Jalebi recipe

Jalebi recipe – A quick and easy Indian Sweet that can be made under 30 mins. Learn to make Jalebi at home with this easy instant step-by-step recipe. You will be surprised at how crispy, juicy & delicious these are! Jalebi is one of the most popular desserts from Indian subcontinent. Similar to Gulab jamun, jalebi too makes its appearance during most weddings, celebrations & festivals. They are much popular as a street food and is also sold in Sweet shops or mithai shops.

About Jalebi

Jalebi is a spiral shaped crisp & juicy sweet made with all-purpose flour, gram flour and sugar syrup. Also known as jilapi, jilipi & zalebia, this is made by first preparing a batter which is later fermented to acquire a unique fermented flavor. The batter is then poured to spirals or concentric circles in the hot oil.

They are fried until crisp and then immersed in sugar syrup. These crisp fried sugar coated jalebis are truly addictive and delicious. In India, we often come across stalls and push carts where vendors make hot jalebi.

In some parts of India, they are eaten as a breakfast. A lot of households also make them during festivals like Diwali, Holi & Eid.

Making jalebi at home is easy and can also be made by a beginner. There are 2 ways to make Jalebi:

• 1. Traditional method made by fermenting the batter.
• 2. Instant version without fermentation.

I have shared tips to make both the methods in this post.

How to make the best jalebi

The key to making crisp juicy & light jalebis is the consistency of batter. You can make amazing jalebi at home if your batter is prepared correctly. The consistency of the batter must be free flowing yet thick.

I have this image to help you understand and fix the consistency if you have trouble making it right.

• 1. Shrunk jalebi – over fried or fried on low heat.
• 2. Flat jalebis – oil not hot enough, made on low heat.
• 3. Thin & flat – runny batter
• 4. Thick & soft jalebi – Too thick batter

I have shared how to fix the batter consistency in the recipe below.

More Diwali Sweets recipes
Rasgulla
Gulab jamun
Kaju katli
Rasamalai

Photo Guide

How to make jalebi (stepwise photos)

Preparation

1. You will need a squeezable sauce bottle or oil dispenser or zip lock bags. A dispenser with a sharp tip works better. For readers in Singapore: I bought it in mustafa 2 yrs ago. You can find similar ones there.

Before proceeding further decide on which method to follow. Fermented or instant. I made a few times following the fermented method the results were good but it is hard for me to follow the schedules like planning and keeping the kids waiting.

So I love the instant method. I felt there is no difference in flavor due to the addition of curd.

If you prefer to go by the fermented method, then make the batter the previous night. Make the sugar syrup just before frying the jalebis. If following the instant method just follow the steps as is in the same order mentioned below.

Making sugar syrup

2. Add sugar to a pot. Avoid cast iron pans like the one I used as it quickly crystallizes the syrup.

3. Pour water.

4. Boil the syrup until it reaches a 1 string consistency.

5. To check take a small portion of sugar syrup in between your thumb & fore finger. Gently move the fingers apart, you must see a single string. I took it off a bit early as it continues to cook in cast iron pans.

6. Pour 1 tsp lemon juice. Add in saffron (optional) and cardamoms. Mix & Set this aside.

Making batter for jalebi

7. Add maida, corn starch (white corn flour) & turmeric. If fermenting then add besan instead of cornflour.

8. Mix well and add curd. You can skip the curd and ferment the batter for 12 to 24 hours until a slightly sour flavor develops.

9. Start by adding 1/4 cup water. Use more as needed.

10. Make a thick smooth batter by mixing. Use more water as needed.

11. Beat the batter well with a whisk for 4 to 5 mins in circular motion. The batter will turn smooth.

12. You may get a thick batter like this with a ribbon consistency. This is not the consistency we want, So sprinkle more water as needed. The batter has to be free flowing & moderately thick but not too thick.

13. Add lemon juice and mix. If fermenting, skip lemon juice.

Frying jalebi

14. Heat ghee or oil for frying. If using oil, then add 1 to 2 tbsp of ghee to the oil. This enhances the flavor.

15. When the oil is heating up, add soda to the batter. Give a gentle mix.

16. Spoon few tbsps of batter to sauce bottle. The oil has to be hot enough and the flame medium high. Check if the oil is hot by dropping a small portion of batter in the oil. It has to rise immediately without browning.

17. Make one jalebi and check the consistency. If it turns out thick then, sprinkle some water and thin down the batter a bit. If it is thin and flat, then add 1 tbsp maida and mix. For more details check the pic in the FAQ. Fry them on a medium high flame until crisp.

18. The last 1 minute I fry them on a low heat as this helps them to keep crisp for a little longer. Remove with a skewer.

19. Add to the slightly hot to warm sugar syrup. If the syrup has crystallized or turned cold. Then add 1 tsp water and heat up. Soak the jalebis for 2 to 3 mins.

Please note that adding jalebis to very hot syrup will turn them soft. Ensure the syrup is not warm.

20. Remove to a plate and spread them. Pour the entire batter to the sauce bottle and make more jalebi.

Serve jalebi hot or warm. Jalebi is eaten without any side across India. But in some regions it is also eaten with milk, rabri, curd or fafda.

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Recipe card

Jalebi Recipe first published in October 2018. Updated & republished in November 2021.