How to Make Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding)

For some completely inexplicable reason, kheer is one of my ultimate comfort foods. I didn’t grow up with it at all. In fact, I didn’t grow up with any kind of rice pudding. But now it instantly transports me to a cozy happy place.

In 12 or so years of falling in love with the amazing Indian, Thai, and Chinese takeout that surrounded me in Atlanta, kheer became one of my shorthands for a “treat yo self” moment. Sadly, where I live now kheer is harder to find, as Indian takeout is an hour away roundtrip.

So I assumed it would be simple to recreate myself, and I’d been mildly offended that every single recipe and technique I tried had fallen short.

Then I stumbled upon this kheer recipe from Chetna (of GBBO fame!) on YouTube and was intrigued. After trying it a couple times, this is definitely my ONLY recipe for kheer!

How can I made my kheer thicker?

My early tries at kheer were thinner than I wanted, and the texture just wasn’t great. The way I’ve made my kheer lovely & thicker with a creamier texture came from a few techniques Chetna’s recipe gave me.

The first is crushing the rice so it’s in small even pieces, letting it thicken evenly. The second is not starting with ghee and rice, but rather by heating the milk. Thirdly, using sweetened condensed milk rather than just sugar.

There are a couple variables I’ve tested out, including trying it in both a big saucepan (like a stock pot) and a wider shallow pan (Chetna uses a giant bowl-shaped pan).

I also have played it by ear on whether or not I needed the extra milk at the end. If I’m serving it and eating it mostly right away, I don’t always use it because I do like my kheer on the thicker side. But it does really thicken in the fridge over a few days, so if you’ll be eating it mostly as leftovers you may want to add it.

I also always add a couple drops of either rose water or orange blossom water, because that’s just the flavor profile I find nostalgic…but JUST literally a drop or two.

Soak your rice for 15 to 20 minutes beforehand, drain and rinse well a few times (to get the extra starch off). This does make a difference in texture, so don’t skip it!

Bring 1 liter of whole milk slowly to a boil, and once it’s close, prep your rice and cardamom.

Crush the green cardamom pods in the mortar, remove the skins, and then grind up the little black seeds with your pestle. Trust me when I say you *definitely* want to use fresh cardamom rather than the pre-ground that comes in a bottle! I get mine in bulk on Amazon and it’s not expensive.

Put the soaked rice in your mortar bowl and use the pestle to kind of crush or grind the rice into small pieces. This is the granite one I have (~$30), and it’s great for crushing up fresh spices and other things. If you don’t have one, I think you could VERY briefly blitz it in a food processor.

You don’t have to be obsessive about this and you’re not looking to crush it into powder. Just break it up…this was one of Chetna’s tips and really does help the rice absorb liquid more evenly. Personally I think this makes a huge difference in the overall texture.

As soon as the milk has come to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and add the crushed rice and ground cardamom, and a solid pinch of salt

Cook on slow heat, stirring frequently…it could be 40-45 minutes or up to an hour, but the key is not to rush it or turn it up too high. Basically, you don’t want to scald the milk (blech). Just be patient and keep stirring it every couple minutes.

You’ll find a skin forming on your milk as you cook the pudding…this is totally normal and while it’s annoying, just keep stirring it back in. Occasionally if it’s really thick you could skim it off, but it isn’t necessary and won’t affect the texture of the finished kheer.

You can wait to add your golden raisins toward the end with the nuts, but if they’re on the chewy and dry side (mine were), I’d add them around the 30-35 minute mark to make them soft and juicy. Makes a huge texture difference.

Once it’s thickened appropriately and the rice is really soft (at least 35 minutes, but likely 45 or longer), add the sweetened condensed milk and stir in.

You can add up to 200ml more of milk at this point to loosen it up a bit (see my notes).

Go ahead and add in some of the nuts too…save some back for garnish.

After adding the sweetened condensed milk, keep cooking for another 5 to 15 minutes, to get it to the perfect thickness.

Once your textures are perfect and it’s the thickness you want, remove from the heat and add a couple drops (LITERALLY JUST THIS MUCH) of rose water or orange blossom water. I think the rose water is more traditional but I’ve done both and they’re equally delicious.

I use this two-pack and it’s great for certain cocktails and other Indian or Turkish cooking too.

Serve hot and fresh, warm, or room temp (my preference) and top with some more nuts.

I need this kheer in my life all the time! It was a treat I kept on hand during my recent surgery recovery, and is a perfect pairing with a full Indian-inspired feast!

I do have a track record of being pudding-obsessed, however (see my family’s super easy & pretty healthy chocolate cornstarch pudding, and my lemon variant).

Other Indian-inspired dishes you’ll love:

Chetna’s Easy Chicken Curry
(vegan)
Chicken Tikka Masala(gluten-free)
Super Easy Onion Pakoras (Without a Deep Fryer)…with Tamarind Chutney

Adapted slightly from Chetna’s YouTube channel

How to Make Thick, Creamy Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding)

There are several notes below, and I’d recommend reading through them before getting started

1 liter of whole milk, bring to a boil
120 grams of rice (I use basmati)
4 green cardamom pods (I use these ones)
Heavy pinch of salt
200 grams of sweetened condensed milk
~1/3 cup of golden raisins (I buy them in bulk for cost)
1/4 cup of slivered almonds
1/4 cup of chopped pistachios
Optional: Another 50-200ml milk to loosen (see notes)
Optional: 1-3 drops of rose water or orange blossom water (both are great, I use these; LITERALLY 3 drops max, anything else is overpowering)

Soak your rice for 15 to 20 minutes beforehand, drain and rinse well a few times (to get the extra starch off).
Bring 1 liter of whole milk slowly to a boil, and once it’s close, prep your rice and cardamom (next two steps).
Put the soaked rice in your mortar bowl and use the pestle to kind of crush or grind the rice into small pieces. You don’t have to be obsessive about this and you’re not looking to crush it into powder. Just break it up…this makes a huge difference in the overall texture (see notes if you don’t have a mortar and pestle).
Crush the green cardamom pods in the mortar, remove the skins, and then grind up the little black seeds with your pestle.
As soon as the milk has come to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and add the crushed rice and ground cardamom, and a solid pinch of salt
Cook on slow heat, stirring frequently…it could be 40-45 minutes or up to an hour, but the key is not to rush it or turn it up too high. Basically, you don’t want to scald the milk (blech). Just be patient and keep stirring it every couple minutes.
Once it’s thickened appropriately and the rice is really soft (at least 35 minutes, but likely 45 or longer), add the sweetened condensed milk and stir in. You can add up to 200ml more of milk at this point to loosen it up a bit (see my notes).
Go ahead and add your golden raisins and the nuts. If your golden raisins are on the chewy and dry side, you could even add them a bit earlier to make them soft and juicy.
Once your textures are perfect and it’s the thickness you want, remove from the heat and add a couple drops (LITERALLY JUST THIS MUCH) of rose water or orange blossom water. I think the rose water is more traditional but I’ve done both and they’re equally delicious.
Serve hot and fresh, warm, or room temp (my preference) and top with some more nuts.

Some notes that may help:

Use whole milk to make this, it really does make a HUGE difference in the creaminess and thickness.
If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, I’d assume you could very *quickly* and roughly break up your soaked rice using a food processor. I’m guessing just a couple pulses would be enough, you don’t want to pulverize it.
The timing and end steps can be flexible on this, so go with your gut (depending on how thick you want your kheer). My first time making it, I did 50 minutes and didn’t add the extra 200 ml of milk. Another time I felt like the rice was an awesome texture around 35 minutes and it was already quite thick (using the wide shallow pan), so I went ahead and added the sweetened condensed milk, a splash of extra milk, and kept cooking for another 5+ minutes.
You’ll find a skin forming on your milk as you cook the pudding…this is totally normal and while it’s annoying, just keep stirring it back in. Occasionally if it’s really thick you could skim it off, but it isn’t necessary and won’t affect the texture of the finished kheer.

Pin for later!

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

This creamy kheer (Indian rice pudding) is the ultimate comfort food, and this technique makes it super easy to make, and the perfect texture!

Ingredients

1 liter of whole milk, bring to a boil
120 grams of rice (I use basmati)
4 green cardamom pods
Heavy pinch of salt
200 grams of sweetened condensed milk
~1/3 cup of golden raisins
1/4 cup of slivered almonds
1/4 cup of chopped pistachios
Optional: Another 50-200ml milk to loosen (see notes)
Optional: Tiny splash of rose water or orange blossom water (like LITERALLY 2-3 drops, anything else is overpowering

Instructions

Soak your rice for 15 to 20 minutes beforehand, drain and rinse well a few times (to get the extra starch off).
Bring 1 liter of whole milk slowly to a boil, and once it's close, prep your rice and cardamom (next two steps).
Put the soaked rice in your mortar bowl and use the pestle to kind of crush or grind the rice into small pieces. You don't have to be obsessive about this and you're not looking to crush it into powder. Just break it up...this makes a huge difference in the overall texture (see notes if you don't have a mortar and pestle).
Crush the green cardamom pods in the mortar, remove the skins, and then grind up the little black seeds with your pestle.
As soon as the milk has come to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and add the crushed rice and ground cardamom, and a solid pinch of salt.
Cook on slow heat, stirring frequently...it could be 40-45 minutes or up to an hour, but the key is not to rush it or turn it up too high. Basically, you don't want to scald the milk (blech). Just be patient and keep stirring it every couple minutes.
Once it's thickened appropriately and the rice is really soft (at least 35 minutes, but likely 45 or longer), add the sweetened condensed milk and stir in. You can add up to 200ml more of milk at this point to loosen it up a bit (see my notes).
Go ahead and add your golden raisins and the nuts. If your golden raisins are on the chewy and dry side, you could even add them a bit earlier to make them soft and juicy.
Once your textures are perfect and it's the thickness you want, remove from the heat and add a couple drops (LITERALLY JUST THIS MUCH) of rose water or orange blossom water. I think the rose water is more traditional but I've done both and they're equally delicious.
Serve hot and fresh, warm, or room temp (my preference) and top with some more nuts.

Notes

Use whole milk to make this, it really does make a HUGE difference in the creaminess and thickness.
If you don't have a mortar and pestle, I'd assume you could very *quickly* and roughly break up your soaked rice using a food processor. I'm guessing just a couple pulses would be enough, you don't want to pulverize it.
The timing and end steps can be flexible on this, so go with your gut (depending on how thick you want your kheer). My first time making it, I did 50 minutes and didn't add the extra 200 ml of milk. Another time I felt like the rice was an awesome texture around 35 minutes and it was already quite thick (using the wide shallow pan), so I went ahead and added the sweetened condensed milk, a splash of extra milk, and kept cooking for another 5+ minutes.
You'll find a skin forming on your milk as you cook the pudding...this is totally normal and while it's annoying, just keep stirring it back in. Occasionally if it's really thick you could skim it off, but it isn't necessary and won't affect the texture of the finished kheer.

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