Kheer or Payasam is an Indian favorite dessert for special occasions. It is basically rice pudding made with rice and milk infused with saffron, cardamom and assorted dried fruits. This Kheer made in the instant pot is a game changer. The best thing about this, no stirring and it is ready in less than 40 mins!
Traditionally making kheer meant keeping milk and rice on the stove for 2 hours and stirring it frequently until the milk thickens and becomes creamy. With the Porridge setting in instant pot, the same thing happens, but you just dump all the ingredients and go your happy way to enjoy yourself!
As Diwali is approaching, I have been wanting to make some desserts that we can share with family and friends. Food, or rather desserts are integral part of Indian Diwali celebrations. You visit friends or have them over. But really, everywhere you go, you will find a table full of snacks and desserts laid out for you to enjoy. Oh, I love Diwali (how can a foodie not? 😉
This is going to be my dessert addition to Diwali potluck’s this year – Instant Pot Kheer.
How to make Kheer in Instant Pot?
This rice pudding is super easy with just adding all ingredients to the instant pot and setting it on porridge mode. The instant pot does it’s magic and perfect aromatic rice kheer is ready for you in 30 mins. If you have not tried kheer in instant pot yet, you just have to!
I hope you enjoy this easy and delicious Instant Pot Indian Dessert – Rice Pudding. Do share how it turned out!
Here are some other dessert made in the instant pot that you might enjoy:
- Sabudana Kheer – This gluten-free Sabudana pudding is made with tapioca pearls and milk in the instant pot.
- Seviyan Kheer – Also called Vermicelli Kheer or Semiyan Payasam, this delicious dessert can be made in the instant pot in less than 25 minutes.
- Carrot Pudding – Carrot Kheer is made with carrots, milk, cashews and dates, with the added aroma of cardamom & saffron. A delicious & satisfying desert, with no added sugar.
- Coconut Almond Laddoo – A quick sweet recipe that can be made in just 20 minutes for any occasion.
Rice Pudding / Kheer – Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 5 cups Milk, whole
- 1/2 cup White Rice , preferably small or medium grain, rinsed
- 1/2 cup Sugar , (adjust to taste), see notes
- 1/4 cup Roasted Mixed Nuts, chopped or sliced (cashews, almonds, walnut, pistachios) (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Raisins, (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Cardamom powder (Elaichi), (optional)
- 1/8 teaspoon Saffron (Kesar), (optional)
Instructions
- Sanitize the instant pot steel insert, lid and sealing ring thoroughly. If you have an extra sealing ring for sweet foods, use it.
- Add all the ingredients in the instant pot steel insert. Close lid with vent in sealing position. (Based on your preference, you can add sugar, nuts and raisins after pressure cooking too)
- Set instant pot to PORRIDGE mode for 20 minutes on high pressure. When instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally.
- Open Instant Pot and mix well. Rice pudding is ready. Serve warm or chilled.
- If needed, to get the desired consistency, cook on SAUTE mode for 2-3 mins. Or add more milk, mix and let it boil for a minute.
Video
Notes
- Try to boil 1/2 cup water in the instant pot on sauté mode, then add other ingredients. Make sure the water is already steaming before adding other ingredients.
- After opening the pot, take the instant pot steel insert out of the pot so the bottom layer does not overcook or stick to the pot.
- Add cinnamon powder and vanilla essence to get a different flavor.
- You can use brown sugar instead of white sugar, based on your preference.
Nutrition
Check out the collection of 10 Instant Pot Indian Desserts from the best blogs here.
I followed the exact recipe and it turned out perfect & very yummy in 3qt IP since I don’t have 6qt. It’s really quick and easy recipe. Thanks for sharing!!
Hi Sonia – So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Hi
Thank you for the recipe… it was my first ever attempt to cook as I just got my instant pot. I have not tried yet but consistency looks absolutely perfect. The only thing was that it got stuck at the bottom not sure why. I dis try your saute some water trick but still stick so any help for future on that would be helpful. Thanks again
Hi Nicky – So glad to hear you tried this kheer with your new instant pot. I am trying to figure what could be other reasons why the kheer would stick. One tip is to remove the instant pot steel insert out of the pot once you open the pot, so that it is not cooking the bottom layer with the residual heat. Thank you for sharing back your experience.
Hi Meeta , thank you i did boil some water as per your advice and second attempt came out perfect !!!! Thanks for sharing the recipes and updates. Cant wait to try other recipes from your list 🙂
Hi Nicky – So good to hear that. Thank you for sharing it! 🙂
I made exactly to the recipe above and My kheer boiled over into the condensation catcher and went all over the counter, it nearly ruined the pot and could have been extremely dangerous if the liquid went into the machine itself… don’t think it’s a good idea to make milk products in the instant pot with the risk of it boiling over
Hi, so sorry to hear the recipe did not work well. I would like to get some more details to understand what went wrong – what size instant pot did you use? Also, what type of milk did you use – whole or low fat? Did you put the vent in sealing position? Many people have loved this recipe and it has worked perfectly, so I really want to figure out what could have gone wrong in your case.
I used 6 qt pot, whole milk, vent sealed…
Thanks for sharing the details. I really do feel that something was wrong with the sealing, as I have never heard this happen for anyone else. As you can see many people have tried this recipe successfully and it has been tested many times.
Most Amazing kheer! Unbelievable that its so simple. Thanks !
Hi Nita – Thank you! Hope you enjoyed it. 🙂
I made it in 3q pot with 5 cups of milk with no problems. It is important to use natural release of pressure as milk will come out of the vent if using a quick release and make a mess. Half cup of sugar makes it quite sweet so for those who prefer less sweet it may be worth using less sugar.
Hi Ana – Glad to hear it worked well in the 3qt instant pot. Thank you for sharing back your experience.
Hi!
Have you ever tried making this with coconut milk? It sounds so good but my husband and I don’t tolerate dairy products 🙁
Hi Stephanie – I have not tried, but some readers have tried with almond milk or coconut milk and enjoyed it. Hope you give it a try!
I used a combination of Oatley brand oat milk and Almond milk, and it came out divinely creamy and perfect. Thank you for such a yummy recipe.
Hi, I just love your recipe. The kheer came out so so delicious. My daughters and husband who are not kheer person ate it like crazy. Thanks so much!!
I have a question- my kheer sticked to IP bottom, not sure why🤔
Hi Sarika – So glad to hear you all enjoy the kheer. You can try to boil 1/2 cup water in the instant pot on saute mode, then add other ingredients. This can help to avoid the Kheer sticking to the base of the pot.
Sure thank you so much! Will try next time😊
This recipe is great! I never leave reviews but wanted to say thank you! It’s so easy and good! I’ve shared it with a lot of friends and family that also make it regularly! I’ve also loved other instant pot Indian food recipes you’ve posted! Thanks again!
Hi …. I wanted to try this recipe for half the amount ( 2.5 cups of milk). How long should I keep it in porridge mode ?
Hi Kanina – The cooking time will remain the same even if you reduce the quantity. Hope you enjoy the kheer!
Great dish , can i use a rice cooker instead of a pressure cooker.
Thanks
I have never made this in a rice cooker, so cannot say for sure it will work well. It does work on the stovetop in a large pot. However it needs frequently stirring on the stovetop.
I Googled and found several recipes for rice pudding in the rice cooker. I didn’t really have a look at them and the recipes may not work for all rice cookers. But give it a look
I received my IP yesterday and the very first thing I made was this kheer. Turned out perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi – So good to know that. Thank you for sharing 🙂