Rice Pudding Recipe
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This rice pudding recipe is the one I start on the stove when Diwali is a few weeks out and I want something sweet that doesn’t need an oven. It’s Indian rice kheer, a quarter cup of basmati rice and four cups of whole milk, cooked slowly in one pot with cardamom and a few threads of saffron. No eggs, no cornstarch, just a spoon and a little patience.
Why This Rice Pudding Recipe Works
- Nine ingredients, one pot. Rice, milk, ghee, sugar, cardamom, saffron and three kinds of garnish.
- No eggs or thickener. The rice starch and the reduced milk make this rice pudding recipe creamy on their own.
- About 15 minutes of hands-on time. The milk does the work. You stir every few minutes.
- About 10 g protein per serving, nearly all of it from the whole milk.
- Cardamom instead of vanilla. It tastes warm and floral, and the saffron turns it pale gold.
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Full quantities are in the recipe card. These are the ones worth a word.
- Basmati rice. Any US or Canadian supermarket carries it; Costco and Patel Brothers sell bigger bags. Arborio works too and turns out creamier, with less aroma. Skip parboiled (converted) rice, which never breaks down.
- Whole milk. The fat is what makes it creamy. 2% works but cooks up thinner. Lactose-free whole milk behaves the same as regular.
- Cardamom. Ground cardamom is in the spice aisle. Green pods, crushed fresh, smell stronger.
- Saffron and ghee. Saffron is optional but gives kheer its gold color. Ghee sits near the butter at most supermarkets and Trader Joe’s; unsalted butter works.
- Equipment. A heavy pot matters most, because thin pots scorch milk. I use an enameled cast iron Dutch oven or a HexClad saucepan, plus a silicone spatula to scrape the bottom clean.
How to Make Rice Pudding Recipe (Rice Kheer)
1. Rinse and soak the rice. Rinse until the water runs mostly clear, then soak for 30 minutes. Soaked grains soften faster and break down into the milk instead of staying separate.
2. Toast it in ghee. One minute in melted ghee adds a light, nutty note.
3. Boil, then drop to a bare simmer. Bring the milk to a boil, then turn the heat to low. For the next 35 to 40 minutes, stir and scrape the bottom every few minutes. This is the step that decides the pudding: milk solids settle and scorch if you leave them.
4. Sweeten once the rice is soft. Add the sugar when a grain crushes easily between your fingers and the milk has reduced by about half.
5. Finish off the heat. Stir in cardamom, saffron milk and nuts. Stop while it still looks a little loose, because kheer thickens a lot as it cools.
Rekha’s Note
The one way to ruin kheer is to walk away from it. Scrape the bottom every few minutes and it never catches. Whole milk carries about 10 g of protein into each serving, which is more than most desserts offer, but this is still a sweet. I start with 3 tablespoons of sugar and add more only after tasting.
Rekha
Rice Pudding (Indian Rice Kheer)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup basmati rice about 50 g
- 4 cups whole milk divided
- 1 tablespoon ghee or unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup sugar 3 to 5 tablespoons, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom or seeds from 4 green cardamom pods, crushed
- 10 to 12 threads saffron optional
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon chopped pistachios unsalted
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins optional
Instructions
- Rinse the rice in a few changes of cool water until the water runs mostly clear. Cover with fresh water, soak for 30 minutes, then drain well.
- Crush the saffron threads between your fingers and soak them in 1 tablespoon of warm milk taken from the 4 cups.
- Melt the ghee in a heavy-bottomed 3 to 4 quart pot over medium heat. Add the drained rice and stir for about 1 minute, until the grains look glossy.
- Pour in the rest of the milk and bring it to a boil over medium heat, stirring often so nothing catches on the bottom.
- Turn the heat to low so the milk barely bubbles. Simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom and sides of the pot every 3 to 4 minutes, until the rice is very soft and the milk has reduced by about half.
- Stir in the sugar and cook for 5 minutes more, until it dissolves and the kheer coats the back of a spoon. It will still look looser than you want; it thickens as it cools.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the cardamom, the saffron milk, most of the almonds and pistachios, and the raisins if using.
- Serve warm, or cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to serve chilled. Top with the remaining nuts just before serving.
Rekha’s Notes
Nutrition
- Still thin after 40 minutes? Simmer 5 to 10 minutes more, then judge it after it cools a little. Hot kheer always looks runnier than it will be.
- Too thick the next day? Stir in warm milk, 2 tablespoons at a time, until it pours slowly off a spoon.
- Scorched on the bottom? Don’t scrape it up. Pour the pudding into a clean pot and leave the brown layer behind.
- Rice still firm? It was probably not soaked, or it was parboiled rice. Add 1/2 cup milk and keep simmering.
- Adding fruit? Stir in mango or other fruit only after the kheer is fully cold, or the acid can curdle the milk.
Rice Pudding Variations
- American-style flavor: swap the cardamom and saffron for 1 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon.
- Set and spoonable: grind the rice first and you get my kesar phirni, a smoother saffron rice pudding.
- A different grain: make quinoa kheer with the same milk, cardamom and saffron.
- Vermicelli instead of rice: the milk pudding becomes something close to sheer khurma.
- Dairy-free: use full-fat oat milk or canned coconut milk thinned with water, and coconut oil in place of ghee.
Serve It With
- Warm, with hot, puffed poori. Kheer and poori is a festival pairing in North India.
- Chilled, as the sweet after a plate of homemade samosas.
- On a Diwali tray next to kesar peda and the rest of my Diwali dessert recipes.
Meal Prep and Storage
- Fridge: cool it within 2 hours, then keep it covered for 3 to 4 days. It makes a good make-ahead dessert for a party.
- Freezer: up to 2 months, though the texture turns a little grainy. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat: warm gently on the stove with a splash of milk, stirring, or serve it straight from the fridge.
Common Questions
What is the difference between kheer and rice pudding?
Kheer is India’s rice pudding: rice simmered in milk until the milk reduces, flavored with cardamom and often saffron and nuts. Many American rice puddings add eggs or cornstarch and use vanilla and cinnamon, while kheer uses neither eggs nor a thickener.
What kind of rice is best for rice pudding?
Basmati gives kheer its aroma and a lighter texture, which is why I use it here. Arborio or other medium-grain rice releases more starch and makes a thicker, creamier pudding.
Is rice pudding served warm or cold?
Both work. Warm kheer is soft and pourable, while chilled kheer sets thicker and tastes a little sweeter.
More Indian Dessert Recipes
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