Easy Milk Barfi {Burfi Recipe}

This Easy Milk Barfi {Burfi Recipe} is the perfect dessert recipe to have on hand for special occasions. This popular Pakistani and Indian Sweet Treat is a favorite at all festive occasions such as Eid, Diwali, Holi and family weddings!

What Is Barfi?

This popular sweet recipe is nothing more than a version of milk fudge. Traditionally this South Asian fudge is prepared with a little ghee, milk solids, milk, white sugar and cardamom powder.

Growing up in Pakistan, plain barfi like the one in this recipe is all we ever ate. However, today, sweet shops, known as ‘Mithai Shops’ in South Asia, are typically lined with assorted types of barfi.

Some of the more popular flavors are Kaju barfi, Chocolate barfi, Mango barfi, Pista barfi, Coconut barfi, Badam barfi and Cashew barfi.

Two personal favorites and slight variants of the traditional barfi that I often indulge in from my local Pakistani and Indian Grocery Stores are Kaju Katli and Besan burfi!

The Easy Barfi Recipe

This is one of the easiest and best gluten free no bake dessert recipe you’re likely to find. Ready in less than an hour {including chilling time} makes this one of the most popular choices during any festive season.

The Equipment You Need

Traditionally, barfi is cooked in a heavy bottom pan, but I find it easier to cook mine in a wide nonstick pan. Once the barfi is ready, you will need to transfer it to a greased pan. I use a square or rectangular baking pan that I line with parchment paper in addition to greasing it. This makes it easy to pull the barfi out once it’s set.

Once you pour the barfi mixture in the baking pan, you’ll need a soft spatula to smooth out the edges and level the surface. After this, once the barfi is set, it will be time to cut it with a sharp knife and store it in an airtight container.

The Ingredients

The main ingredients in this recipe are:

• Ghee
• Full Fat Milk
• Milk powder
• Sugar
• Cardamom
• Nuts for garnish

For the Ghee and Milk just use good quality and fresh ingredients, no specific brand is required.

Milk Powder

Authentic barfi is made with ‘grated khoya’ or milk solids. Since those are often difficult to source here in the USA, full fat milk powder works as a good substitute.

This isn’t always easy to source, with Amazon probably being your best bet. The non-fat version will do in a pinch if you can’t access the whole milk powder, but the full fat milk really gives the barfi that authentic ‘mithai’ shop taste.

Sugar

I use granulated sugar in my barfi recipe and let it melt in directly in the mixture.

While you will find recipes that call for sugar syrup, I’m not a fan for 2 reasons:

• Making the syrup is an unnecessary step
• The water in the syrup means it takes longer for evaporation to occur and your mixture to come together. Who wants to stir longer, right?

Similarly, some recipes call for powdered sugar and once again I’m not a fan! Most powdered sugar has a bit of cornstarch in it. This will add a slightly chalky and crumbly texture to your barfi versus the creamy decadence we’re aiming for.

Cardamom

As always, with any of my recipes I don’t recommend store bought cardamom powders. Buy the whole pods, extract the seeds and crush them fresh! It makes a huge difference to the essence and taste of a recipe.

Cardamom pods are available at all South Asian Grocery Stores, on Amazon or another favorite of mine savoryspiceshop.com. In fact, savoryspiceshop.com sells just the cardamom seeds in a bottle as well, ready to be crushed and used!

Once again, I’ve seen recipes including suggestions for vanilla essence and rose water as add ins for aroma, but traditional barfi is made using cardamom alone.

The Garnishes

Once the barfi is ready and poured into the baking tin to set it’s time for the fun part! Depending on the occasion, you can keep it simple and just sprinkle some chopped almonds or pistachios on top.

TIP: I add some almonds in the actual barfi mixture itself as well as on top to give some added depth of flavor!

Or, if it’s Eid, Diwali or a wedding you can add rose petals and some ‘Chandi Ka Varq’ {edible silver leaf}. I’ve actually tried gold leaf as well and it looks just as pretty!

Some people get more adventurous and add assorted dry fruits and even rainbow sprinkles to their barfi! I personally like to keep it traditional but you do what you like!

The Technique

Now the {slightly} tricky part, the actual cooking! Since the barfi mixture comes together quickly, it’s important to have everything ready and on hand so that there are no hiccups.

The technique must be adhered to as detailed in order for the end result to be perfect! The two most important things to control are:

• The Heat
• The Mixing

Heat The Ingredients

To start off you heat ghee on medium heat in a non-stick pan. Once the ghee melts, you can add the cup of milk and continue to heat the mixture till it is at least at room temperature. At this point, start adding in a small amount of milk powder at a time.

Slowly Add In The Powder

Make sure not to add in the powder all at once or else it will clump together. As the milk continues to heat to a higher temperature, keep adding in more milk powder and preferably use a whisk to smooth out any granular pieces.

NOTE: Although the measurements in this recipe have been tested and are very precise, at times getting the mixture perfect can be a bit of a struggle. If you are a beginner at making barfi, I recommend keeping a few tablespoons of milk on hand and IF NEEDED add in a tablespoon or so at a time to help get a smoother batter. It will take a little more stirring and time for the mixture to thicken this way but the results will be better!

Lower The Heat

Once the milk base is ready and the burfi mixture is bubbling you may need to adjust to low heat. A higher temperature may take less time but the results won’t be good. Where barfi is concerned, slow cooking while constantly stirring on a low flame is far better than trying to save a couple of minutes.

Stir, Stir, Stir!

Continue stirring till the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan. You don’t need a thick dough like consistency, but the texture should be grainy and the mixture should pull together into a ball.

The TEST

The next step is to run a TEST to make sure the barfi will set. Take a small piece of the mixture, put it in a plate and place it in the fridge for a minute. Remove it and see if it rolls into a smooth ball. If it does, your barfi will set into a ball. If it doesn’t, turn the heat back on and cook the mixture and thicken it a bit more.

Set, Garnish & Store!

Once the mixture is ready put it in a greased pan lined with parchment. Flatten and smooth the surface and the edges with a spatula and top with the garnish.

Chill for a minimum of 30 minutes and then cut into square shapes or diamond shapes, depending on your preference.

Problem Solving

• My Barfi Won’t Set - You probably need to cook the mixture longer. Just return it to the flame and let the liquid evaporate a bit more.
• My Barfi Is Chewy – You overcooked the mixture. Over cooking can dehydrate the mixture and lead to dry and chewy barfi. Remember that with most things, they continue to cook a little even after you turn the stove off. So be careful not to let the mixture overcook in the pan.
• My Mixture Is Too Sticky – This could be because you have too much sugar in the mixture, or because you need more fat. In either situation, add more Ghee and it should resolve the problem.
• My Barfi Mixture Has Clumps Of Powder - Accidents happen and if despite your best efforts your mixture has clumps of the powder that haven't dissolved properly there is a solution! Take the mixture off the heat for a split second and use an immersion blender to smooth out the clumps! Works like magic! But remember that the mixture will and is supposed to have a slightly grainy texture. That is what will make it taste like authentik 'khoya' barfi! I also keep a few tablespoons of extra milk on hand and if needed add in a tablespoon at a time to help smoothen the mixture out.

Other Dessert Recipes You May Like

• gulab-jamun-with-milk-powder
• carrot-halwa-gajar-ka-halwa
• vermicelli-sweet-recipe
• quick-easy-mango-kulfi

Did You Try The Recipe?

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