Rice kheer recipe is an exotic Indian dessert recipe which is prepared during the festive season to celebrate joy and happiness among close ones. Pista kheer aka pistachio rice pudding is one of the finest variations of kheer recipes. This kheer recipe is known for its unbeatable taste, unique flavour and rich & creamy texture. This succulent dessert is the amalgamation of rice, milk, pistachio, sugar and cardamom powder. It is mostly relished as dessert after lunch. You can serve it chilled or at room temperature.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
Tips and Suggestions
Frequently Asked Questions
How to make Pista Kheer (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
About the recipe
Indian sweet recipes play a vital role in Indian culinary as well as Indian culture. In any part of India, festivals or ceremonies are incomplete without sweets. In fact, someone’s success or any good news is celebrated by sharing sweets with their close ones. Any celebration with homemade sweet recipes makes every occasion more special and worthier. When it comes to homemade sweets, kheer, phirni recipes and halwa recipes strike first in any homemaker’s mind. Kheer is a perfect dessert to celebrate occasions like Eid, Raksha Bandhan, Janmashtami, Diwali, Holi etc.
Pista kheer is prepared all over India and a few subcontinents of South Asia in different ways using different compositions of ingredients and different flavouring agents. There is no hard and fast rule to prepare it. In every way, it tastes luscious.
From Diwali to Raksha Bandhan, any occasion is perfect to prepare this sweet dish. This delicious dessert has now become part and parcel of our life on special occasions, especially on birthdays. After all, it is our Indian tradition to prepare kheer for that person to shower blessings and love. The best part of the recipe is that it is a kid’s friendly dessert and toddlers can also have it. Pista kheer is one of the most favourite desserts of my daughter. When I prepare this dessert and serve her, it always brings a smile to her face.
Pista kheer recipe is a super simple recipe which requires minimal ingredients. It gets prepared very easily and the difficulty level of cooking it is low. The best part of the recipe is that it can be prepared in large portions without investing any extra effort which makes it a perfect dessert option for small parties and get-togethers.
Any kheer recipe is a slow-cooking recipe but it’s completely worth spending every second on this luscious creamy dessert. According to Grannies, it tastes best if it is cooked slowly with patience and love without any shortcuts. This golden rule is surprisingly applicable to all the ranges of chawal ki kheer.
Reasons behind the popularity of the Kheer
- Its unbeatable taste and flavour.
- It is very easy to make.
- It is prepared with very limited ingredients
- It’s gluten-free and vegetarian
- It’s a toddler-friendly dessert if you skip the chopped nuts.
Ingredients for Pista Kheer
Milk: The primary ingredient of the recipe which provides a base for the dessert. Always use full-fat milk for the recipe.
Rice: Another most important ingredient of the recipe which provides body to the dessert recipe. I have used basmati rice for the recipe.
Pistachio: I have used both ground pistachio and chopped pistachio for the recipe. The addition of pistachio enhances the taste and flavour of the dish.
Sugar: It is used to sweeten the kheer. The sugar is caramelised first and then added to the kheer.
Cardamom: It is used as a flavouring agent for the kheer recipe. In most Indian sweets, elaichi aka cardamom is used to enhance the flavour of the desserts.
Pista Kheer with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instructions’ section of the recipe. But before directly jumping into the recipe, let me share a few interesting facts about the Indian dessert. If you follow the recipe step by step, you will get the perfect pistachio rice pudding on the first attempt.
Tips to prepare perfect Pista Kheer
- Always use good quality pulao rice and full-fat milk for the recipe.
- Wash the rice in the water a couple of times and soak it for at least 15 minutes.
- Kheer is a slow-cooking recipe. So, it’s always better to cook it on low flame.
- Stir the content at regular intervals of time, especially the sides and bottom of the pan to avoid sticking.
- Adjust the amount of sugar according to your taste.
- Don’t skip the cardamom powder from the recipe.
Frequently asked Questions
What type of milk is to be used for the recipe?
To prepare kheer or phirni, always use full-fat milk. It gives the best result. Normally, in the traditional recipe, neither khoya, mawa nor condensed milk is used to make it yummier or to thicken its texture. For this recipe, I have followed the same to uphold the authenticity of the dish.
Utensils to be used to prepare kheer
Always use a heavy bottom non-stick pan to prepare kheer. It helps to prevent the burning of milk and resist sticking to the bottom of the pan. It even helps the milk to not stick along the sides of the pan.
What type of rice is to be used for kheer?
Basmati rice, any aromatic pulao rice like Gobindo bhog rice or Chinigura rice works best for this recipe. It gives fantastic flavour to the recipe.
What type of flavouring agent can be used for the recipe?
Normally, cardamom pods or cardamom powder are used to flavour the dessert. But you can also use saffron, rose water, pistachio essence and even vanilla extract for the recipe..
How to make Pista Kheer?
To prepare the pista kheer, first, wash the rice in water and then soak it for 30 minutes at normal temperature water. Then drain the water and keep it aside.
Remove the shell of some pista and transfer them into the jar of a grinder. Close the lid of the jar and pulse it to dust. On the other hand, soak some shelled pista for some time and remove the skin. Finely chop them and keep them aside.
Then put the milk to boil and reduce it to almost 80%. After this, add the soaked rice to it and cook it on low flame for another 25-30 minutes until the rice gets cooked completely and you get the desired consistency. Stir the kheer in regular intervals or else it will stick to the bottom of the pan.
Now add sugar, ground pistachio into the pan and mix it well. Cook it over low flame for another 5 minutes until the kheer starts boiling.
Then add some cardamom powder and mix it well. Turn off the flame and allow the pista kheer to come to room temperature. Serve it in bowls and garnish with the chopped pistachios.
Many kheer recipes have already been shared in my previous posts. You may check a few of them like
Seviyan kheer
Carrot kheer
Makhane ki kheer
Sabudana kheer
Lauki ki kheer
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
1 Cup = 250 ml
- 1-litre full-fat Milk
- ¼ cup Basmati rice
- ¼ cup Pistachio, to grind
- ⅓ cup Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder aka elaichi
- 1 tablespoon Pistachio, finely chopped
Instructions:
- Take ¼ cup basmati rice in a bowl and wash it in water 2-3 times. Then soak it for 30 minutes at normal temperature water. Then drain the water and keep it aside.
- Remove the shell of ¼ cup pistachio and transfer them into the jar of a grinder. Close the lid of the jar and pulse it to dust.
- On the other hand, soak 1 tablespoon shelled pistachio for 10 minutes and then remove the skin. Finely chop the pistachios and keep them aside.
- Take a heavy bottom pan and add 1 litre of milk to it. Boil the milk and reduce it to almost 80%.
- After this, add the soaked rice to the pan and cook it on low flame for another 25-30 minutes until the rice gets cooked completely and you get the desired consistency. Stir the kheer in regular intervals or else it will stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Now add ⅓ cup sugar, ¼ cup ground pistachio into the pan and mix it well. Cook it over low flame for another 5 minutes until the kheer starts boiling.
- Add ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder and mix it well.
- Switch off the flame and allow the pista kheer to come to room temperature.
- Serve it in bowls and garnish with the chopped pistachios.
Serving Instruction
Transfer the pista kheer into serving bowls and garnish with chopped pistachios. You can choose to serve at room temperature or even chilled. Serve this palatable Indian dessert to your friends, relatives and family and spread happiness.
How to store pista kheer?
After cooling down the pista kheer recipe to room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it. In this way, you can store the kheer for 3-4 days.
But the kheer can’t be frozen in a freezer. The kheer may curdle and get spoiled after defrosting.
Ingredients
1 Cup = 250 ml
- 1-litre full-fat Milk
- ¼ cup Basmati rice
- ¼ cup Pistachio, to grind
- ⅓ cup Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder aka elaichi
- 1 tablespoon Pistachio, finely chopped
Instructions
- Take ¼ cup basmati rice in a bowl and wash it in water 2-3 times. Then soak it for 30 minutes at normal temperature water. Then drain the water and keep it aside.
- Remove the shell of ¼ cup pistachio and transfer them into the jar of a grinder. Close the lid of the jar and pulse it to dust.
- On the other hand, soak 1 tablespoon shelled pistachio for 10 minutes and then remove the skin. Finely chop the pistachios and keep them aside.
- Take a heavy bottom pan and add 1 litre of milk to it. Boil the milk and reduce it to almost 80%.
- After this, add the soaked rice to the pan and cook it on low flame for another 25-30 minutes until the rice gets cooked completely and you get the desired consistency. Stir the kheer in regular intervals or else it will stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Now add ⅓ cup sugar, ¼ cup ground pistachio into the pan and mix it well. Cook it over low flame for another 5 minutes until the kheer starts boiling.
- Add ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder and mix it well.
- Switch off the flame and allow the pista kheer to come to room temperature.
- Serve it in bowls and garnish with the chopped pistachios.
