Shahi Tukda Recipe (Traditional Mughlai Dessert)

Shahi means royal, and tukda means piece. Shahi Tukda (Shahi Tukra) translates to a royal piece of dessert, perfect for serving kings and queens.

Shahi Tukda is a rich, royal Mughlai dessert made with crispy fried bread slices soaked in aromatic saffron sugar syrup and topped with creamy rabri, nuts, and edible silver leaf.

This traditional Indian sweet dates back to the royal kitchens of the Mughal Empire and remains a popular festive dessert during Eid, Ramadan, Diwali, Holi, weddings, and special celebrations across India and Pakistan. Make this Indian bread pudding at home with my easy, tried-and-tested recipe.

My dad likes to have a sweet after every meal. Mom used to make sure there was some mithai in the fridge all the time. But once in a while, it would get over, and on those days, Mom would whip up a quick shahi tukda.

She fried bread on one stove and made sugar syrup on the other. The syrup-soaked bread was topped with some fresh Malai, Tada, an amazing dessert ready in under 10 minutes. This is my earliest memory of Shahi Tukda.

When we had guests over, she would make a detailed version and top the fried, sugar-syrup-soaked bread with homemade rabri. I clearly remember the happy faces of guests every time they ate my mom’s shahi tukra. I am sharing her recipe in this post, and I insist you all try it; it is the best Shahi Tukda you will ever make.

There is another version of this dessert called Double Ka Meetha. It is very similar to Shahi Tukda except that it is baked after assembling. You must give it a try too.

Here are some more Indian dessert recipes you may like: Atta Halwa, Shrikhand, Basundi, Besan Halwa, Puran Poli, and Lauki Halwa.

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Making Shahi Tukda

This dish is super easy to make. After making it umpteenth times in my kitchen, I have found some pointers to keep in mind to make the best shahi tukda. I am sharing them here.

Mistake	What Happens	How to Avoid
Using old bread instead of fresh bread	Bread becomes crumbly and breaks when fried	Use fresh bread
Frying bread on low heat	Bread absorbs excess ghee/oil and turns greasy	Fry on medium heat until golden and crisp
Frying on very high heat	Bread browns too fast but stays soft inside	Maintain steady medium heat for even crispness
Not frying bread enough	Bread becomes mushy after soaking in syrup	Fry until deep golden and crisp
Using very thin sugar syrup	Bread becomes soggy quickly and lacks flavor	Make slightly sticky syrup (1-string consistency)
Using very thick syrup	Syrup doesn’t absorb properly into bread	Keep syrup medium consistency so bread absorbs evenly
Making rabri too thin	Dessert lacks richness and authentic texture	Cook milk until thick and creamy (warm custard like consistency)
Skipping cardamom, saffron, or rose water	Dessert lacks signature shahi flavor	Always include at least cardamom and saffron

How To Make Shahi Tukra

Prepare The Rabdi

Step 1: Start by making the rabdi. Heat 1 liter of whole milk in a heavy-bottom non-stick pan over medium heat.

Tip: Use a broad pan to speed up the milk-reducing process.

Step 2: When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low.

Step 3: Add 15-20 saffron strands and mix well.

Step 4: Cook the rabdi until it is reduced by half (approximately 20-25 minutes), stirring frequently. Scrape the sides of the pan with a silicone spatula at regular intervals, then add the solidified milk back to the pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan frequently to prevent the milk from scorching.

Step 5: Once the milk is reduced to half, add ¼ cup sugar and cook for another 10-12 minutes or until the rabdi thickens to a custard-like consistency.

Step 6: Add rose syrup and mix well.

Step 7: Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.

Fry The Bread

Step 8: While the rabdi is cooking, fry the bread and make the sugar syrup. Cut the corners off 6 white bread slices, then cut them diagonally. Discard the corners.

Step 9: Heat 1 cup of ghee in a shallow pan over medium heat.

Step 10: When the ghee is hot, add a few slices of bread and deep-fry them on both sides until golden brown. I like to use a tong to hold the bread slices while frying.

Fry all the bread similarly.

Transfer the fried bread slices to a plate and set them aside.

Make The Sugar Syrup

Step 11: Heat 1 cup of water, ¾ cup of granulated white sugar, and 2-3 crushed green cardamom pods in a pan over medium heat. 

Step 12: Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring a few times in between. The syrup must not be too thick; otherwise, the bread will not absorb it. It should be of one-string consistency.

Note: One-string consistency is a stage of sugar syrup in which, when you press a drop of syrup between your thumb and index finger and gently pull them apart, a thin thread (string) forms without breaking immediately.

Step 13: Remove the pan from the heat. Add 1 teaspoon of rose water or kewra water and mix well.

Assemble The Shahi Tukda

Step 14: Dip fried bread triangles in warm cardamom sugar syrup for 10-20 seconds (or more if you like a softer version).

Step 15: Keep them on the serving plate. 

Step 16: Top with 2-3 tablespoon of rabdi. Garnish the shahi tukda with slivered almonds and pistachio and dried rose petals. You can also keep some edible silver leaf (varq) on top. Serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions

Shahi Tukray is perfect for any festive occasion, get-together, or wedding. It is one of my go-to desserts along with my creamy rice kheer and sooji halwa.

I like my shahi toast a little crisp, but many people like it soft. So try it for yourself, see which texture you like best, and then soak the bread in sugar syrup accordingly.

If you like crispier bread like I do, soaking it in sugar syrup for 5-10 minutes before assembling is perfect. But if you want a softer version, soak the bread for 15-20 seconds. Also, ensure the syrup is warm when you soak your bread in it.

The rabdi can be hot or chilled before topping on the shahi tukra.

Garnish the shahi tukda with slivered nuts and dried rose petals. You can also add some silver or gold leaf (varak) to make them extra indulgent.