Kheer is a rich and creamy Indian rice pudding that's a quintessential dessert in most festivals and celebrations. Here's an easy dump-and-start Instant Pot recipe that transforms rice, milk, and sugar into a luxurious and comforting rice pudding infused with ground cardamom.
Once you try this much simpler, hands-off kheer recipe, you'll never make it another way again!
I grew up enjoying my mom's traditional kheer, which she made on the stove. This recipe is an easier Instant Pot adaptation of that.
I think that this Instant Pot Kheer recipe is a true game changer! In the stovetop version, I have to watch the pot constantly, keep stirring, and adjust the heat a few times, whereas, this version is an easier hands-off recipe.
In this dump & start recipe, I fill the pot with the ingredients and let the pot do all the work. That's a huge win for me.
Another plus is that the Porridge setting cooks at a consistent and even temperature, resulting in a creamy kheer without all the stirring.
Let's get started with this quick and easy recipe!
Jump to:
What is Kheer?
Kheer is the North Indian version of rice pudding made by cooking rice with milk and sugar. It can then be enhanced by cardamom or saffron, along with dried fruits and nuts like raisins, cashews, almonds, and pistachios.
Is Kheer the same as Payasam? Payasam is the South Indian version of Kheer made with jaggery (cane sugar), and of a thinner consistency. Keep reading to learn more about how to make variations of kheer at home.
Ingredients - Notes & Substitutions
The three key ingredients to kheer are rice, milk, and sugar. I like to flavor this easy kheer recipe with freshly ground cardamom, but as you'll learn, this is where you can get creative.
Rice: Basmati rice is my go-to, but Jasmine rice is a great substitute. You can use any medium or long-grain white rice as well.
Milk: I use whole milk for a richer, creamier consistency. But 2% milk, almond milk, or full-fat coconut milk are great alternatives.
Sugar: We like our rice pudding on the sweet side. Adjust the sugar amount to your liking.
Cardamom: I pop the seeds out of fresh green cardamom pods and grind them in my spice grinder. If you don't like the black specs in it, you can use the store-bought ground cardamom, which is much lighter in color.
Flavorings: Rice pudding is a wonderful blank canvas for any additional flavorings or mix-ins such as dried fruits and nuts. You can use golden raisins, coconut, saffron, and even rose water to enhance the taste to your liking.
See Rice Pudding Variations below for more creative ideas.
Scroll to the recipe card for a detailed list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Kheer
I mean it when I say this is a complete set-it-and-forget-it Indian dessert. You will get more consistent results if you rinse and soak the rice beforehand.
Add nuts, fruit, and aromatics of your choice and you have a sweet treat in no time. Here's how to make Instant Pot Kheer on porridge setting. Simply:
Add milk to the pot: Rinse rice 2-3 times, or till water runs clear. Turn on Saute. Add water. Now add the milk. This prevents the milk from scorching in the bottom of the pan (Pic 1).
Add other ingredients: Add sugar (Pic 2), nuts, and rinsed rice, and give it a stir. As soon as the milk comes to a simmer, hit Cancel (Pic 3).
Pressure cook: Set Porridge mode for 20 minutes, on sealing mode. Once the cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes (NPR 15), followed by a quick release of any remaining pressure (Pic 4).
Thicken: Open the lid after the pin drops. Using the back of your ladle, mash the rice against the sides of the pot. Alternatively, use a potato masher. Mashing makes the rice pudding naturally creamy (Pic 5).
Garnish and enjoy: Stir in ground cardamom. Garnish with more nuts if you like and enjoy hot or chill in the refrigerator for a few hours (Pic 6).
Consistency Tip: If the Kheer is too thin for your liking, thicken it by simmering it on the SAUTE mode, stirring regularly. Keep in mind that it will thicken quite a bit as it cools. If Kheer is too thick, add more milk and simmer it for a few minutes. Adjust sugar, if needed.
How to Prevent the 'Burn' Message
Beginning with a clean pot to make sure nothing from the last meal is still sticking to it. To prevent the milk from burning at the bottom of the pan, start by adding ¼ cup water and then add the milk. This is my mom's tried and tested tip.
Alternative Method: Stovetop Kheer Recipe
If you were making this rice pudding recipe on the stovetop, I'd suggest a heavy bottom sauce pot like this non-stick saucepan. Simply:
Boil Milk & Rice: Add the milk to the saucepot and give it a few minutes to warm up, then add rinsed and drained rice and nuts. Keep the heat at medium-high and stir intermittently, till the milk reaches a boil.
Simmer until cooked: Turn down the heat to medium and stir till the rice get cooked, about 10-15 minutes, depending on the rice variety.
Sweeten and thicken: Add sugar and stir till sugar dissolves. Mash the rice using a potato masher or the back of a ladle to make the rice pudding creamy.
Adjust consistency: Turn off the heat when you reach the right thickness to your liking. Keep in mind that kheer thickens quite a bit as it cools. If it becomes too thick, add more milk and adjust the sugar accordingly.
Garnish & enjoy: Finish by stirring in some cardamom powder and garnish with chopped nuts, such as pistachio, almond, and cashews. Enjoy hot or chilled!
Serving Suggestion
Kheer is often made during festive occasions and as an offering during prayer ceremonies. Kheer can be served at your preferred temperature - hot, warm or cold. Most commonly, it is served chilled.
Cool the rice pudding for 10-15 minutes and serve it warm. After cooling if you see a thin skin form on the top, give it a stir to blend it back in.
To chill, place in large or individual serving bowls, cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a 4-5 hours.
How to Store
Leftovers will stay good in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If preparing this for a party, hold off on adding the nuts. Sprinkle them when ready to serve.
Rice Pudding Variations to Try
There are many variations and names of this Indian food sweet treat all over India. It can also be made with broken wheat, tapioca or vermicelli. Here are a few that we love:
Vermicelli Kheer or Semiyan: Replace the rice with ½ cup roasted vermicelli noodles and reduce the pressure cooking time to 10 minutes.
Payasam: You can use this recipe to make Payasam. Since jaggery can curdle the milk during pressure cooking, add it after pressure cooking. Then, simmer it till the payasam thickens to your liking.
Carrot Kheer: Swap out the rice for 3 cups of shredded carrots. Follow Steps 1-3 and Pressure Cook mode for 7 minutes. After that, stir in ground cardamom and allow the kheer to cool for a few minutes. Alternatively, puree it using a hand blender. Garnish with more nuts, if desired, and enjoy.
Sabudana Kheer: Rinse and soak 1¼ cups tapioca pearls in 2 ½ cups water for 30 minutes. Follow the recipe as written, but reduce the pressure cook time to 10 minutes.
Badam Kheer: Simply swap regular milk with almond milk. I do end up adding 1-2 tablespoons of extra sugar with this option, so adjust sugar to taste. Since almond milk doesn't have as much fat as regular milk, the rice pudding is not as rich as the regular one.
Dairy-Free Vegan Kheer: Rice pudding can be made dairy-free by substituting milk with unsweetened, regular almond milk or full-fat coconut milk.
Arroz Con Leche: A popular Spanish/Latin American rice pudding, which literally translates to 'Rice (Arroz) with Milk (Leche)'. Simply follow the recipe card instructions with the ingredients listed below. Stir in the vanilla extract and cinnamon at the very end and enjoy.
Arroz Con Leche Ingredients
- ½ cup Jasmine Rice, rinsed 2-3 times
- ¼ cup water
- 4 cups 2% milk (use whole milk for richer taste)
- ½ cup sugar, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon or 1 Cinnamon Stick
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Use any milk in your fridge. Whole milk results in creamier kheer, but 2%, almond or full-fat coconut milk all work wonderfully.
- The quantity of milk depends on your personal preference. If you prefer a chunkier rice pudding, reduce milk to 4 cups. In that case, add only ½ cup sugar.
- Skip the nuts, if desired. This makes it entirely nut-free, too.
- Add water first, temper the milk and use a clean pot. These three tips make for a silky smooth rice pudding every time.
- Mash the rice for that sought-after creamy texture. This releases some of the starch in the grains, creating a rich, thick, glossy finish.
- Serve hot, warm, room temperature or cold. This is all about personal preference. If you plan to make ahead and chill, store in an airtight container or the serving bowls of choice. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap directly touching the surface. This prevents a skin from forming.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Sprinkle with nuts when serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Basmati rice is the preferred rice for authentic Indian Kheer, but Jasmine rice is a close second. Each provides a fragrant flavor.
The major ingredients of kheer are rice, milk, and sugar.
If the Kheer is too thin, reduce the milk on Saute mode for a few minutes in the Instant Pot or over low heat on the Stovetop. Keep in mind the kheer will thicken as it cools.
Kheer with jaggery is known as Payasam. It's important to note that the jaggery will curdle the milk during pressure cooking. Simply add ½ cup jaggery or brown sugar after pressure cooking and thicken to your liking.
Kheer can be eaten hot or cold, depending on your preference. To serve it warm, let it cool for 10-15 minutes, then garnish and serve. To enjoy it cold, cool, and refrigerate for 4-5 hours.
Kheer is known for its creamy texture and rich taste. Use whole milk for a creamier kheer. Nuts, raisins, cardamom, and saffron give this dessert a luxurious aroma, flavor, and taste.
Milk or dairy products have a tendency to curdle under high pressure. To prevent that, start with a clean pot, sealing ring, and lid. Add a little water to the pot before adding milk. Warm the milk on saute setting, before pressure cooking.
Porridge setting cooks grains on high pressure at 230F, for 20 minutes (default time). The time can be adjusted to less for 15 minutes or more for 30 minutes.
More Indian Desserts Made in Instant Pot
Here are some other Indian desserts that my family and readers really enjoy. All of these are made easy using the Instant Pot. For a complete range of Indian dessert recipes, visit: Easy Indian Dessert Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Easy Kheer (Rice Pudding) Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding)
- ¼ cup water
- 5 cups whole milk can use 2%milk / almond milk/ coconut milk - see notes
- ½ cup Basmati rice or Jasmine rice or any medium-long grain white rice
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar adjust to taste
- ⅓ cup assorted chopped nuts I use slivered almonds, cashews, pistachios (skip for nut-free)
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom to be added after cooking
Optional Ingredients (to be added before pressure cooking)
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened flaked coconut
- ½ teaspoon saffron
Instructions
Rinse & Soak Rice, Prep Flavorings
- Rinse rice 2-3 times, or till water runs clear. Soak in water till you arrange everything together. Chop nuts to your liking. Crush cardamom if using fresh.
Pressure Cook on Porridge Mode
- Turn on Saute. Add water. Now add the milk. This prevents the milk from scorching in the bottom of the pan.
- Add sugar.
- Add nuts and rinsed rice, and give it a stir. As soon as the milk comes to a simmer, hit Cancel.
- Set Porridge mode for 20 minutes, on sealing mode. Once the cook time is done, let the pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes (NPR 15), followed by quick release of any remaining pressure.
- Open the lid after the pin drops. Using the back of your ladle, mash the rice against the sides of the pot. Alternatively, use a potato masher. Mashing makes the rice pudding naturally creamy.
- If the Kheer is too thin for your liking, you can reduce the milk by turning on the SAUTE mode. Keep in mind that it will thicken quite a bit as it cools. If Kheer is too thick, add more milk and simmer it for a few minutes. Adjust sugar if needed.
- Stir in ground cardamom. Garnish with more nuts if you like and enjoy hot or chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.
Stovetop Recipe
- Add the milk to the sauce pot and give it a few minutes to warm up, then add rinsed and drained rice and nuts. Keep the heat at medium-high and stir intermittently, till the milk reaches a boil.
- Turn down the heat to medium and stir till rice get cooked, about 10-15 minutes, depending on the rice variety.
- Add sugar and stir till sugar dissolves. Mash the rice using a potato masher or the back of a ladle to make the rice pudding creamy.
- Turn off the heat when you reach the right thickness to your liking. Keep in mind that kheer thickens quite a bit as it cools. If it becomes too thick, add more milk and adjust the sugar accordingly.
- Finish by stirring in some cardamom powder and garnish with chopped nuts, such as pistachio, almond and cashews. Enjoy hot or chilled!
Video
Notes
- Use any milk in your fridge. Whole milk results in creamier kheer, but 2%, almond or full-fat coconut milk all work wonderfully.
- The quantity of milk depends on your personal preference. If you prefer a chunkier rice pudding, reduce milk to 4 cups. In that case, add only ½ cup sugar.
- Skip the nuts, if desired. This makes it entirely nut-free, too.
- Add water first, temper the milk and use a clean pot. These three tips make for a silky smooth rice pudding every time.
- Mash the rice for that sought-after creamy texture. This releases some of the starch in the grains, creating a rich, thick, glossy finish.
- Serve hot, warm, room temperature or cold. This is all about personal preference. If you plan to make ahead and chill, store in an airtight container or the serving bowls of choice. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap directly touching the surface. This prevents a skin from forming.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Sprinkle with nuts when serving.
Jackie says
I didn’t have enough milk on hand . I used a combination of milk and coconut milk. It came out perfectly. Really delicious especially with a bit of cardamom! Thank you so much for a great recipe!
Aneesha says
Sounds delicious! I love the addition of coconut milk- need to try that!
Leslie says
I just made this recipe in a 3 quart instant pot. I used about half the amount of each ingredient from your recipe, and I kept the cooking time the same. (Because it’s a pressure cooker, the cook time remains the same in different size pots). It was absolutely delicious!
Aneesha says
Hi Leslie, thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Naveen says
Hello, thank you so much for this amazing recipe.
I saw the recipe today and made it today and it has turned out amazing.
Made double the quantity, using your measurements (slight more sugar perhaps 😉 and you thought you guys like it sweet 😂). I’m now just waiting for it to set in the fridge, to be enjoyed tomorrow. It tastes amazing.
Made it in instant pot and for the first time I feel like the instant pot was worth the buy with this recipe.
Thank you again x
Aneesha says
I hope you loved it Naveen! Thanks for your sweet words.
Jenny says
I do like coconut milk, so will try making this recipe with that, however we use mostly almond milk (Silk) in our home, and I wondered if you have ever tried using that with rice? Also do you make it with brown basmati rice?
Aneesha says
Hi Jenny, I do make it with almond milk sometimes and it comes out delicious, just less creamy than regular milk. The recipe has instructions for that as well. I haven't tried it with brown rice, but since that takes longer to cook, I'm not sure the milk can handle that extended cooking time in the pressure cooker. If you try it, I'd love to hear about your experience. Enjoy!
Kathie says
Thank you for your website. I haven't made anything yet, but have been putting IP dump recipes into copymethat for the future, although I am hoping I have some almond milk left to make rice pudding. I surf a lot of cooking sites and I find yours to be the most informative so far. A lot of blogs get too bogged down with life stories that have little to do with the subject at hand. For me, you strike a perfect balance between person-ability and information about cooking foods I haven't cooked before. Thank you very much. I also do not rate things based on if it's enticing, I wait until I make them...I can hardly wait 🙂
Aneesha | Spice Cravings says
Hi Kathie, Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so glad that you found my recipe posts to be balanced. I would love to hear when you try something. Happy Cooking!
Victoria says
Thank you for this very excellent recipe! After making the arroz con leche version multiple times, I’ve had excellent results each time- thick, creamy, sweet, well cooked rice without all the stirring! And no burning! I’ve had good results with half coconut milk and half regular milk when I want a little tropical flavor. This recipe is now one of my regulars.
aneeshasg says
Hi Victoria! What a wonderful comment to wake up to 🙂 I am so glad you enjoy this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing that. I love your coconut milk twist, I'll try that next time!
Lakshmi S says
Thank you Aneesha for the recipe!!! Loved it! And thank you Elizabeth for the question- having 20 people over this Saturday! Had similar question :).
aneeshasg says
You're welcome Lakshmi! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Kheer in IP is a game change for entertaining. I used to dread making kheer for a large crowd, but now it's the easiest dessert I can make:-)
Elizabeth says
Hello Aneesha,
Thank you for the Kheer recipe! I have a 6 qt IP and I would like to double your recipe to serve 8. I will double each ingredient. Do I double the cooking time on “porridge” as well or slightly increase it? What do you suggest?
Regards,
Elizabeth
aneeshasg says
Hi Elizabeth, cooking time stays the same- 20 mins on Porridge mode. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks, Aneesha
Dipalee says
Hi Aneesha.. I am a newbie and hence a bit confused. I wish to make sevai kheer in my 3qt mini IP. Are these measurements and time settings for a mini IP? I looked through your site but did not find an altered recipe for a 3qt IP. I am quite worried about the quantity of milk and it spilling over.
aneeshasg says
Hi Dipalee, This recipe for rice kheer needs 4 cups of milk. It can be made in a 3 Qt too. To test that, fill your 3Qt with 4 cups water and you'll see it is way below the half-way mark. I don't think it should be a problem. I always recommend warming the milk and adding the initial water so that the milk doesn't burn or curdle. Hope this helps.