Ras Malai, cotton soft cheese in a creamy milk sauce, is a delectable Indian dessert. Find out how easy it is to make and impress your family and friends. Ras Malai is a delicious and perfect end to any Indian meal. Make it for your next party or holiday celebration!
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: approx 1 hour (in various stages)
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
Whole Milk - 8 cups (divided)
Lemon Juice - 2 Tbsp
Water - 5 cups (in a pressure cooker)
Sugar - 1 cup
Saffron - pinch
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp
Pistachios & Almonds - 2 Tbsp, roughly chopped
Sugar for the Ras - to taste
Method:
1. Boil 4 cups milk in a steel pan and boil the remaining 4 cups milk in a non-stick pan (The milk in the non-stick pan needs to be reduced to half the quantity so once it comes to a boil, keep the flame low and keep cooking while stirring occasionally. Grind saffron with a small amount of sugar and add it to the milk while boiling).
2. Once the milk in the steel pan comes to a rolling boil, slowly add lemon juice.
3. When the milk curdles (paneer), switch off the stove and strain the paneer in a cheese cloth.
4. Pour a little cold water over the paneer and hang the cheese cloth on the tap for approx 30 minutes to remove all of the liquid.
5. Remove the paneer from the cheese cloth and run it through a food processor to smooth it out. You can knead the paneer by hand but it will take a long time to make it smooth.
6. Divide the paneer into 12 equal portions a little smaller than the size of a ping pong ball.
7. Roll the portions in your hands until a smooth ball is formed. Lightly press the ball until it flattens out.
8. In the pressure cooker with water, dissolve 1 cup sugar and add the flattened paneer.
9. Close pressure cooker lid and cook until one whistle sounds. Immediately switch off the stove and set the timer for exactly 5 minutes.
10. After 5 minutes, carefully take the pressure cooker to the sink and pour cold water over the lid to remove the pressure.
11. Remove the cooked paneer with a slotted spoon into a bowl and allow it to cool.
12. Meanwhile, the milk in the non-stick pan should have reduced to half. Add sugar to taste, cardamom powder and nuts. Switch off the stove and keep milk aside.
13. Once the paneer is cool enough to handle with your hands, gently squeeze out the sugar syrup from the paneer and place the paneer into a serving dish.
14. Pour the prepared reduced milk over the paneer and chill in the refrigerator.
15. Garnish with additional chopped nuts.
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October 16th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Yummmm,…..
Thnx for the recipe!
October 16th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
hi mam!
Priya again!! And back with my doubts!
This recipe is also one of my favorite!!! Muh me pani aa gaya!!!
Cant we use 1% mílk for both? But I think not much Malai (cream) will come. Or can i use 1% milk for the balls n evaporated milk for the milk that is thickened? I know this sounds stupid. Im a ameteur cook and henceforth these questions!! But pl clarify mam!
Regards,
Priya
October 16th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
And ALAS…..!!!
I don have Food processor!!
October 16th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Hi Priya,
You cannot use 1% milk for the paneer (balls) because paneer is nothing more than milk fat which has been separated from the whey. The less the fat in the milk, the less quantity of paneer which it makes.
For the thickened milk, you could try evaporated milk. I would still boil it once and maybe thicken it just a bit more than it already is.
Lastly, you do not absolutely need a food processor. The same thing can be done by hand, but it just takes a little longer to achieve the same results by food processor.
October 16th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Yummy!! I never knew ras malai was so easy to make!
Thank u
Shalini
October 16th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Hi Mam!
Thanks for clarifying my doubt!

Ill use whole milk as u have since i do understand how much it would affect the quality of the ” Real master piece Dessert” !!
Once in while, thoda fat chalta hai!!
Thank u so much for posting this reciepe!! and clarifying my doubt so soon!!
Thanks a million!!!
Regards,
Priya
October 16th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Hi,
Can a regular mixer with small pulses can be done instead of a food processor?
October 16th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Hi Renu,
Food processors and blenders (mixers) work differently in that food processors move the entire contents all around, even if it is not liquid. On dry items, a blender will only grind the bottom well and the top will remain as is.
October 17th, 2008 at 4:31 am
hi,
I have a question i.e.can i use frozen paneer(Amul Paneer) instead of fresh paneer to make Rasgullas.
October 17th, 2008 at 5:28 am
hi,
can I use frozen paneer(Amul Paneer)instead of fresh paneer to make Rasgullas.here,we don’t get whole milk.
October 17th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Hi Sejal (btw, nice name…it’s what I named my daughter
),
Honestly, we have never tried to use the ready made paneer for rasgullas. The trick to getting super soft rasgullas is soft paneer. Since the frozen/ready made kind is very dry, I don’t know if it will yield the same results. If you decide to try it, please let us know your results.
Just curious, where do you live? Wondering where or why you don’t have whole milk available. Maybe its called by a different name (full fat, 4% fat, etc)?
October 17th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
hi hetal and anuja,
very good recipe and very well presented as usual.
will try to make it for diwali.
keep up the good work.
thanks for the recipe.
October 18th, 2008 at 4:01 am
Hi, I was wondering if there is an alternatives to using a cheese cloth. I never heard of a cheese cloth, where would I purchase one? Second question, Do you have an estimate on how many strands of saffron are in a pinch? Thanks!
October 18th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Hi Hethal and Manuja,
great website, great recipes! Indian food without indian complexity!
I have two questions and thank you to answer as soon as possible since I can’t wait to make that recipe!
1) On what heat to you put the pressure cooker (medium or high?)
2) Do you think it would work with soya milk?
Thank you!
October 19th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Hi Tasnime,
The pressure cooker can be between medium and high. Not sure about the soya milk, never tried it that way. Please let us know if it works for you and we will add that tip in our recipe.
Thanks.
October 20th, 2008 at 2:25 am
Hello Ladies,
I tried this recipe with ready-made paneer, I chopped it up and placed in the food processor and then kneeded it. It wasn’t as smooth as it should be but still worked, also when boling some of them broke apart. Also it had a rubbery feel when eating.
Next time I will try making my own paneer, but whole milk is hard to find here, can 3% milk work?
Finally, I didn’t use a pressure cooker because I don’t own one, can you maybe suggest a cooking time or how to do it in a regular pot? (also most of your recipes use the pressure cooker, in the future can you suggest alternative cooking times using regular pot in your videos?)
Thanks for the great recipe, I can’t wait to try it using my own paneer.
Keep the videos coming, they’re great!
October 21st, 2008 at 2:25 am
Hi Gopaul,
Thanks for letting us and other viewers know of your experience and the outcome. We are sure it will be useful information.
Also, 3% milk should be fine for paneer(atleast better than your previous experience;-)!
Finally, thanks for your feedback…will look into doing something about it…but you really should consider investing in a pressure cooker, not only is it great time saver and quite a bit faster cooking-wise but also a lot healthier.
Cheers!
October 22nd, 2008 at 5:02 am
Hi Hetalben,
I dared to say this.I tried Rasgulla from readymade Paneer but really paneer is so dry,we can’t make soft dough from it.Next time I will make from fresh paneer.Generally in India we use Cow milk for making Rasgullas.
I’m really confused about milk types.I am living in Hong kong.here we got fresh milk but it was watery and paneer is not also good soft.I never saw Full Fat Milk,I saw FullCream Milk, it may LOng Life(can be use for one year).What is 3% fat/4%fat milk ?Is it written on the front side? Thanks.
October 22nd, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Hi Nima,
A good alternative to cheese cloth would be a men’s handkerchief. The cloth should be thin, not towel like. You can find cheese cloth at a fabric store.
Regarding the saffron, really, take a tiny pinch and it should do the trick. Never really counted the strands :). If you get a little more or less, it will not make too much difference.
October 22nd, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Hi Sejal,
Thanks for reporting your results on making rasgullas with ready-made paneer. I’m sure it will answer a lot of people’s questions.
Regarding the milk, try to find the milk which is given to children to drink. This is usually the full fat or whole or 4% milk. The percentage refers to the amount of fat which is in the milk. I am guessing that your full cream milk is the same thing. We get fresh milk here so I am not sure about the long life milk.
October 23rd, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Thanks for sharing recipe Rasmalai is always among one of my favourite.
Nupur
October 26th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Hai hetal
Wonderful dessert….
Just want to know which food processor u r using…..??
October 27th, 2008 at 5:32 am
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
Thanks for this recipe. I cant wait to try this one. I have one doubt. Did you use fresh lime for lemon juice or the bottled one?
Thanks,
Pavithra
October 27th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Hi Pavithra,
The food processor we are using in this video is made by Krups. It comes with a blender jar plus a food processor. It is convenient to have two in one, and the food processor works well (although not many attachments). However, the blender does not grind many Indian things like dosa/idli batter or coconut chutney well. If you already have a blender, you can try the Black & Decker Pro II which works well as a food processor.
October 27th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Hi Sridevi,
Sorry, the above comment was meant for you.
And sorry Pavithra, we used bottled lemon juice. Fresh lime/lemon juice should work just as well. Some people even use vinegar.
October 29th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Hi hetal n anuja
i really love this show
i have a question for this recipe..
Can I use half and half milk for the RAS? because boiling milk for an hour is too mch.
Thanks,
Niky
October 30th, 2008 at 2:33 am
Thanks for ur recipe.All the recipes for making Rasgullas advocate low fat cow milk.U R recommending whole milk, saying that it will give more paneer.Will it give the same sponginess also???Is it that u recomm whole milk for ras malai only ?I have tried lot many rasgulla recipe with 80 % results.I would like to try whole milk.Pl help n guide me.wikipedia says that Cottage cheese is low in fat and carbohydrates while high in protein.Can we use renin tablets for cheese making?
Thanks dr Rajesh Khatwani
October 30th, 2008 at 3:07 am
Hi Niky,
You can use half and half but we feel that the ras will still not be as thick as boiling and reducing the milk. You will still have to boil the half and half for a while. You may save a little time. Of course, the consistency of the ras is entirely up to you. Some people do not like it thick. Also, boiling the milk creates a different flavor as well as texture to the ras.
October 30th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Hi Dr. Khatwani,
Honestly, we always make paneer with whole milk and it works perfectly for us so we can’t comment on using low fat milk. People refer to paneer as cottage cheese, and it is anything but that. The cottage cheese available in American grocery stores tastes and feels nothing like our homemade/store bought paneer.
October 31st, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Thanjs Hetal and anuja!
I tried this at home and it came out awesome. I used bottled lemon juice (real lemon) and paneer came out good.
Kneading it in food processor makes it smooth for sure. I love this dish and the fact that I can now make it at home by myself is a great feeling
Thanks again!
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:32 am
Hi Anuja ji!
Today I M very happy,as my friends and relatives could enjoy Rasgullas made by me.
After a lot of trials, I got the success in Rasgulla making.I could make soft spongy rasgullas 4 times continuously yest.I started from sat, spoilt few batches, thought over and over again and started preparing 2 rasgullas at a time from half a cup of milk to minimise wasting.
I combined rational things of diff formulas and prepared what I thought was scientific, rational and correct, in cooker as well as in open vessel.
Ur Recipe was a perfect one for cooker.U only advised to switch the gas off after 1 whistle.All others advised to keep the gas at low for 5 min, which spoilt my many Rasgullas.Ur advice to use only whole milk also worked wonders.It should be 3-4%. not less nor more than that.Pl try to be exact next time as whole milk is diff in diff countries.
Pl send me ur mail id to khatwani123@hotmail.com
I M eager to send U Snaps of Rasgullas.I have devoted these to both of U.U will be remembered whenever I will make the Rasgullas.
Thanks for 100% guaranteed Recipe.
Regards
Dr Rajesh Khatwani
I felt very sorry as I was mislead by so many recipes available on net, not giving good results.This happened with Rasgullas only!!!U also tried a lot to get consistent results not with relable success.
Thanks for guiding me through out honestly and frankly
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:36 am
Pl remove foll paragraph from my previous posting.It was by mistake
I felt very sorry as I was mislead by so many recipes available on net, not giving good results.This happened with Rasgullas only!!!U also tried a lot to get consistent results not with relable success.
Thanks for guiding me through out honestly and frankly
November 9th, 2008 at 6:46 am
Just a note to let you know how fantastic your site is. I would never have DARED to make Indian food before. My mother is a genius and very well known for her cooking. This, of course, makes it a very difficult act for a daughter to follow!
After using some of your recipes for guests I was told that good cooking is in my genes…little do they know it’s actually in my computer! My mother was completely impressed and said that the dishes were better than most restaurants.
My husband said my (your!) butter chicken beats my mom’s. None of us dare tell her that though. Seriously, thank you so much and keep up the good work! You girls are fabulous!
November 18th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
i tried this recipe n for the first time itself i am success. i tried using 2 cups milk. i made 6 medium size n 1 small size. so totally i made 7 rasgullas. i used 2%milk. n i dont have saffron at home. i added cardamom for flavour n pistachios n almonds
it has turned out well. n the taste is also the same which v get frm sweet shop.
really awsome!!!!!!!!
thanks for the wonderful recipe
November 24th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
heyy hetal and anuja,
its a wonderful recipe.i made it when i had party at home.and that was my day bcaz ras malai came out so well.i was the star of the day ! all credit goes to u gals.thanx a lot !
January 5th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Hello Anuja and Hetal! I was wondering, how do you cook the milk balls without a pressure cooker as I do not have one at home.
Thank you!