Gujiya and festivities go hand-in-hand! My instant version of this Indian dessert recipe is made with sweetened paneer, and puff pastry shells!
It's one of the easiest, quickest and most delicious dessert recipes on the blog!
Table of Contents
What are Gujiyas?
Gujiya, Gujia, or Ghughra is a popular festive dessert, similar to Empanadas or Karanji!
Gujias are mainly prepared in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujrat, and Bihar regions of North India during Holi and Diwali festivities.
The exterior is crispy and flaky thanks to the pastry dough while the inside has a sweet stuffing made from khoya/mawa, dry fruits/nuts, and sugar.
It's then fried in ghee and dipped in sugar syrup. No wonder it's considered to be a rich, and decadent Indian dessert!
There are many variations to this basic recipe and many have even made savory versions of it!
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It's a festive treat!
It's one of the main desserts that's served during Holi (Indian Spring festival) in the North of India.
Holi is a festival of colors that is celebrated across the globe now. We host a Holi party in our backyard every year and I eagerly look forward to it.
It's just like how we used to celebrate back in India. So much fun!
BTW, if you are looking for some inspiration, then check out this awesome collection of desserts you can try for Holi!
Being South Indians, we never made gujiya at home. Although, I have had the Maharashtrian version of it called Karanji, thanks to my neighbors.
Why make this?
After looking at so many gujiya pics on Instagram and Pinterest weeks before Holi, I was tempted to create my own version of this recipe.
This is my quick version of the traditional recipe without compromising on the taste.
- It's an almost no-cook recipe
- Very easy and instant dessert recipe
- Needs basic ingredients
- The recipe calls for paneer instead of khoya
- Looks appetizing and is a crowd favorite
- Is baked and not fried
- It is a puff pastry dessert
Ingredients needed
Desserts like this one is my favorite kind - hassle-free and droolworthy!
Paneer - you can use fresh homemade or store-bought paneer for this recipe. It is easily available at Indian grocery stores like Patel Brothers, Whole Foods, Costco, and Amazon.
I love cooking with paneer because it is so versatile. You can use it in savory and sweet dishes like this one and Rose Sandesh.
Puff Pastry Shells - There are 6 shells in a pack. Buy as many as you need.
Thandai Powder/Masala - While store-bought is fine, you can very easily make it at home by following this Thandai Milkshake recipe.
You can also make Thandai Chocolate Bark with this Thandai Masala/Powder.
Powdered Sugar - Sugar in powdered form works best for this recipe, since its majorly a no-cook recipe. However, you can also use cane sugar, brown sugar or jaggery powder.
Cardamom powder, saffron, and milk - This gives an earthy, and aromatic flavor to this instant puff pastry dessert and accentuates the taste!
Here's how to make it
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the frozen Puff Pastry Shells on it and bake until they puff and become golden brown. It should take around 20 minutes - but follow the instructions on the package.
You can also brush them with cooking spray or milk before baking if you want a deep golden brown color.
2. Warm milk in a bowl and add saffron strands to it. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing. For that, grate the paneer.
4. Transfer the paneer to a mixing bowl. There is no need to cook the paneer first.
5. Add the cardamom powder.
6.Add the powdered sugar.
7. Add thandai powder to the bowl.
8. Then add the saffron milk to the bowl.
9. Mix it all together until everything is well combined.
10. Remove the pastry shells from the oven and allow it stand for 5 minutes.
11. You can either scoop out the center or press the center part down using the back of the spoon.
12. Generously scoop the paneer mixture into these puff pastry cups. Put it in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Garnish with chopped almonds, and pistachios. You can also garnish it with some dried edible rose petals, and/or varak (silver leaf) or sprinkle powdered sugar on it.
It tastes the best when served straight out of the oven. You can enjoy this with your evening tea or coffee.
But mainly it's prepared during festivals like Holi, and Diwali. However, you can serve them on any occasion, festival, family brunches, or even potluck.
Since this is an instant paneer gujiya recipe, you can make them whenever a sugar craving hits!
You can swap paneer with khoya or mawa and make Mawa Gujiya instead. If using mawa, you will have to saute it a bit to remove the raw smell.
Mix in some desiccated coconut with the paneer filling to give it a coconut flavor and slight crunch. You can also add raisins.
If you can't find Puff Pastry Shells, use any other kind of puff pastry sheets. If using sheets, you can wrap them as samosas.
To make it sweeter, brush some kewra water or simple syrup over the pastry shells before adding the stuffing.
Alternate flavoring ideas
Mix in some gulkand or rose syrup to give this paneer dessert recipe a refreshingly new and different flavor.
You can also add in some cocoa powder and chocolate syrup with paneer to make Chocolate Gujiyas. Your kids will love it!
In fact, you can use paneer and convert it into a spicy filling by adding different spices and herbs along with some veggies.
Can you make this vegan?
Yes, you can make them vegan by swapping paneer with coconut. Saute coconut and jaggery with sugar and dairy-free milk to form a mixture. Use this as a stuffing.
How to store them?
Firstly the paneer mixture can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge a day or two before.
I would recommend you prepare the pastry shells only when you need to serve this Indian dessert.
Leftover puff pastry gujiyas can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Alternates to puff pastry
If you don't want to use puff pastry sheets or shells to make this dessert, you can go the traditional way. Prepare a pastry dough, roll it out and then stuff it with this paneer filling.
You can then either deep-fry, bake, or air fry it in the oven. In fact, you can also make stuffed sweet flatbread with the dough and mixture.
More festive Indian desserts
- Sweetcorn Pudding/Jhajhariya
- Rose Coconut Ladoo
- Paal Payasam
- Rose Sandesh
- Carrot Halwa Ice Cream
- Potato & Sweet Potato Halwa
- Apple Pistachio Mousse
More Puff Pastry recipes
Instant Sweet Paneer Gujiya Shells
Equipment
Ingredients
- 150 gms paneer
- 6 puff pastry shells
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
- 2-3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp thandai powder
- 1/2 tsp saffron
- 3 tbsp milk
- 5-6 almonds and pistachios for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the frozen Puff Pastry Shells on it and bake until they puff and become golden brown. It should take around 20 minutes - but follow the instructions on the package.
- You can also brush them with cooking spray or milk before baking if you want a deep golden brown color.
- Warm milk in a bowl and add saffron strands to it. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing. For that, first, grate the paneer.
- Transfer the paneer to a mixing bowl. There is no need to cook the paneer first.
- Add the cardamom powder.
- Add the powdered sugar.
- Add thandai powder.
- Then add the saffron milk to the bowl.
- Mix it all together until everything is well combined.
- Remove the pastry shells from the oven and allow it stand for 5 minutes.
- You can either scoop out the center or press the center part down using the back of the spoon.
- Generously scoop the paneer mixture into these puff pastry cups. Put it in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped almonds, and pistachios. You can also garnish it with some dried edible rose petals, and/or varak (silver leaf) or sprinkle powdered sugar on it.
- It tastes the best when served straight out of the oven.
Notes
Nutrition
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