Homemade Khoya Recipe with Milk Powder

Homemade khoya or mawa made with milk powder makes the perfect khoya substitute! You just need 3 ingredients and 5 minutes to make this instant recipe. Use in an array of Indian sweets or curries.

Mawa is easy and quick to make using milk powder or ricotta cheese at home. It is a great alternative to buying mawa from the store.

In this recipe, I have made mawa with just 3 ingredients - milk powder, ghee and milk. It takes just a couple of minutes and fresh khoya is ready to use in your favourite Indian recipes. It makes chikna khoya or sticky khoya which is more smooth in texture.

You can also follow this homemade mawa with ricotta cheese recipe too.

What is mawa/khoya?

Mawa, also known as khoya, is a crucial ingredient in various Indian desserts, imparting a rich and creamy texture to sweet dishes.

It is essentially milk solids obtained by slowly evaporating moisture from full-fat milk over low heat.

Traditionally, mawa is made by simmering whole milk in an open iron pan, reducing it until only the milk solids remain. The process requires patience and constant stirring to prevent burning.

To make mawa at home, you can start by heating full-fat milk in a heavy-bottomed pan until it thickens, then adding a tablespoon of ghee and lemon juice to aid the separation of milk solids. Stir the mixture continuously until it reaches a dough-like consistency.

This homemade mawa can be used in a variety of Indian sweets like gulab jamun, gajar ka halwa, and mawa cake.

There are different types of khoya, such as batti khoya (hard khoya), chikna mawa, daanedar khoya, and hariyali khoya (soft khoya), each offering a unique texture. Daanedar khoya works well in making barfi due to its grainy texture.

Instant Mawa with milk powder Ingredients

Milk Powder - use full cream milk powder. It is available in south Asian and major grocery stores.

Ghee - I use desi ghee. Feel free to use unsalted butter.

Milk - full fat dairy milk gives the creamiest results but I often make mawa with semi skimmed or even skimmed milk

How to make homemade khoya with milk powder

Heat a heavy based pan on low heat and add the ghee.

Once the ghee is warm, tip in the milk powder and mix well.

Keeping the heat low, continuously stir the milk powder until it is roasted - approximately 2-3 minutes. The milk powder should not change in colour.

Add in the milk and cook until the mixture thickens to form a mass. It will be sticky and glistening with ghee.

Remove the from the heat or take the mawa out of the pan to prevent it cooking further.

Use directly in recipes or allow to cool completely before storing away.

Homemade khoya storage

Storing homemade mawa properly is essential to maintain its freshness and quality.

Refrigeration

1. Allow the freshly made mawa to cool completely at room temperature before attempting to store it.
2. Transfer the cooled mawa into an airtight container. Store the airtight container of mawa in the refrigerator. Mawa contains high-fat content, and refrigeration helps to prevent it from turning rancid or developing off-flavors. Properly stored, mawa can last for a few weeks in the refrigerator.
3. Mawa easily absorbs odors from the refrigerator, so try to store it away from strong-smelling items. You can use a sealed plastic bag or wrap the mawa in parchment paper before placing it in the container to provide an extra layer of protection.

Freezing:

1. If you want to extend the shelf life of your homemade mawa, you can freeze it. Wrap the mawa tightly in plastic wrap or aluminium foil, then place it in a zip-top freezer bag. Frozen mawa can last for a few months. If you've made a large batch, consider dividing the mawa into smaller portions. This makes it easier to use only what you need without exposing the entire batch.
2. When ready to use, allow to thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.

Recipes using Mawa/Khoya

Kesar Mawa Penda

Microwave Mawa Peda

Mohanthal

Khoya Kaju

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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Note:- This post was originally posted on 1st of October 2015 but I have updated the post since with helpful content. The recipe remains the same.