Coconut Barfi Recipe With Condensed Milk

Here's a delightful coconut barfi recipe made with desiccated coconut, fresh milk, condensed milk, and ghee. This easy coconut sweet that resembles fudge is always a hit during the festive season, but who's to say you can't have it otherwise? Made with just four ingredients, it's an Indian mithai you can't do without!

Both stovetop and instant pot versions are included.

Indian festivals like Diwali and Holi are unimaginable without sweets or mithai, and coconut barfi or nariyal ki barfi is at the top of the list right along with gulab jamun and laddoo.

In this post, I have used the same recipe to make two kinds of coconut mithai: barfi and laddoo! Have this mithai freshly made and warm, or cold out of the refrigerator, it tastes equally nice both ways.

I have also included an instant pot version for all the instant pot lovers out there who want to save some of the time and effort that goes into stirring the mixture for the mithai. The end result is a little different from the stovetop version (it gets browned more thanks to the pressure cooking), but it is equally if not more delicious!

Another really easy barfi recipe is this almond barfi made with milk powder, ground almonds, and cardamom. Do check it out!

Why this recipe works

Coconut burfi is a pleasingly sweet Indian mithai that is also very simple to make at home. It doesn't involve lots of labour or a long list of difficult to get ingredients. Just four easy ingredients and a straightforward method of cooking, and you're done.

If you have a sweet tooth and crave a little something sweet after dinner, this barfi is ideal, precisely because it is so easy to make. Go ahead and indulge! And do try it if you are celebrating Diwali and want to impress your guests with an elegant platter of homemade mithai:)

Ingredients

Note: exact amounts are mentioned in the recipe card further down.

• Desiccated coconut - You want dry, shredded and unsweetened coconut that comes in a packet in most supermarkets. Of course, if you can get your hands on freshly grated coconut, it works very well. If you are making coconut barfi with fresh coconut, you don't need the fresh milk mentioned below.
• Whole fresh milk - This is used to soak the desiccated coconut so that it plumps up and becomes soft.
• Ghee - Essential for making Indian sweets. Don't substitute with vegetable shortening or oils. These will take away the taste and nutrition both.
• Condensed milk - Works very well in place of plain sugar and gives the mithai a rich taste and a lovely sunshine yellow color.
• Silver leaf or chandi ka varq (optional) - This comes in the form of extremely thin and delicate silver sheets (edible, of course) used for decorating traditional Indian sweets. It adds a festive touch to the mithai, but it is completely optional. It is available in Indian or Pakistani groceries in your area, but don't stress if you can't find it. Top with some slivered nuts (almonds and cashews) instead for a nice crunch instead.

Stovetop Instructions

Step1: Soak the desiccated coconut in warm milk

• Take the coconut in a bowl and add slightly warm milk. Stir to make sure all the coconut gets soaked in the milk.
• Keep it aside for one hour. You will notice that the dry coconut will absorb most of the milk and turn soft.

Step 2: Cook the coconut in ghee

• Add the ghee in a heavy karahi (wok) and heat it gently. (Reserve 1 tablespoon ghee for later).
• Then add the milk-soaked coconut and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring all the time.

Step 3: Add the condensed milk

• Add the condensed milk, mix well and cook on low-medium heat for 20 minutes. Keep stirring the mixture to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the karahi. You will see that the mixture will become quite thick and sticky. It will also acquire a deeper golden color.
• Add the remaining one tablespoon ghee that you had reserved earlier and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring all the time. Now is the time to take it off the heat.

Step 4: Spread the cooked mixture on a platter

• Grease a platter or tray and spread the mixture on it. Smooth the top and sides.
• Allow it to cool down completely, then cut into squares or any shape that you want.
• Decorate with silver leaves if using.
• If you are making laddoos, shape the mixture into small balls and roll them in some dry coconut.

Instant pot instructions

1. Whisk the condensed milk and fresh milk in a bowl and keep aside. There is no need to soak the coconut in the milk if making the barfi in an instant pot.
2. Add two tablespoons ghee to the steel insert of your instant pot, (reserve one tablespoon for later) and melt it on sauté mode (a few seconds only). Cancel sauté.
3. Add the condensed milk and fresh milk mixture (from step 1) and the desiccated coconut. Stir all the ingredients with a spoon and secure the lid. Make sure the steam release vent is sealed and press the porridge mode. It automatically sets itself to 30 minutes. Walk away. After the pot beeps, wait for a natural release of pressure (around 10-12 minutes).
4. Open the pot and switch to sauté mode. You will see that the mixture has thickened considerably and turned brown. Add the remaining one tablespoon ghee and with a big spoon, stir the mixture until it thickens even further and becomes shiny (7-8 minutes). Cancel sauté.
5. Take the mixture out onto a greased platter and spread it evenly and thickly. Allow it to cool down a bit more, then cut into squares with a knife. Decorate with silver leaves if using, otherwise top with slivered nuts.

Top tips

• Use pure ghee only for making the barfi. Anything else will not give the same taste or color.
• Keep stirring the mixture continuously if making the barfi in a karahi to prevent it from sticking to the bottom and burning.
• Top the barfi with slivered almonds and cashews if you like the crunch of nuts.
• Optional: Add a few drops of rose water to the mixture just before taking it out onto a platter for a pleasing aroma.
• Keep the extra barfi in the refrigerator. It tastes really nice chilled too, but you can microwave it for a few seconds if you want to have it warm. However, don't microwave it if you have decorated it with the silver leaves. Instead keep it out at room temperature for some time.

More Indian sweets and desserts

• Panjeeri - A desi granola-like snack made with roasted whole wheat, nuts, and seeds.
• Rasgolla - Soft, spongy, light-as-air balls dipped in a sweet sugar syrup. Made with chena, a special milk cheese.
• Moong dal halwa - An easy version of a rich and delicious Indian dessert made with cooked and mashed moong lentils.  
• Kheer - A rich and creamy pudding made with rice, milk, sugar and nuts.
• Rasmalai cake - A soft and spongy cake drizzled all over with rabri, a thick and sweet sauce.