rice kheer recipe | chawal ki kheer | Indian rice pudding |
by Tarla Dalal
Added to 814 cookbooks
This recipe has been viewed 608248 times
rice kheer recipe | chawal ki kheer | Indian rice pudding | with 16 amazing images
With the onset of the festive season, every other day there is a reason to prepare something sweet and tempting! Of the many Indian sweets, kheer is one of the most popular offerings to God.
There are innumerable varieties of kheer, and one or the other is prepared for every puja, festival or wedding. Rice kheer is undoubtedly the King of Kheers! It is made all over India. Known as Paal Payasam in South India, it is a must-serve item at weddings.
The chawal ki kheer made at the Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Kerala is world-famous. Made by simmering rice and milk in heavy, large bronze vessels for a long time, this rice kheer has a rich taste and attractive pink colour that comes out of the natural thickening of milk.
Here’s how you can make a delightful rice kheer at home. It requires very few ingredients, and the procedure is also simple. You just need to make sure you have enough time because the rice has to be cooked in the milk to get that intense mouth-feel and taste. Once the rice is cooked, the kheer is sweetened, flavoured with Indian spices and garnished with a fistful of assorted nuts and dried fruits.
The rice kheer is kind of similar to the American rice pudding, albeit a bit rich as befits our desi style. When you are running short of time, you can even make a Quick Rice Kheer using condensed milk and cooked rice.
I would like to share some important tips to make the perfect rice kheer recipe. 1. Rinse a deep non-stick pan with ¼ cup of water and quickly simmer it for 2-3 minutes. This will prevent milk from burning from the bottom as the water forms a protective layer between the pan and milk. Also, it is advisable to use a heavy bottom pan to make Indian desserts like basundi, kheer, rabdi. 2. Stir it occasionally to avoid milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan or browning. It is very important to use full-fat milk as it will provide the rice-kheer a rich and creamy texture. 3. Cook until rice is soft and breaks easily with a spoon or on pinching with your finger. Do not add sugar before the rice has turned mushy or else your rice will take forever to cook.
When festivals come one after the other, and you wish to pick from a variety of kheers, check out our collection of 113 Kheer Recipes. You will even find variants like Sabudana Kheer that come in handy on fasting days.
Enjoy how to make rice kheer recipe | chawal ki kheer | Indian rice pudding | with detailed step by step photos.
For rice kheer- To make the rice kheer, wash and soak the rice in enough water for half an hour, drain and keep aside.
- Rinse a deep non-stick pan with ¼ cup of water and quickly simmer it for 2-3 minutes. Discard the water and heat the milk in the same pan and bring it to a vigorous boil. This would take around 6-8 minutes.
- Add the rice, mix well and cook on a slow flame for 35-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, dry roast the saffron in a saucepan on a medium flame for 30 seconds.
- Add 1 tbsp of milk and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute. Keep the saffron-milk mixture aside.
- Add the sugar and mix well and simmer on a slow flame for 3-5 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- Add the cardamom powder and simmer on a slow flame for 2 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- Add the saffron-milk mixture and the chopped dry-fruits and cook the rice kheer on a slow flame for 10-12 minutes.
- Switch off the flame and serve the rice kheer garnished with saffron strands.
Rice Kheer recipe with step by step photos
-
To make the rice kheer recipe | chawal ki kheer | Indian rice pudding |, wash and soak the long grained rice for 30 minutes. If you don’t wish to soak or forgot to soak the rice then alternatively you can even roast the basmati rice in 1 tsp of ghee for 2-3 minutes on a slow flame till they are golden brown in colour, release an aroma then keep it aside. Soaking/roasting makes the cooking of rice easier.
![]()
- Drain the rice completely using a strainer. If you don’t like the mouthfeel of the long grained rice , you can even use the broken long grained rice (basmati) variety.
![]()
- Rinse a deep non-stick pan with ¼ cup of water and quickly simmer it for 2-3 minutes. This will prevent milk from burning from the bottom as the water forms a protective layer between the pan and milk. Also, it is advisable to use a heavy bottom pan to make Indian desserts like basundi, kheer, rabdi.
![]()
- Now, add the full-fat milk in that deep non-stick pan and bring it to a boil on a high flame. This would take around 6-8 minutes. Stir it occasionally to avoid milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan or browning. It is very important to use full-fat milk as it will provide the rice-kheer a rich and creamy texture.
![]()
- Add the drained rice and mix well.
![]()
- Cook it on a slow flame for 35-40 minutes while stirring and scraping the sides of the pan occasionally. It is always better to stay near the stove when the milk pot is on, to avoid cleaning up later. Use a flat spoon or a whisk so, it reaches all the corners of the pan easily while scraping.
![]()
- Meanwhile, dry roast the saffron in a saucepan on a medium flame for 30 seconds. This is done so that saffron releases it’s beautiful colour and flavour when added to the kheer.
![]()
- Add 1 tbsp of milk and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute, while stirring occasionally. You will start seeing the yellow color releasing from the saffron. Keep the saffron-milk mixture aside.
![]()
- We have also chopped different nuts viz. almonds, cashewnuts and pistachios along with some raisins to add in the kheer later.
![]()
- Cook until rice is soft and breaks easily with a spoon or on pinching with your finger. Do not add sugar before the rice has turned mushy or else your rice will take forever to cook.
![]()
- Add the sugar and mix well. You can increase the quantity of sugar if you prefer it more sweeter.
![]()
- Simmer the milk on a slow flame for 3-5 minutes while stirring and scraping the sides of the pan occasionally.
![]()
- Add the cardamom powder and simmer on a slow flame for 2 minutes while stirring occasionally.
![]()
- Add the saffron-milk mixture. This provides a yellowish colour to the kheer and pleasant smell and flavour.
![]()
- Add the chopped dry-fruits. You can add any nuts of your choice, if you like them crunchy then shallow fry in little ghee and then add to the kheer.
![]()
- Cook the rice kheer on a slow flame for 10-12 minutes and switch off the flame. Ensure that it is little runny in consistency as it thickens after cooling down.
![]()
- Garnish it with some saffron strand. You can even add almond, pistachio slivers or rose petals as a garnish.
![]()
-
You can serve the rice kheer | chawal ki kheer | Indian rice pudding | hot, warm or cold.
-
rice kheer | chawal ki kheer | Indian rice pudding | tastes amazing with puri and potato sabji. Popularly known as paal payasam, you can even eat it as a dessert post your meal.
-
Rinse a deep non-stick pan with ¼ cup of water and quickly simmer it for 2-3 minutes. This will prevent milk from burning from the bottom as the water forms a protective layer between the pan and milk. Also, it is advisable to use a heavy bottom pan to make Indian desserts like basundi, kheer, rabdi.
![]()
-
Stir it occasionally to avoid milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan or browning. It is very important to use full-fat milk as it will provide the rice-kheer a rich and creamy texture.
![]()
-
Cook until rice is soft and breaks easily with a spoon or on pinching with your finger. Do not add sugar before the rice has turned mushy or else your rice will take forever to cook.
![]()
Other Related Recipes
Nutrient values (Abbrv) per serving
| Energy | 294 cal |
| Protein | 7.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38.3 g |
| Fiber | 0.6 g |
| Fat | 10.1 g |
| Cholesterol | 16 mg |
| Sodium | 52.7 mg |
Review count
6 FAVOURABLE REVIEWS
The most Helpful Favorable review
Reviewed By
5 of 10 users found this review useful
See more reviews
No review of this type was found
6 FAVOURABLE REVIEWS
The most Helpful Favorable review
Reviewed By
5 of 10 users found this review useful
See more reviews
No review of this type was found
Helpful reviews for this recipe
Sign in to your account
Rate this recipe
Review this recipe (optional)
You are not signed in. To post a private recipe note requires you to
Sign In to your Gold or Silver account
Add your private note to this recipe