Homemade Rice Kheer (With Condensed Milk)

This one pot, slow-cooked rice kheer is a sweet dessert that wraps you in a warm, sweet hug. It's made with just a few ingredients such as short grain rice, whole milk, condensed milk, and a hint of cardamom. Incredibly easy to make, one pot and so comforting! You can enjoy this indian rice pudding warm or chilled.

Sooji halwa and kheer are two Indian desserts I grew up with, both made from easy pantry staples. I love making them in my own kitchen now, as they bring back so many memories. In Indian homes, kheer is cooked for festivals, celebrations, or sometimes just for no reason at all.

What is Kheer

In Indian cuisine, kheer is an umbrella term for pudding like desserts made with milk. You could prepare kheer with different kinds of flours, vegetables (lauki kheer) or ingredients such as tapioca pearls (sabudana kheer) and lotus seeds (makhana kheer) or vermicelli (seviyan). It's simple to make, comforting, creamy and rich and needs few basic ingredients.

Now, the best part about making kheer is that, even if you are a beginner, you cannot go wrong. If it turns too runny, cook it longer. If it's too thick, add more milk. I mean it's not at all complicated to make. But a good luscious kheer needs your time and patience.

The idea is to slowly cook the rice in milk, and as the rice cooks, the grains break down and the rice starches get released which combine with boiling milk. Unlike rice puddings in other cultures, indian kheer is egg-free, meaning pure vegetarian.

Now, the best apart Kheer is that, even if you are a beginner, you cannot go wrong. If it turns too runny, cook it longer. If its too thick, add some milk. I mean it's not hard at all.

Ingredients

• White Rice - I use gobindbhog rice (non-affilate link) which is an aromatic rice variety cultivated in West Bengal. You could use any fragrant short grain white rice. Jasmine rice works beautifully too. The reason short-grain rice works best is that we don't want the grains to stay long and fluffy after cooking. Instead, we want them to break down, turn soft and gooey, and release their starch into the milk. If you'd like to use white basmati rice, like my grandmother did, just pulse the grains a few times in a dry blender to break them slightly (just be careful not to turn them into powder).
• Whole Milk - Full-fat milk is the best choice for creamy kheer. Since we're not adding khoya or evaporated milk, whole milk works beautifully. It slowly reduces as it cooks, and the rice starch combined with the milk fat gives you that thick, rich consistency. But if you're making kheer and only have 2% or skimmed milk on hand, don't worry. It will still work because the condensed milk adds plenty of creaminess on its own.

How To Make Indian Rice Pudding

• Place the rice in a bowl and wash it 2-4 times under running water or until the water runs clear. Add enough water to cover the rice and let it soak for 30 minutes.
• Open 2 green cardamom pods, remove the seeds, and grind them into a fine powder using a small mortar and pestle. Set aside.

• In a wide, heavy pot (I use a 3-quart sauce pot), heat up 1 teaspoon of ghee over low flame. Add the cashews and raisins (whole or chopped nuts, which ever you are feeling, both work) Stirring continuously, toast until the raisins swell slightly and the cashews turn a light golden color. Remove with a spoon and transfer to a plate. Set aside. You can chop the cashews if you prefer once they cool down.

• Without washing the pot, pour in the whole milk. Optionally, add 2 whole green cardamom pods. Set the pot on a low-medium heat to bring the milk to a slow boil.
• Once the milk starts to boil, add the drained, soaked rice. Stir immediately to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
• Let the rice cook in the milk for 25-30 minutes on low heat. Don't cover the pot. Stir the milk regularly to avoid sticking to bottom of pot , while scraping the sides of the pot and mixing the residue back into the milk. As the rice cooks, it will soften, and the starches will thicken the kheer.

• After 30-35 minutes the kheer should be thick, with the rice well cooked and well combined with milk. To check, take a single grain of rice and smush it between your thumb and index finger- it will be soft.

• Add the condensed milk and mix well. The kheer will become runny again. Continue to cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until it reaches your desired consistency. Remember that the kheer will thicken further as it cools.

• Remove the pot from the heat and discard the whole cardamom pods. Mix in the freshly ground cardamom powder, cashews and raisins.

Serving & Storage

Remove the pot from the heat. Pick, and discard the whole cardamom pods. Mix in the freshly ground cardamom powder, nuts and raisins. Serve rightaway in small bowls or chill for a few hours before serving.

As the kheer cools down to room temperature, a skin will form on top. Mix it back in. Once cooled completely, chill the kheer in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving. Serve garnished with extra nuts, rose petal dust or saffron strands. You could also serve cold kheer with warm gulab jamun (delish!).

Rice pudding keeps good for 2-4 days in the fridge. You can reheat on a stove or microwave before serving. I don't prefer freezing kheer (texture & creaminess is off) and won't recommend.

Tips for Best Rice Kheer

1. Rice to Milk Ratio - Rule of thumb is that for every cup of milk, you use 1 tablespoon of rice for perfect creamy texture.
2. Cooking Pot - Always choose a heavy bottom pot. A heavy pot ensures that the milk heats evenly and doesn't scorch at the bottom. You can use a stainless steel pot or an enameled Dutch oven.
3. Soak The Rice - Always soak the rice before cooking. This helps in a softer rice texture as well as even cooking of rice grains. 
4. Sweetneer -You can sweeten kheer with granulated sugar, raw sugar, jaggery, coconut sugar, or even maple syrup. Each one will give the kheer a slightly different taste and color. Just remember to adjust the cooking time to get the thickness you like. If you're using jaggery, don't plan on reheating later-make sure the kheer is cooked down to a rich, thick consistency before you add it.
5. Adjust The Slow Cooking Time - It is simple. Cook the kheer longer if you want to thicken it. We like creamy, thick kheer so the cooking times indicated in the recipe are accordingly. Cook a little less longer if you like a runny kheer.