The BEST Instant Jalebi recipe

Instant Jalebi; sinful crisp and sticky fried spirals dunked in sugar syrup.

This Indian version of Funnel cakes make a perfect dessert or breakfast recipe!

India has a ton of popular breakfasts. From halwa puri and poha to upma and idli sambar; we love them all.

Each part of India has their own favorite and popular breakfast recipe. These started off from a particular state and now the entire country enjoys these.

Gujarat has their set of breakfast treats. Thepla, Khaman, Fafda Jalebi and Batata Poha are popular from the state.

From all of these, Fafda and instant jalebi is definitely a favorite. The combination is perfect and when paired with Papaya no Sambharo and Kadhi makes a fulfilling brunch recipe.

Moreover, jalebi is great as a dessert too. It is popular throughout the country and beyond!

Jump to:

• What is Jalebi
• Why this recipe works
• Why make Instant Jalebi
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• Expert Tips and Notes
• Storage
• Recipe FAQs
• Pairings
• More Indian Sweet Recipes
• Instant Jalebi

What is Jalebi

Jalebi is one of the most popular desserts. Spirals of flour fried and dunked in sugar syrup and served topped with nuts or dried rose petals; jalebi is truly a treat.

We enjoy it with some fafda and chutney for breakfast or pair it with rabdi as a dessert.

This sweet was introduced to India by the Persians and is pretty similar to their Zalabiyas. We adapted it and now enjoy it as jalebis. A close cousin of jalebi is the popular Imarti.

Festive season calls for jalebi and it is also made on special occasions. Weddings are another place to spot these jalebis. A person makes fresh jalebi there and it is served with rabdi or vanilla ice cream. Freshly made jalebi is so good!

Why this recipe works

• It only takes a handful of ingredients.
• Though it is slightly different from the traditional recipe of jalebi in method; but not in taste and texture. They are identical!
• This recipe comes together in under 45 minutes.
• It needs no fermentation and no soaking. It is a simple mix, stir and make recipe.
• These spirals stay fresh and crisp for 3-4 days.
• Make these as a small batch or a large one, they are super easy to scale.
• As it is only mixing and frying, the batch size can be changed halfway the process too. However, we need to scale up the syrup.

Remember 1 cup measure of flour will yield a ton of jalebis; enough for 4-5 people. Plus, as they are sweet, they tend to make you feel heavy after a few.

Why make Instant Jalebi

I have the traditional jalebi recipe on the blog. However, it needs a lot of planning to make them. So I started making this instant version. Now, with this recipe, Sundays are so much better. We plan to make jalebi in the morning and we are enjoying hot breakfast in no time!

A typical Gujarati breakfast combination of home-made jalebi and store bought gathiya. Plus, fried chillies and papaya mixture.

While the ingredients in this recipe are similar, the addition of fruit salt converts the recipe to an instant one. That is the only difference between this and the fermented one! 

Ingredients and Substitutions

• All purpose Flour: This is the base for the recipe. I only use this to make instant jalebi. I have not tried making these with whole wheat flour yet.
• Chickpea Flour: An ingredient that makes the jalebi crisp, a little chickpea flour is almost like a must-have ingredient. Using cornstarch is an option if you like too.
• Yogurt: I like to use yogurt to replace the tang that fermentation brings to the dough. I use home-made thick yogurt. However, if your yogurt has water, add 3 teaspoon and reduce the water content.
• Sugar: The sweet syrup in the recipe is made with sugar. Regular cane sugar works well. However, brown sugar or jaggery syrup will work too but I have not tried it myself.
• Water: I thin out the jalebi dough and bring everything together with water. Adding too much will make the dough drip and not form rounds. Also, we use water to make the sugar syrup. Again, only add enough to make a thick syrup that will coat the jalebis well.
• Food color: Adding color in the recipe is optional. Add it if you want bright colored jalebis. It does not alter the taste at all. A little yellow or orange color is perfect to add in the batter.
• Fruit Salt: The fermentation in traditional jalebi is replaced by the addition of some fruit salt. Add this just before you are ready to fry the jalebis.
• Oil or ghee: Frying the jalebi is an essential step. Fry them in either oil or ghee.
• Add-ins: I like to flavor the sugar syrup with a pinch of cardamom powder and saffron. However; dried rose petals, kewra essence, pistachios, cinnamon or cloves can also be used.

See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.

How to make this recipe

1- Mix together sugar, cardamom powder, saffron and water in a saucepan.

2- Heat on medium flame till the sugar melts and the syrup is thick. I did not check the string consistency, just ensured it is thick enough to coat the jalebis. 

3- In a bowl mix together the flour with all the other ingredients except water, oil and fruit salt. Meanwhile, heat oil or ghee in a pan. Keep on medium flame. 

4- Then mix everything well.

5- Add water to thin out everything and form a dough.

6- Then mix it well to make a lump-free batter.

7- Add fruit salt to the jalebi mixture and mix well.

8- The mixture will froth and become light; keep beating only in one direction.

9- Then transfer to a jalebi maker/ empty ketchup squeezy bottle or a ziplock bag. If using a bag, make a small hole at one end. 

10- Make overlapping rounds of the batter in the hot oil/ghee.

11- Fry till crisp on medium flame. Turn over and fry for a minute. 

12- Drain and add to the sugar syrup and then turn it around to coat completely. Serve immediately with gathiya, papaya sambharo and fried green chillies. 

Expert Tips and Notes

• Jalebi Batter: The consistency of the jalebi batter is extremely important. If it is too thick, it will fall in blobs and thin batter will flow without being able to shape it. Adjust the consistency with water and some all purpose flour. Also, it should be lump free to make sure the jalebi is smooth and perfect.
• Fruit Salt: This is the only way to bring in the effect of fermentation quickly. This is definitely the key ingredient in this instant jalebi. Plain ENO works the best. Any flavored one will also bring in the flavor to the jalebi.
• Sugar Syrup: The sugar syrup in the recipe needs to be thick to coat the jalebis well. Plus, it should be just warm when the jalebis are dipped in it. Super hot syrup will make the jalebi soft.
• Shaping the jalebi: The easiest way to shape jalebi is to start from a point and keep going outwards. Finally, make a straight line from the last spiral to the center. Also, fry jalebis in small batches, about 4-5 per batch.
• Using the right pans: Jalebi is best made in a thick, flat pan. Only a couple of inches of oil are needed to fry the jalebi. Deeper pans tend to sink the jalebi and not shape it well. Moreover, for the sugar syrup, use another thick pan that is slightly deep. That way, we can use less syrup and yet dunk them in the syrup well.

Storage

This instant jalebi is easy to keep at room temperature for a day atleast. After that I recommend refrigerating it. It keeps well for up to 4-5 days in the refrigerator.

While it tastes good cold too, I recommend heating it for 30-40 seconds in the microwave. I like to use the defrost function to keep it crisp.

Recipe FAQs

Pairings

Jalebi pairs well with so many recipes. A breakfast special with gathiya and dessert with rabdi; this recipe is delicious. Here are some amazing pairings.

More Indian Sweet Recipes