Sütlü muhallebi (milk pudding)
- Apr 5
- 3 min read
Updated: May 10
Sütlü muhallebi is a light, milk-based pudding that's popular in Cyprus, Turkey and across the Middle East, with local variations in ingredients and toppings. It’s known for its smooth, silky texture and delicate balance of floral and creamy flavours.
In our recipe, milk is whisked together with sugar, vanilla extract, rose water and cornflour (cornstarch), then gently cooked until thickened into a smooth custard. Once ready, it is ladled into small bowls and topped with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon and chopped walnuts and pistachios. The result is a delicate, fragrant dessert that can be enjoyed while warm and creamy, or chilled and set from the fridge.
Cypriots sometimes add ground mezdeki (mastic gum), which is a resin harvested from the mastic tree. It has a pine-like aroma that gives the pudding a fresh flavour, making it particularly refreshing when served chilled in the summer as an after-dinner dessert. This version is known as damla sakızlı muhallebi in Turkish. We have provided guidance in our recipe if you would like to use this optional ingredient for a variation in flavour.
Sulu muhallebi is another dessert that uses cornflour as a thickening agent, but simply uses water in place of milk to create a rose-flavoured jelly that's perfect for the summer. See our sulu muhallebi recipe if you would like to try it. ‘Sütlü’ means ‘with milk’, while ‘sulu’ means ‘with water’ in Turkish, giving each dessert its name.
If you enjoy milk-based desserts, you can also try sütlü erişte (Turkish pasta pudding) or sütlü börek (semolina custard filled syrup pastry).
Cooking tips
Once sütlü muhallebi begins to thicken, continue cooking and whisking for a further 1 to 2 minutes from this point to fully cook out the cornflour. The mixture should become smooth and glossy, with no starchy taste.
The mixture can catch at the base of the pan and form lumps very quickly once it starts to thicken, so constant whisking is essential. Increase the speed of whisking as it thickens to maintain a smooth, lump-free custard.
To know when the sütlü muhallebi ready, briefly pause whisking. Large bubbles will rise to the surface and pop. If they don't, keep whisking until it thickens further and test again.
Ingredient notes
Ground mezdeki (mastic gum) is optional and a little goes a long way. We find ⅛ tsp gives a gentle flavour, but you can adjust to taste. You will need to grind it finely using a pestle and mortar. Adding a pinch of sugar before grinding prevents it becoming soft and sticky. If you like mezdeki, şamali (semolina and syrup cake) is another dessert that uses it.
Orange blossom water can be used instead of rose water. Both are strong, so we recommend adding no more than 1 tablespoon as too much can overpower the flavour of the pudding.
Almond extract can be used instead of vanilla extract.
Makes 4 servings | Preparation time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes | Additional time for cooling and setting (optional)
For best results, see our cooking tips above.
Ingredients
For the muhallebi: | |
1L milk | 80g white sugar |
½ tsp vanilla extract | 1 tbsp rose water |
⅛ tsp ground mezdeki (mastic gum) - optional | 100g cornflour (cornstarch) |
To serve: | |
Ground cinnamon | 20-40g walnuts, chopped |
10-20g pistachios, finely chopped |
Hob heat settings
Method
Watch our video to see how we prepare sütlü muhallebi, or follow the steps below:
In a large saucepan, heat 900ml of the milk over a medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
Add the sugar, vanilla extract, rose water and ground mezdeki (if you are using it) and cook for 1 minute, whisking continuously until the sugar has fully dissolved.
In a bowl, dissolve the cornflour in the remaining 100ml milk until smooth.
Add the cornflour mixture to the saucepan and whisk continuously. The mixture will remain fairly thin at first, then begin to thicken quickly. Once it starts to thicken, continue cooking and whisk continuously for 1 to 2 minutes more, increasing the speed of whisking as it thickens. This works to cook out the cornflour and ensure a smooth, lump-free custard without graininess. When the sütlü muhallebi is ready, large bubbles will rise to the surface and slowly pop when you pause whisking briefly. This step will take around 10 to 15 minutes in total.
Ladle the sütlü muhallebi into small bowls and sprinkle with a little ground cinnamon, chopped walnuts and chopped pistachios. Serve warm, or leave to cool.
Serving and storage
Sütlü muhallebi can be enjoyed warm while still soft and creamy, or chilled and fully set.
If chilling, loosely cover the servings with a large tea tray and tea towel to prevent a skin forming on the surface while they cool. Once cooled to room temperature, place the servings in the fridge to chill.
The pudding will firm up further in the fridge and keeps well for 2 days.
