Instant Pot Rasmalai

Rasmalai is a very famous Indian dessert made from paneer (Indian cottage cheese) balls cooked in milk and garnished with saffron, cardamoms, and chopped pistachios.

Making ras malai with the traditional method is lengthy and tedious. It involves making the rasgullas first and then squeezing out the sweet sugar syrup from the balls before cooking them in the milk again.

I wanted to simplify this two-fold process and I was ecstatic when my experiments with Instant Pot came through successfully with delightful results.

I share this recipe with great happiness with you all and hope you will also try and savor the awesome taste of ras malai. You can also try my kalakand, mishti doi, and other Instant Pot dessert recipes.

Ingredients

To make ras malai, milk, and vinegar are needed to make paneer. Paneer is used to make the ras malai balls.

For the syrup, whole milk, sugar, evaporated milk, and milk masala powder are needed which is made of nuts, cardamom powder, and saffron.

Evaporated milk helps in making a perfectly thick consistency and adds a delicious creamy taste to the milk syrup.

Instructions

In order to make ras malai, I prefer homemade paneer. It is then kneaded to make paneer balls which are pressure cooked in milk and sugar mixture.

Step 1: Make paneer

Milk is boiled by pressing the "Yogurt" setting until it shows "Boil". Once the cycle is complete, add and stir in the vinegar.

After a few minutes, milk solids and whey will separate. Filter out and rinse the paneer and gently squeeze out the excess water. The goal is to have a firm paneer that is moist and not very dry.

I highly recommend refrigerating it for a few hours or even a day as it helps to firm the paneer further. It also helps while kneading which is the next important step.

If needed, please refer to my blog on how to make paneer in an Instant Pot for an elaborate process.

Step 2: Knead paneer

It is very important to knead the paneer well before making the balls. A food processor can be used to knead the refrigerated paneer. Refrigeration of paneer overnight not only helps in making it firm but also helps keep its temperature low while kneading thereby, avoiding the release of any fat. By the time the kneading is done and balls are made, the paneer comes to room temperature.

My personal experience has been that ras malai turns out better in softness and sponginess when paneer is kneaded in a food processor rather than done manually. Also, a food processor is much faster and much less effort.

It just takes a minute or so to knead paneer in pulse mode (the button needs to be pressed intermittently). The paneer is ready for use when it feels smooth and soft to the touch and does not stick to the palm while making balls.

Step 3: Make paneer balls

Divide the kneaded paneer into small pieces to make balls of approximately less than an inch in diameter (8-9 grams). Roll the paneer piece between your palms with some pressure until it makes a nice smooth ball. In a 3 qt instant pot, about 10 balls of this size can be cooked at a time.

Step 4: Make ras malai in Instant Pot

Although we made paneer balls, the final shape of ras malai is flat like a disc. Also, the consistency of the milk syrup needs to be thicker so I use non-homogenized full-fat milk. I use 3 qt. pot hence, 2 cups of milk is more than enough. In fact, it is important that the milk level in the Instant Pot is such that the paneer balls are showing and not submerged. This also helps in making the balls flat during the cooking cycle.

At this stage, the process is very simple, just pour the milk, add the sugar, and put the paneer balls. Close the lid in the sealing position and let it cook in high-pressure mode for 12 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.

After opening the lid, add a little evaporated milk, saffron, cardamom powder, and chopped pistachios. To save time and effort, I sometimes use a teaspoon of Everest kesari milk masala which is an exotic, nuts and spices blend and can be used in other Indian desserts. I also like to make milk masala powder at home and use it.

Just give a quick swirl to the container to mix all the ingredients and then refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Serving suggestions

Rasmalai is a dessert that is best served chilled. About 2 pieces with a few tablespoons of milk syrup is a good serving size. Some people like to garnish further with chopped nuts and a few drops of rose water.

Equipment

I have made this recipe in 3 qt. Instant Pot as well as 6 qt. Instant Pot. For kneading paneer, a food processor is very helpful.

You can also check Instant Pot kheer and Sabudana Kheer recipe.

Storage

Ras malai can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days in an air-tight container. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months in freezer safe container. When you want to serve it, place the container in the fridge for few hours or overnight.

Don't forget to check out these delicious Indian dessert recipes made in the instant pot.

• Rasgulla
• Mishti Doi
• Kalakand
• Vermicelli pudding

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📖 Recipe

If you love rasgullas, check out my easy recipe to make Rasgulla in Instant Pot