A delicious dairy-free and vegan malpua that crunches under your teeth before you bite into the juicy, cardamom-scented center. It’s a dessert to live for, and it’s also one of the easiest Indian sweets you can make!
What is malpua?
Malpua is a delectable Indian dessert made with flour and khoya (reduced milk), then deep-fried in ghee before being dunked into a saffron-scented syrup.
I like to think of a malpua as a cross between a pancake and a donut. The process of making it is somewhat similar to the process of making a vegan gulab jamun, only easier.
Malpuas are most often eaten around Holi, the festival of colors, in north India, but you are just as likely to find a version with eggs added being dished out at street food stalls during Ramadan.
If you love Indian sweets, you will love this vegan malpua. Although our version is free of milk and ghee, it is just as delicious: juicy, with lacy, crispy, golden edges and the wonderful flavor of cardamom and saffron in every bite. I’ll also show you how to make a deep-fried as well as a shallow-fried version of malpua.
Why you will love this recipe
- Simple recipe. If you’ve made pancakes, you can make a malpua. The process is extremely simple and although there is some technique involved with getting the batter to the right consistency and making a sugar syrup that glazes the malpua perfectly, it is not hard to do by any means.
- Uniquely delicious. A malpua is incredibly delicious, with an interplay of crispy and juicy textures and the fragrance of cardamom and saffron. If you make this recipe you will fall in love with it.
- Dairy-free, vegan and soy-free. The recipe is suited to most diets, and you can use a gluten-free all-purpose flour to make the malpuas if you are gluten-free.
Ingredients
For the malpua:
- All-purpose flour. In India you can use maida.
- Almond flour. Use finely ground almond flour. This adds a lovely richness and sweetness in the absence of the khoya or reduced milk.
- Baking soda. You need just a little bit to help the malpua puff up so it can drink in the syrup.
- Spices: ground fennel and ground black pepper. These might appear unusual additions to a dessert recipe, but they are traditionally added to malpua. You will use just a little bit and they add just the right amount of depth and flavor without being too obvious.
- Vegan yogurt. This helps add flavor and, along with the baking soda, helps the malpuas puff up.
- Non-dairy milk. I used oat milk. Almond milk, soy milk and cashew milk are all good choices.
For the sugar syrup:
- Granulated sugar. Use any sugar of your choice, including turbinado sugar and cane sugar.
- Spices: Ground green cardamom and saffron.
How to make vegan malpua
Make the sugar syrup by placing sugar and water in a saucepan and adding to it the saffron and cardamom. Bring the sugar syrup to a boil and let it continue to simmer for five more minutes or until it reaches a one-string consistency.
To check the consistency of the syrup, carefully pick up a bit of the hot syrup with a ladle, blow on it to cool it a bit, then pick a drop of the syrup between your thumb and forefinger. When you open your fingers gently, the sugar syrup should form a single string.
In a bowl, whisk the dry ingredients–the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking soda, ground fennel and ground black pepper.
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl: vegan yogurt, non-dairy milk and pure vanilla extract.
Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until there are no lumps.
The batter should be thinner than a pancake batter but slightly thicker than a crepe batter.
If deep-frying the malpuas, heat two inches of oil in a frying pan or in a deep fryer to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour a bit of batter into the hot oil. It should spread into a round on its own. If it doesn’t spread much, the batter could be too thick, so thin it out with a bit of water. You want the malpua to be quite thin.
Press down on the malpua with a spider or spatula so the top immerses in the oil and cooks a bit. Once the malpua has turned golden-brown, flip and cook the other side.
If you choose to shallow-fry the malpua, add oil to a depth of ¼th of an inch to a cast iron or non-stick skillet. Once the oil is hot, pour a scoop of malpua batter in the center.
Flip carefully when the underside is golden brown and cook until golden on both sides.
Immerse the fried malpua in the hot sugar syrup and flip over after a minute to make sure the other side is glazed too. After two minutes, remove the malpua to a plate and let it cool. Be careful because the malpua has a very delicate texture after having absorbed the syrup.
Tips for success
- The consistency of the malpua batter is key to the success of this recipe. If the batter piles up on itself when you pour it into the oil instead of spreading into a pancake, it is too thick. In that case use a little bit of water or milk to thin it out.
- Malpuas can be any size! If you are a beginner cook, make smaller malpuas–as small as coins. That will make it easier for you to flip them. Once you get the hang of it you can transition to making bigger-sized malpuas.
- If you are a beginner cook, you might also want to shallow-fry the malpua rather than deep-fry it. A batter that’s not made correctly can fall apart in the hot oil, but a skillet with just a little bit of oil is more forgiving.
- Make sure the oil is around 325 degrees Fahrenheit/165 degees Celsius. Oil that is too hot may cause the batter to fall apart when it hits the oil, and oil that is not hot enough will end up seeping into the batter, making the malpua oily.
- The deep-fried version of this recipe creates lacier, puffier, flakier malpuas. But the shallow-fried version, although slightly healthier, is also quite delicious.
- Getting the sugar syrup to the correct consistency will ensure that the syrup soaks into the malpua and also glazes it. Make sure you get the one-string consistency demonstrated in the photos above before you dunk the malpua in the hot syrup.
- Don’t leave the malpua in the sugar syrup for too long–a couple of minutes is just enough. Also make sure you flip it once so both sides are coated in syrup.
- Once the malpuas are out of the syrup, place them side by side on a rack or plate to cool and for the glaze to harden. Don’t overlap them at this stage as they can stick to each other.
Serving suggestion
- A malpua is heavenly on its own, but it is even more decadent with rabri, a milky concoction it is often served with in north India. If you want to serve malpua with rabri, make this vegan rabri and drizzle a few tablespoons over the malpua before serving.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: The vegan malpuas can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Freeze: Freeze the cooled malpuas in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to four months.
- Thaw completely before serving.
More yummy vegan Holi recipes
If you love this vegan malpua recipe, be sure to check out more vegan desserts on Holy Cow Vegan!
Vegan Malpua
Equipment
-
Wok or skillet for deep frying (or cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet for shallow frying)
Ingredients
For the malpuas
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground fennel
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup vegan yogurt
- 1½ cups non-dairy milk (I used oat milk)
- Oil for frying
For the sugar syrup
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground green cardamom
- A generous pinch saffron threads
Instructions
Make sugar syrup
-
Place sugar and ¾ cup water in a saucepan and add the saffron and cardamom. Bring the sugar syrup to a boil and let it continue to simmer for five more minutes or until it reaches a one-string consistency. To check the consistency of the syrup, carefully pick up a bit of the hot syrup with a ladle, blow on it to cool it a bit, then pick a drop of the syrup between your thumb and forefinger. When you open your fingers gently, the sugar syrup should form a single string (see photo above)
Make the malpua
-
In a bowl, whisk the dry ingredients–the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking soda, ground fennel and ground black pepper.
-
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl: vegan yogurt, non-dairy milk and pure vanilla extract
-
Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until there are no lumps. The batter should be thinner than a pancake batter.
-
If deep-frying the malpuas, heat two inches of oil in a frying pan or in a deep fryer to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour a bit of batter into the hot oil. It should spread into a round on its own. If it doesn't spread much, the batter could be too thick, so thin it out with a bit of water. You want the malpua to be quite thin. Press down on the malpua with a spider or spatula so the top immerses in the oil and cooks a bit. Once the malpua has turned golden-brown, flip and cook the other side.
-
If you choose to shallow-fry the malpua, add oil to a depth of ¼th of an inch to a cast iron or non-stick skillet. Once the oil is hot, pour a scoop of malpua batter in the center. Flip carefully when the underside is golden brown and cook until golden on both sides.
-
Immerse the fried malpua in the hot sugar syrup and flip over after a minute to make sure the other side is glazed too. After two minutes, remove the malpua to a plate and let it cool. Be careful because the malpua has a very delicate texture after having absorbed the syrup.
Notes
A malpua is heavenly on its own, but it is even more decadent with rabri, a milky concoction it is often served with in north India. If you want to serve malpua with rabri, make this vegan rabri and drizzle a few tablespoons over the malpua before serving.
Tips for success
- The consistency of the malpua batter is key to the success of this recipe. If the batter piles up on itself when you pour it into the oil instead of spreading into a pancake, the batter is too thick. In that case use a little bit of water or milk to thin it out.
- Malpuas can be any size! If you are a beginner cook, make smaller malpuas–as small as coins, in fact. That will make it easier for you to flip them. Once you get the hang of it you can transition to making bigger-sized malpuas.
- If you are a beginner cook, you might also want to shallow-fry the malpua rather than deep-fry it. A batter that’s not made correctly can fall apart in the hot oil, but a skillet with just a little bit of oil is more forgiving.
- Make sure the oil is around 325 degrees Fahrenheit/165 degees Celsius. Oil that is too hot may cause the batter to fall apart when it hits the oil, and oil that is not hot enough will end up seeping into the batter, making the malpua oily.
- The deep-fried version of this recipe creates lacier, puffier, flakier malpuas. But the shallow-fried version, although slightly healthier, is also quite delicious.
- Getting the sugar syrup to the correct consistency will ensure that the syrup soaks into the malpua and also glazes it. Make sure you get the one-string consistency demonstrated in the photos above before you dunk the malpua in the hot syrup.
- Don’t leave the malpua in the sugar syrup for too long–a couple of minutes is just enough. Also make sure you flip it once so both sides are coated in syrup.
- Once the malpuas are out of the syrup, place them side by side on a rack or plate to cool and for the glaze to harden. Don’t overlap them at this stage as they can stick to each other.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: The vegan malpuas can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Freeze: Freeze the cooled malpuas in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to four months.
- Thaw completely before serving.
Nutrition
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