Kulfi
Dense, slow-reduced milk ice flavoured with cardamom and pistachio.
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Join HomecookedIngredients
- 1000 ml Milk
- 100 g Khoya (milk solids)
- 100 g Sugar
- ½ tsp Cardamom powder
- 40 g Pistachios
Method
- Chop the pistachios.
- Reduce the milk with the khoya in a heavy pan over medium heat, stirring often, until thick and creamy.
- Stir in the sugar, cardamom, and most of the pistachios and cook gently until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth.
- Pour into moulds and freeze until solid.
- Unmould and serve topped with the reserved pistachios.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from ingredients; varies with exact portions and brands.
About Kulfi
Kulfi is the traditional frozen dairy dessert of the Indian subcontinent, distinct from Western ice cream in both texture and method. Instead of churning, the milk is slow-cooked and reduced until concentrated, which is what gives kulfi its signature density — it's chewier and more solid than ice cream, without the air that churning folds in. Here that richness is doubled up by adding khoya, the reduced milk solids that form the backbone of many Indian sweets, so the base is intensely creamy before it ever hits the freezer. Cardamom and pistachio flavor it, a pairing so classic it reads instantly as kulfi.
The taste is milky and caramelized from the long reduction, warmly fragrant with cardamom, and studded with the toasty crunch of chopped pistachios. Because it's so dense, kulfi melts slowly, which makes it forgiving to eat outdoors — it's a fixture of Indian summers, street carts, and celebration tables, often set in small conical moulds or on sticks. The one demand this recipe makes is patience at the stove: reducing the milk with the khoya until thick is the whole game, and rushing it gives a thinner, icier result. Unmould, top with the reserved pistachios, and serve straight from the freezer.
Kulfi: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Kulfi?
One serving of Kulfi has about 268 calories, with 9g of protein, 32g of carbs, 12g of fat and 1g of fiber. These are estimates based on the ingredient amounts in this recipe and will vary with your exact portions and brands.
Is Kulfi gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Kulfi has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Is Kulfi dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Milk, Khoya (milk solids). Swapping those for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Kulfi take to make?
About 45 minutes start to finish, but only around 39 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Kulfi make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.