Mishti Doi is an authentic Indian dessert from the state of West Bengal in India. Sweet thick yogurt with caramelized sugar makes this divine sweet loved by all.
Similar to Coconut Rice Kheer and Carrot Almond Pudding ( Gajar Halwa ) , Mishti Doi is a popular Indian Sweet dessert. Learn How to Make Best Mishti Doi easily using this fail-proof recipe. All you need is 3 basic ingredients that are easily available.
Instant Pot Mishti Doi
I am including pro tips, easy shortcuts and substitutions that will help you make this recipe confidently. Detailed instructions to make it on Stovetop as well as electric pressure cooker like Instant Pot are also included.
Setting yogurt in InstantPot brings consistent results. It yields thick and creamy , firmly set yogurt using the YOGURT function. It is my preferred method to set the Mishti Doi.
Recipe Inspiration
My best friend and bubble buddy is Bengali. True to her identity, she makes the best Bengali food and popular bengali sweets. I learned how to make mishti doi from her and I often make it like a pro.
What is Mishti Doi ?
In Bengali language ‘mishti’ means sweet and ‘doi’ is yogurt (curd). So literally the meaning of word is Sweet yogurt or meetha dahi. However the sweetener is added before setting the yogurt and not afterwards. Which makes it unique and rich compared to regular sweetened yogurt.
It is also called Meethi Dahi in Hindi. This dessert is often made during Durga Puja. Since yogurt is called curd in India, you can also call it caramelized sweet curd dessert.
How is Mishti Doi different from regular yogurt ?
The method of making mishti doi is different than making regular yogurt. The milk is boiled longer, thickened and reduced compared to just heating it up.
You also add caramelized sugar in milk before adding yogurt culture and letting it set.
Mishti Doi takes a longer time to set firm compared to regular yogurt or curd.
Pro Tips
- Use full fat milk or full cream milk. Since sweetener is added to it already, low fat or toned milk does not set to firm yogurt. It often gets curdled and watery.
- The yogurt culture should be thick. Strain it on cheesecloth to remove excess water before using.
- Do not mix the yogurt culture in hot milk. It will curdle. Let it cool down to lukewarm levels before mixing the culture.
- Use earthen bowls or pots if possible. The porous walls of the earthen bowls absorb the moisture from the yogurt, which makes the mishti doi firm and thick.
- Fermenting mishti doi takes more time as compared to making curd. So please be patient.
- The time to set the Mishti Doi will also depend upon the local temperature conditions. If you live in cold climate zones, keep the yogurt in a warm place in your house. Inside a lit oven, near a heater vent or gas stove are good options.
How To Make Mishti Doi Quickly?
You can also use regular jaggery or palm jaggery instead of caramelized sugar.
Instead of boiling and reducing the milk, use warm milk + a can of condensed milk. However, since condensed milk is already sweet, reduce the sugar quantity in half.
Additional Flavors
You can serve Mishti Doi as is ! I love to add a pinch of saffron and cardamom powder for wonderful aroma and flavor. A sprinkle of ground nutmeg or cinnamon powder is also great for enhancing the earthy rich flavors of Mishti Doi.
You can also add crushed nuts ( especially almonds or pistachio) on top. Dry Coconut chips or granola works as well.
Fresh berries or cut up mango also make excellent additions to serve it along. It adds a freshness and vibrant color.
Serving Suggestions
You can use Mishti Doi as a sweet or dessert. You can make it set in individual portion size cups usually terracotta bowls or earthenware and let people choose their topping. These DIY dessert bars are fun and party friendly.
It can also be used in breakfast menu along with Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding, Sweet Potato Chocolate Brownies or Almond Flour Mug Cakes. Serve it along with fresh fruit and granola for fancy gourmet food.
Ingredients
½ cup yogurt
½ cup sugar
4 cups whole milk
How To Make Mishti Doi
Keep yogurt culture on a coffee filter or cheesecloth for at least an hour to strain the water. This process is very important as this will make the yogurt thick in consistency.
On a medium heat, start caramelizing sugar. Stir continuously and keep a close eye so that it doesn't burn.
Once sugar is caramelized, turn off the heat and add half cup of milk. Dissolve the caramelized sugar properly.
Now add all the remaining milk and turn on the heat to medium and keep stirring intermittently.
Continue to boil the milk till it reduces the quantity to approximately ⅔rd.
Turn off the heat. Let the reduced milk and caramelized sugar mixture cool down till it becomes lukewarm.
Add strained yogurt spoon by spoon and whisk it well. Make sure it is evenly distributed in the warm caramelized milk mixture.
Now pour the yogurt milk mixture in desired containers and close them with aluminum foil. Let it set undisturbed in a warm , dark place for 8-10 hours. Perfect texture, thick and rich Mishti Doi will be ready. Enjoy !
If using Instant Pot : Start the yogurt function on Instant Pot. Add a cup of water and set the trivet in the main insert. Keep the milk with yogurt culture containers on the trivet and close the lid. Perfect texture, thick and rich Mishti Doi will be ready in 8 hrs.
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How to Make Vegan Mishti Doi?
Instead of regular milk, use full fat coconut milk or any other plant based milk to make this recipe dairy free and vegan. Similar to Vegan yogurt, mishti doi can be easily made vegan if preferred.
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📖 Recipe
Mishti Doi Dessert - Caramelized Sugar and Milk Yogurt
Ingredients
- ½ cup yogurt
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 cups whole full fat milk
Instructions
- Keep yogurt culture on a coffee filter or cheesecloth for at least an hour to strain the water. This process is very important as this will make the yogurt thick in consistency.
On a medium heat, start caramelizing sugar. Stir continuously and keep a close eye so that it doesn't burn.
Once sugar is caramelized, turn off the heat and add half cup of milk. Dissolve the caramelized sugar properly.
Now add all the remaining milk and turn on the heat to medium and keep stirring intermittently.
Continue to boil the milk till it reduces the quantity to approximately ⅔rd.
Turn off the heat. Let the reduced milk and caramelized sugar mixture cool down till it becomes lukewarm.
Add strained yogurt spoon by spoon and whisk it well. Make sure it is evenly distributed in the warm caramelized milk mixture.
Now pour the yogurt milk mixture in desired containers and close them with aluminum foil. Let it set undisturbed in a warm , dark place for 8-10 hours. Perfect texture, thick and rich Mishti Doi will be ready. Enjoy ! - If using Instant Pot : Follow all the steps as above until the last step. Start the yogurt function on Instant Pot. Add a cup of water and set the trivet in the main insert. Keep the milk with yogurt culture containers on the trivet and close the lid. Perfect texture, thick and rich Mishti Doi will be ready in 8 hrs. Enjoy !
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