Instant Pot Kheer | Rice Payasam | Indian Rice Pudding

Kheer or Payasam !! Such a comforting sound to anyone who grew up in any part of India. It can't get any more simpler, basic or frugal than this when it comes to desserts. It is like the silent leader of desserts in terms of taste, simplicity, availability of ingredients, cost & number of ingredients. That is the reason why this rice payasam or rice kheer is the first thing that is prepared, for any small / big occasions or festivals in many homes in India. Instant pot kheer takes this recipe to the next level in simplicity and makes this the ultimate comfort food !!

Not only in India, many parts of the world have their own versions of kheer or rice pudding with little variations. Especially those parts of the world where rice is a staple food like Asia. In South India where I grew up, it is a tradition among the farming families to make this as the first dish with the newly harvested rice for Sankranti / Pongal festival.

Is the rice pudding same as rice kheer

Rice pudding and rice kheer are same. Rice kheer is just the Indian version of rice pudding. Even in India, it is called by different names in different regions like paramannam, rice payasam, chawal ki kheer, pal payasam etc..

Ingredients

In most of the kheer recipes, basic ingredients are mostly just three. Rice, milk and sugar !! All the other ingredients are fancy additions to make the dish more rich & yummy.

I love to use Jasmine rice for my kheer ( if I have it in stock ) as it gives that perfect creamy texture that I want. But you can use any rice that you normally use at home. If possible I would suggest using a rice with high starch content as that helps in getting a creamier texture to your rice payasam.

Always prefer full fat milk for the rice payasam / kheer if you want to get the creamy texture.

Coming to the sugar I usually use Natural pure cane sugar at home, so that's what I used here too. It is NOT brown sugar even though it looks like it. It is just more natural form of sugar with less processing. You can use what ever regular sugar that you usually use at home.

Since we are making Indian rice kheer recipe, we will be using ground cardamom & a pinch of saffron to flavor the kheer which gives wonderful aroma and color along with the taste. We will also use some almonds and golden raisins to cook along with this instant pot kheer to infuse those flavors in the kheer. Finally we will garnish with some ghee roasted cashew nuts on this wonderfully creamy Instant pot kheer.

How to make rice pudding / rice kheer in instant pot

It is almost a dump and go recipe except for just couple minutes of sautéing in the beginning. The only important thing is using perfect proportions and cook times which I gave in the recipe card below.

• Turn on the Sauté mode on the instant pot and wait until it displays 'HOT'.
• Now add 2 tablespoons of ghee and add ¼ cup of sliced almonds to the ghee. Sauté them for few seconds until the almonds are slightly turning golden and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of golden raisins and sauté until the raisins are puffed up.
• Now add ¾ cup of rice and sauté for just 30 seconds to a minute. ( DO NOT WASH THE RICE as the starch helps in making the rice pudding much more creamier ).
• Then add 5 cups of milk, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom powder, few saffron strands ( around ¼ teaspoon ), stir well and close the lid of the instant pot. Press cancel to turn off the sauté mode.
• Move the vent to 'SEAL' position, press the porridge button to cook on porridge mode for 20 mins on high pressure. It takes around 10 mins for the instant pot to build pressure and start cooking ( i.e. when it starts counting down ) and 20 mins to cook as we selected.
• When it turns OFF after around 30 mins, wait for at least 15 mins for natural release of pressure and then turn the vent to 'VENT' position to release the rest of the pressure manually ( Always stay away from the pressure release valve when releasing the pressure to avoid steam burns )
• Open the lid when all the pressure is released and the pin is dropped indicating it is safe to open. If you prefer, you can thicken it a little more for couple mins by turning on the SAUTE mode. But remember that rice kheer always thickens as it cools down. Wonderfully creamy and delicious Instant pot kheer is ready to be served. Garnish with some ghee roasted cashews nuts on top and serve it warm or chilled.

TIPS for making a perfectly creamy rice kheer in Instant pot

• Always use FULL FAT MILK for creamy texture
• Do NOT wash the rice before using as the starch helps in making the kheer creamy.
• Cook the almonds and raisins along with kheer to get their flavor infused in kheer but keeps the cashews until the last to roast them in ghee and add them for garnishing. Those ghee roasted cashews are a perfect combination with the rice payasam.

Optional STEPS :

• If you prefer you can run your rice through food processor or any kind of food grinder for few seconds just until you make it like a broken rice and NOT like a flour before using it in the recipe. I like my rice pudding to be creamy but at the same time have some texture, so I use the regular rice not broken rice.
• If you want to go an additional step you can also add a splash of rose water or kewra water to take it to the next level. But that will be optional too as we want to keep this Kheer recipe as basic as possible.
• If you want to make your kheer much more richer you can do two things :
  • You can replace some part of the milk with half & half ( i.e. half cream and half milk )
  • You can replace some or all the sugar with condensed milk. ( Add condensed milk along with all the ingredients before cooking and if required you can add more sugar at the end )

How and when to serve rice kheer / Indian rice pudding

It tastes best when it is served either warm or chilled, not at room temperature. I personally like it chilled but my husband and kids always prefer warm bowl of kheer.

Some ideas of when to serve this Instant pot rice kheer :

• It is a perfect quick and easy dessert for any festivals like Diwali, Navratri, Sankranthi / Pongal, Ugadi, Ganesh Chaturthi / Vinayaka chavithi etc..
• Serve it warm for any winter get togethers or serve it chilled for any summer pot lucks.
• Just dump and start to cook before dinner for an after dinner dessert or as something sweet for your sweet tooth for the whole week.
• Why do you even need a reason to make such a simple, wonderful and easy dessert. JUST GO AND MAKE IT NOW 😋!!

Storage & Reheating

It keeps well in the refrigerator for around 4 to 5 days when stored in an air tight box.

For reheating, heat it on stove top on medium heat until warm or heat it in microwave in 30 second intervals until warm enough for you.

If you want to adjust the consistency of the paal payasam / rice pudding while reheating, add some milk to it while warming it up.

Make this easy and quick, deliciously creamy Instant pot rice kheer as a Diwali dessert and enjoy with your loved ones.

Recipe

Instant Pot Kheer | Rice Payasam | Paramannam recipe

Yamini

Easy and delicious Instant pot kheer recipe for a creamy and rich Indian rice pudding or rice kheer. Perfect for any occasion which calls for a dessert.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Desserts

Cuisine Indian

Servings 6 to 8

Ingredients

  

• 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon ghee
• 1 cup sugar adjust as per taste
• ¾ cup uncooked rice I prefer jasmine rice when available, but any regular rice can be used. If possible high starch rice is suggested
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• 2-3 tablespoons golden raisins
• 2 to 3 tablespoons cashew nuts for garnishing
• 1 tsp ground elaichi cardamom powder
• ¼ teaspoon saffron optional
• 5 cups whole milk
• 1 tsp of rose water or kewra water optional

Instructions

 

• Turn on the Sauté mode on the instant pot and wait until it displays 'HOT'.
• Now add 2 tablespoons of ghee and add ¼ cup of sliced almonds to the ghee. Sauté them for few seconds until the almonds are slightly turning golden and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of golden raisins and sauté until the raisins are puffed up.
• Now add ¾ cup of rice and sauté for just 30 seconds to a minute. ( DO NOT WASH THE RICE as the starch helps in making the rice pudding much more creamier ).
• Then add 5 cups of milk, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom powder, few saffron strands ( around ¼ teaspoon ), stir well and close the lid of the instant pot. Press cancel to turn off the sauté mode.
• Move the vent to 'SEAL' position, press the porridge button to cook on porridge mode for 20 mins on high pressure. It takes around 10 mins for the instant pot to build pressure and start cooking ( i.e. when it starts counting down ) and 20 mins to cook as we selected.
• When it turns OFF after around 30 mins, wait for at least 15 mins for natural release of pressure and then turn the vent to 'VENT' position to release the rest of the pressure manually ( Always stay away from the pressure release valve when releasing the pressure to avoid steam burns ).
• Open the lid when all the pressure is released and the pin is dropped indicating it is safe to open. If you prefer, you can thicken it a little more for couple mins by turning on the SAUTE mode. But remember that rice kheer always thickens as it cools down. I didn't have to thicken it at all after opening.
• Roast the cashew nuts in 1 teaspoon of ghee in a separate pan on stove top and add them on top of this rice payasam or paal payasam before serving. Wonderfully creamy and delicious Instant pot kheer is ready to be served. Serve it warm or chilled.

Notes

• Always use FULL FAT MILK for creamy texture
• Do NOT wash the rice before using it in the recipe, as the starch helps in making the kheer creamy.
• If you want to adjust the consistency of the rice kheer while reheating, add some milk to it while reheating.
• Add a teaspoon of rose water or kewra water at the end to take it to the next level.
• This is already a rich and creamy rice kheer recipe. If you prefer to make it more richer then 
  • replace some of the milk with half & half ( half cream and half milk )
  • replace some of the sugar with condensed milk ( Add condensed milk along with all the ingredients before cooking and if required, add more sugar at the end.
• If you want less texture in your rice kheer, then run your rice through food processor to just break the rice into smaller pieces like broken rice and use it in the recipe.

Keyword How to make kheer in instant pot, Indian rice kheer recipe, Indian rice pudding recipe, Instant pot kheer, Instant pot rice pudding

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