Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Kheer
Kheer (Rice Pudding)

Kheer

Rice Pudding
VegetarianOrigin Punjab/Delhi/AwadhPrep 10 minutes, plus soaking timeCook 1 hour 10 minutes

Kheer is a creamy Indian rice pudding made by cooking rice in milk that has been reduced and sweetened, then perfuming it with cardamom, saffron and kewra. It tastes rich and milky, with a soft pudding texture and a delicate floral-spice aroma.

Finishing spices

1 gStirred in with the sugar, nuts and kewra water (step 7)
01
Green cardamom pod · Elaichicrushed
0.7 g4 pods
spice
02
Saffron · Kesar
~0.3 gpinch
spice
Use the 0.7 g crushed green cardamom and 0.3 g saffron together at the end; no grinding needed.

Everything else

01
Rice · Chawal
47 g4 tablespoons
grain
02
Milk · Doodh
1034 g1 l
dairy
03
Granulated sugar · Cheeni
200 g
sweetener
04
Pistachio · Pista
8 g10 kernels
nut/seed
05
Almond · Badam
12 g10 almonds
nut/seed
06
Screwpine water · Kewra Jal
5 g1 teaspoon
liquid
07
Edible silver leaf · Chandi ka varqto decorate
0 g4 sheets
other

Method

  1. Soak 46.8 g rice in a bowl of water for 20 minutes.
  2. Drain the rice and leave it aside.
  3. Heat 1034 g milk in a heavy pan over low heat until it boils.
  4. Simmer the milk for 30 minutes, until its volume has fallen by about half.
  5. Add the drained rice and raise the heat until the milk boils again; boil for 1 minute.
  6. Lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring gently now and then.
  7. Stir in 200 g granulated sugar, 12 g almond, 8 g pistachio, 5 g kewra water and the finishing spices.
  8. Remove the pan from the heat.
  9. Finish the top with 0 g edible silver leaf.

Don't have something?

Rice
  • Basmati rice

    Use the same weight; rinse and soak as needed. Fluffier and drier, so use slightly less water.

  • Long-grain rice

    Use the same weight; similar behaviour, adjust water to your usual method.

  • Short-grain rice

    Use the same weight; stickier and softer, so reduce water and avoid stirring.

Milk
  • Whole milk

    Use equal weight; provides the standard rich dairy fat and body expected in creamy Indian bases.

  • Single cream

    Dilute 3 parts cream with 1 part water to match the weight; yields a richer, glossier gravy that resists curdling.

  • Plain yogurt

    Whisk thoroughly and use equal weight; adds extra body and a mild pleasant acidity, best added off the heat.

Granulated sugar
  • Jaggery

    Use equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Pistachio
  • Pistachio nut

    Use the same weight; blanch and peel for a brighter green paste. This is the closest match.

  • Almond

    Use the same weight; blanch and peel. It is firmer and less sweet, so grind a little longer.

  • Cashew nut

    Use the same weight; soak in hot water for 15 minutes for a smooth paste. It is sweeter and softer.

Almond
  • Cashew nut

    Use equal weight. Soak in warm water and grind to a paste or fry identically; yields a slightly creamier and sweeter sauce.

  • Shelled peanut

    Use equal weight. Lightly roast, skin, and grind; introduces a heavier body and a pronounced roasted-nut aroma.

Green cardamom pod
  • Green cardamom seed

    Use 35 to 40% of the total pod weight; lightly bruise the seeds before frying in oil to release their essential oils.

  • Ground green cardamom

    Use 20 to 25% of the pod weight (about 1 generous pinch per pod); stir in toward the end of cooking so the delicate floral notes do not dissipate.

  • White cardamom pod

    Use 1:1 by pod count or weight; crack gently before using, though it is slightly less intensely floral.

Kewra water
  • Rosewater

    Use 75-100% of the weight, added off the heat. Floral but rose-scented, not screwpine.

  • Rose syrup

    Use 50-60% of the weight and reduce sugar by about the same amount. Sweet and pink-rose flavoured.

  • Saffron thread

    Steep 2-3 threads in 10 ml warm milk for every 10 g kewra water. Different, richer aroma.

Saffron
  • Ground turmeric

    Use 15% of the saffron's weight. Replicates the bright yellow colour well, but lacks the floral, earthy depth; use sparingly to avoid bitterness.

  • Screwpine water or rosewater

    Use a few drops combined with a tiny pinch of ground turmeric to mimic both the regal floral aroma and the golden hue.

Edible silver leaf
  • Edible gold leaf

    Use the same amount to cover the same surface. Purely decorative; only the colour changes.

  • Silver leaf

    Use the same amount if it is food-grade. Same decorative effect.

Similar dishes

Payesh
Sweet Rice & Milk
Payesh tastes less sweet and less rich than this dish, with a cardamom aroma only and none of this dish's saffron, kewra or nutty flavors.
  • Same: Payesh is a rice-and-milk pudding like this dish, and both use 1034 g milk and green cardamom as the main spice.
  • Different: Payesh uses only 11.7 g rice and 75 g sugar, while this dish uses 46.8 g rice and 200 g sugar; Payesh lacks pistachio, almond, kewra water, saffron and edible silver leaf, and it is described as slowly simmered rather than perfumed with floral spices.
Phirni
Milk & Rice Dessert
Phirni is smoother and more custard-like from ground rice, less sweet and less rich, with a floral rose-or-kewra note and nut crunch rather than this dish’s soft rice grains and saffron-cardamom aroma.
  • Same: Phirni and this dish are both milk-and-rice puddings sweetened with sugar, cooked in milk, flavored with kewra, and garnished with almond and pistachio.
  • Different: Phirni uses ground rice, less milk and much less sugar, and it lacks this dish’s green cardamom, saffron, and edible silver leaf while allowing rosewater instead of kewra.
Palpayasam
Rice Flour Dumplings in Sweet Milk
Palpayasam tastes of cardamom and nutmeg with fried rice-flour dumplings soaked in milk, while this dish tastes creamy and milky with soft rice and a saffron-kewra floral aroma.
  • Same: Palpayasam shares milk, sugar, and green cardamom with this dish, and both are sweet milk-based Indian puddings.
  • Different: Palpayasam uses rice flour and peanut oil to make fried dumplings, adds nutmeg, and lacks this dish's rice, saffron, kewra, pistachio, almond, and silver leaf.
Sheer Birinj
Regal Milk & Rice Dessert
Sheer Birinj tastes richer, denser, and more nutty and ghee-rich than this dish, with less saffron and floral aroma and a heavier khoya-cream texture.
  • Same: Sheer Birinj shares with this dish a sweet milk-and-rice base, granulated sugar, green cardamom, kewra or rosewater, and slivered almonds and pistachios, and neither uses a souring agent.
  • Different: Sheer Birinj uses basmati rice, khoya, clotted cream, cashew paste, and ghee to thicken and enrich it, while this dish relies on reduced milk and adds saffron and edible silver leaf but no khoya, cream, cashew paste, or ghee.