Kesar burfi recipe with milk powder is a quick and delicious double-layered Diwali sweet made with milk powder, butter, sugar and aromatic saffron. Soft, glossy and melt-in-the-mouth, this easy milk powder burfi is a foolproof sweet you can make in just 20 minutes without any khoya!
Last year during Diwali, I posted double layered chocolate burfi with khoya. So this year I wanted to attempt some sweets with milk powder. I tried kesar burfi recipe with milk powder as my reader friend Harini requested me to share some burfi recipes with milk powder. I followed the recipe from Mullai’s blog and referred Nisha Madhulika ji’s video as well.
Actually I made a two layered burfi just like the original recipe but simplified the cooking procedure. Instead of making the layers separately, I made the dough once, divided them into two parts, applied kesar milk with yellow color to one part and kept the other one as plain. This helped to make the burfi very quickly. But this kesar burfi takes one day time to set completely. It tastes chewy if you eat it on the same day. But it sets perfectly the next day and melts in your mouth. I have tried kesar burfi with khoya and the setting time is the same for khoya as well.
Friends, if you don’t get khoya in your place, you can opt for this milk powder burfi. There will be no compromise in taste or flavor. Let’s see how to make this colorful kesar burfi with milk powder with step-by-step photos!
Quick Notes for US & Abroad Kitchens
- Milk Powder Selection: Any good quality dry whole milk powder or non-fat milk powder works well. Full-cream milk powder (such as Nido, Carnation or store brands from Indian grocery stores like Deep or Swad) yields the richest, most traditional mawa-like texture.
- Butter Choice: Standard unsalted butter sticks from Costco (Kirkland Signature) or Trader Joe’s work perfectly (1/2 cup equals 1 standard US stick / 113 grams). European-style butter with higher fat content also gives a wonderful rich aroma.
- Electric Stovetop Heat Management: Milk powder and sugar mixture can catch and brown quickly. On electric coil or glass-top cooktops, keep the heat on low to medium-low (setting 2 or 3) and stir continuously with a heatproof silicone spatula.
- Resting Time: Do not skip the 8-hour or overnight resting time at room temperature. The moisture evaporates naturally, allowing the butter and milk solids to firm up for clean, crisp knife cuts.
Kesar Burfi Recipe With Milk Powder (Milk Powder Burfi)
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Milk powder (approx. 150 g / 5.3 oz)
- ¾ cup Powdered sugar (approx. 90 g / 3.2 oz)
- ½ cup Unmelted butter (approx. 115 g / 4 oz / 1 stick)
- ⅓ cup Boiled milk (approx. 80 ml / 2.7 fl oz)
- 1 pinch Kesar / Saffron threads (few)
- 1 tbsp Milk (to soak saffron)
- ¼ tsp Cardamom powder or rose essence or kewra water (few drops)
- 1 drop Yellow food color (optional)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp milk and add saffron threads, few drops of yellow food color to it. Grease a pan with ghee & grease a flat bottomed bowl with ghee for levelling the dough. Keep it ready. Refer picture below for the idea.
- In a small non-stick kadai , pour the saffron milk and set aside. We need it for later use.
- Heat unmelted butter in another big non-stick kadai in low flame. When its melting, add the milk. Mix well. When the milk and butter are mixed well, add the milk powder and stir it without lumps. Milk powder will absorb all the milk & butter and it looks like a thick paste/ khoya.Stir the mixture to become smooth.
- Now add the powdered sugar and stir well. Sugar gets melted and the paste becomes thin. Keep mixing in low to medium flame. Never increase the flame and do not go away. Stay nearby and keep mixing else the bottom layer gets burnt very quickly. Add the rose water or cardamom powder and keep mixing for 5-6 minutes. The burfi mixture starts to thicken and leaves the sides of kadai.
- When it starts to leaves the sides and becomes semi thick, take a small portion in plate. It will be very sticky. Grease your fingers with ghee and try to make a ball out of it. If you are able to do make a soft, non sticky ball, its the right consistency. Immediately switch off the flame and stir for few seconds. The heat of kadai is sufficient to thicken the burfi mixture.Mixture will be very sticky and tastes slightly chewy too. But don’t worry.
- Remove 1/3rd portion of burfi mixture using a ladle and add it to the kesar milk we kept in the kadai earlier. Transfer the remaining mixture to the greased plate, it will fall like a ribbon. Spread it well with the bottom of greased bowl. Let it cool down.
- In my burfi, two layers were not clearly visible. So its better to add the yellow layer less than half the quantity of white layer.
- Now take the dough mixed with kesar milk. Keep mixing till all the milk is absorbed by the burfi dough and its color changes to yellow. If you wish, add more yellow color if needed. Switch on the flame and mix it for one minute in very low flame. This is to absorb the extra moisture in the burfi. Transfer it to the greased tray and spread it over the plain white layer. Use the greased bowl and spread it well to cover the white layer. Set it to become warm for 2-3 hours.
- Grease a knife with ghee and make shapes once the mixture becomes warm. Do not remove the pieces now.This burfi tastes chewy if consumed hot. So Let it rest over night or at least 8 hours by covering with a plastic sheet. The next day, run a knife in the corners and invert the plate. All the pieces will fall easily. Remove and stack it. Store in a box and enjoy for a week. No need to refrigerate. Melt in mouth kesar burfi with milk powder is ready !
Notes
- Remember this burfi tastes mildly chewy when hot. It tastes great only the next day.
- Do not forget to add rose essence or cardamom powder to the burfi mixture else it will taste like eating milk powder.
- Troubleshooting : If you feel, the mixture is not set even after its warm, don’t panic. Again heat the mixture for a minute and spread it OR Just add a tbsp of milk powder to the mixture, knead well to make a smooth dough and spread in a plate. Make shapes and allow it to set for 8 hours .
- If you have over done the mixture and made it very hard or chewy, add more milk to the mixture, make a paste and again stir it to reach right consistency. But it will take more time to cook.
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Try this colorful, melt-in-the-mouth kesar burfi with milk powder and celebrate Diwali with your family!
For more traditional festive ideas, check out my complete collection of South Indian Diwali Sweets and Snacks Recipes.
hi chitra thanks a lot.at what time did u post this recipe?i was often checking ur page from the morning.surely i ll try before diwali or for my daughters birthday on nov.4th as it is her favourite sweet. once again i thank u for trying with milk powder for my sake.
Hi Harini, I posted this evening :) I must thank you for making me learn a new recipe :) I hope your daughter would love it !