Air Fryer Gulab Jamun - Baked Gulab Jamun

 

Baked Gulab Jamuns 

Air Fryer Gulab Jamuns with Instant Mawa

Gulab jamun is a traditional Indian dessert made with deep fried balls of mawa/ khoya(milk solids) that are soaked in saffron, rose and cardamom flavoured sugar syrup. You won't be able to tell that these delicious gulab jamuns are not deep fried.This is a baked/non-fried, healthier option of the traditional gulab jamun. 

Air fryer gulab jamun recipe uses homemade instant mawa or khoya and instead of deep frying I have baked or air fried the gulab jamuns. This recipe makes rich, juicy and delicious jamuns that are sure to delight everyone! 

Easy No Deep Fry Gulab Jamuns

For Homemade Mawa/khoya:

1.5 Cups Whole milk powder(180 grams)*

1/3 Cup Milk(80 ml)

3 tablespoons Ghee or clarified butter (45 grams)

For Sugar Syrup:

1.5 Cups  Organic Sugar (300 grams)

1.5 Cups Water(360 ml)

1/4 teaspoon Lemon Juice

1 teaspoon Rose water

2-3 Cardamoms, crushed

For Gulab Jamuns:

Prepared Mawa (about 225 grams)

3 tablespoons Whole wheat flour (atta) or All purpose flour

1 tablespoon  Fine sooji/ semolina

3-4 tablespoons Milk (45-60 ml) or as required

1/4 teaspoon Baking powder

2-3 tablespoons of chopped cashews ,pistachios 

Ghee or Oil for brushing 

Step by step video recipe can be found here:

If you are looking for a traditional deep fried recipe, this Kala Jamun recipe is delicious!

Method: 

To make instant mawa:

   1. To a thick bottom or nonstick pan add the ghee, milk, milk powder. Mix well to form a lump free mixture. 

   2. Turn  the heat on for the pan on medium , keep stirring to avoiding burning the mawa. Mawa will start to thicken in 3-4 minutes. Continue to stir until the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan , it takes about 6-7 minutes. Mawa should not be sticky and can be formed into a smooth ball. Cover and let it cool down.

To make the  sugar syrup:

1. To a wide pan, add sugar, water, saffron, crushed cardamoms, and lemon juice.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil, keep boiling for additional 2 minutes. We just need a sticky syrup  and do not need any particular thread consistency for the syrup.

3. Turn  the heat  to low and cover . Alternately, you can turn the heat off and reheat the syrup to warm temperature at the time of adding the dough balls to the syrup.

To make the Air Fryer Gulab Jamuns:

1. Knead the prepared mawa/khoya for 5 minutes. For best results, knead with the base of your palm. Add the wheat flour, semolina, baking powder. Mix well. Add milk as required . I used about 3-4 tablespoons of milk. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes.

2. Divide the dough into 20 portions and roll to form a smooth jamun ball. You can also stuff the jamun balls with chopped nuts (optional).

3. Pre- heat air fryer to 300ºF(150ºC) or regular oven to 350ºF(175ºC)

4. Arrange the prepared gulab jamuns on a parchment lined baking sheet or air fryer basket.

5. Air fry or bake for 15-16 minutes. At halfway mark (8 min), flip the jamuns. Brush with ghee and continue to bake.

6. Final step: increase the air fryer temperature to 350ºF or for regular over to 375ºF(190C). Brush the gulab jamuns with ghee and air fry/bake for 2-3 minutes. Baking time may change depending on the oven.

7. Perfectly baked gulab jamuns are ready!

8. Make sure the syrup is warm (not hot). Add the prepared gulab jamuns to the syrup and cover for 2 hours. The jamuns almost double in size. 

9. Enjoy these baked air fryer gulab jamuns with your friends and family!