Kulfi
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How to make the famous Indian ice cream, Kulfi. I learned how to make this traditional dessert during my time living in India, and it’s rich, creamy, and subtly flavored with cardamom. I love that it needs just 6 simple ingredients.
Parvati’s authentic Kulfi recipe
I first tried Kulfi when I spent a year abroad in India. I went with the intention of learning about various curries and stews, but was pleasantly surprised when my host mom, Parvarti, shared her family recipe with me.
If you’re unfamiliar with it, kulfi is a creamy dairy-based popsicle, often flavored with rosewater and cardamom, and usually studded with chopped pistachios.
While some specialty Indian grocery stores do sell Kulfi sticks, I prefer making my own because-
Simple ingredients. Condensed milk, heavy cream, and vanilla are all classic ice cream ingredients- nothing niche or hard-to-find here.
Customizable. Like classic popsicles, kulfi comes in a variety of flavors. I’ll share them with you below, and it involves just a few minor tweaks.
Tried-and-true. I’ve stayed true to Parvarti’s recipe, except for using evaporated milk instead of whole milk. I’ll walk you through the whole process with step-by-step photos and a video.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Condensed milk. Condensed milk adds both sweetness and creaminess to the ice cream. Avoid using unsweetened varieties.
- Evaporated milk. Parvarti’s recipe called for whole milk, but during testing, I switched it to evaporated milk for a couple of reasons. It has less water content than milk, yielding a richer, creamier texture. It also has a slightly caramelized flavor, which pairs really well with the vanilla notes. If you can’t find this, whole milk is fine.
- Heavy cream. Either heavy cream or heavy whipping cream. Please do not use low-fat or reduced-fat varieties; otherwise, the kulfi won’t set properly.
- Cardamom powder. A pinch of cardamom balances the vanilla, giving this Indian ice cream its authentic flavor.
- Vanilla extract. Half a teaspoon adds a subtle vanilla flavor.
- Unsalted pistachios. Roughly chopped.
How to make kulfi ice cream
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Simmer. Add the condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream to a small saucepan over medium heat. Let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 2- Add spices. Remove the saucepan from the heat, whisk in the cardamom and vanilla extract, stir to remove lumps, and let it cool to room temperature.
Step 3- Add pistachios. Once cool, stir in the pistachios, reserving a handful to sprinkle on the outside.
Step 4- Chill. Distribute the kulfi mixture among 8 popsicle molds. Place them in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Bring your ingredients to room temperature. Unlike most of my ice cream recipes, you don’t need to chill your dairy ingredients first. It’s actually better if they’re already at room temperature.
- Wait 6 hours. So the ice cream can freeze properly. Trust the process–it’s worth the wait.
- Kulfi molds. Parvarti had dedicated kulfi molds, but also used steel cups. I didn’t have either, so I just used a regular popsicle mold. You can find both of these at Indian grocery stores and online.
Recipe variations
- Malai kulfi. Add a pinch of saffron to the mixture and more when serving.
- Mango. Fold in 1/2 cup of pureed mango into the mix before freezing.
- Rose. Add 1/2 tablespoon of rosewater extract and top with crushed rose petals.
- Strawberry. Fold in 1/2 cup of pureed strawberries or strawberry preserves.
- Roasted almond. Swap out the pistachios for roasted almond slices and add a pinch of cinnamon.
- Chocolate. Fold in ½ cup chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder.
- Swap the pistachios. While pistachios are authentic, you can use any nuts you prefer, like pecans, cashews, or crushed peanuts.
How to store leftovers
To store: You can freeze the kulfi popsicle molds for up to 2 months. Avoid refreezing it, as ice crystals will form.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, I’ve tested this to see how it would fare without dairy. I swapped the heavy cream for plant-based cream (Flora brand), used full-fat coconut milk (canned) instead of evaporated milk, and coconut condensed milk instead of traditional condensed milk. It worked really well, but I suggest doubling the cardamom and vanilla, as the coconut flavor can be a little evident throughout.
Kulfi is considered ice cream, but it differs from traditional ice cream in several ways. It’s not made in an ice cream maker, and it has a richer taste and denser consistency.
More frozen desserts
Kulfi (Indian Ice Cream)
Video
Ingredients
- 14 ounces condensed milk
- 14 ounces evaporated milk or whole milk
- 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream or regular heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/4 cup pistachios crushed
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add the condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream and place it over medium heat. Let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, whisk in the cardamom and vanilla extract and let it cool to room temperature.
- Once cool, fold through the pistachios, reserving a handful to sprinkle on the outside.
- Distribute the filling amongst 8 ice cream or popsicle molds. Sprinkle with pistachios. Place it in the freezer for at least 6 hours.
We’ve made your oatmeal chocolate chip cookies 3 times already, and they’re delicious. Each time, using a 1 Tablespoon scoop I’ve been able to make 24 cookies, not 10 as you stated. I think more folks would try the recipe if you said 24 instead of 10! And you forgot to say oven temperature in recipe. I finally found heat required in the video.
Aloha,
Edwyna
Hi Edwyna, thanks so much for this feedback! If you have a look at the recipe card at the bottom of the page you should be able to see the cooking temperature there for the cookies. Did you happen to give this kulfi recipe a go? If you did, we’d love to know how you went!
Excellent recipe, this Kulfi was delicious and so easy to make. Thanks!
Alison! Thank you for your kind words 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe- I was skeptical to share it, but after learning the specific technique when I spent time in India, I had to. Let me know if you try any of the different flavors, too. 🙂
Absolutely loved this. Making again today.
Hi Ruth, so happy to hear that! It’s such a great dessert and so easy to customize to your own tastes. Thanks for sharing.
I wanted mine to be nice and thick so i added a tablesppon of cornstarch – turned out amazing! thanks for the great recipe.
A great idea, thanks for sharing 🙂
Delicious and I will definitely make it again!
Hi Celeste, thanks for sharing this. So glad you enjoyed them.
Really loved this kulfi and so did all my dinner guests! I doubled the amount of cardamom powder because I liked the stronger flavor. I also increased the amount of pistachios in the kulfi because I love pistachios. It does come out pretty sweet but very rich and delicious. I think next time I’ll double the recipe but only use one can of condensed milk to cut down on the sweetness while doubling everything else. Delicious!
I have made these 3 weeks in a row to have as an evening treat.
I made it all plant based and used sugar free condensed coconut milk I ordered from Amazon, canned coconut milk, and even used some soy milk depending on which plant based milk I had in the kitchen at the time… And they all worked pretty well. I also ran out of pistachios so I used crushed pecans this last time, which I salted first and it was almost like a butter pecan ice cream popsicle.
These are a delicious snack that I will probably continue to keep in rotation
Never tried Indian sweets only savoury foods.
Great recipe, I subbed the vanilla extract for rose water and got a really great result (same 1/2 teaspoon) BUT, if you’re using a trevolo popsicle mold (which I would argue makes a very standard size popsicle) you only get about 5 full molds.