Is it me only , or does the word “kheer” brings a smile to your face too 🙂 Today I am sharing my favorite Saffron Rice Kheer – Indian rice pudding recipe which is a one pot dessert .Whatever you want to call it , its hands down the easiest and yummiest Indian dessert I have ever made . I may sound biased , but Indian version of rice pudding is the best of all rice puddings in the world! Trust me , you can never ever go wrong with kheer. It makes a perfect gluten-free Indian dessert too .
Kheer is an integral part of every Indian home . Be it any festival or an important life event or even as sacred as offering prasad in the temple and during fasting/ upvaas , kheer is one Indian dessert that fits into any special occasion menu. It is mainly made during auspicious occasions like Diwali, holi, Navratri and even birthday’s.
We are kheer lovers and never actually need a reason to make one . It’s kind of comfort food for us. All you need is one pot , less than an hour and a little bit of stirring to experience this fragrant dessert. So are you game?
Hold on , if you aren’t familiar with this delicious dessert let me give you a quick gist .
Kheer is Indian version of rice pudding made by slow cooking rice in milk with addition of fragrant ingredients like saffron , cardamom, rose water and generous amount of nuts. It is sweetened with sugar or jaggery. And the best part it doesn’t contain eggs. It is simmered and reduced to form a palatable decoction you cannot resist.
The beauty of Kheer is that it can be made in various ways and every region in India has a different name for it.
In North India , it’s popularly known as kheer , in eastern region it goes by the name Payesh while in the South it’s called as Payasam .
kheer is also made with tapioca pearls, paneer, vermicelli , almond flour .
There are lot of modern and fun versions of kheer too that just tempts you to make it again and again.
In short , you’ve gotta try this once and you will be hooked for life .
Ahaaa so many memories since childhood attached to this one magical bowl . Whenever I miss home I make sure to treat myself with this. So I made this on occasion of our holy festival Paryushan and quickly noted down the ingredients to share with you. This one is my mother’s recipe . I remember helping her stirring the kheer when I was a teen , because that is the easiest thing to do right . No nervousness, no anxiety as this dessert always turns perfect.
Yes that is the magic of this Indian rice pudding .
So how does this creamy kheer come together in 30 minutes?
1.) With pre soaked rice – you can pre soak it 30 minutes or overnight in advance.
2.) Addition of warm milk .
I microwave the milk for 3 minutes before adding to the rice, this just quickens the process. However you can skip the microwaving and directly add milk to the pan which will add up 15 additional minutes to the total time.
For how to make kheer in hindi language or any other language simply make use of google translate mentioned at the end of every page.
Saffron rice kheer - Indian rice pudding - one pot dessert
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon ghee
- ¼ cup/ 45 grams presoaked and drained short grain or basmati rice
- 4 cups/ 1 litre warm milk *
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of salt *
- 2-3 cardamom crushed
- Generous pinch of saffron strands
- ¼ cup chopped / sliced assorted nuts
- 2 teaspoon rose water optional
- 1 tablespoon dried rose petals optional
Instructions
- Soak saffron in 1 tablespoon of warm milk and keep aside.
- Heat up a heavy bottom non – stick pan . Add in ghee.
- Now stir in the drained rice for 1 minute on medium heat.
- Now slowly add in the warm milk .
- Let it come to a boil. Stir occasionally .
- Once it starts to boil , lower the heat and keep stirring often to avoid rice or milk sticking to the bottom and the sides.
- The milk will start thickening and reducing within 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes , just check the rice , it should be tender enough .
- Now add in the sugar, salt , cardamom and saffron milk.
- Cook it for another 10 minutes. The milk should have considerably reduced.
- Mash some rice with the back of the spoon if desired.
- It might look thin , but remember after cooling and chilling it will considerably thicken up.
- Stir in the chopped nuts .
- Switch off the flame .
- Serve warm or chilled .
- Add rose water and rose petals just before serving.
Notes
I microwave the milk for 3 minutes before adding to the rice, this just quickens the process. However you can skip the microwaving and directly add milk to the pan which will add up 15 additional minutes to the total time.
I always use a pinch of salt in desserts as it brings out the flavors really well, it’s completely optional though.
I have used almonds and pistachios . You can add nuts of your choice and raisins too.
Adjust sweetness to your preference .
If kheer thickens a lot after chilling, just stir in few tablespoons of cold milk at a time.
Rosewater and food grade rose petals are completely optional. Nutrition facts , calories in the kheer / rice pudding is mentioned below.
Nutrition
Do you love kheer and want to make it as quickly as possible then I have an instant version for you . Given below is sevai kheer also known as vermicelli kheer. This recipe uses condensed milk for quick kheer and is equally delicious . Click here for the link.
Hope you like this recipe and do give it a try. I would love to hear from you.
If you have tried any of my recipes do drop in a feedback in the comment section or on my Facebook page carveyourcraving in messages section .
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Thanks for stopping by.
Amazing recipe! Super simple and easy to follow. It turned out delicious!
I am glad you tried and enjoyed it Robena. Thank you, for a lovely feedback!
Hey I really want to make this but I don’t have any ghee. Is there anything I could sub in instead? Sorry and thank you:D
Hello Sydney, you can substitute it with unsalted butter.
Thanks for a simple and yet tasty recipe for rice kheer.
Made this, very yummy. I made a vegan version. The only milk I had was a vanilla sweetened soy milk. I will try next time with a regular vegan milk to see the difference. There was one issue with the recipe. I’m guessing it was a typo?? The recipe called for 1/4 cup rice, I had to use 3/4 cups in order for it not to be just milk.
I will decently be making it again. Thanks for sharing it!
Hello COlleen. Vegan kheer sounds yum. And it is 1/4 cup rice only not 3/4 cups. Kheer isn’t very thick like american rice pudding . It thickens considerably as it cools. Saying that feel free to increase the rice quantity.
Came across this Indian rice pudding on google while I was searching for an Indian dessert. I made it for a potluck and everyone loved this Indian version. It’s great that this pudding doesn’t have eggs . My husband has egg allergies and he loved it . I will be making it regularly now . Thank you.
Khushboo ur writing are as good as ur culinary skills. I liked the way you present ur recepie in an informative way.. keep up the good work 😃💐
Thank you so much Pooja for your kind words.
I’ve added Kewra, and it is wonderful with that. I’m always disappointed when I order Kheer in an Indian restaurant, as they generally don’t bother to reduce it at all.
Kewra is a great addition . Very fragrant!
I am new to cooking. Saw your post and was tempted to try. Perfect one just as my mom makes. Thanks a bunch .
Happy to hear that Shweta 🙂 Yes , whenever I miss mom I make kheer 🙂
Absolutely perfect
Thank you Madhu 🙂