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Instant Pot Milk Burfi (Milk Fudge)

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This is the easiest way to make milk burfi, a milky fudge-like treat, perfect for any festive celebration.

instant pot milk burfi

Milk burfi, or milk powder burfi, is a dense milk fudge made with a handful of ingredients. It’s effortless to make in an instant pot; it’s basically a pour and cook recipe.

instant pot milk burfi

What is milk burfi?

There are many types of milk-based Indian desserts. This recipe is for milk burfi, also known as milk powder burfi.

My recipe is made with less than 5 ingredients and comes together quickly, thanks to the instant pot. You need dry milk powder, sugar, ghee, and cardamom to make this milk fudge. I like to garnish with pistachio, but that’s optional.

How is this milk powder burfi different from kalakand?

I know that I recently shared a recipe for kalakand, and these two recipes look pretty similar, but the texture is totally different.

Kalakand is very soft, while this burfi is dense. Just look at the texture of this burfi – see how it breaks?

I wasn’t planning to share two milk-based sweets so close together, but since I had this recipe ready to go, I thought it might be nice for those of us who, well, love sweets, lol.

Milk burfi wasn’t even on my list of things to make for the blog this year. I came up with the recipe by mistake. Some of my best recipes tend to come about that way (my popular 2-ingredient cheesecake was actually a failed attempt at egg-free flan).

Anyway, at first, I was disappointed that whatever I had made wasn’t what I was trying to make (which was kalakand), but then I took a bite and realized I had accidentally made milk burfi. 😂

instant pot milk burfi

Here’s how to make milk burfi:

First, we’re going to make a sugar syrup: mix sugar and water together and pressure cook.

Remove the lid and add ghee, milk powder, and cardamom and mix really fast and really well.

Pour the thick mixture into an 8×8 pan (you’ll need a spoon to scoop the mixture out of the pot and into the pan), and garnish with pistachios.

Refrigerate for an hour, then slice the mithai. If you eat the mithai at this point, it’ll be chewy. You need to put the mithai on a platter to air-dry on the counter for a day. This completely changes the texture of the burfi.

Once it’s dry, you can store it in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to a week, if it lasts that long.

Let me know what you think!

instant pot milk burfi

Instant Pot Milk Burfi

instant pot milk burfi

Instant Pot Milk Burfi

5 from 27 reviews
Pin Recipe Print Recipe
Servings 16 pieces
Cuisine Indian

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup sugar approx. 200 g
  • ⅓ cup water approx. 2.8 oz
  • ½ cup ghee approx. 4 oz
  • 2 cups dry milk powder approx. 200 grams
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground cardamom*
  • 1 tablespoon raw unroasted and unsalted green pistachios, chopped

Instructions
 

  • Add the sugar and water to the pot and mix well.
  • Secure the lid, close the pressure valve, and cook for 11 minutes at high pressure.
  • Quick-release pressure. 
  • Add ghee, milk powder, and cardamom to the pot and quickly mix (using either a spoon or a whisk) until well combined. You may want to wear a glove to hold onto the hot pot as you stir – you will need to be fast!
  • Pour the mixture into a parchment-lined 8×8 pan/dish (you’ll need a spoon to scoop the mixture out of the pot and into the pan). Shake the pan gently so that the mixture spreads evenly. Sprinkle the chopped green pistachios on top and gently shake the pan again to help them stick.
  • Let the milk burfi cool down (on a wire rack – takes about 30 to 40 minutes), then put it in the fridge for 1 hour to set.
  • Remove the chilled fudge, slice it into medium-sized squares, and then place the individual pieces on a plate. If you eat the mithai at this point, it will be chewy. Let the fudge sit out at room temperature for 24 hours to dry out. This will completely change the texture of the burfi – make sure to give it time to dry out!
  • After it’s dry, you can store it in an air-tight container in the fridge for about a week. I prefer to eat this mithai at room temperature.

Video

Notes

  • When this burfi is cold, it’s glossy, smooth, and chewy. You have to give it 24 hours to dry out – then it’ll change to a matte appearance and will turn into dense burfi.
  • You can use non-fat or full-fat dry milk powder in this recipe. I have used this brand as well as this brand. I’ve also used the brand Village Farms from Wegmans. You can also find dry milk powder at Indian grocery stores as well as most grocery stores.
  • Freshly ground cardamom powder is much more aromatic and flavorful than store-bought. I highly suggest grinding your own for this recipe (and for any Indian dessert recipe). Grind your own by removing the green shell and grinding the black seeds inside. I have and love this electric spice grinder if you’re looking for a recommendation.
  • Important! All of the recipes on my blog are tested using a 6 quart instant pot – I have not tested this recipe in a different-sized pot. I don’t know if this recipe will work in a 3 quart or 8 quart as the surface area is different and will affect the temperature of the sugar syrup. I suggest only using a 6 quart for this recipe.
  • Do Not Double Recipe: Please do not double/triple this recipe or any other Instant Pot dessert recipe on my blog. A dessert or anything made with sugar syrup can be finicky in an Instant Pot. I have only tested this recipe as written.
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instant pot milk burfi
instant pot milk burfi
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Hi, I’m Ashley. Thanks for being here! I truly believe that food brings us closer together. Gather around a table with good food and good people, and you’ll have the ingredients you need to create some happy memories. My hope is that you find recipes here that you can’t wait to share with family and friends.

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Comments

  1. Andie says

    It worked great using maple sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Much better than American style maple fudge. It was a hit for Friendsgiving.

    I make ghee and don’t buy it ready made. There was maybe a Tbls of ghee that separated out. As recommended I carefully poured it off while it was still liquid. It didn’t seem to affect the finished product. It’s so hard not to scarf down the rest.

    Reply

  3. Andie says

    I am hosting a Friendsgiving at my house. I think using maple sugar instead of table sugar and cinnamon instead of cardamom will give a very thsnksgiving-y flavor to my milk burfi. Do you think it will work well?

    Reply

  4. Aparna Kumar says

    I am not sure what happened but my burfi is stuck to the parchment paper won’t come off. Please help. I have made it before also using this recipe but this never happened. Any suggestion
    Thanks

    Reply

  6. Mahendra Rao says

    5 stars
    Thanks for sharing. I am not a great cook but I like trying out things at home. 🙂 The kids will even eat what I make

    Reply

  7. Lea says

    I stumbled on n this recipe will searching fudge recipes of how to use up my milk solids (no product of making ghee) can I use the milk solids instead please? Or can you recommend a nice recipe please?

    Reply

  8. Bhavi says

    Hi Ashley

    I followed all steps as per your instructions. However, ghee separated and then the mixture wasn’t in a pouring texture. It was more thick which I had to remove with spoon and pat it. I haven’t tried yet cause it’s out to air. But From the looks of it – it has turned out to be hard.
    Any idea what went wrong – was really looking forward to make a mithai for Diwali

    Reply

  9. Shruthi Hoysala says

    The burfi came out really good. Everyone loved it. I did face some minor issues with the recipe. The measuring of ghee is tricky. 1/2 cup of my homemade ghee was too much for this recipe. There was more than a teaspoon full of ghee left at the bottom of the pot after pouring the mixture out. I was worried this might alter the texture but it didn’t :). And I think the airing out the burfi on the counter depends on the weather. It was below freezing when I tried this recipe and I think it aired out in 13 hrs or so. I was scared to keep it out any longer. It had started crumbling. Nevertheless, amazing recipe. Thank you.

    Reply

  10. Roopa says

    5 stars
    Simply wow!
    I had to make second batch right after we taste the first Barfi. Can’t wait for second day.
    Thanks a lot for details:)

    Reply

  11. Shell says

    Hi, I’m a new IP user and I tried this today but it didn’t turn out well. I’m sure it’s because I didn’t operate the IP as recommended.

    Question for you – When you say cook for 11 minutes at high pressure- does that include the pre heat time?

    When I click on high pressure – it always preheats first. So, is the 11 min after pre heat? and at what point do you add the sugar and water.

    Reply

    • Ashley - My Heart Beets says

      Hi Shell, no it does not include the pre-heat time. The cook time refers to once the pot reaches pressure and starts to count down. Once it’s done counting down you can quick release – (or if you’re following a different recipe that calls for a natural release then you’ll need to wait until the timer counts up again). I’d suggest getting familiar with your IP before trying another recipe – I know it can seem like a lot, but I promise you’ll get the hang of it! Let me know what you think when you try it again 🙂

      Reply

  12. Ananya says

    Hi Ashley

    I tried the milk burfi and left outside uncovered for 24 hrs but its still very soft and is not holding the shape of a burfi. Please tell me how can i fix it?

    Reply

  13. Shruthi says

    Hey Ashley – A great recipe, thank you so much! When you say leave them out at room temperature to dry, can you put them in a covered container or plate or should they be left uncovered? Thanks!

    Reply

  14. Ardi Shukla says

    Loved it! This was so easy and quick and I was never able to get the texture like this before. Thank you!!!
    I have a couple of questions-
    1. I personally like less sweet desserts so how should I reduce the sugar and water ratio to make this less sweet? Or should I add more milk powder to reduce the sweetness?
    2. How can I use this recipe to make a pistachio burfi?

    Reply

    • Ashley - My Heart Beets says

      Hi Ardi, I’m so glad you loved this! Happy to hear that 🙂 I haven’t tried altering the ratios so I’m not sure how it’ll turn out, but if I were going to choose between reducing sugar or adding more milk powder I’d probably go the milk powder route. If you adjust the sugar ratio, it could affect the consistency of the sugar syrup. As for pistachio burfi, you can try mixing in some pistachio powder – that sounds like it’d be delicious – please let me know how it goes if you experiment!

      Reply

      • Ardi Shukla says

        Thank you for writing back, Ashley! I appreciate it. I am going to definitely give the pistachio burfi a try and let you know the results. I am sure it will turn out great with this fantastic base recipe. Thank you once again!
        Love
        Ardi

        Reply

      • Rajinder Nagi says

        Hi Ashley, I followed the instructions and recipe but as soon as I added ghee and milk powder, it got very thick, mixed it but then the ghee got separated, had to drain the ghee.
        It did set but was a bit hard, tasted fine…. mixture wasn’t soft and runny like in the video…..don’t know what I did wrong.
        Vesan burfi turned out perfect!

        Reply

  16. swagata says

    5 stars
    Okay…it was a little difficult to find the milk powder (pandemic and all), but once I had this ingredient, this recipe came together very easily and quickly, and was SO yummy. Definitely a winner at my house, and will definitely make again!

    Reply

  18. Shakila Sheik says

    Can i use a normal non stick pan to make this? what adjustments do i need to do if cooking this in a normal non-stick pan? what should the sugar water consistency be? single thread?

    Reply

      • Sweetcanary says

        5 stars
        hello I made this wonderful recipe as I used to travel to India a lot years ago and wanted to eat some burfi again. I did it on the stovetop and it was incredibly easy. It worked out very well. I haven’t let it dry but it is amazing. Next time I shall. Many thanks for your incredibly wonderful way of making and sharing your recipes !!!

        Reply

  19. Asha says

    I will definitely try this recipe! Nothing better than Indian sweets. Any chance you might be working on a recipe for Mysore Pak?

    Reply

  20. Sangeeta says

    Hi Ashley,

    I used a 6 quart. Got a burn signal before it reached pressure. I waited it the burn signal wouldn’t go away.

    Please help.

    Thanks,
    Sangeeta

    Reply

    • Ashley - My Heart Beets says

      Hi Sangeeta, I’m sorry to hear that! Was the seal on securely and was the valve closed? Did you wait a few minutes for the burn sign to go away? I’m not sure why this happened – please let me know if you try it again.

      Reply

  22. Pratibha says

    5 stars
    I’ve tried this milk barfi in my new instant pot. It’s a foolproof recipe and comes out amazing each time. It’s my family’s favorite now and I have to make it every week. I just changed the sugar quantity as wanted to make it less sweet. All the steps and recipe is super easy and wonderful. Thank you so much Ashley ❤️

    Reply

  24. Jeanett says

    5 stars
    Hi! And Happy New Year! I saw this recipe and really wanted to try it, since I have had my IP for almost a year now, and have not used it too much. So, firstly, I am not at all familiar with Indian cuisine, so I don’t have anything to compare this recipe OR this food to. I read through ALL of the comments, and ended up being a little intimidated by the problem of the sugar water seizing, or burning, like several people commented about. I have a 6 quart IP, so I bought a 3 quart nonstick pot liner, to use as a pot-in-pot. That’s how I did my sugar water step, I just put about a cup of water in the actual 6 quart liner, put in the trivet/sling thing, used hot water to stir into my sugar in the 3 quart liner, using a little more than 1/3 cup, not quite 1/2 cup, remembering the comments above. So while that was cooking for the 11 minutes, I melted my ghee in the microwave, and had my 2 cups of milk powder (I used non-fat) with the cardamom (not freshly grated though) in with the milk powder, ready to go in a 2 cup measuring cup. So everything was ready and waiting, I had prepared my parchment paper in my dish before ANY of that, crushed my pistachios, everything was ready! The IP beeps, I do the QR, open it, and everything looks good (well, it’s just sugar water!), I quickly pour in the melted ghee, stir some, then dump all (!) of the milk powder stuff in, whisk it, so far so good (!), pour it into the prepared dish, sprinkle on the nuts, bam! Done! No problems, no issues, it’s cooling on the counter right now, and then I will proceed! I tasted the spoon, and it tasted super yummy, so, I think it was a success! Like I said, I wouldn’t know if the consistency was correct, never having eaten this before, but, I would never know if it came out “wrong”! So ALL of that, to say, to you, and also to anyone else wanting to try this recipe: It’s a GREAT recipe! You should try it!!!

    Reply

  25. Rita Orange says

    Such a great recipe and so glad I stumbled across your facebook group. Instant pot hasn’t quite got the same following in Australia but I use the 5.7L crockpot and it works every time. Love how easy the recipes are using standard ingredients already in my pantry. Thanks so much for sharing your passion for cooking with us.

    Reply

  26. Parv says

    Hi I havent tried your recipe but follow a very similar one for Barfi. I dont use water or milk but milk powder too. However, most barfi recipes call for milk powder and milk. Have you tried using both do you know what difference it makes? Thanks

    Reply

  28. T says

    My IP said burn when I set it to manual pressure 11 minutes. So I did a quick release and the pot wasn’t burnt. So I added the rest of the ingredients but my burfi wasn’t as loose as the video. Lots of ghee left behind. I didn’t add it to the on though, not all of it. You think it’s still ok?

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      Hi, next time if it says burn, I would wait a few minutes to see if it goes away on its own. Did the burfi seem thicken when you put it into a pan? If so, it should set. Please let me know what happens!

      Reply

  29. Neelima says

    5 stars
    Hi Ashley,

    Tried your wonderful recipe today and the output was amazing .. enjoying yummy desert on this Friday. Thanks tons 👍😍

    Reply

  31. Anju says

    I have tried to make this 3 times now, 1/3 cup water and 1 cup sugar. The pressure builds but the timer for 11 mins does not start. The floating valve should rise once pressure is built. Can we add more water?

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      Hi Anju, happy to help troubleshoot – I just have some questions. Are you using a 6 qt pot? Is the seal on properly? If you try to tighten the lid while it’s building pressure, does that help with the valve going up (if so, it could be a seal issue)? It sounds like there’s an issue with either the pot or seal – I don’t suggest adding more water to the recipe as that’ll affect the temperature of the sugar syrup. If you can share any details, please let me know!

      Reply

  32. Nisha says

    Hi Ashley, thanks for the recipe! We followed step and step and it turned out good. Also when we mix everything into sugar syrup do you turn on the IP into sauté mode? The mix step was just too fast and I’m glad we were able to mix it and pour it out but I wonder if keeping Low Sauté mode on will help with combine step.

    Reply

  33. Prathna says

    Hi Ashley, thank you so much for making the seemingly impossible possible 🙂 I tried this recipe as a quick sweet for Diwali Pooja. I used a 6qrt instant pot and followed the directions. My instant pot went to burn almost as soon as it got to pressure. The sugar syrup seemed fine though. When I mixed in the other ingredients it didn’t mix in properly and stayed thick and crumbly and the ghee started to separate. I’ve pressed it into a pan and set it to cool. Hopefully it works out okay. What could have gone wrong other then the sugar syrup burned away too much water?

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      Hi Prathna, I’m sorry that happened! Was the seal on well and was the valve closed the whole time? It seems like water/too much steam may have escaped causing the sugar syrup to get to a higher temperature. I hope it still turns out okay – please let me know!

      Reply

  34. Laura L Kennedy says

    5 stars
    I’ll preface this by saying I don’t think of myself as a good cook, but I do enjoy my instant pot. I have an 8 quart size. Following this recipe my Burfi came out hard and crumbly. I tried cooking sugar and water (now using 1/2 C) for 8 mins then quick release. It seems to have worked out fine, nicely cut and on the plate now. Very tasty.

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      Hi Laura, all of my recipes on the blog are tested with a 6 quart – I mentioned this in the notes but will add an additional note in bold. Normally a different sized pot isn’t a big deal with curries, but sugar syrup is different. I’m glad you were able to experiment and make it work in the 8 quart! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply

    • Shajel Panchal says

      Hi Laura

      I want to make this using my 8 quart. Did you have the sugar but keep the same amount of other ingredients?

      Reply

  38. Kristi says

    Hi Ashley,
    I just made this and it was so thick. It wouldn’t spread in the pan. I had to use my hands to press it down and the pistachios wouldn’t stick. What did I do wrong? It’s currently cooling so I don’t know what it tastes like yet. I hope it still comes out okay.

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      Hi Kristi, ah, I’m sorry that happened. Sugar syrup can set very quickly – it could just be that it needed to be mixed even faster – hopefully, it tastes fine – it should, but please let me know!

      Reply

        • Jay says

          Just a suggestion. You may want to add a note that if it appears the end product comes out wet then try to use extra dry powder or saute it before spreading it in a tray. You have a similar note in your recipe for kalakand. Thanks.

          Reply

  40. Jatinder says

    The easiest and the best recipe for someone with sweet tooth. I used 1/2 cup of water instead of 1/3 cup and it was easier to transfer the final concoction. Thanks and keep up the good work.

    Reply

  41. Bhavna says

    Hi Ashley- If I half all the ingredients, do I need to cook the water and sugar mixture for 11 mins or does that also become half- thanks!

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      Hi Bhavna, I haven’t tried halving this recipe so I’m not sure. Sugar syrup can be tricky so if you change the ratios in my the recipe then it may not turn out. Please let us know what happens if you experiment!

      Reply

  42. Naga says

    5 stars
    Made this recipe and I am glad I did it was such a breeze and the whole thing was done in 15mins! Next time I want to make it in double the quantity so will this recipe give the same result if I double the ingredients also then how much time should I cook the sugar water mixture(instead of 11mins) in that case?

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      I’m so glad you made it and liked it 🙂 I haven’t tried doubling it, but sugar syrup can be tricky, so I wouldn’t suggest changing ratios unless you’re willing to experiment!

      Reply

  44. D says

    Will this be smooth. I tried your kalakand but it came out grainy and not happy with texture but taste really good. Right proportion. I would like to try if this is more if a panda texture and density. You really come up with easy recipes. I think if you share the brand with your recipe we can just recreate more like yours. I am not good with sweets but trying your recipe. Thank you for sharing

    Reply

  46. Reva says

    Hi Ashley…your recipes are always spot on. You are my IP Guru! Can I use great value skimmed milk powder on this or the kalakand recipe? By mistake I got a kg of that and need to use it…boohoo! There was a comment that someone used it and they tasted the milk powder in the sweet.I so want it to work but wanted your opinion before I go and get some nido. Much love from Canada.Thank you!

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      Hi Reva, I haven’t tried that brand but it should work – I’ve tested the recipe with non-fat and whole-milk powder and both turned out the same. Let me know how it goes if you try 🙂

      Reply

      • Reva says

        5 stars
        Just reporting back to you that I tried the kalakand recipe and it was awesome. I actually used the non fat milk powder and found that the ricotta cheese that I had was lite and not from whole milk – lol! Nevertheless went with it and added some khoya to get the crumbly kalakand. Was just amazing!! Thanks again..

        Reply

  47. Krishna Kadiyala says

    Can I get this with oatmilk? I’m looking for vegan options for traditional indian sweets 🙂 Thank you!

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      Hi Krishna, I haven’t tried this any other way but I believe some people in my facebook group had success using coconut milk powder in kalakand, so perhaps that would work here? If you try, please let us know how it goes! And if I try, I’ll be sure to update the post. You can also make my khajoor ki mithai with coconut oil instead of ghee for a vegan mithai 🙂

      Reply

  48. Sheila says

    Made the Kalakand recipe ..it was delicious..just tagged u on it. Now i will have to try this one too!
    But traditional milk barfi has a granular texture. Any idea how i can achieve that texture with these recipes of yours?

    Reply

    • My Heart Beets says

      Hi Sheila, I’m glad you liked it! Let me know what you think of the milk burfi 🙂 To answer your question, I’m not sure – this is the best I’m able to figure out but for what its worth, I think the texture is pretty great! Feel free to experiment/tinker around with any of my recipes and let us know your results!

      Reply

      • Sim says

        5 stars
        Ashley,
        Lovely recipes you make. Thanks for sharing all these with us🙏. Surely am gonna try this one.
        Btw Your cheese cake like in many other houses, is a super hit at our house😁too.
        One quick question:
        Can I use Nestle EveryDay dairy whitener instead of the milk powder??

        Reply

        • My Heart Beets says

          Thanks, Sim! Let me know what you think of this one 🙂 I looked up the brand and it looks like there’s added sugar – I think it’ll work but I’m not sure how much extra sugar there is and if that’ll affect the taste.

          Reply
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