This easy Fried Milk recipe features creamy milk pudding wrapped in crispy spring roll wrappers. They're the perfect little snacks for after dinner or snacking any time of the day.
Can't get enough of Chinese desserts? Try my Fried Banana, Red Bean Soup, and Hong Kong French Toast next!
The first time I had fried milk was at an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant in Vancouver; weird, right? Fried milk is actually a traditional Chinese dessert. I guess it's not too surprising, though, since many Japanese and Korean restaurants in Vancouver are actually run by Chinese Chefs.
I remember the fried milk was so delicious - the outside was crispy while the inside was custardy and soft. The textural contrast was addicting and so satisfying that I knew I had to try making it at home. Since then, it's been a regular dessert in my household for potlucks, gatherings, and munching on whenever I'm hungry.
It only takes six ingredients and is pretty quick to make, but you'll have to wait at least 1 hour for the milk custard to solidify in the fridge. But I promise you; it's worth the wait!
Jump to:
🥛 What is Fried Milk?
Fried milk is a traditional Cantonese dessert originating in Guangdong province in Southern China. The dish has a milky flavor and is golden and crispy on the outside with a soft and custardy center. It's typically made with milk that has been thickened with cornstarch, and then it's breaded with panko and deep-fried.
In this blog post, I'll show you my version of Fried milk which uses spring roll wrappers instead of panko breadcrumbs. It's so much easier and requires fewer ingredients and dishes since you don't have to worry about breading. When developing this recipe, I referenced Tiffy Cooks' Fried Milk recipe!
🍳 What type of oil to use for frying?
Neutral-tasting oils with a high smoke point, such as canola, vegetable, soy, corn, and peanut, are the best for deep-frying food. Avoid using oils with low smoke points or strong flavors, such as olive or unrefined coconut oil.
And absolutely do not use butter for deep-frying; when butter heats up, the milk solids separate and sink to the bottom of the pan, which can quickly burn. However, you can use clarified butter (or ghee), which has had its milk solids removed, so it won't burn at the same temperature.
💡 What is the smoke point of fat/oils?
The smoke point refers to the temperature at which fat breaks down into visible gaseous products. The smoky fumes are unpleasant, and the other materials that remain in the fat tend to ruin the flavor of the cooked food.
Generally, you want to deep-fry foods in oils with a high smoke point, like the ones mentioned at the beginning of this section.
🥥 Ingredients
- Milk - I mean, it wouldn't be called Fried milk without it, right? Milk serves as the main base of the dessert.
- Coconut milk - I love the flavor of coconut in Fried milk. It has a subtle nuttiness that pairs well with the sweetness and richness of this dessert. I use full-fat coconut because it gives the custard a creamier texture.
- Cornstarch (or any other starch) - This helps to solidify the milk mixture before being wrapped. When the milk is fried, the milk mixture will soften into a pudding.
- Sugar - Provides sweetness.
- Salt - Enhances all the other flavors.
- Spring roll wrappers - You'll need at least 40 wrappers for this filling recipe. The recipe makes about 20 spring rolls, but we must double-wrap them to avoid leakage in the fryer. Wrappers usually come in two sizes: small and large. Choose the small ones.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1. Make milk custard
Combine milk, coconut milk, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat it on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it's thickened.
Step 2. Refrigerate
Grease a rectangular container with a little bit of oil. Pour the milk mixture into the container and use a spatula to smooth out the surface as best as possible. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow the mixture to solidify.
Step 3. Wrap
Cut the milk mixture into small sticks about ½ an inch wide.
Place spring roll wrappers next to your work surface and loosely cover them with a damp towel (they dry out fast). In a small bowl, whisk 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water.
Now, to wrap the fried milk:
- Start by placing a spring roll wrapper on a flat surface with one corner facing away from you. Place a milk stick approximately two inches from the corner, making sure it's an equal distance from both sides.
- Begin rolling from the corner nearest to you.
- When the bottom corner goes over the filling, fold in the sides.
- Continue rolling until you reach the end, but before sealing the roll, lightly dampen the remaining area with a cornstarch slurry to help it stick. Seal the roll.
- Repeat with another wrapper to double-wrap it. This will add security against the milk custard from leaking out during frying.
Transfer the wrapped fried milk to a plate or baking sheet and repeat with the remaining milk sticks.
Step 4. Deep-fry
Heat about 1 inch of oil in a high-walled pot, Dutch oven, or wok until it reaches a temperature of 350°F. Fry 6-8 rolls of fried milk at a time, gently stirring them for about 2 minutes until they're evenly golden brown. If any milk custard begins to leak out, remove them immediately.
Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack and repeat with the remaining milk sticks. Serve by itself or with a side of sweetened condensed milk.
💭 Top Tips
- Use full-fat coconut milk for the creamiest and softest texture. Light coconut milk will also work. Also, ensure that the coconut milk is unsweetened.
- Cover the spring roll wrappers with a damp cloth so they don't dry out! When the wrappers dry out, they become brittle and difficult to handle, making wrapping challenging.
- Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil. Try to maintain a temperature between 325-350℉ for the best results.
- Pay attention during the frying. If any milk custard leaks, you must immediately remove the spring rolls from the oil. Usually, the spring rolls are ready to eat by this time, so you can just place them on a paper towel-lined plate to dry.
👨🏻🍳 Variations & Add-ons
- Vegan - Replace the milk with coconut milk or another vegan alternative, such as almond or soy.
- Matcha - Add 1 tablespoon of matcha powder to the milk custard before thickening.
- Vanilla Extract - Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the milk custard before thickening.
- Almond Extract - Add ½ teaspoon of almond extract to the milk custard before thickening.
- Cinnamon - Dust the spring rolls with ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon to add a warm aroma.
🥡 Storage & Leftovers
Storing: Store leftover deep-fried milk in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Reheating: Reheat leftovers by baking for 5-7 minutes at 350℉ on the middle rack, or refry them in oil at 350℉ for 1-2 minutes. If you have an air fryer, you can reheat them at 350℉ for 3-4 minutes until heated through and crispy.
Freezing: After wrapping the milk sticks, you can freeze them for up to a month. To do so, place the uncooked rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about ½ inch apart. Freeze for at least 2 hours or until semi-solid. Transfer them to a ziplock bag and freeze them long-term. When you're ready to eat them, fry them directly from frozen at 350℉ for 5-6 minutes.
📖 Recipe FAQs
They are sold at most Asian grocery stores. They come in small square plastic packaging and can be found in the freezer section. They are typically available in two sizes: small and large. I prefer the small ones for this dessert because I like to make them bite-sized.
Fried milk" is a dish popular in Spain and China. It is known as "leche frita" in Spain, and it is typically thickened with flour rather than cornstarch, but it is very similar to Cantonese-style fried milk. Both versions are sweet, milky, and deep-fried for a crispy texture.
Yes, you can make fried milk in an air fryer. Place the spring rolls in the air fryer basket, separated by about ½ inch so air can circulate around them. Brush the tops with oil and air fry at 400℉ for 4 minutes. Then, flip the spring rolls over, brush them with more oil, and air fry for another 4 minutes until they turn golden brown and crispy.
🍽 Looking for more sweet treats?
Did you enjoy this recipe? Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below and consider leaving a comment. I'd love to hear your feedback!
📋 Recipe
Easy Fried Milk
Equipment
- 1 deep fryer, dutch oven, wok, or high-walled pot
Ingredients
- 1 can coconut milk (400mL, full-fat preferred, but any level of fat will work. If you don't have coconut milk you can substitute it with regular milk).
- 1 cup milk
- 75 g cornstarch (about ½ cup)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- spring roll wrappers
Instructions
- Combine milk, coconut milk, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat it on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it's thickened.
- Grease a rectangular container with a little bit of oil. Pour the milk mixture into the container and use a spatula to smooth out the surface as best as possible. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow the mixture to solidify.
- Cut the milk mixture into small sticks about ½ an inch wide. Place spring roll wrappers next to your work surface and loosely cover them with a damp towel (they dry out fast). In a small bowl, whisk 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water.
- Start by placing a spring roll wrapper on a flat surface with one corner facing away from you. Place a milk stick approximately two inches from the corner, making sure it's an equal distance from both sides. Begin rolling from the corner nearest to you. When the bottom corner goes over the filling, fold in the sides. Continue rolling until you reach the end, but before sealing the roll, lightly dampen the remaining area with a cornstarch slurry to help it stick. Seal the roll. Repeat with another wrapper to double-wrap it.
- Heat about 1 inch of oil in a high-walled pot, Dutch oven, or wok until it reaches a temperature of 350°F. Fry 6-8 rolls of fried milk at a time, gently stirring them for about 2 minutes until they're evenly golden brown. If any milk custard begins to leak out, remove them immediately. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack and repeat with the remaining milk sticks. Serve by itself or with a side of sweetened condensed milk.
Notes
- Use full-fat coconut milk for the creamiest and softest texture. Light coconut milk will also work. Also, ensure that the coconut milk is unsweetened.
- Cover the spring roll wrappers with a damp cloth so they don't dry out! When the wrappers dry out, they become brittle and difficult to handle, making wrapping challenging.
- Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil. Try to maintain a temperature between 325-350℉ for the best results.
- Pay attention during the frying. If any milk custard leaks, you must immediately remove the spring rolls from the oil. Usually, the spring rolls are ready to eat by this time, so you can just place them on a paper towel-lined plate to dry.
Leave a Reply