Instant Pot Rasgulla (+Keto)

Want some instant pot rasgulla? This is one of those yum, sugar drenched spongy chenna sweet dish widely popular in India. Presenting my instant pot version of the pressure cooker rasgulla recipe and a keto version for those who are sugar-free.

Rasgulla is an emotion for many eastern Indians. There are quite a number of controversial theories about the origin of rasgullas. We Odisha people claim that it is ours and our neighbors  Bengalis say, it’s their creation. No matter who created it, we both states are extremely thankful to the creator who made this amazing sweet dish.

In Orissa, we have a “Rasogola Divas” that is celebrated the next day following the last event of Ratha Yatra. This is the day when Lord Jagannath gifts a pot-full of rasgullas to Mahalaxmi as a token of love. This day, Odias eat and serve rasgullas a lot. My memories of rasgulla takes me to some of the most unique versions served in Orissa. 

The caramelized cardamom rasgulla, plain white one, huge stuffed rasgulla and the most famous matka rasgullas. There are literally hundreds of versions of rasgullas sold in the sweet shops in Orissa.

The famous lanes of Pahala and GI-tagged Bikala Kara Salepur rasgullas are also quite famous in India. My mom still gets me the Odia-special canned rasgullas whenever she visits me here. But that’s no match for the fresh ones.

That’s enough of my rasgulla story. Now that I reside in the United States, I often miss the sweet and warm rasgullas. Considering the big process of making them, I try to push the idea away whenever rasgulla cravings engulf my thoughts.

But then, I have an instant pot which makes chenna paneer in minutes. And the entire process just becomes a lot easier with a fewer steps than the traditional method and hands-free cooking. That’s how my instant pot rasgulla recipe was born. It takes just under 30-minutes if you have the paneer drained and ready to roll. 

What does rasgulla taste like?

Rasgulla is a sugar syrup filled spongy ball made with fresh chenna or paneer. A perfect rasgulla should be soft and feel spongy with a burst of syrup when you bite. 

What are the ingredients of instant pot rasgulla?

The primary ingredients of the instant pot rasgulla recipe is chenna or instant pot paneer, and sugar syrup. In Orissa style rasgulla, we add a few pods of cardamom to the syrup for a mild flavor. 

Can you freeze rasgulla?

Rasgullas are best enjoyed fresh or can be refrigerated for 5-days. They can also be frozen for up to a month. Store them in the sugar syrup and reheat before serving.

Why are my rasgulla hard?

If the chenna or paneer is not drained and kneaded well, rasgulla often turn hard after cooked in the syrup. Pressure cooking does help a lot to retain the softness of the rasgullas. 

How to make the instant pot rasgulla?

Ingredients Instant Pot Rasgulla

• ½ gallon Milk whole or 2 percent milk
• 4 tablespoon white vinegar or lime juice
• 1 cup organic sugar
• 2 ½ cup Water
• ½ cup sugar-free sweetener and 2 cups water

Instructions:

Make Chenna or Paneer:

• I have the detailed recipe of “Instant Pot Paneer” here with a video. The process involves pressure cooking milk in high for 0 minutes till milk is hot. Alternatively, you can use the yogurt boil function and sauté function right after the beep to get the yogurt to a boiling temperature and switch it off before moving to the next step.
• Then add the acidic lime water and stir well till the Paneer separates from the whey. 
• Take the Paneer in a Muslin cloth and rinse it with cold water. Press and keep it aside for an hour till the Paneer has no water in it.

Making Rasgullas:

Making Rasgulla Balls:

• I strongly suggest using fresh paneer while making this dish. You make the paneer, drain it for an hour and proceed to the next step. I don’t like to refrigerate the paneer and use it the next day. 
• Take paneer in a large plate and knead the paneer by pressing it with your palm.  The paneer will be grainy at this point but it turns super soft after kneading. 
• This step is very important. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to quickly knead the paneer. Don’t over beat the paneer or it will release some fat and break while making the balls. The best way to do in a food processor is by applying intermittent pulses and knead for about a minute. 
• After the knead or processing, the paneer should be very soft. 
• Take a spoonful of paneer and roll it between your palms to make a circle. Use the same process to make balls out of all paneer. Set them aside. 

Make Sugar Syrup/Chasni:

• While you make the chenna balls, set the instant pot into a sauté mode.
• Add sugar and water and let it come to a boiling temperature. If you want a cardamom flavor, add a few pods or seeds now.

• Now add the chenna balls to the boiling syrup.
• The syrup should be boiling when you add the balls.
• Set the instant pot to a steam mode and select the cook time for 15 minutes while the vent is in “release” position. Alternatively, pressure cook for 12-minutes on high for 12-minutes. Both methods work well.
• The pressure will build up and the instant pot will cook the paneer balls in syrup for 15-minutes. However, it won’t start the timer since the pressure will release continuously. That’s why set the timer for 15-minutes in your phone and let the pressure release for about 20-minutes before you open the instant pot. 

• You will see the rasgullas double in size when you open the instant pot. Let the instant pot rasgullas cool down and transfer them to a storage container and refrigerate them for 3-days.
• Serve the rasgullas at room temperature with some sugar syrup.

📖 Recipe

Instant Pot Rasgulla

Want some instant pot rasgulla? This is one of those yum, sugar drenched spongy chenna sweet dish widely popular in India. Presenting my instant pot version of the pressure cooker rasgulla recipe.

5 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert, Dessert recipe

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: instant pot rasgulla, keto rasgulla, Odia rasgolla, rasgulla

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 91kcal

Author: Sophie

Cost: $6

Equipment

• Instant pot

Ingredients

Paneer

• ½ gallon Milk whole or 2 percent milk
• 4 tablespoon white vinegar or lime juice, (mixed with ¼ cup hot water)

Syrup/Chasni

• 1 cup organic sugar
• 2 ½ cup Water, Add 1 cup extra water for less sweetness

Keto Option:

• ½ cup Swerve or Monk fruit sweetener
• 2 cup water

Instructions

Make Chenna/Paneer

• I have the detailed recipe of “Instant Pot Paneer” here with a video. The process involves pressure cooking milk in high for 0 minutes till milk is hot.
• Then add the acidic lime water and stir well till the Paneer separates from the whey.
• Take the Paneer in a Muslin cloth and rinse it with cold water. Press and keep it aside for an hour till the Paneer has no water in it.

Make Rasgulla Balls

• I strongly suggest using fresh paneer while making this dish. You make paneer, drain it for an hour and proceed to the next step. I don’t like to refrigerate the paneer and use it the next day.
• Take paneer in a large plate and knead the paneer by pressing it with your palm. The paneer will be grainy at this point but it turns super soft after kneading.
• This step is very important. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to quickly knead the paneer. Don’t over beat the paneer or it will release some fat and break while making the balls. The best way to do in a food processor is by applying intermittent pulses and knead for about a minute.
• After the knead or processing, the paneer should be very soft.
• Take a spoonful of paneer and roll it between your palms to make a circle. Use the same process to make balls out of all paneer. Set them aside.

Make Sugar Syrup/Chasni

• While you make the chenna balls, set the instant pot into a sauté mode.
• Add sugar and water and let it come to a boiling temperature. If you want a cardamom flavor, add a few pods or seeds now. If you are making the keto syrup, just boil water and sweetener and proceed to the next step.
• Now add the chenna balls to the boiling syrup
• The syrup should be boiling when you add the balls.
• Set the instant pot to a steam mode and select the cook time for 15 minutes while the vent is in “release” position. Alternatively, pressure cook for 12-minutes on high. Both methods work well.
• The pressure will build up and the instant pot will cook the paneer balls in syrup for 15-minutes. However, it won’t start the timer since the pressure will release continuously. That’s why set the timer for 15-minutes in your phone and let the pressure release for about 20-minutes before you open the instant pot.
• You will see the rasgullas double in size when you open the instant pot. Let the instant pot rasgullas cool down and transfer them to a storage container and refrigerate them for 3-days.
• Serve the rasgullas at room temperature with some sugar syrup.
  

Find us on Pinterest!Follow MyDaintySoulCurry!

Video

Check our YouTube recipe videos!Here is MyDaintySoulCurry Channel!

Notes

• The nutrition value is for two rasgullas in sugar syrup. For the keto version, the carb amount is only 6g per serving.
• I keep the instant pot rasgulla in an air-tight container and store it with the syrup for a week.
• Rasgullas can also be frozen for a month. 

Tried this recipe?Mention @Mydainty_soulcurry or tag #mydaintysoulcurry!

Nutrition

Serving: 73.3g | Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.3g | Protein: 3.6g | Fat: 0.7g | Sugar: 16.2g

Let’s stay connected!Follow @MyDaintySoul!