasing and you will fee a bit of greasiness in your palms. at this step you can start making balls. hope this helps.