Air fryer gulab jamun right in the time for Holi. This is a non-fried, better-for-you option of the traditional gulab jamun. Enjoy this guilt-free baked gulab jamun this Holi and spread the love on this auspicious occasion of festival of colors.
Holi is a famous Indian festival also known as the festival of colors. Holi, known for the famous color play, is also renowned for its elaborate feast consisting of traditional drinks, fritters, sweets and many other things.
If you are keto or low-carb and want some inspirations, here is a list of my top keto Indian recipes for Holi and bonus: a list of other Holi favorites too.
Click here for Keto Holi Recipes
This year, I am not following a strict keto or low-carb diet. Instead, I am doing a plant-based carb cycling, which involves three days of high-carb diet and rest all low-carb days. Since Holi is on one of my high-carb days, I can binge on some sweets and snacks. This air fryer gulab jamun is the star of my Holi party this year.
I had bought a gulab jamun mix during Diwali, which never got used during that season. As the expiry date was near, I have to make gulab jamuns really soon. But deep-fry really didn’t sound appetizing for a calorie-watching mom like me. Therefore, I decided to try frying the jamun balls in an air fryer. Result: nicely puffed gulab jamun balls with brown skin and throughly cooked from inside. When dipped in sugar syrup, the jamun balls swelled up really quick and were super soft.
My gulab jamun loving family taste tested and approved the jamuns for the Holi menu. That’s how this humble air fryer gulab jamun made its way to my Holi menu. In addition, I am also making some baked sev, Punjabi cookies and baked nippatu for this Holi party.
Is Air Fryer Gulab Jamun Healthy?
This air fryer version of the traditional gulab jamun is a healthier choice than the traditional one. When dunked in sugar syrup, these air fryer gulab jamuns are only 109.3 calories per serving(3 pieces). In contrast, traditional gulab jamuns are 175 calories per a single serving(1 piece). Another way to bump up the nutrition level of these gulab jamuns are by switching the sugar syrup with stevia or swerve syrup. You will save 60 calories per serving by doing so.
How to Make Air-Fryer Gulab Jamun?
To make air fryer gulab jamun, you will need the following ingredients.
Ingredients:
1 pack of store bought gulab jamun mix, 50ml of warm milk or liquid as mentioned on the package, ½ teaspoon ghee, ¼ teaspoon saffron strands(I used this btrand), ¾ cup organic sugar, 11 oz water (320 ml), ¼ teaspoon Cardamom seeds
Method of Making Air Fryer Gulab Jamun:
Instant Pot Sugar Syrup:
- Add sugar, water and cardamom seeds to the instant pot. Mix well.
- Set the IP to a pressure cooking mode and set the timer for 3-minutes.
- After the cooking time, wait for natural pressure release.
- Open the lid and mix well. Set the instant pot to a sauté mode and keep stirring the mixture and let it cook for another five minutes.
- Switch off the IP and transfer the liquid to a shallow bowl.
- Add a few strands of saffron strands and let the strand infuse in the sugar syrup.
Make The Gulab Jamun Dough:
- Use the package directions to make the gulab jamun dough, or
- Sift the flour mix and transfer it to a large bowl.
- Now add half of the warm milk and mix with a spoon.
- Once a dough-like mixture forms, use your hand to make a soft dough by adding few drops of milk at a time.
- Once the dough is ready, add warm ghee and knead the dough for a few minutes.
- Cover the dough with a wet cloth and set aside for 10-minutes.
Air Fry Gulab Jamuns:
- Set the Mealthy CrispLid or the air fryer to preheat mode for 5-minutes at 355F.
- Now take the dough and pinch a small amount out of it.
- Roll the dough ball between greased palms to form a smooth ball. Try to get the balls as smooth as you can. Any cracks may ruin the shape of the jamuns once cooked.
- Make balls using the same method from the remaining dough.
- Now place five to six dough balls on an air fryer rack or Mealthy CrispLid basket.
- Air fry the gulab jamuns for 4-minutes at 355F. And then flip and cook the other side for another 2-minutes. In my air fryer and Mealthy CrispLid, it took a total of 6-minutes to cook the jamuns thoroughly.
- However, the ones that I cooked in my CrispLid basket are a bit darker than the traditional air fryer ones. (They weren’t burnt, but just a bit darker)
Soak in Sugar Syrup:
- As soon as you fry the jamuns, transfer them to a cooling rack and let them stand for just 2-minutes.
- Now add the dough balls to the sugar syrup. (Remember both balls and syrup should be warm not hot at this point)
- Let the jamun balls stand in the syrup for at least 10-minutes to get soaked well.
- Remember to flip the jamuns after 5-minutes so that each side gets some syrup.
- Serve gulab jamuns warm or at room temperature.
- Enjoy!
These jamuns store well in the refrigerator for about three to five days.
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Gulab Jamun
Equipment
- Instant Pot, Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 pack of store bought gulab jamun mix
- 50 ml of warm milk or liquid as mentioned in the package
- ½ teaspoon ghee
- ¼ teaspoon saffron strands, I used this brand
- ¾ cup organic sugar
- 11 oz water, 320 ml
- ¼ teaspoon Cardamom seeds
Instructions
Instant Pot Sugar Syrup
- Add sugar, water and cardamom seeds to the instant pot. Mix well.
- Set the IP to a pressure cooking mode and set the timer for 3-minutes.
- After the cooking time, wait for natural pressure release.
- Open the lid and mix well. Set the instant pot to a sauté mode and keep stirring the mixture and let it cook for another five minutes.
- Switch off the IP and transfer the liquid to a deep bowl.
- Add a few strands of saffron strands and let the strand infuse in the sugar syrup.
Make The Gulab Jamun Dough
- Use the package directions to make the gulab jamun dough, or
- Sift the flour mix and transfer it to a large bowl.
- Now add half of the warm milk and mix with a spoon.
- Once a dough-like mixture forms, use your hand to make a soft dough by adding few drops of milk at a time.
- Once the dough is ready, add warm ghee and knead the dough for a few minutes.
- Cover the dough with a wet cloth and set aside for 10-minutes.
Air Fry Gulab Jamuns
- Set the Mealthy CrispLid or the air fryer to preheat mode for 5-minutes at 355F.
- Now take the dough and pinch a small amount out of it.
- Roll the dough ball between greased palms to form a smooth ball. Try to get the balls as smooth as you can. Any cracks may ruin the shape of the jamuns once cooked.
- Make balls using the same method from the remaining dough.
- Now place five to six dough balls on an air fryer rack or Mealthy CrispLid basket.
- Air fry the gulab jamuns for 4-minutes at 355F. And then flip and cook the other side for another 2-minutes. In my air fryer and Mealthy CrispLid, it took a total of 6-minutes to cook the jamuns thoroughly.
- However, the ones that I cooked in my CrispLid basket are a bit darker than the traditional air fryer ones. (They weren’t burnt, but just a bit darker)
Soak in Sugar Syrup
- As soon as you fry the jamuns, transfer them to a cooling rack and let them stand for just 2-minutes.
- Now add the dough balls to the sugar syrup. (Remember both balls and syrup should be warm not hot at this point)
- Let the jamun balls stand in the syrup for at least 10-minutes to get soaked well.
- Remember to flip the jamuns after 5-minutes so that each side gets some syrup.
- Serve gulab jamuns warm or at room temperature.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- These jamuns store well in the refrigerator for about three to five days.
- The nutritional values is for 3 gulab jamuns.
Zainab
Thank you for the yummy recipe. I made this today. But the only downside was that when the balls went into the actifry, because they were against the basket, the Enda went flatter and didn’t end up as round. Any idea how to prevent that? Thanks
Sophie
Hi, I would add a parchment paper on the air fryer tray and rest the dough balls on them before air frying. If you see your dough balls already have a notch in the backend, just reshape before air frying. This helps to keep the shape round if not fully round. Some of my jamuns were little elongated too. Another tip: Make cylindrical jamuns.