Rice Kheer
Slow-simmered rice pudding with cardamom and pistachios.
Ingredients
- 80 g Basmati rice
- 1000 ml Milk
- 100 g Sugar
- ½ tsp Cardamom powder
- 30 g Pistachios (optional)
- 20 g Raisins (optional)
Method
- Rinse the basmati rice under cold water until it runs clear, then drain.
- Chop the pistachios.
- Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy pan, add the rice, and simmer on low, stirring often, until the rice is soft and the milk has thickened.
- Stir in the sugar, cardamom, raisins, and most of the pistachios and simmer until the sugar dissolves and the pudding is creamy.
- Serve warm or chilled, topped with the reserved pistachios.
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About Rice Kheer
Rice kheer is the classic Indian rice pudding, a fixture of festivals, temple offerings, and family celebrations across the subcontinent. It is made simply by simmering basmati rice slowly in milk until the grains soften and the milk reduces to a thick, creamy pool, sweetened and perfumed with cardamom. Chopped pistachios and raisins run through it, adding gentle crunch and bursts of sweetness against the smooth, milky base. The aroma is unmistakably that of cardamom and warm reduced milk, and the texture sits somewhere between a loose pudding and a thin porridge.
What defines a good kheer is the unhurried reduction: keeping the milk at a low simmer and stirring often so it thickens and takes on a faintly caramelized richness without catching on the bottom of the pan. Rinsing the rice until the water runs clear keeps the finished pudding from turning gluey, letting the grains stay distinct in the creamy milk. Kheer is served both warm and chilled, which makes it flexible across seasons, and it is the traditional sweet ending to Diwali, Eid, weddings, and countless everyday meals. A final scattering of reserved pistachios on top gives it color and a little textural contrast when you serve.
Rice Kheer: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Rice Kheer?
A serving has about 371 calories — 11.1g protein, 55.8g carbs, 11.9g fat, 1.2g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Rice Kheer gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Rice Kheer has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Is Rice Kheer dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Milk. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
Do I need every ingredient to make Rice Kheer?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out pistachios, raisins — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Rice Kheer make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.