Gulgula (Indian Mini Donuts)

By: Manjula Jain

Serving : 4 people
Hover over serving size and use the slider that appears to adjust serving size
Prep Time :5 minutes
Cook Time :10 minutes
Total Time :15 minutes

Rate this recipe:

5 from 3 votes

Gulgula (Indian Mini Donuts)

Gulgulas are like lightly sweetened mini donuts. In India these are made for special occasions. This is a quick and easy to make recipe. They make good finger food even for the kids on the go. This is an easy recipe to make when you are craving for something sweet.

Gulgula (Mini Donuts)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 2 tbsp yogurt dahi curd
  • 3 tbsp water approx.

Instructions

  • Mix whole-wheat flour, yogurt, sugar, fennel seeds, and oil, add water slowly as needed to make the thick consistency batter.
  • Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat.
  • The frying pan should have about 1 inch of oil. (To check if the oil is ready, put one drop of batter in oil. The batter should come up but not change color right away).
  • Slowly drop 1 teaspoon of batter at a time in to the oil. Don’t over crowd the frying pan.
  • Fry the Gulgulas golden brown all sides, turning them occasionally. It will take 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Remove the gulgulas and place over a paper towel so the excess oil is absorbed.

Notes

Tips, If oil is not hot enough gulgulas will stick to the bottom of the frying pan.
Gulgula (Mini Donuts)

Gulgula (Indian Mini Donuts)

Gulgulas are like lightly sweetened mini donuts. In India these are made for special occasions. This is a quick and easy to make recipe. They make good finger food even for the kids on the go. This is an easy recipe to make when you are craving for something sweet.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 2 tbsp yogurt dahi curd
  • 3 tbsp water approx.

Instructions
 

  • Mix whole-wheat flour, yogurt, sugar, fennel seeds, and oil, add water slowly as needed to make the thick consistency batter.
  • Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat.
  • The frying pan should have about 1 inch of oil. (To check if the oil is ready, put one drop of batter in oil. The batter should come up but not change color right away).
  • Slowly drop 1 teaspoon of batter at a time in to the oil. Don’t over crowd the frying pan.
  • Fry the Gulgulas golden brown all sides, turning them occasionally. It will take 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Remove the gulgulas and place over a paper towel so the excess oil is absorbed.

Notes

Tips, If oil is not hot enough gulgulas will stick to the bottom of the frying pan.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Comments

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    Bharri
    October 22, 2016 at 4:24 pm

    Can we make this dish in aebelskiver pan (one which has 5 rounds)?

      Manjula Jain
      October 22, 2016 at 9:38 pm

      Bhari, I have never used aebelskiver pan, but try I think it should work

    Coomar
    October 18, 2016 at 2:49 pm

    Yummy. If you add half of banana..mash to the mixture it will be yummy also, my Nani made it this wsy.

      Manjula Jain
      October 18, 2016 at 11:36 pm

      Coomer, I always like the variations, will try

    Sania wasif
    June 27, 2016 at 6:02 am

    No baking soda?

      Manjula Jain
      June 27, 2016 at 11:44 am

      Sania, no baking soda

    Hamid
    June 25, 2015 at 6:19 am

    Dear Manjula,

    I don’t have yoghurt at the moment can i still make the gulgulay? Can i add a fee drops of vanilla extract into the dough? Can i use gur sugar instead of white sugar? If so how much spoons/cups?

      Manjula Jain
      June 27, 2015 at 9:45 pm

      Hamid, yes

    LG
    March 11, 2014 at 12:55 pm

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I was delighted with how it tasted – the fennel gave such a great flavor (and I’m not usually a fan) – and how easy it was to make. One thing that wasn’t “perfect” was that when I dropped the batter into the hot oil, some of the batter would sort of float off and the balls didn’t stay solid and perfect like yours. Does this mean my oil was too cool, too hot, or maybe my batter was too thin? I would love to hear your thoughts!

      Manjula Jain
      March 12, 2014 at 10:40 am

      LG,
      I think batter was to thin

    Bhavna
    February 2, 2014 at 3:43 pm

    Thanku so much for the perfect recipie now its super easy to make thm almost anytime!

    shaista
    December 9, 2013 at 9:41 pm

    Hi manju di, yrsterday I made badam barfi which is very delicious. All my neighbour and my kids like it very much especially my husband.thank u so……much.

    And more …..

    maya
    October 31, 2013 at 4:23 am

    ur recips r awesome…can u plz post neyyappam(unniyappam) recipe…
    thanks,regards

    Meenakshi
    October 4, 2012 at 4:45 am

    I used self raising wholemeal flour instead of atta. Made the Gulgula more crispy and lighter.

    Afroz
    August 21, 2012 at 8:57 am

    We prepare Gulgulas during Ramzan Eid and simply put them as dumplings in SheerKhurma and eat. The recipe has been in our family from generations. The only difference is that we use Jaggery instead of sugar. Nevertheless, this recipe will also taste as good!

    Gayatri Rakesh
    August 7, 2012 at 5:33 am

    Hey your recipies are awesome… Can you tell me how to make heavy cream for whipping at home….?

      Stajah
      December 31, 2012 at 7:48 am

      Heavy cream and whipping cream are the same thing.

    Sarthak
    June 8, 2012 at 8:56 pm

    Can we serve it with something like a cream or something? And what can we do to improve its presentation?

      Manjula Jain
      June 10, 2012 at 12:38 am

      Sarthak
      Serve with chocolate, or ice cream, or with whipping cream or coconut powder.

        Meenakshi
        October 4, 2012 at 4:44 am

        Or replace fennel seeds with vanilla in the mixture. Let teh gulgulas come to room temperature after frying and sprinkle some icing sugar and dried lavender flowers. The flavour is different, but presentation enhances a lot.

    Archana
    June 5, 2012 at 2:52 pm

    Wonderful! My kids loved it. Thanks.

    Caroline
    May 17, 2012 at 6:40 pm

    Do you have a nice dip to go with Gulgula

    Tania
    May 17, 2012 at 11:58 am

    Hi,
    I’m a grad student living abroad and often follow your site to make food, which turns outs really yummy!
    Could you please clarify
    1.whether yogurt should be used? I couldn’t find in the method.
    2. Can I use all purpose flour, instead of whole-wheat flour?

    Rajdeep Kaur
    April 11, 2012 at 3:55 am

    Hi Manjula Aunty,

    Ohh they were just too good….i made twice already…everyone loved it….thnx alot

    Lyan A.
    January 28, 2012 at 10:06 pm

    They were great! Tip: Drop batter into pan with oil using a TEASPOON. Also, fennel seeds taste like licorice… 😀

    Lyan A.
    January 10, 2012 at 6:30 pm

    Will make these soon. Best wishes to you and Alex. 🙂

    jasveer kaur
    January 10, 2012 at 6:11 am

    dear manjula ji
    there is a newe recipe of gulgulas for you ,
    1/2 cup whole wheat flour
    400 grm goud(jaggery)
    1 tabelspoon fennel seeds
    3 tea spoon soyabin oil
    2 cup of water
    1/2teaspoon
    oil for frying

    how to make:-
    1) take a steel container add water and jaggery to it put it on te high flame till the jaggery compeletly mix into water.
    2)now take another container add ,flour,oil,fennel seeds ,baking soda to it.
    3)now add this all Ingredients in that jaggerywaterted container mix it well
    4) now heat the oil for frying the gulgulas .let them became brown take them out of the pan and surve it
    (note :- this recipe will make 30 -40 gulgulas)

      Raman
      February 1, 2012 at 6:23 pm

      Thanks a lot Jasveer,your recipe reminded me the way my mami ji use to make gulgule, when i was a kid and use to visit my nanke during vacations.thanks a lot will try this soon.

    Manjula Mukund
    December 14, 2011 at 12:34 am

    Dear Manjulaji,

    I would like to know the recipe for a sponge cake without using eggs and without an electric oven. How can I prepare in pressure cooker. Please reply.

    Regards,

    Manjula

    DJ
    November 3, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    I just tried your recipe. This was my first attempt at making gulgulas. They taste very good but my finish product looked nothing like yours. Ms. Manjula, I was wondering what would cause gulgulas to explode in half or into little pieces? My gulgulas would not hold together. What could cause this problem?

      Manjula Jain
      November 3, 2011 at 4:17 pm

      DJ,
      May be you added too much yogurt or oil.

        DJ
        December 16, 2011 at 1:24 pm

        Namaste Ms. Manjual. You were so right, I added to much yogurt and oil while making gulgula.

        May you and Alex continue to be blessed by loving family members and friends during your royal treatment throughout India.

    sujata
    November 1, 2011 at 6:39 pm

    Thanks for this recipe Manjula.

    I searched for Mango-ginger recipes found none.
    could you please give some – chutney or something.
    Thanks

    santhi
    October 19, 2011 at 9:32 pm

    hi mam..
    i tried dis recipe strday n it came out wel. thnku so much.. 🙂

    monika
    October 19, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    hi aunty,
    is yogurt really necessary in this recipie? what can i substitute it with ?

      Manjula Jain
      October 20, 2011 at 2:42 pm

      Monika,
      Do without yogurt or use few spoons of milk.

    Lakshmi
    October 17, 2011 at 3:35 pm

    Dear Manjula ji,

    I have tried several of your recipes and they all cam out good. I am collecting compliments which really should go to you. My questions with this recipe-
    1- can we sprinkle some powdered sugar?
    2- can this be served at room temperature ? if so how long can I store it at room temperature?

      Manjula Jain
      October 18, 2011 at 6:50 pm

      Lakshmi,
      Thank you, you can sprinkle some powdered sugar. This can be served at room temperature and can be saved at room temprature for few days.

    Jen
    October 13, 2011 at 11:23 am

    (Do you prefer to be called Manjula, Manjula Aunty, or Manjula-ji?)

    Have you any recipes that use any of these: jicama, mushrooms, garlic as a main ingredient, or any toddler food recipes?

    Thank you for sharing your wonderful cuisine with the world! It is an honor to learn from you –

    Jen

      Manjula Jain
      October 14, 2011 at 6:52 am

      Jen,
      Majula will work.

    priya
    October 10, 2011 at 2:42 pm

    hi aunty
    I tried golgulas yesterday. It came out very well. My husband and daughter liked them a lot. Thanks for the recipe.
    Can u provide me the recipes using tofu

    Daniela
    October 8, 2011 at 1:42 pm

    Manjula

    Thank you so much for all your recipes, they have helped me a lot and I have tasted new flavours =)

    Again Thank You So Much

    Greetings from Colombia

      Jersey Girl
      October 9, 2011 at 10:41 am

      Hi Manjula , can I use American type whole wheat flour, or does the ATa flour work better? I can get it. Mary

        Manjula Jain
        October 9, 2011 at 7:14 pm

        Jersey,
        You can use American type whole wheat flour.

    Madhulika Dev
    October 7, 2011 at 11:20 am

    Thankyou very much for the wonderful recipe “Gulgula”. You brought back my childhood memories. In the age of cakes, baklava and tiramisu i totally forgot “Gulgula” .

    My mother used to make them. She said “those moms are very lucky whose kids like gulgula, because they are super easy to make and taste delicious.”

    Once again thankyou !!

    Try some more rural,interior recipes like this.

    pradnya
    October 7, 2011 at 6:55 am

    Nice and simple reciepe. My mother use to make these kind of simple and delicious reciepes. I like yours reciepes just like my mothers. I will definately try this one. Thank you.

    Meena
    October 6, 2011 at 9:06 pm

    Aunty ji, Nice to know other people make gulgulay. I thought sirf mummy makes. Thank you for sharing recipe.

    alpana
    October 6, 2011 at 7:46 pm

    Hi Aunty,

    You have used yellow food colour in your chum chum recipe.
    Can you please tell me what brand food colour is that. I could not find any food colour in the Indian store in NJ.

    Thanks,

    saritha
    October 6, 2011 at 7:14 pm

    You didn’t mention anything about the yogurt in the method!!

    Asifa
    October 6, 2011 at 7:10 pm

    I didnt know Gulgulay was made in other parts of India. I thought it was a South Indian dish.. My mum uses yoghurt, sugar and very ripe bananas. If you don’t mind the oil content, it is delicious. I wish there was a way to make this without deep frying it.

    Sanghmitra Agarwal
    October 6, 2011 at 6:48 pm

    Respected Aunty,

    I love to cook and visiting your website has become my habit, but today when I saw the latest recipe (Gulgula) it brought tears to my eyes. I had been thinking about gulgulas just a few days back and wondering how my mother used to get that little sour taste in it. I couldn’t decide whether it was yogurt or did she ferment it.
    I was very sad when I couldn’t recall because my mother passed away a few months ago and I thought that I will never get to know how she made it. My husband said that if I asked my mother, she will find a way to give me the recipe. He was correct, my mother sent me the recipe through you.

    Thank you very much,
    Sanghmitra

    Vani
    October 6, 2011 at 6:23 pm

    Simple and nice recipe.. my mom prepares it using jackfruit pulp / babanas. I didn’t knew that it can be prepared without that pulp. I will try this recipe sometime 🙂