Enjoy these Homemade Indian Air Fried Desserts: Quick Dessert Recipes For Gujiya and Gulab Jamuns

Indian desserts are so lip-smacking good, you just cannot stop at one helping. However, the ones found in your nearest sweet shop may not always be the healthiest choice. When you recreate these desserts and sweets at home, you can control the freshness and quality of ingredients, as well as the amount of sugar, whether they're deep-fried, and the quantity of ghee used. Here are some easy-peasy recipes you can make in your trusty air fryer, which may be gathering dust in a corner of your kitchen because you haven't discovered how to fully utilise it just yet.

Air Fryer Gujiya

Ingredients:

For the gujiya dough:

• 260 gm flour
• 60 ml melted ghee
• 120 ml water to knead the dough
• A pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 1 tbsp ghee
• 2 tbsp chopped raisins
• 2 tbsp chopped almonds
• 2 tbsp chopped cashews
• 30 gm desiccated coconut powder
• 200 gm khoya
• 110 gm sugar
• ½ tsp cardamom powder

For the sugar syrup:

• 180 ml water
• 150 gm sugar
  
  

Instructions:

• Knead the flour, salt, and ghee along with half of the measured water. As you knead, add more water if needed. Ultimately, your dough should be well-formed and tight, not crumbly.
• Try not to over-knead, but place it in a bowl and cover it with a damp kitchen towel. Set it aside to rest for half an hour.
• Then start working on the filling by heating a tablespoon of ghee, then add all the chopped nuts and raisins to this. Mix until light golden and fragrant. Set them aside to cool.
• Cook the khoya in the same pan until it takes on a light golden colour too.
• Then add the fried nuts, desiccated coconut powder, and sugar, and cardamom powder.
• Ensure that the sugar is completely incorporated in the filling.
• After half an hour, knead the dough once again and divide it into 25 uniform balls.
• Also mix a tablespoon of flour with water to create a slurry that will be used to seal the gujiya.
• Roll out every dough ball into circles that are around 5 to 6 inches diameter.
• Then add about 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons worth of filling. You can either use a gujiya mould to get the dessert’s shape or you can shape them by hand, and seal them by dipping a finger in the flour slurry and running it around the edges.
• You can preheat the air fryer for about 10 minutes at 200 C before you start the cooking process.
• Place the gujiyas on the bottom of the air fryer which is covered with parchment paper. Lightly brush them with oil or cooking spray.
• Cook them at 180°C for about 14 to 15 minutes.
• Cook in batches, and cover the remaining gujiyas with a damp cloth as you wait.
• Once all of the gujiyas are cooked, prepare the sugar syrup by bringing the sugar and water to a boil. Make sure that all of the sugar is dissolved.
• Then dunk all of the gujiyas in the syrup and let them stay in it for about 10 to 12 minutes. You can also infuse the syrup with some saffron strands too.

Air Fryer Gulab Jamun

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of store bought gulab jamun mix
• 50 ml warm milk
• ½ tsp ghee
• Few strands of saffron
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder
• 150 g sugar
• 320 ml water

Instructions:

• Prepare the gulab jamun dough according to the package’s instructions. Then roll out the gulab jamuns.
• Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 176°C, then place the rolled out gulab jamuns in the air fryer.
• Cook for 4 minutes at 180°C. Roll them around so they are evenly cooked and let them stay in the air fryer for another 4 to 6 minutes. You should get golden brown gulab jamuns without having to deep fry them.
• Create the sugar syrup by bringing the sugar and water to a boil. Let it simmer on the stovetop until the quantity reduces by ¼ of the original amount.
• Once that’s done, let the syrup cool down and add the saffron strands.
• Then let the gulab jamuns soak in the infused syrup and let them become plump for about half an hour.