Kheer is a rich creamy rice pudding popular in Pakistan and India.
It’s made with rice that’s simmered slowly for hours in milk that’s sweetened with sugar and fragranced with cardamom. The slow cooking process condenses the milk, resulting in a thick creamy pudding like consistency that’s irresistible. With this recipe, I’m adapting my popular Kheer to the Instant Pot/ Multi-cooker. I make no shortcuts but the technique is totally hand-off and hassle free since the pressure cooker is doing all the hard work.
To replicate that earthen feel of the traditional Kheer served up in Burns Road in Karachi, I bought similar looking terracotta bowls from Home Depot. It’s only a dollar a piece but man oh man, does it totally change the playing field! It doesn’t get more authentic than this.
WHY DOES RICE NEED TO BE MUSHY? CAN I JUST USE UNCOOKED RICE?
Uncooked rice cooked directly in milk leaves that very rice taste. You can taste the grains of rice and I have always found that technique to never produce a kheer where the rice and milk have homogenized. In this recipe I overboil the rice in water until totally mushy. The method not only breaks down the grain completely but allows the cooking process to erase the taste of rice completely.
DO I PRESSURE COOK BOTH THE RICE AND THE KHEER?
Using this recipe, you will be pressure cooking in two phases–once when you prepare the rice and then the second time when you actually prepare the kheer.
I DONT HAVE AN INSTANT POT. CAN I MAKE THIS ON THE STOVE?
YES! On the stove, the result will be 10x creamier because you’ll be able to scrape off the milk solids (aka golden flavor) that collect on the sides of the pot. Check out my popular Kheer recipe for the stovetop.
I DONT HAVE A MULTICOOKER. CAN I MAKE THIS KHEER IN THE INSTANT POT?
I am unable to 100% back up results on the Instant Pot as I don’t have that brand. However, many of my Instagram followers have adapted this recipe for the Instant Pot and have raved about the result. Check out the recipe card for recommendation on how to adapt this Kheer recipe to your Instant Pot.
THE KHEER DID NOT THICKEN AFTER THE COOKING TIME?
If you’re using the multi-cooker at 230F, your kheer should thicken beautifully. It won’t be very thick, but keep in mind that as the kheer cools, it will thicken. If using an Instant Pot on low pressure mode, you find that the kheer is not thick and hadn’t developed an off-white/beige color, then simply let it go for another half hour or so. Alternatively, you can cook it down on saute mode as well on low heat.
CAN I USE THE PORRIDGE SETTING ON MY INSTANT POT?
I am unable to confirm how well this technique works. However, I have an Instagram follower, who after pressure cooking rice to mushy, pressure cooked the kheer on “porridge” setting for only 30 minutes. She said the result was delicious. If you use this technique, please know that I am unable to fully vouch for it.
Instant Pot Kheer Rice Pudding
Equipment
- Multi-Cooker
Ingredients
Rice Mixture
- 1/4 cup rice
- 2 cups water
Kheer
- 4 1/2 cups milk
- 7 tbsp sugar
- 6-7 cardamom pods cracked open
Instructions
- First, pressure cook rice and water with valve sealed for 12 minutes. Dump in your multicooker or instant pot on high and let pressure cook. The rice will be totally mushy (exactly what we need).
- Remove the mushy rice into a bowl and mash it with a fork well until it resembles an oatmeal like consistency. This should take only 2-3 minutes.
- Next, set your multicooker/Instant Pot to "saute" mode and pour in the milk. Let it come to a simmer, the add sugar and cardamom. Followed by the mushy rice
- De-clump the rice a bit by moving it around with the help of a spatula.
- Next, set your multi-cooker to manual pressure temp at 230F with valve sealed and pressure cook for 1 hour and 30 mins. If using an Instant pot, set your pot on low pressure.
- Allow natural release of pressure and your kheer should be nice and thickened. If you want to thicken it further, you can continue to "saute" on low heat for another 10-15 minutes or longer. Note that with Instant Pot, you may need to put the Kheer back on pressure for another 30 minutes (just depends on the thickness you prefer).
- Service in terracotta plates for extra authenticity and garnish with pistachio and almonds.
Notes
- I don't own an Instant Pot and rely on my Instagram followers who have adapted this recipe successfully to an Instant Pot.
- Some Instant Pot users have pressure cooked on low setting for an hour and a half, and some have also successfully pressure cooked on "porridge" setting for only 30 minutes. If you try the latter, please know that I have not tested that at all.
- In both methods, you will need to pressure cook rice separately as explained in the recipe card until its mushy.
