Instant Pot Kheer (Rice Pudding)

Instant Pot kheer recipe with video and photos.

About this recipe

Kheer is a rich and creamy rice pudding made with three main ingredients - rice, milk, and sugar. Rice pudding is a popular dessert all over the world. The Indian version of rice pudding is flavored with cardamom or saffron (or both) and is topped with nuts like almonds and pistachio. It can be served either warm or cold depending on personal preference.

It is popularly called chawal ki kheer in North India and paal payasam in South India. This indulgent dessert is an important part of festive occasions and is made on all special occasions. This is also a perfect dessert after your Indian meals.

Making kheer on the stovetop is easy but takes a long time. Plus, it needs constant monitoring to make sure the milk doesn't burn. But with an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker, this dish is ready in 20 minutes (and less than 5 minutes of hands-on time), with no monitoring whatsoever.

Read on for ingredients, tips, and FAQs to make the Instant Pot version of creamy and luscious Indian rice pudding using this easy recipe that uses just a handful of basic ingredients.

Origin

The word kheer comes from the Sanskrit word kshirika, which means made with milk. It has been mentioned in the Ayurveda and is known to be a part of ancient Indian food. Its first mention was not as a rice pudding but actually made with jowar (sorghum) and milk. Millets were commonly used back in the early 14th century and this millet pudding was sweetened with fruits or jaggery.

Also called payasam, payesh, payas, or payasa, every state in India has its own version and can also be made of vermicelli or millets. Payas is considered auspicious and is also associated with annaprasana (infant's weaning ritual). This sweet treat became widely popular once it was being served as prasada in temples. The white color (shwet) of this dish is associated with purity and is often a part of festivals and celebrations.

Ingredients

Rice: I use Basmati rice to make this dish. Any Indian variety of white rice works well. You can also make it using Jasmine rice.

Milk: Use whole milk or full-fat milk to get a creamy texture.

Sugar: I use raw sugar; however, regular sugar also can be used. You can also use another sweetener of your choice, like brown sugar or maple syrup.

Cardamom and saffron: They are used to add flavor. You can use either one of them or both.

Nuts and raisins: These are added as a garnish. They add a great texture to the rice pudding. Almonds, pistachio, cashew, golden raisins, etc. are commonly used.

Step-by-step instructions

Put the Instant Pot in saute mode and add ½ cup of water to the inner pot (step 1). Heat it for 1-2 minutes.

Once it is hot, add full fat milk, rice, and sugar (steps 2,3, and 4).

Mix well and close the lid, put the Instant Pot in the Porridge setting (high pressure), and let it cook for 20 minutes (steps 5,6).

Once the Instant Pot beeps, press cancel to off the porridge button and do a natural pressure release. Mix well (step 7).

Add chopped nuts, raisins, ground cardamom, and saffron strands (step 8).

Mix everything well.

Read the tips section above to know how to make sure the milk does not burn. Thick and creamy Instant Pot rice kheer is ready to be served.

Useful tips

Make sure the lid and sealing ring of the Instant Pot is cleaned thoroughly. I set aside a spare sealing ring that I use to make sweets.

Rinse the rice well and soak it for 15 minutes.

The first step is to set the Instant Pot to saute mode and add ½ cup of water. Once the water is hot, add the milk and rice. This is a common trick used when boiling milk on a stovetop - add a small amount of water first and heat it so that the milk does not burn and stick to the bottom of the pot.

Select porridge mode on your Instant Pot for this recipe.

The amount of sugar I add gives me a mildly sweet kheer. You can increase the sugar to ¾ cup to make the kheer taste sweeter.

You can use any nuts as per your liking. You can also skip it to make nut-free kheer.

Making it thick or thin is a personal preference. However, the kheer thickens quickly when it is cooling down. I am using 5 cups of milk and this amount of milk I have used gives me a thick texture. You can add more milk to make it with a thinner consistency. You can also adjust the consistency after cooking.

Do not do a quick release of pressure. Wait for the pressure to come down naturally.

You can add one tablespoon of condensed milk after cooking the rice to add more thickness to the kheer. You can also add a few drops of rose water to flavor the kheer.

To make it on a stovetop, boil the milk in a saucepan and add rice. Let it simmer until the rice is fully cooked. Then, add sugar and mix well.

You may also like these Indian desserts (Instant Pot recipes):

1. Vermicelli kheer.
2. Sabudana kheer.
3. Moong dal kheer.
4. Almond halwa.

FAQs

Click here for more dessert recipes.

Bonus

This Instant Pot kheer is:
- very easy to make and requires minimal hands-on time
- rich, creamy, and luscious
- served either cold or hot depending on your preference

Recipe card

Instant Pot Kheer

Kheer is a rich and creamy rice pudding made with three main ingredients - rice, milk, and sugar. Making it with an Instant Pot is very easy. It is ready in 20 minutes (with less than 5 minutes of hands-on time).

5 from 39 votes

Print Pin Rate

Author: Shilpa

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 10

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup Basmati rice
• 5 cups whole milk
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon nuts (I used cashew nuts and almonds)
• 1 tablespoon raisins
• ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
• ¼ teaspoon saffron

Instructions

• Wash the rice in water for 2-3 times. Soak the washed rice for 10-15 minutes
• Put the Instant Pot in saute mode and add ½ cup water
• Once it is hot, add milk, rice, and sugar. Stir it well
• Close the lid and put the Instant Pot to Porridge mode and let it cook for 20 minutes
• Do a natural release of pressure
• Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix it well
• Add chopped nuts, raisin, cardamom powder, and saffron. Mix well
• Serve warm or chill in the refrigerator and serve cold

Video

Notes

See the tips section above for useful tips to make this dish.

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Kheer

Amount per Serving

Calories

164

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

5

g

8

%

Saturated Fat

 

2

g

13

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Cholesterol

 

12

mg

4

%

Sodium

 

54

mg

2

%

Potassium

 

197

mg

6

%

Carbohydrates

 

25

g

8

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

16

g

18

%

Protein

 

5

g

10

%

Vitamin A

 

198

IU

4

%

Vitamin C

 

1

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

143

mg

14

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.