Milk peda is possibly my most favourite Indian sweet and since it’s a no-brainer to make during Diwali, I tried out this super easy, instant milk peda with milk powder last weekend. The recipe is really fool-proof so I hope you’ll bring out some milk powder or buy some and try this milk peda this festive season.
While I love my chocolate peda using condensed milk, the consistency is not that of actual peda. It’s fudgy and a bit chewy and so doesn’t mimic the texture of real peda made using reduced milk, you know, the kind that takes hours at the stove. So I was on the lookout for a shortcut milk peda with milk powder that would give me the taste and texture I was looking for, but in a shorter time with way less effort. This recipe is from Manjula’s Kitchen and it worked beautifully, with a couple of my own touches. The cooking process is quite fail-proof, just follow the detailed pictures below so you have an idea and you really can’t go wrong.
I made a few sweets last weekend for Diwali and will admit that this quick milk peda with milk powder was my favourite by far. It’s so quick, requires such few ingredients, and was a lovely bite-sized dessert after meals. I cut down the quantity by a lot so we only got around 10 peda, perfect to last for 3 days or so. You can double or triple the recipe to get as many as you need. Share around, that’s the whole point of making sweets for Diwali anyway!
You may also like:
Rasmalai from rasgulla
Rasgulla from scratch
Date and nut ladoo
Kalakand with ricotta cheese
Milk peda with milk powder
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk powder
- 1/2 cup cream I used Milky Mist with 40% fat content
- 1/4 cup sugar I removed a tablespoon from this and that was perfect for us
- A pinch of powdered cardamom
- A few strands of saffron
- 2 tsp warm milk
- Chopped almonds pistachios, or chocolate chips for garnish
Instructions
- Add saffron to the warm milk and set aside
- Mix together the cream and milk powder in a non-stick pan. I strongly suggest using a flexible spatula as well to make the process easier
- Cook on a low flame until the mixture bubbles and thickens
- Continue to cook until it reaches a soft, dough-light consistency. This took me around 7-8 minutes
- Now add the saffron milk and cardamom powder
- Mix again and cook on low heat for a further 7-8 minutes
- The mixture will become silky soft and easy to almost fold into itself
- Take a tiny bit between your fingertips and see if you can roll it into a small ball. That's the right consistency
- Remove into a wide bowl and let it cool until just lukewarm
- Now add the sugar and knead well with your fingers until the sugar has completely blended into the peda dough
- Roll into small balls of your desired size and flatten lightly with your thumb
- Place chopped nuts or chocolate chips in the dent and serve immediately
- The peda stays good for a day at room temperature in an airtight container and refrigerated up to three days but it is best eaten fresh
Step by Step Milk Peda with Milk Powder Recipe
Add saffron to the warm milk and set aside
Mix together the cream and milk powder in a non-stick pan. I strongly suggest using a flexible spatula as well to make the process easier
Cook on a low flame until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Mix often and keep scraping down the sides of the pan with the spatula
Continue to cook until it reaches a soft, dough-light consistency. This took me around 7-8 minutes
Now add the saffron milk and cardamom powder (I used too much milk to soak saffron, 2 tsp should be more than enough)
Mix again and cook on low heat for a further 7-8 minutes
The mixture will become silky soft, non-sticky, and easy to fold into itself. The below picture is the perfect consistency. If you are still doubtful, take a tiny bit between your fingertips and see if you can roll it into a small ball. That’s the right consistency
Remove into a wide bowl and let it cool until just lukewarm
Then add the sugar and knead well with your fingers until the sugar has completely blended into the peda dough
Roll into small balls of your desired size and flatten lightly with your thumb. It’s completely ok for the peda to have some cracks along the edges and for the consistency to be a bit grainy.
Place chopped nuts or chocolate chips in the dent and serve immediately
The peda stays good for a day at room temperature in an airtight container and refrigerated up to three days but it is best eaten fresh
Tips and Tricks
- You can add 1 tbsp cocoa powder to the cream and milk powder in the first step to make chocolate peda. Avoid saffron in that case and just use cardamom for flavour
- You can also omit saffron and just use cardamom for flavour. Add a bit more than a pinch if that’s the case
- You can use any type of cream and the fat content shouldn’t matter too much. Just don’t go for low fat cream or milk powder, use the regular kind for best results
- The sugar will feel a bit grainy when you bite into the peda, much like the original versions. If you don’t prefer this, powder the sugar coarsely before adding to the peda dough. Wait until the dough has become almost room temperature before adding sugar. If you add it before, the heat will melt the sugar and the dough will become very sticky and difficult to shape
- If the dough seems too watery, add some powdered nut flour (almond, pistachio, etc) to bring it to the right consistency. Once you remove from heat, do not cook again
- If the dough is too dry and you are not able to shape the peda, add some cream or milk by the drops to bring it together. Refrigerate after making the peda if you are not serving immediately as this will reduce the shelf life
For milk peda with milk powder recipe in Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Urdu, Malayalam, etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.
Shraddha
Hi Nags, read your story and can relate it with mine when it comes to relocation. I am settled in Adelaide for good now and trust me you cannot think that scarcity of good food for vegetarians (like me). Hence, I cook everything at home. I tried the pedas and they were yummm. My husband and I finished it within 5-7 mins (not exaggerating). Glad to come across your blog, looking forward to try more of your recipes.
Thank you
Shraddha
nags
aww thanks! adelaide is gorgeous, i hope you get settled in emotionally too real soon 🙂
Sunil Zackaria
Wonderfully simple receipe, thanks for sharing.
shimmer
Quick recipes…. Really good.. Thnks
nags
thank you
Suchitra
Wow.. So easy to follow new item in my Diwali sweets. Thanks a lot.
nags
Thank you Suchitra 🙂