Eggless Gulab Jamun Cupcakes

Gulab Jamun Cupcakes topped with pistachios and rose petals served in a plate.

Eggless Gulab Jamun Cupcakes

These eggless Gulab Jamun Cupcakes are a soft, moist Indian fusion dessert made with rava (semolina), infused with cardamom, saffron, and rose, then soaked in a light sugar syrup for that unmistakable gulab jamun flavor. Baked, not fried, this easy rava cake recipe comes together with simple ingredients and is ready in under an hour — perfect for Diwali, festive celebrations, or whenever you're craving a fusion twist on a classic Indian sweet.

Course Dessert

Cuisine fusion, Indian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Resting Time 15

Total Time 55

Servings Cupcakes

Calories 156.85kcal

Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

Ingredients

To Make The Gulab Jamun Cupakes

1 cup rava
½ cup yogurt
½ cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil or ghee
⅓ cup sugar
2 tablespoon custard powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon chopped pistachios
2 tablespoon edible rose petals

To Make The Sugar Syrup

½ cup sugar
½ cup water
10-12 strands saffron
2 cardamom pods

Instructions

To Make The Gulab Jamun Cupake Batter

In a large mixing bowl, add the fine rava (semolina).
Pour in the whole milk.
Add the yogurt.
Add the oil.
Add the sugar.
Whisk everything together until well combined. Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for 15 minutes — this allows the rava to soften and absorb the liquid. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
Once the batter has rested, it would have thickened slightly. Add the cardamom powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the custard powder.
Add the vanilla extract.
Mix everything together until smooth and well incorporated. Priya's Tip: If the batter feels too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk until you reach a thick, pourable consistency.
Grease your muffin tray generously with oil. Alternatively, you can also use cupcake liners to prevent the cupcakes from tearing up on removal.
Fill each mold about ¾ full with batter, then bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

To Make The Sugar Syrup

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, and water.
Add cardamom pods, and saffron strands. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves completely and the syrup slightly thickens — about 8-10 minutes. You don't need to check for one-string consistency here; a light, pourable warm sugar syrup (chashni) is exactly what these cupcakes need.

To Garnish The Gulab Jamun Cupcakes

Once out of the oven, let the cupcakes cool for a minute, then pierce the center of each one with a butter knife or skewer. Pour warm sugar syrup slowly and let it absorb before adding more if needed over each cupcake — just 1-2 tablespoons per cupcake is enough to soak in without making them soggy. Priya's tip - Keep them in the muffin tray when pouring the warm sugar syrup. Reserve some syrup for later.
Garnish with chopped pistachios and edible rose petals. Let the cupcakes cool completely before demolding, then serve warm or at room temperature. Serve these gulab jamun cupcakes slightly warm for the best texture and flavor.

Notes

These Gulab Jamun Cupcakes won't rise too much — that's completely normal for a rava-based batter, so don't expect the same dramatic rise you'd see in a flour-based cupcake.
If your rava isn't fine, quickly grind it in a mixer or blender until it's a finer texture before using.
To prevent the cupcakes from turning out dense or gummy, avoid overmixing the batter, let it rest for the full 15 minutes so the rava can soften properly, and don't underbake — a few extra minutes makes a real difference to the final texture.
Oven temperatures can vary quite a bit, so start checking at 20 minutes, then add 5-minute increments as needed until the cupcakes reach a deep golden color and a toothpick comes out clean.
This recipe doubles easily if you need a bigger batch — the baking time stays the same either way.

Nutrition