Rasmalai is the classic irresistible Indian dessert of soft fluffy balls of paneer soaked in rabri—a sweet milky saffron and cardamom sauce. This vegan rasmalai features the same flavors but with plant-based ingredients like nuts and tofu! It’s not the traditional way to make rasmalai, but as long as I get to enjoy my favorite Indian treat forever, I’ll take it.
Jump to Recipe
What is Rasmalai?
This rasmalai is a vegan take on the classic. Rasmalai consists of soft fluffy balls of paneer soaked in rabri—a sweet milky saffron and cardamom sauce. Every time I went to India with my parents, my dad would take my cousins and I to a cafe near the Ganges River in Patna. We’d sit and share chaat and sweets. I’ve never been a huge fan of Indian sweets, but rasmalai was always irresistible.
How do you make it vegan?
Rasmalai is clearly not vegan. To make it vegan, we use cashews, tofu, and almond flour for the “cheese balls” and plant-based milk for the rabri. It is topped with pistachios, almonds, and dried rose petals. Admittedly, the rasmalai balls are not exactly like non-vegan rasmalai. It is quite difficult to achieve the same fluffiness as a 100% dairy-based treat, but this is amazing in its own way.
The rabri is better than any rabri I’ve ever had and when you soak the rasmalai balls in it, every bite is pure bliss. My dad’s opinion mattered a lot when I was testing this, so if he thought the rabri was great, it must have been incredible. Although this vegan rasmalai was made using different techniques than the authentic version, it is proof that eating plant-based does not mean missing out on your childhood favorites!
I developed this recipe for the “Culture Through Food” e-book with Lisa from Okonomi Kitchen. Ever since, I’ve been waiting for the right time to put it out here. With Diwali around the corner, sharing this now felt right.
Tips for making vegan rasmalai
Make the vegan rasmalai “cheese” balls.
To achieve a texture similar to paneer, it takes some unconventional ingredients. Some of these aren’t even used in Indian cuisine, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
These balls use cashew cream, tofu, and almond flour. The cashew cream provides a nice nutty flavor, the tofu adds to the fluffy texture, and the almond flour absorbs the moisture of the cashew cream and tofu. If you have allergies or don’t have access to one of these ingredients, I’ve seen other recipes use only cashews, or only tofu. You can also try rice flour instead of almond flour. I have no idea what the right proportions are for those options, but feel free to experiment.
I highly recommend mixing the balls a day in advance so they can refrigerate overnight. That way they will be sturdy and ready to go. Traditionally, preparing rasmalai balls involves boiling them in water or steaming them. I tried steaming them, but the balls did not hold together as well as they did after baking. Baking also happens to be the easiest option, so that’s a plus.
Make the rabri.
I really think the best rabri uses unsweetened soy milk. Almond milk isn’t thick or creamy and coconut milk would add too distinct a flavor. Although oat milk is my favorite plant-based milk, oat milk may get slimy with heat. I wasn’t willing to test it out, so I went with soy milk. I have a feeling cashew milk would also be a solid option.
Simply boil the soy milk with coconut cream (for thickening; it’s not essential though), sugar, and cardamom. Near the end, add saffron strands, crushed pistachios and almonds, and rosewater. It’s divine! Cool it down before pouring over the rasmalai balls.
Vegan Rasmalai
Ingredients
Rasmalai “cheese” balls
- 1 cup cashews
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 10 oz. firm tofu (~ ¾ of a block)
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp sugar
- pinch of salt
Rabri
- 3½ cups soy milk *sub another unsweetened plain plant-based milk
- ½ cup coconut cream *optional; see note
- 10 strands of saffron
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup crushed pistachios and almonds
- ¼ tsp rosewater *optional
Instructions
Rasmalai “cheese” balls
- Soak cashews in water for at least 4 hours. Alternatively, soak them in boiling water for 30 minutes. At the same time, press tofu for at least 15 minutes (1 hour recommended) to squeeze out excess moisture.
- Blend cashews with lemon juice in a small food processor to form a creamy paste. Add this paste to a mixing bowl.
- Add the tofu, sugar, almond flour, and salt to the bowl. Mix the ingredients together. If it is still too moist, add another ¼ cup of almond flour. Once it comes together nicely, make rasmalai balls with ~ 2 tbsp of the mixture. Place the balls on a plate and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes, or even overnight (this is what I did)!
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes. They should be soft, but not moist.
Vegan Rabri
- Soak the saffron in 2 tbsp of soy milk. Add the rest of the soy milk to a large pot and bring the milk to a boil.
- Once the milk is boiling, add sugar, cardamom, and coconut cream. Let it simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until it is as thick as you'd like.
- Just before taking off the heat, stir in saffron, crushed pistachios and almonds, and rosewater if using.
- Remove from heat and refrigerate until it is chilled.
Assemble the rasmalai
- Put the rasmalai balls in a large dish. Pour the rabri over the balls so that the balls are entirely soaked in the rabri. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavor of the rabri to soak into the balls.
- Serve chilled and topped with pistachios, almonds, and dried roses.
Notes
Hi Anisha, this seems like a must try. I plan to air fry the rasmalai balls, hope that doesn’t render them too dry. Great detailing though, on this recipe and some others that I’ve glanced through