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Instant Pot Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding)

rice kheer in a bowl

Kheer is a delightful rice dessert that's served chilled after meals. This is a no-fuss, one-pot recipe made with whole milk, rice, sugar, nuts and saffron.

  • Author: Saima
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Pressure cooking
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 litre or 5 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup rice
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup almonds, divided
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
  • 1/4 tsp saffron
  • 1 tbsp kewra water (optional)

Instructions

Preparation 

  1. Divide the almonds into two small bowls. Grind half the almonds (1/4 cup) along with the cardamom in a clean and dry spice or coffee grinder. Soak the other half (1/4 cup) in water at least a few hours before making kheer. When the almonds are soft, peel and chop them.
  2. Soak the rice in 2 cups water, 30 minutes before cooking.
  3. Soak the saffron in 2 tablespoons warm water or milk, 30 minutes or longer before cooking.

Cooking 

  1. Turn on your instant pot to sauté and put the half cup water. Let it come to a boil, the cancel sauté.
  2. Put the milk, rice and water, sugar, ground almonds plus cardamom and saffron in the inner steel insert of your instant pot. Close the lid, press the porridge button on high pressure, and set the timer to 30 minutes. Make sure the steam release handle is on sealing. When the time is up, let the pot depressurize naturally.
  3. Open the pot and stir the contents well. If the kheer is still thin, press saute and cook for 3-4 minutes more, stirring all the time. The kheer should be the consistency of porridge at this time. It will thicken more as it cools. Add the kewra water, if using and mix.
  4. Spoon out the kheer in a large bowl and garnish with the chopped almonds and a few strands of saffron. Keep the bowl in the refrigerator for a few hours and serve chilled.

Notes

  1. Do heat the water at the beginning and then add the rest of the ingredients. This is to prevent the kheer from sticking to the bottom of the pot and triggering the burn notice.
  2. Avoid using skimmed milk for making kheer.
  3. If you want a light colored kheer, soak all the almonds and peel them. Grind one half along with the cardamom and chop the other half. Put the peeled and ground almonds in the milk and sugar mixture and your kheer will remain light in color.
  4. If you don't like thick kheer, don't cook it after opening the pot. Just mix it well and take it out in a bowl.
  5. Add other nuts like raisins and slivered pistachios if you like.
  6. If you want a richer kheer, omit the sugar and add a can of condensed milk to the milk. The kheer will be sweeter and even creamier.

Nutrition

Keywords: rice kheer, Indian rice dessert, Indian rice pudding, Instant Pot desserts

Find it online: https://indianambrosia.com/instant-pot-kheer/