Malai Kulfi
Apr 15, 2016, Updated Apr 24, 2018
Creamy and delicious Malai Kulfi is the perfect homemade treat! This eggless Indian ice cream is flavored with cardamom, dried milk solids and nuts!
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Creamy Malai Kufi is a delicious summer treat! Made with simple ingredients, this eggless Indian ice cream is flavored with cardamom, dried milk solids and nuts!
Oh I am so excited to share today’s recipe because I really believe that I have finally found the perfect recipe for everyone’s favorite malai kulfi! For those still unaware, kulfi is a very popular dessert in India and Pakistan.
It’s our version of ice cream, basically milk is cooked till it gets really thick & reduced to almost 1/3rd of it’s original volume. It’s then flavored with sugar, nuts, cardamom and saffron (usually) and then frozen. The texture is not like ice cream but oh my god it’s so delicious!
Seriously for me, kulfi over ice cream any day. Not saying I don’t love ice creams but when I crave kulfi, I want kulfi and ice cream is not a substitute! Actually thickened milk on it’s own is a very popular sweet in India, it called rabri. Kulfi is basically frozen rabri and malai kulfi is the most basic kulfi.
These days you gets all sorts of kulfi in the market- mango, chocolate, paan and even I shared a strawberry kulfi last year but if you want to taste the most authentic kulfi, then you need to try this malai kulfi.
It’s simple milk, sugar, nuts and cardamom but the taste will leave you craving for more! My husband declared it as the best kulfi ever, so guys you really need to try this recipe!
You would always find kulfi  on the dessert menu of Indian restaurants and that’s not all now I also get packs of kulfi at my local Costco! The first time I saw that, I was so surprised, like what’s kulfi doing at Coscto!!? We even bought the pack – it had mango kulfi, malai kulfi and cardamom saffron kulfi. They were not bad but nothing compared to the homemade stuff.
These days there are several quick ways to make kulfi using condensed milk, evaporated milk and yes it’s great that there are these short cuts because honestly you don’t always have the time to go through the entire process of reducing the milk but if you have some time and patience, I highly recommend taking the long route!
What makes my malai kulfi so delicious? The addition of heavy cream, khoya (dried milk solids) and milk powder. You may skip the milk powder if you want but heavy cream and khoya is must. I actually almost always add heavy cream to my kulfis, it makes them very creamy and delicious. And since it’s malai kulfi, khoya is a great addition too. It makes the kulfi more grainy and gives it a nice texture.
To make sure your kulfi doesn’t have any ice crystals, you don’t really have to do anything special. Just 2 things 1) reduce the milk till gets really thick. If the milk is thick enough, the kulfi will freeze beautifully. 2) pour the thickened milk into the kulfi molds only when it has completely cooled down. I know people add bread and all other stuff to make sure there are no ice crystals in their kulfi but you simply don’t need it. My kulfi was as perfect as it can get and I only followed these 2 things!
Method
To a heavy bottom pan, add whole milk on medium-high heat.
After around 5 minutes when it warms a little, add heavy cream to it.
Let the mixture come to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium. Let the milk simmer on medium heat for around 30 minutes, keep stirring it in between, you don’t want the milk to get stuck to the bottom of the pan.
After about 30 minutes, the milk will look quite thick, at this point add crumbled khoya and mix. Keep mixing this the khoya dissolves, this will take 5-7 minutes.
Once the khoya dissolves, add the sugar and mix till the sugar dissolves.
Then add the crushed nuts. I crushed these using my mortar and pestle and I suggest you do the same. The coarsely chopped nuts give the kulfi a lot of texture.
Add milk powder and mix. Simmer for 5 more minutes. In all I cooked the milk for around 50 minutes, it should get really thick by the end of it and it will continue to thicken as it cools down.
Remove pan from hear and cardamom powder and mix. Let the mixture cool down completely. Please note that at this point the kulfi might taste too sweet to you but it’s going to be perfect. The sweetness reduces when the kulfi freezes, so do add the amount of sugar I mentioned.
Once the milk has cooled down completely, pour into kulfi molds or any other container of your choice. Cover and freeze till completely set, around 6-8 hours.
Once frozen, place the kulfi mold under warm running water for 30-45 seconds and then tap the mold on the plate. The kulfi would come out easily. Enjoy the delicious malai kulfi! You may insert a popsicle stick in the kulfi while freezing it, in India we always get kulfi on the sticks from the local vendor. I didn’t use one because I ran out of the sticks! You can garnish the kulfi with some more nuts or saffron strands, but it’s totally optional.
* Always use whole milk to make kulfi for best results.
* Always prefer crushing your own cardamom seeds in stead of using ready made cardamom powder, makes a lot of difference.
* This made 6 kulfis in regular kulfi mold, you may get less if you freeze in bigger container.
Malai Kulfi
Ingredients
- 1 liter whole milk
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons crumbled khoya also known as dried milk solids
- 1 tablespoon dried milk powder optional
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped nuts I used mix of cashews, almonds and pistachios
- 5 tablespoons sugar or adjust to taste
- 6-7 green cardamom pods skin removed & crushed
Instructions
- To a heavy bottom pan, add whole milk on medium-high heat.
- After around 5 minutes when it warms a little, add heavy cream to it.
- Let the mixture come to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium.
- Let the milk simmer on medium heat for around 30 minutes, keep stirring it in between, you don't want the milk to get stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- After about 30 minutes, the milk will look quite thick, at this point add crumbled khoya and mix. Keep mixing this the khoya dissolves, this will take 5-7 minutes.
- Once the khoya dissolves, add the sugar and mix till the sugar dissolves.
- Then add the crushed nuts. I crushed these using my mortar and pestle and I suggest you do the same. The coarsely chopped nuts give the kulfi a lot of texture.
- Add milk powder (if using) and mix. Simmer for 5 more minutes. In all I cooked the milk for around 50 minutes, it should get really thick by the end of it and it will continue to thicken as it cools down.
- Remove pan from hear and cardamom powder and mix.
- Let the mixture cool down completely.
- Once the milk has cooled down completely, pour into kulfi molds or any other container of your choice. Cover and freeze till completely set, around 6-8 hours.
- Once frozen, place the kulfi mold under warm running water for 30-45 seconds and then tap the mold on the plate. The kulfi would come out easily. Enjoy the delicious malai kulfi!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Malai Kulfi
I made this last night and it was good. Here’s my constructive criticism on your recipe that might help those who are getting ice crystals. Boiling the milk is akin to making evaporated milk(common in kulfi recipes) and when you make the latter, you need to halve the volume of the whole milk. That’s what I did, boiled it down until half was left and that took closer to 60 mins. I would quibble with your description that it’s “quite thick”, IMO, it’s perceptibly thicker but still very liquid. To me, “quite thick” would be a mornay sauce. This isn’t it. But it ended up freezing fine. I ended up having to make my own khoya as I couldn’t find it at the Indian market but they did have Nido, a high fat content milk powder.
Thanks for your feedback
Milk has been simmering for an hour and still not thick. I was wondering how it can do so in 30 minutes but willing to follow your instructions.
I know this is not going to chage if one peron complains. Anyway, thank you for the recipe.
Hi Rashmi, my recipe or not, any milk will thicken in 60 minutes if you keep boiling it. I am not sure how the milk is not thick even after 1 hour, beats me. That’s just basic cooking. Please continue to boil it until it reaches the desired consistency, these things also depend on the thickness of the pan and the intensity of the heat.
THANK YOU for sharing this recipe. The kulfi turned out PERFECT!
glad to know Zara!
Hi Manali !
Can I use condensed milk in place of sugar? If yes, How much do I need to add? Thank you
probably 1/2 to 3/4 cup,
hi! how long do they last in the freezer?
few weeks easily
Is it 246kcal per kulfi or for 6 kulfis?
per kulfi, wish it was for 6! haha
I made your kulfi and it was amazing. No ice Crystals at all and it tastes really good. Thanks alot manali.
awesome!
Is it better to add sugar or condensed milk to prevent ice crystals? I always end up with icy kulfi somehow
either is fine, you just need to cook it until its really thick and then freeze
Hi Manali, Can we use milk Mava pwd instead of khoya pwd & heavy whipping cream instead of whip cream as this is what we get here in the US?
yes!
Looks amazing!
What is the best substitute for Khoya to still ensure authentic richness…
Increase milk powder or increase heavy cream in replacement or just skip khoya all together
yeah add more milk powder and also increase bit of cream
Can I use 4 tbspns of milk powder instead of khoya,as the recipe calls for 1 tbsp milk powder & 3 tbspns khoya.Pls guide.
you may
Hi Manali,
Is the khoya homemade or store bought?
store bought
Thank you !
I put too much sugar in it. Any way of decreasing the sweetness after it’s frozen? Thanks!
unfortunately no, can’t change the sweetness once it’s frozen
can we use whip cream instead of fresh cream?
you mean cream that has been whipped? No. I would skip the cream if you don’t have regular cream.
I don’t have khoya with me but I have lots of milk powder. Should I increase the quantity of milk powder instead of khoya or can I make khoya using milk powder and use that
I will just skip the khoya, it will still be good!
I made it today omg yummy in my tummy and whole family ?Thanku
Can we do without khoya….
yes!
This is my first time preparing Malai kulfi. First time turn out to be Best time. its really delicious thank you for sharing.
welcome! It’s my favorite too 🙂
I am not a fan of store bought kulfi and the ones with flour in them. This one was amazing . Loved it every bit. The time and patience is worth it.
isn’t it? it takes time for sure but it’s worth it 🙂 and yeah I don’t like packaged kulfis too..
How long can you keep kulfi in these moulds.
It’s kept frozen so it should be good for 3-4 weeks..
Khoya you used is sweetened or unsweetened?
unsweetened
Wow what a tempting kulfi recipe. It looks so creamy. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe ….
Thanks Manali for this delicious recipe will definately try it. What brand of heavy cream do you recommend ?
I use organic valley heavy cream but you may use any cream of choice. Hope you enjoy it Deepali.
…its my favorite icecream..so delicious & yammy..
Yum, love Indian ice cream! Those spices make it awesome!
I have never had kulfi, but I love the sound of it. Especially cardamom, a spice that I have been using all the time lately. It looks delicious, and so refreshing!
All time favorite. Looks so creamy, beautiful and delicious. Wish I could have one right now 🙂
Oh wow, I’ve never had kulfi before, but it sure is a pretty ice cream! Loving the cardamom and nuts in here! I have got to try this! Cheers, Manali! 😉
I am so ready for the ice pop season! These look creamy and very tasty.
I’m itching to try this!! The flavors sound so wonderful. It would be the perfect way to cool off on a summer afternoon!
WeWe have some Indian restaurants near us that do this and it is SO good. Such a nice summer treat.
This looks amazing. I’m having to guess what this would be like since I’ve never tried kulfi before. I sure sounds and looks delicious.
Wow, this Kulfi looks amazing Manali! So delicious! Such a perfect treat for spring. Yum! Pinned <3
I’ve never heard of this before, but it looks amazing. Seriously, I want about four or five of these right now because I’m so warm. I love the cardamom in here. Yum!
So I’ve never had kulfi before, but I am totally intrigued. It looks like ice cream, but I hear you say that it’s way better? Well sign me up then! Plus, I’m digging the beautiful saffron threads in there. Well done!
I just love the sound of a spiced ice cream! This sounds SO good with the cardamom, Manali! I totally need this in my life this weekend for sure!
I love the flavors of this ice cream, Manali! Cardamom is one of those cozy spices, so I bet this tastes amazing, especially on hot days!
Yum – never tried malai kulfi but they look and sound delicious! Love the Indian flavours in this! 🙂
Mmmm, malai kulfi! Weather is still cold here, but I so want to have this kulfi right away! YUMMY!
Oh yum! Perfect treat for the warmer weather coming! Love the Indian flavors too…so delicious!