Homemade Gujiyas

Gujiya is a delicious Indian sweet that is especially made on festive occasions like Holi and Diwali. I have shared both the deep fried and air fryer recipes here.

These gujiyas are similar to empanadas with a sweet filling. They taste so good. Since I don’t like too much sugar which the store-bought ones invariably have, I prefer them homemade. I also don’t dip them in sugar syrup like some people. The filling is sweet enough for me.

You may also like kachori in air fryer, dahi vada, medu vada in air fryer, air fryer namak paare, air fryer vada pav, Aloo tikki chaat.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Gujiya is a delightful sweet. You can adjust the filling as per your liking. I always make it with khoya or milk solids, sugar and lots of nuts. Chironji tastes really good here but you can skip it if you can’t source it.

Making gujiyas in the air fryer makes them slightly healthier as you avoid deep frying them. Definitely less greasy too.

I love how they are crispy while staying slightly flaky. Don’t skimp on the oil/ghee in the outer coating.

Ingredients

For the outer shell

Flour: I have used 2 cup all-purpose flour here.

Oil: I have used 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil or ghee here.

Salt: Just a pinch of salt is used here.

Water: I used about ¾ cup water to make a soft dough. Don’t use too much water, just as much as is needed for forming the dough.

Filling

Khoya or mawa: You can use about 1 cup or 200 gm. unsweetened khoya.

Nuts: I use ¾ cup of roasted and powdered chopped cashews, almonds and chironji along with 1 tsp. raisins.

Flavoring: 1 tsp. of cardamom powder is used here. Just crush cardamom seeds with a rolling pin.

Sugar: Use as per taste. I used about 3 tbsp. for the filling after powdering it in the blender.

Ghee: 1 tsp. ghee is used for sauteing the khoya.

Optionals: You can use dessicated coconut about 2 tbsp. in the filling.

Variations and Substitutions

This recipe is vegetarian as it uses evaporated milk solids (khoya) and ghee. You can use vegetable oil or coconut oil and mashed silken tofu in the filling to make it dairy free. The taste would differ.

You can also vary the nuts you use as well as the base of the filling depending upon your taste preference. You can even make the filling savoury if you so like.

Serving Suggestions

These gujiyas are perfect as a sweet treat or dessert. Once fried or air fried, they last up to a week in the fridge. Reheat and serve. 

They are also good with chai or a cup of coffee. 

You can also gift them to your friends as a holiday gift.

Instructions

To prepare the dough, add 2 tbsp. melted ghee or oil to 2 cups all-purpose flour. Mix it well till the oil is well incorporated in the flour and is of sand-like consistency.

Slowly add water to form a soft dough. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside for about 10-15 minutes.

Prepare the Stuffing

Take 1 cup mawa or khoya and lightly roast it in a pan with 1 tsp. ghee till it is golden brown. It takes about 5-10 minutes on low heat. Take off the heat and cool.

Roast nuts that you are using and keep aside. Then blend them coarsely. Let everything cool down.

In a bowl, crumble roasted mawa, add desiccated coconut (if using) along with powdered nuts, cardamom powder and powdered sugar. Taste and adjust sugar.

Now, you are ready to roll out the dough. Make small round balls and keep them covered with a damp cloth. Roll out a 4-5 inch round.

Take about 2 tsp. of filling in the centre of the rolled out round. Use water to seal the side into half moons. Now you can either use a mold or using your fingers give it a braid like design on one side. Your gujiya is ready.

You can make other gujiyas in a similar manner and keep aside.

Deep frying

Take about ½ cup of vegetable oil in a Kadhai or pan. Heat it and then slowly fry 2-3 gujiyas at a time till they are golden brown.

Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside. Your gujiyas are ready to serve.

Air frying Instructions

Preheat air fryer at 160C or 320F for 5 minutes. Place gujias in one row without overlap. You can lightly brush them with oil or ghee for a more golden appearance.

Air fry for 10-12 minutes at 160C or 320F till golden brown. Flip midway for even browning and cooking.

Take them out and serve hot. Cool down for storing in an air tight jar at room temperature.

They look slightly paler than the deep fried ones and are slighly more crispy especially the outer shell as compared to deep fried gujiyas.

Expert Tips

1. You can use any combination of nuts. Chironji tastes quite good in this if you can source it.

2. If you want your gujiyas richer, you can fry them in ghee. If you want to cut out the grease, you can bake them or air fry them.

3. You can also make khoya at home by reducing full-fat milk till all the moisture has dried up.

4. Some people use dessicated coconut in the recipe but I don't enjoy the taste as much so I skip it.

5. While air frying, air fry at a lower temperature to ensure that the pastry does not get too hard.

6. Brushing the gujiyas with ghee or oil makes them more golden while air frying.

Here's the recipe card:

📖 Recipe Card