Carrot Kheer, also called Carrot Payasam, is made with carrots, milk, cashews, and sugar, with the added aroma of cardamom and saffron. It is a delicious and satisfying dessert that the whole family will love!
I first had this Carrot Kheer at a friend’s place; it was so yummy! My friend’s mom was visiting and made this awesome carrot kheer, so credit to you, Auntie Chandra Subramanian, for this recipe. The only thing going through my mind eating the kheer was how I could recreate this in the instant pot.
The other significant part about this carrot pudding is that there is no need to spend time grating carrots. Isn’t that great? Grating is the only reason I don’t make Indian carrot halwa frequently, even though I love it.
There are lots of recipes to make carrot kheer with grated carrots which are great too, and the method for those will be similar to making carrot halwa with extra milk and just not cooking until the milk is completely soaked by the carrots.
You can serve this carrot kheer hot or cold. I like it cold with a garnish of pistachios and almonds. With no grating required, this Carrot Kheer has become our go-to dessert 🙂
If you like this kheer, you’ll love my rice kheer, oats kheer, and sabudana kheer recipes!
Table of Contents
Carrot Payasam Ingredients
Carrots: The star ingredient of this kheer recipe.
Cashews: They add a rich flavor and thicken the kheer.
Milk: Full-fat milk makes it rich and creamy. You can also use plant-based milk, such as almonds or oats.
Sugar: Adds sweetness to the kheer. You can adjust the amount based on your taste. You can also use jaggery or dates to make this carrot kheer. See below for more details on how to make it with dates.
Saffron: A tiny pinch adds a pleasant aroma and gives the kheer a lovely golden color.
Cardamom: Adds a sweet, warm flavor and a pleasant aroma.
Garnish: You’ll need slivered pistachios and almonds.
How to make Carrot Kheer?
- First, we will prepare the ingredients: Peel the skin of the carrots and roughly cut them into pieces. Measure 1/4 cup of unsalted cashews, roughly 30-35 grams. Measure and set aside 1 liter of milk.
- Add the carrots and cashews with 1/2 cup of water to the pressure cooker to start cooking.
- Pressure cook for 7 minutes in the Instant Pot or two whistles in a stovetop pressure cooker with the vent in the sealing position. When the pressure cooking is done, let the pressure release naturally.
- While the carrots are cooking, add the milk to a large pan and bring it to a boil.
- Transfer the contents of the pressure cooker to a blender and blend to a smooth paste. If needed, add some portion of the milk while blending. I used my Vitamix to blend it to achieve a smooth texture.
- Add the blended mixture to the boiled milk and stir well until it is all homogenous. Add cardamom powder, saffron strands, and sugar. Give a good stir.
- Let the kheer simmer for 20-25 minutes on medium-low heat until it is thickened. Let the kheer cool down and you can chill it in the refrigerator.
Serve this carrot payasam in bowls and garnish with slivered nuts such as almonds and pistachios. You can also garnish with raisins or some crushed saffron strands.
Carrot Kheer With Dates
To make this kheer without sugar, use 6-7 large Medjool dates. You would need pitted dates with the seed removed.
Add them to the pressure cooker along with the carrots and cashews so they will soften and blend well.
Here is the carrot kheer made with dates. The color will be a bit different due to the addition of dates.
Recipe Tips
Instant Pot: If you use the Instant Pot, make sure to sanitize it thoroughly when cooking milk and desserts—the steel insert, lid, and sealing ring. If you have an extra sealing ring for sweet foods, use it.
Consistency: This is not a very thick kheer. For a thicker and creamier pudding, increase the quantity of cashews to 1/3 cup. You can also use almonds in place of cashews in this kheer.
Sweetener: I have tried this kheer with sugar, jaggery, and dates. Depending on your preference, they are all great options.
Make it Vegan: For a vegan version, you can make this carrot kheer with dairy-free milk, such as almond or oat milk.
More Indian Desserts You’ll Love
Carrot Kheer (Carrot Payasam)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Carrot, medium, cut into pieces, about 300 grams
- 1/4 cup Cashews, raw and unsalted, about 35 grams
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1 litre Milk, about 34 oz, preferably whole milk
- 1/3 cup Sugar , or Jaggery Powder, see notes to use dates
- 1 pinch Saffron (Kesar), optional
- 1/2 teaspoon Cardamom powder (Elaichi)
- Almonds or Pistachios, to garnish
Instructions
- Peel the skin of the carrots and roughly cut in pieces.
- Add the carrots and cashews with 1/2 cup of water to the pressure cooker to start cooking.
- Pressure cook for 7 minutes in the Instant Pot or two whistles in a stovetop pressure cooker with the vent in the sealing position. When the pressure cooking is done, let the pressure release naturally.
- While the carrots are cooking, add the milk to a large pan and bring it to a boil.
- Transfer the contents of the pressure cooker to a blender and blend to a smooth paste. If needed, add some portion of the milk while blending. (Depending on your blender, you might want to cool a bit before blending)
- Let the kheer simmer for 25 minutes until it is thickened. Make sure to stir the kheer at regular intervals.
- Let the kheer cool down and you can chill it in the refrigerator. Serve in bowls and garnish with slivered almonds and pistachios.
Instant Pot Carrot Kheer
- If you prefer to do it all in the instant pot, once you belnd the carrots and cashews, add them back to the instant pot. Add the milk and give it a good stir. Bring the carrot kheer to a boil and simmer on low saute for 20-25 minutes. Make sure to stir at regular intervals.
Love carrot kheer. Recipe worked out just fine. I love carrots and this one was first for me. It will be repeated again and again…
I reduced milk to 2 1/2 litres. That’s all i had in the house as this was an unplanned activity. Worked out well.
Thanks for sharing this carrot gem!
Hi Chetan – Thanks for giving it a try. Happy to hear you enjoyed the kheer and will be making it again!
Tried today with dates and the kheer was delicious.
Hi Seema – That sounds delightful! Dates must have added a wonderful natural sweetness. So glad you enjoyed the kheer! 😊
Can you make this in a traditional pressure cooker? I don’t have an IP
Hi Ks – yes, sure you can make it in a stovetop pressure cooker. Hope you enjoy the kheer.
Amazing, thanks!
Hi Meera! I made this today. Came like kheer vs pudding consistency. The carrot measure was not clear. I would probably do a few things differently next time. Thanks for posting your recipe. It was certainly less effort 🙂
Hi Bala – Thank you for sharing your review. The best translation for kheer in English is pudding, which is why the name of this recipe is Carrot Kheer 🙂