I’ve been on a dessert kick since the festive time of year began. Although I’m getting a bit sick of cookies and the traditional sweets, I’m all in for new things. Since I’ve been making a lot of Indian food, I thought why not make some rice pudding to serve as dessert. This stuff was always good at the restaurants, but I never thought to make it at home. You see restaurant quality and think, ‘I’ll never be able to do that at home, or if I do it’ll be so unhealthy’. Well this was not the case. If you try making this Indian kheer rice pudding, you’ll see how easy it is!
The cool thing with Indian cooking, is my husband grew up on this stuff, so I always have a good judge. The first words out of his mouth when he tried this the first time were, “Gosh, this reminds me of my childhood”. If that ain’t a compliment to a white girl making Indian food, I don’t know what is. I’m really quite pleased with how this recipe turned out. It’s modified from an Indian cookbook with an American kitchen take on it.
What you’ll love about this authentic Indian Kheer Rice Pudding?
- Restaurant quality. This recipe seriously tastes like the restaurant. You’ll impress yourselves and whoever else you share this with (if you choose to share).
- Vegan friendly. Swap the milk and half and half for coconut milk and almond milk. Just make sure your sweetener is vegan or use maple syrup.
- Authentic. If you want to make an authentic Indian meal, serve this up for dessert after a delicious serving of bhindi masala and dal. You won’t be sorry!
How to make kheer?
- In a dutch oven
- Stir constantly for 25 minutes to prevent burning to the pan. This will ruin the kheer. If a fat layer forms, just scrape it off and discard.
- After 25 minutes, add 1/3 cup half and half, sweetener, and raisins. Stir for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and place in an air tight container. Place the container in the fridge for at least 2 hours to thicken.
- Serve with crushed almonds on top.
Kheer Indian Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 cup skim milk almond milk or coconut milk
- 1 ⅓ cup half and half (divided 1 + 1/3) coconut cream
- ¼ cup basmati rice
- ¼ cup sweetener of choice
- ¼ tsp cardamom powder
- 2 tbsp golden raisins
- crushed almonds for topping
Vegan Option
- 2 cup almond milk (subbed for skim milk)
- 1 ⅓ cup canned coconut milk
- ¼ cup agave or maple syrup
Instructions
- In a dutch oven or oiled stock pot, bring milk, 1 cup of half and half, rice, and cardamom powder to a simmer. Stir this continuously for 25 minutes. If a film of milk fat forms on top just use a spoon to remove it. Ensure the milk is not burning to the bottom by stirring firmly and using the stirring spoon to scratch at the bottom to loosen anything that is starting to stick.
- After 25 minutes, add the remaining cream, sweetener, and the raisins. Allow this to cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Continue stirring. Remove from heat and place in an air tight dish. Place the dish in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Prior to serving, top with crushed almonds, and spoon into bowls.
Nutrition
Let me know what you thought of this recipe in the comments below!
-Cassie