Click here to view. Rice Kheer recipe. With the onset of the festive season, every other day there is a reason to prepare something sweet and tempting! Of the many Indian sweets, kheer is one of the most popular offerings to God.

There are innumerable varieties of kheer, and one or the other is prepared for every puja, festival or wedding. Rice kheer is undoubtedly the King of Kheers! It is made all over India. Known as Paal Payasam in South India, it is a must-serve item at weddings.

Paal Payasam

The chawal ki kheer made at the Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Kerala is world-famous. Made by simmering rice and milk in heavy, large bronze vessels for a long time, this rice kheer has a rich taste and attractive pink colour that comes out of the natural thickening of milk.

Here’s how you can make a delightful rice kheer at home. It requires very few ingredients, and the procedure is also simple. You just need to make sure you have enough time because the rice has to be cooked in the milk to get that intense mouth-feel and taste. Once the rice is cooked, the kheer is sweetened, flavoured with Indian spices and garnished with a fistful of assorted nuts and dried fruits.

The rice kheer is kind of similar to the American rice pudding, albeit a bit rich as befits our desi style. When you are running short of time, you can even make a Quick Rice Kheer using condensed milk and cooked rice.

I would like to share some important tips to make the perfect rice kheer recipe. 1. Rinse a deep non-stick pan with ¼ cup of water and quickly simmer it for 2-3 minutes. This will prevent milk from burning from the bottom as the water forms a protective layer between the pan and milk. Also, it is advisable to use a heavy bottom pan to make Indian desserts like basundi, kheer, rabdi. 2. Stir it occasionally to avoid milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan or browning. It is very important to use full-fat milk as it will provide the rice-kheer a rich and creamy texture. 3. Cook until rice is soft and breaks easily with a spoon or on pinching with your finger. Do not add sugar before the rice has turned mushy or else your rice will take forever to cook.

When festivals come one after the other, and you wish to pick from a variety of kheers, check out our collection of 113 Kheer Recipes. You will even find variants like Sabudana Kheer that come in handy on fasting days.

Is Rice Kheer healthy?

No, this is not healthy. Let's see why.

Let's understand the Ingredients.

What's good.

1. Milk and Low Fat Milk : 1 cup of milk provides 70% of the Recommended Daily Allowance of Calcium. Milk promotes strong bones. The Calcium in Milk helps to protect your teeth against gum disease and keeps your jaw bone strong and healthy. Milk is low in carbs and therefore does not raise blood glucose levels. However diabetics must consider including low fat milk as advised by their dietitian only so as to avoid any fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Protein is another key nutrient which milk is rich in - 8.6 g from a cup. So all those looking to build protein stores can add milk and its products like curd and paneer to their diet. One cup of Milk gives 10 grams of carbs.  Low fat milk has lower fat and the same benefits of milk. 

Since this is a filling roti stuffed with paneer, we suggest you have it with a bowl of healthy curds or low fat curds.

2. Almonds (badam) : Almonds are rich in B complex vitamins such as Vitamin B1, Thiamine, Vitamin B3, Niacin and Folate which plays an important role in the brain development. Almonds balances your cholesterol levels. almonds have a very low glycemic index and good for diabetics. See all 13 super health benefits of almonds. 

3. Cashew Nuts (kaju) : In general, walnuts, cashew nuts, peanuts, almonds, pistachios and pinenuts are a healthy snack to carry keep with you as they are rich in monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats and good for heart. They are a healthy snack for Diabetics. Dietary intakes of cashew and other foods rich in magnesium helps to regulate blood pressure. See 9 amazing benefits of cashew nuts for complete details. 

What's the problem?

1. Rice : Here are the pros for rice. Rice is a great source of complex carbohydrates, which is an important source of energy for our body. Rice is low in fibre and therefore a good option for people suffering from diarrhoea. What's not good in rice. Foods like rice are high in Glycemic index are not suitable for weight loss, heart patients,  diabetics as they affect the blood sugar control levels. See details of is white rice and parboiled rice good for you?

2. Sugar : Sugar used in the recipe is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. To live a healthy life, try and cut sugar which from your diet. It requires a slow and deliberate attempt to do it. Find hidden sugar in packaged foods and drinks and stop having those products. Did you know that a can of your favourite soft drink is estimated to have 1/2 cup of sugar. Refinded carbohydrates like maida, sugar, bread, pasta, noodles and sugar on consumption get stored as unhealthy fat in the body. 

Note : 1 cup = 200 ml (standard cup available in the market). The weight in grams varies for each ingredient.

Can diabetics, heart patients and over weight individuals have Rice Kheer?

No, this recipe is not good for diabetics, heart and weight loss. Sugar used in the recipe is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat.

Can healthy individuals have Rice Kheer?

I would say that if you want to enjoy a Indian Dessert once in a while, then go don't bother looking at the health information. What does Rice Kheer comprise off or what is unhealthy in it? Milk + Condensed Milk. Stay clear of both these ingredients. For 90% of the population milk is hard to digest and best avoided. Condensed milk tastes great but its got tons of sweetness added to it. 

What is a healthier Indian dessert option ?

We suggest you try low fat gajjar halwa recipe which uses dates as a sweetener along with low fat milk.  Make oats and mixed nuts ladoo recipe which is sweetened by jaggery,  oats and dates kheer and anjeer and mixed nuts barfi, dates and nut coconut balls sweetened by dates and zero sugar used,  and healthy fig ice cream (not for diabetics).

Oats and Dates Kheer, Healthy Indian Dessert Without Sugar

Try a jowar based Indian dessert which is a complex carb and will be absorbed slowly in the blood stream. The jowar apple sheera recipe is made with the addition of cows milk and apples and sweetened with honey.

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet.

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group.           

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym.

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover.

Rice Kheer is high in

1. Calcium : Calcium  is a mineral that makes bones stay strong. Required from kids to adults.

2. Phosphorous : Phosphorous works closely with calcium to build bones. 

3. Vitamin B1 : Vitamin B1 protects nerves, helps in carbohydrate metabolism, prevents heart diseases and helps produce red blood cells. 

Note : a recipe is deemed high in a Vitamin or mineral if it meets 20% and above the recommended daily allowance based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

How to burn 235 calories that come from Rice Kheer?

Walking (6 kmph) = 1 hr 11 mins

Running (11 kmph) = 24 mins

Cycling (30 kmph) = 31 mins          

Swimming (2 kmph) = 10 mins

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individual.