Creamy and sweet cardamom infused ice cream, with a hint of delicate rose. This eggless gulab jamun ice cream is everything. No ice cream maker required, and its egg free!

What is a gulab jamun?
Gulab jamun is arguably the most popular dessert in India. Originating in Persia, gulab jamuns have been eaten in India since the Medieval times, when the Moghul emperors’ invaded India. I have eaten gulab jamuns since I was a little girl. I love them so much, I chose them as the dessert at my own wedding, and they went down a storm, especially with the uninitiated! Gulab jamuns are sticky plum sized dough balls, which are deep fried and later soaked in rose and cardamom infused syrup. ‘Gulab’ is a Persion word for rose water, whilst ‘jamun’ is a type of plum, a fitting name!
Why you’ll love gulab jamun ice cream
This gulab jamun ice cream is:
- Eggless, perfect for anyone avoiding eggs in their diet
- Creamy like gelato
- Infused with the exotic flavours of cardamom and rose water
- Deliciously sweet
- So easy and quick to make
- No churn, meaning no fancy equipment is required.
Ingredient notes
Just 6 essential ingredients are needed to whip up this gulab jamun ice cream:
- Condensed milk
- Milk powder
- Cardamom pods
- Rose water
- Vanilla essence
- Double cream
- Optional: Rose petals and pistachios to decorate

Step by step guide
Whilst gulab jamuns take an age to make, this ice cream is so quick and easy. It will take you just 5 minutes to mix everything together, and a whole lot of patience as you wait for it to freeze!
Here are the basic steps to achieve perfect gulab jamun ice cream:
- Mix together condensed milk, milk powder, crushed cardamom, rose water and vanilla essence
- Whip double cream into soft peaks
- Fold the condensed milk mixture into the double cream
- Pour into a lined loaf tin, and leave to freeze for at least 3 hours. After the first 2 hours, mix in rose petals and pistachios (optional).
Flavour variations
Now that you are a pro at making your own ice cream, you could try some different flavour combinations:
- Leave out the cardamom and rosewater for a plain vanilla ice cream. You could try mixing in cookie chunks for added texture and flavour. I love this No Churn Chocolate Oreo Ice Cream by Broma Bakery.
- For a more grown up ice cream that is also less sweet, try this One-Step No Churn Coffee Ice Cream by Nigella.
Tips
- When whipping your double cream, just whip it to soft/medium peaks. If you whip double cream too much it will split. This will create air pockets, resulting in gaps in the ice cream after it freezes. Keep a close eye when doing this part because it is very easy to over whip cream. It will only take around 1 minute with a hand whisk!
- Fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk gently. It will be lumpy at first, but continue to fold until you just have a few sparse lumps left. Do not over mix or your mixture will deflate and become runny.
- This recipe uses the seeds of cardamom pods. To extract the seeds, lightly crush the pod, remove the seeds, and grind to a powder using a pestle and mortar. It shouldn’t take very long, but this article from The Spruce Eats offers some guidance on this process. Alternatively, you can buy ground cardamom.
- Use sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk. I use the Carnation condensed milk.

Storage
- For best flavour, freeze the ice cream for up to one month in an air tight container. Bring to room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.
Frequently asked questions
Fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk until most of the lumps have disappeared. There will be a few lumps here and there from the milk powder. This is normal.
There is no egg in gulab jamun ice cream. The condensed milk acts as a substitute for the usual ingredients in ice cream of sugar, eggs and cornstarch. This makes it ideal for people who need to avoid eggs in their diet. The condensed milk is also what makes this ice cream so thick and creamy, without any icy bits!
More egg free dessert recipes to try
Print
Gulab Jamun Ice Cream
- Total Time: 12 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 portions 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Delicious rose and cardamom infused ice cream, using just 6 essential ingredients, and its egg free.
Ingredients
- 397g tin condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon rosewater
- Seeds of 6 cardamom pods, crushed and ground to a fine powder with a pestle and mortar
- 240ml double cream
- 40g milk powder
- Edible rose petals and pistachio kernels to decorate (optional)
Instructions
- Line a standard sized loaf tin with parchment paper, and set aside.
- Using an electric whisk on a low setting, beat the double cream until soft to medium peaks form. This shouldn’t take more than 2 minutes. Once you start to see peaks forming, stop whisking. Its important not to over mix the cream so that it doesn’t split. This can create air pockets, which can lead to gaps in the ice cream after it has been frozen.
- In a separate large bowl, mix together the vanilla extract, rosewater, crushed cardamom seeds, milk powder and condensed milk. Mix well so that most of the milk powder lumps disappear.
- Fold the whipped cream mixture into the condensed milk mixture a little at a time. Fold carefully, and be careful not to over mix. The mixture should still feel quite aerated and not too runny.
- Pour the mixture into the lined loaf tin and spread the top with a palette knife so that its even. Place in the freezer.
- After 2 hours, remove from the freezer and stir in your rose petals and pistachio kernels if using. If you are not using any mix ins, you can skip this step.
- Serve after at least 12 hours in the freezer, and enjoy!
Notes
Storage
Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, in an air tight container. Leave out at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 hours
- Category: Desserts
- Method: No churn
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10
- Calories: 304
- Sugar: 23g
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 1g
- Cholesterol: 80mg
Keywords: Gulab Jamun Ice Cream
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