Milk powder burfi, or Milk Burfi is an Indian Style classic and delicious dense milk fudge which is melt-in-mouth and easy to make! Made with only 5 main ingredients, gets done in under 30 minutes!
Understanding dining customs helps you show respect and appreciation for different cultures.
This burfi might be one of the most simple Indian burfi recipes, tastes super delightful and is also fuss-free to make. The milky fudge-like taste makes it perfect for special occasions and festivals such as Holi, Diwali, Navratri, or Karwa Chauth.
Make this easy dessert to serve to your guests at get-togethers or parties and they would definitely love this bite-sized sweet.
Make this delicious and rich tasting homemade milk powder burfi this festive season. It tastes similar to authentic mawa burfi or khoya barfi. Plus, this Indian Sweet dish is gluten free, no bake!
Table of contents
About milk powder burfi
This milk powder burfi recipe makes an absolutely fuss-free and effortless burfi and comes together quickly. It is made with simple ingredients such as dry milk powder, milk, ghee, sugar, and cardamom (optional).
You will only need a pan, a spatula, and a knife to make this classic barfi. Besides, for this recipe, you don’t need elaborate preparations or making sugar syrup separately.
Making this milk burfi is super easy and simple, you just need to follow some simple steps to nail this sweet delicacy like a pro!
To give this plain burfi a little nutty texture and festive look, I have decorated this milk burfi with sliced almonds, sliced pistachios, saffron strands and edible silver leaf. Decorating this burfi is completely optional.
The texture of this barfi is firm, yet soft when bitten into. It is oozing with subtle cardamom flavors, and the nutty crunchy texture from pistachio and almonds complements the melt-in-mouth texture of this burfi.
This milk powder burfi pairs well with mathura peda, Murmura Chivda, poha chivda, or aloo bhujia.
This Milk Powder Burfi:
✓ is made with simple ingredients
✓ is dense, fudgy and melt-in-mouth
✓ tastes so delicious
✓ is ready in under 30 minutes
✓ also makes a great festive gift
✓ is made from scratch
✓ is simple and easy to make
✓ is suitable for special occasions like festivals
What is Barfi?
Burfi or barfi, is one of the basic and most popular Indian sweets (mithai). During special occasions and festivals, gifting burfi or other sweets to families and friends is an ancient tradition in India.
Barfi is a Hindi name for Fudge. Barfi comes from the Persian language, which means snow or ice. Traditionally, barfi is milk based and prepared with mawa / khoya (milk solids).
It is also made with other ingredients like cashew nuts, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, coconut, besan (gram flour), atta (wheat flour).
There are many types of burfis. Some of the popular burfis are Kalakand, Coconut Burfi, Mohanthal, Kopra Pak, Chocolate Burfi, Kaju Katli, Badam Burfi, Coconut Rose Burfi, Til Burfi, Coconut Burfi Roll, peanut katli, pista katli, thandai burfi, and Chocolate Burfi, etc.
The basic mawa or khoya burfi is made with milk solids, milk, ghee, and sugar, and some flavourings like cardamon or saffron. Here, the barfi ingredients are cooked until it forms a sticky dough. Then it gets set into a milky fudge.
What is Milk Powder Burfi?
Milk Powder Burfi is a milk-based Indian dessert made with milk powder, milk, sugar and ghee. This burfi is also known as Milk Burfi. It is an Instant version of khoya or mawa barfi or mawa peda. Milk Powder Burfi = a perfect solution for Instant mithai cravings.
How To Make Perfect Milk Powder Burfi
To make perfect milk barfi, you simply need to follow some basic steps, as below:
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Grease a pan/container with ghee and line it with the parchment paper. Set it aside.
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Add ghee, milk and milk powder to the non-stick pan, mix and cook over low heat. When the mixture is lump free and smooth, add sugar and mix again.
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Keep stirring. And cook until the mixture becomes a lump and leaves the sides of the pan.
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Add cardamom and mix again. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly with the back of a spoon/ ladle. Decorate with nuts and let it cool down and set for 1-2 hours. Cut the burfi into desired shapes and enjoy!
Milk Powder Burfi Ingredients
To make this Milk Powder Burfi, you will require 5 main and 4 optional ingredients.
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Milk powder: It is the key ingredient of this dessert. Using full cream milk powder makes the best tasting rich burfi. But if you want, you can also use semi-skimmed or fat free milk powder.
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Milk: Full cream or semi-skimmed both types of milk work here. I used full cream to make it taste milky.
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Ghee: Most of the indian mithais have ghee. It is because ghee adds a nice aroma and rich texture to Indian desserts. It is the same with this milk powder burfi. I have used homemade ghee for making this recipe. If you don’t have ghee, then you can also use the same amount of unsalted butter. But I would still recommend adding ghee, because it tastes best when made with ghee, and making ghee at home is very simple.
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Sugar: Milk powder is naturally sweet, so you don’t need to add so much sweetener. I have added 1/3 cup of white granulated sugar, however, you can adjust the amount of sugar according to your taste.
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Cardamom: A dash of cardamom powder enhances the overall taste of this sweet milk burfi. Adding cardamom or any other flavouring is optional though.
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Optional ingredients: I have garnished this burfi with saffron strands, sliced almonds, sliced pistachios and edible silver leaf (vark). Using all these ingredients is optional in this recipe.
Burfi Decoration
There is absolutely no need to garnish this burfi. It tastes great even without any decorations. I like to prettify the burfi for the festive season, so I decorated the barfi with almonds, pistachios, saffron strands, and edible silver leaves.
You can even use edible golden leaves, or glazed cherries, slivered almonds, slivered pistachios, or tutti-frutti.
Variations of Milk Powder Burfi:
You can use the milk powder burfi as a base to make it in more interesting flavours. Following are some versions:
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Milk Powder Gulkand Burfi: To make gulkand (rose petal jam) flavoured burfi, add 2-3 tablespoons of gulkand to the mixture when it is cooked. After that, mix it and let it set.
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Saffron Milk Powder Burfi: For an added luxurious saffron flavour, you can add crushed saffron strands to 2 tablespoons hot milk and keep it aside for 10 minutes to infuse. Add this saffron flavoured milk to the pan along with the normal milk.
Rest of the recipe will be the same.
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Rose Milk Powder Burfi: To make floral rose flavoured burfi, add 1-2 tablespoons of rose syrup and 1 tablespoon of rose water to the cooked milk mixture and mix it well.
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Pistachios Milk Powder Burfi: Add sliced pistachios to the cooked milk powder mixture and mix well. Pour it in a greased pan and let it cool to set.
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Almond Milk Powder Burfi: Add sliced almonds to the prepared milk powder mixture and mix well until combined. Place it in a greased pan and let it set.
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Chocolate Milk Powder Burfi: Add 2-3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to the pan along with milk powder. Follow the same recipe.
Storage
You can store this milk powder burfi in a refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 10 days.
Important Tips & Tricks to make the best Milk Powder Burfi
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You can also add chopped nuts and other flavourings to the milk mixture.
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Always cook the burfi mixture on low heat. This would make sure burfi has a smooth texture without lumps.
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Let the burfi cool down and set for 1-2 hours before cutting them into squares. If you want to speed up the setting process then you can refrigerate the burfi for 1 hour.
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Adding freshly ground cardamom powder adds a sweet aroma and makes it flavourful and delicious. So if possible, add freshly ground cardamom powder.
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If your mixture seems dry after adding milk powder, then add 2-3 tablespoons of more milk and stir until you get a smooth mixture.
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Keep stirring continuously to prevent the mixture from turning brown and sticking to the pan.
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I have used edible silver (vark), but this is only for decoration purposes. So it can be skipped.
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Do not undercook or overcook burfi. Remove the mixture at the right time to get the perfect non-sticky and non-chewy texture.
FAQs
Why is my barfi not setting?
If your burfi is giving trouble in setting, then the biggest reason is that your mixture is undercooked. So in that case, add the mixture to the pan again and cook for a few more minutes or until it forms a soft dough like texture and leaves the sides of the pan.
How to check if the milk burfi is ready to set?
To check, take a tiny portion of cooked mixture and roll into a greased plate. If it forms a non-sticky ball that means your mixture is ready to set.
What type of milk powder is best?
Using whole milk powder or full-fat milk powder gives great results. If you can’t find full fat milk powder then you can swap it with the same amount of skimmed or semi-skimmed milk powder.
Why is my Burfi chewy?
Burfi can turn chewy if you overcook it. If you overcook the burfi mixture, then this burfi would become chewy. To avoid this, make sure to cook the barfi mixture over a very low heat. And as soon as the mixture starts coming together, check the doneness of the mixture.
Can I freeze Burfi?
Milk Powder Burfi can be frozen. To freeze, wrap each burfi in parchment paper. Then place them in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. You can freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature before serving.
Why is my Burfi sticky?
Burfi could be sticky if the mixture is not cooked properly, or if there is not enough fat to form the lump. In this case, add some ghee to the mixture and cook until mixture reaches a dough-like consistency.
How to make Milk Burfi with condensed milk?
Instead of sugar, add sweetened condensed milk to this milk burfi recipe. Add condensed milk along with the milk and whisk well before adding the milk powder.
Is Milk Burfi gluten free?
Yes, this burfi recipe is absolutely gluten free.
Can I use Butter in burfi?
Ghee gives a nice aromatic taste to this burfi. However, if you don’t have ghee, feel free to add unsalted butter in this burfi recipe.
Milk Powder Burfi (Step-by-step photo instructions)
Making Milk Powder Burfi
- Grease an 8-inch rectangle container/pan with some ghee. Then place parchment paper and grease it also with ghee. Keep the prepared container aside, in this pan, you will set the milk powder barfi.
- Gather all the ingredients. Add 1/4 cup ghee to a non-stick pan and heat over low heat. Once the ghee melts, add in the milk and stir for about a minute.
- Stir continuously, and add in the milk powder in 3-4 batches. Keep breaking the lumps with the spatula until the mixture is smooth, gooey, and there are be no lumps.
- At this point, add in the sugar. Stir continuously to dissolve the sugar completely. Keep stirring and cooking on low heat for 7-8 minutes or until the milk mixture is thick and forms a lump or smooth dough. Also, keep scraping the bottom and sides of the pan to avoid any burning. At this point, the milk powder mixture would start to pull away from the sides of the pan and would be thickened up.
- To check doneness, pinch out a tiny portion of cooked mixture (be careful mixture will be hot) and roll it on a greased plate, if it forms a smooth and non-sticky ball then it is the correct stage to set the burfi. If not, then keep cooking it further until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Turn off the heat, and add cardamom powder and mix well to combine.
- Remove the pan from heat, and immediately pour the milk powder burfi mixture into the greased tray. Evenly spread the mixture across the pan with the help of a spatula or the back of a spoon. Now, sprinkle with sliced almonds and sliced pistachios evenly across the top. Press the nuts into the mixture with the help of a cup or a spatula.
- Top with some saffron strands and garnish with edible silver or golden leaves. Keep it aside to cool down for about 1-2 hours or until the burfi is firm and fully set. You can also allow it to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Once the burfi has set, flip the container on a wooden board (or plate) and demould.
- Trim the edges, and cut the burfi into 12 even squares, or in any desired shapes. Soft melt in the mouth Milk powder burfi is ready to serve.
Recipe Card
Milk Powder Burfi [Recipe]
★★★★★
(Rating: 5 from 3 reviews)
| Prep time 🕐 | Cook time 🕐 | Total time 🕐 |
|---|---|---|
| 25 mins | ||
| Category ☶ | Cuisine ♨ | Serves ☺ |
| Desserts | Indian | 12 Burfis |
| Nutrition Info ⊛ | Serving size ⊚ | |
| 182 calories | 1 |
INGREDIENTS
For Milk Powder Burfi
- 1/4 cup ghee
- 1/2 cup whole milk (full-fat)
- 1/3 cup to 1/2 sugar (I added 1/3 cup)
- 2 cups whole milk powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
For Decoration:
- 7-8 saffron strands
- 2-3 tablespoons pistachios, sliced
- 2-3 tablespoons almonds, sliced
- 1-2 edible silver leaves (vark)
Equipment
- Nonstick Pan
- Silicone Spatula
- Pan/Container
- Parchment Paper
- Silicone brush
INSTRUCTIONS:
Making Milk Powder Burfi
- Grease an 8-inch rectangle container/pan with some ghee. Then place parchment paper and grease it also with ghee. Keep the prepared container aside, in this pan, you will set the milk powder barfi.
- Gather all the ingredients. Add 1/4 cup ghee to a non-stick pan and heat over low heat. Once the ghee melts, add in the milk and stir for about a minute.
- Stir continuously, and add in the milk powder in 3-4 batches. Keep breaking the lumps with the spatula until the mixture is smooth, gooey, and there are be no lumps.
- At this point, add in the sugar. Stir continuously to dissolve the sugar completely. Keep stirring and cooking on low heat for 7-8 minutes or until the milk mixture is thick and forms a lump or smooth dough. Also, keep scraping the bottom and sides of the pan to avoid any burning. At this point, the milk powder mixture would start to pull away from the sides of the pan and would be thickened up.
- To check doneness, pinch out a tiny portion of cooked mixture (be careful mixture will be hot) and roll it on a greased plate, if it forms a smooth and non-sticky ball then it is the correct stage to set the burfi. If not, then keep cooking it further until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Turn off the heat, and add cardamom powder and mix well to combine.
- Remove the pan from heat, and immediately pour the milk powder burfi mixture into the greased tray. Evenly spread the mixture across the pan with the help of a spatula or the back of a spoon. Now, sprinkle with sliced almonds and sliced pistachios evenly across the top. Press the nuts into the mixture with the help of a cup or a spatula.
- Top with some saffron strands and garnish with edible silver or golden leaves. Keep it aside to cool down for about 1-2 hours or until the burfi is firm and fully set. You can also allow it to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Once the burfi has set, flip the container on a wooden board (or plate) and demould.
- Trim the edges, and cut the burfi into 12 even squares, or in any desired shapes. Soft melt in the mouth Milk powder burfi is ready to serve.
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NOTES:
- To store, transfer burfis to air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 10 days.
- Let the burfi cool down and set for 1-2 hours before cutting them into squares. If you want to speed up the setting process then you can refrigerate the burfi for 1 hour.
- Adding freshly ground cardamom powder adds a sweet aroma and makes it flavourful and delicious. So if possible, add freshly ground cardamom powder.
- If your mixture seems dry after adding milk powder, then add 2-3 tablespoons of more milk and stir until you get a smooth mixture.
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Author: Anupama
Recipe Source Link: https://www.mygingergarlickitchen.com/milk-powder-burfi/