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    You are here: Home / RandomPosts / Palkova Recipe | How to make Palkova

    Palkova Recipe | How to make Palkova

    Last Updated On: May 29, 2024 by Sharmilee J

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    Palkova is a traditional milk sweet made with just 2 main ingredients milk and sugar. Learn to make Palkova Recipe the traditional way with step by step pictures and video.

    palkova in a clay bowl

    Palkova is made traditionally by simmering and reducing milk until its thick. It involves lot of time and effort as we need to keep stirring to avoid burning. I have shared tips and tricks to make the perfect palkova.

    Jump to:
    • What is Palkova?
    • Palkova Ingredients
    • How to make Palkova Step by Step
    • Expert Tips
    • Serving & Storage
    • FAQS
    • 📖 Recipe Card

    What is Palkova?

    ‘Pal’ in tamil means milk and ‘kova’ is dried evaporated milk solids so Palkova means thickened milk solids with sugar. Palkova is a rich milk sweet made by simmering, thickening and reducing milk until thick then adding sugar,cardamom powder and ghee.

    The kova or khoya or mawa as it is popularly known as used for jamuns and other dishes is nothing but unsweetened palkova. This traditional sweet can be made for any festival but its popularly made for festivals like Gokulashtami and Navratri. But you can make it even for any special occasions in your family too.

    I have tasted aavin palkova and srivilliputhur palkova both are my favorite but only till I tried this sweet at home. Palkova made at home is so good as you can control the amount of sugar used as more the sweet you add it becomes over powering that you cannot have more than a spoon at a time.

    Palkova can be made in 10 mins taking the short route of using microwave oven, but I don’t have chances for that as I don’t own a microwave, also I always want to try recipes the traditional way. You can check my therattipal recipe if you wish to make instant palkova. So here is my traditional stove top method for making palkova. I agree it is sure time consuming and painstaking but worth the effort, you will agree with me only when you taste it.

    palkova in a clay bowl

    Similar Recipes

    • Milk Halwa
    • Therattipaal
    • Milk Kesari

    Palkova Ingredients

    • Milk – Use only full fat milk to get the best palkova taste. I used cows milk.
    • Sugar – I used white sugar as in shops but you can even use cane sugar or powdered jaggery.
    • Cardamom – Traditionally no flavoring is added, but for a mild flavor I have added a tiny pinch of cardamom powder
    • Ghee – Add very little ghee just to reduce the stickiness. Do not add more.
    palkova ingredients

    How to make Palkova Step by Step

    1.Use a heavy bottomed vessel for making palkova so that it doesn’t burn easily at the bottom. Also make sure to wet the base of the  vessel before pouring milk. I used heavy bottomed bronze uruli. Add 1 litre full cream milk to it.

    add milk

    2.First give a quick mix to avoid sticking at the bottom.

    stir well

    3.Boil milk.

    let it boil

    4.Keep stirring every now and then to avoid burning.

    keep stirring

    5.You can keep the laddle like this to avoid overflowing of milk.

    keep wooden laddle

    6.Let it boil till it reduces. Stir every now and then to avoid burning at the bottom.

    scrap the sides

    7.Keep the flame in low medium but take care to stir often.This is after almost 1 hour.Milk is reduced to almost 1/4th and is thick.

    after an hour

    8.At this stage add 3 tablespoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder.

    add sugar and cardamom powder

    9.Cook for another 5-7 minutes.

    keep stirring

    10.Cook until thick but still slightly goey.

    stir well until thick

    11.Add 1 tablespoon ghee.

    add ghee

    12.Give a quick mix.

    cook for 2 mins

    13.Add remaining 1 teaspoon ghee.

    add remaining ghee

    14.Mix well,it will leaves the sides of the pan but still goey. Switch off at this stage, after it cools down it may get more thicker.

    give a quick stir

    Serve warm or hot!

    Expert Tips

    • Use a heavy bottomed pan or nonstick pan so that it doesn’t stick much.
    • Also stirring often is the main tip.
    • You can add 4 tablespoon sugar if you prefer it very sweet.
    • It keeps well for a week refrigerated.
    • Cooking time may vary depending on the size of pan and also the water content in milk.
    • Use a little wider pan so that milk gets reduced soon.
    • Keep stirring and scraping the sides to scrap the  milk solids.
    • When you switch off it will still be goey but after cooling down it will get thick.
    • Make sure you cool down completely before you refrigerate it.

    Serving & Storage

    Serve it as such or with any savory snack like bajji, bonda etc. Palkova keeps well in room temperature for 2 days and in fridge for about a week.

    FAQS

    1.Is Therattipal and Palkova same?

    Yes they are almost the same. The texture of therattipal is grainy as we are adding curd but the texture of palkova is smooth and soft. Though the texture differs the taste of palkova and therattipal are the same.

    2.Can I use cane sugar or jaggery replacing white sugar?

    Yes you can add it but make sure you add it only when the milk is thick and almost solid else there are chances for milk to curdle.

    3.What type of milk is best for making palkova?

    Full cream milk is best for making palkova. You can either use fresh farm milk or packet milk too.

    palkova in a clay bowl

    If you have any more questions about this palkova recipe do mail me at sharmispassions@gmail.com. In addition, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest ,Youtube and Twitter .

    Tried this palkova recipe ? Do let me know how you liked it. Also tag us on Instagram @sharmispassions and hash tag it on #sharmispassions.

    📖 Recipe Card

    Palkova4
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    Palkova | Palkova Recipe

    Palkova is a traditional milk sweet made with just 2 main ingredients milk and sugar. Learn to make Palkova Recipe the traditional way with step by step pictures and video.
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time1 hour hr
    Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Servings4 people
    AuthorSharmilee J

    Ingredients

    • 1 litre milk 4 cups
    • 3 tablespoon sugar
    • 1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder
    • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ghee

    Instructions

    • Use a heavy bottomed vessel for making palkova so that it doesn't burn easily at the bottom. Also make sure to wet the base of the  vessel before pouring milk. I used heavy bottomed bronze uruli. Add milk to it.
    • First give a quick mix to avoid sticking at the bottom. Boil milk.
    • Keep stirring every now and then to avoid burning.
    • You can keep the laddle like this to avoid overflowing of milk.
    • Let it boil till it reduces. Stir every now and then to avoid burning at the bottom.
    • Keep the flame in low medium but take care to stir often. This is after almost 1 hour. Milk is reduced to almost 1/4th and is thick.
    • At this stage add sugar and cardamom powder.
    • Cook for another 5-7 mins.
    • Cook until thick but still slightly goey.
    • Add 1 tablespoon ghee. Give a quick mix.
    • Add remaining 1 teaspoon ghee.
    • Mix well, it will leaves the sides of the pan but still gooey. Switch off at this stage, after it cools down it may get more thicker. Enjoy Palkova!

    Video

    Notes

    • Use a heavy bottomed pan or nonstick pan so that it doesn’t stick much.
      Also stirring often is the main tip.
    • You can add 4 tablespoon sugar if you prefer it very sweet. 4 tablespoon is 1/4 cup of sugar.
    • It keeps well for a week refrigerated.
    • Cooking time may vary depending on the size of pan and also the water content in milk.
    • Use a little wider pan so that milk gets reduced soon.
    • Keep stirring and scraping the sides to scrap the  milk solids.
    • When you switch off it will still be goey but after cooling it will get thick.
    • Make sure you cool down completely before you refrigerate it.
    Nutrition Facts
    Palkova | Palkova Recipe
    Amount Per Serving (100 g)
    Calories 192 Calories from Fat 81
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 9g14%
    Saturated Fat 5g31%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g
    Monounsaturated Fat 2g
    Cholesterol 32mg11%
    Sodium 98mg4%
    Potassium 388mg11%
    Carbohydrates 21g7%
    Fiber 0.02g0%
    Sugar 21g23%
    Protein 8g16%
    Vitamin A 418IU8%
    Vitamin C 0.01mg0%
    Calcium 317mg32%
    Iron 0.01mg0%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @sharmispassions or tag #sharmispassions
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    Filed Under: Diwali, Diwali Special, Indian Sweets, RandomPosts, Recently Updated, Sharmis Passions

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Priyanka Sundaram

      September 06, 2015 at 5:27 pm

      This is a nice and easy to do recipe. But try to avoid using non stick pan as much as possible in your cooking. Also use only wooden spatula if non stick pan is unavoidable.

      Reply
    2. Jayathishya.P.R Ravichandra.P

      September 07, 2015 at 1:24 pm

      Yummmmy. ..I tried this for Gokulashtami. It came out really very well.u give a clear and easy procedure which make me to try.thanks a lot sharmi. …

      Reply
      • Ram Gilbert

        February 17, 2025 at 10:49 pm

        This was my first ever attempt at a sweet dish and I just blindly followed your steps . The outcome was too good , even better than the shops palkova. Thank you . Appreciate the simplicity in the flow

        Reply
        • Sharmilee J

          February 18, 2025 at 6:28 am

          So glad that you tried and it came out well! Thanks for sharing the feedback!

          Reply
    3. nirupamasundar

      September 08, 2015 at 2:16 pm

      Drop in a small cup while boiling milk, there will be no need to stir it often till it thickens well.

      Reply
    4. lokesh kumar

      February 23, 2016 at 4:06 am

      Hi Sharmi,

      Is this the same paalkova used for making madurai special jigarthanda?

      Reply
      • SHARMILEE J

        February 27, 2016 at 3:21 am

        Yes same method only but made on different days 🙂

        Reply
    5. Anitha Rajagopal

      October 28, 2016 at 7:14 pm

      Loved the instructions! And so thankful for the tips! The palkova was perfect but I think I'll try 1/4 cup sugar next time! 🙂

      Reply
    6. Kiruthika Ganeshan

      July 25, 2017 at 2:16 am

      I am so addiected to milk sweets especially this one, that I couldn’t stop eating the remnants stuck to the paddle even before it could cool. Yummy recipe….I kept it simple with just milk and sugar. Thanks a million. Awesome work with your recipes

      Reply
    5 from 6 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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