Rice Pudding — everyday creamy kheer, and its cousins around the world

i. Origin & history

Rice and milk were both staples in ancient India, and rice boiled in milk is among the earliest sweet dishes recorded there. The Hindi word kheer comes from the Sanskrit kṣīra, milk, and the South Indian payasam from payas, also milk. Rice cooked in milk was offered in temples and at family rituals, and it still marks celebrations, from a baby's first taste of rice to weddings, Diwali and Eid.

From India and Persia, rice puddings spread west along trade routes. Rice was an expensive import in medieval Europe, so early European rice puddings were luxury dishes, often made with almond milk and spices for the tables of the wealthy. As rice became cheaper, rice pudding turned into a homely staple: baked in the oven with a nutmeg-flecked skin in Britain, cooked with cinnamon and lemon zest in Spain and Latin America as arroz con leche, and served cold with almonds and cherry sauce at Danish Christmas as risalamande.

Across the Middle East and Turkey, sütlaç is often baked until browned on top, and Iran's shir berenj is scented with rose water. Portugal's arroz doce is enriched with egg yolks and traced with cinnamon. East and Southeast Asia have their own rice desserts, often made with glutinous rice and coconut milk, such as the Filipino and Thai sticky-rice puddings.

India alone has dozens of forms. North Indian kheer is usually made with basmati and scented with cardamom — for a richer, more fragrant version, see our cardamom rice pudding. Bengal's payesh uses small, fragrant gobindobhog rice and winter date-palm jaggery. Kerala's payasam includes jaggery and coconut milk versions. And phirni uses ground rice for a smooth, set pudding. This recipe is the plain, everyday version: thick, creamy, gently sweet and quick to make.

ii. Why short-grain rice makes the creamiest pudding

The creaminess of rice pudding comes from starch, and the type of rice determines how much starch is released. Rice starch has two components: amylose, a straight molecule that keeps grains firm and separate, and amylopectin, a branched molecule that makes them soft and sticky. Short-grain rices, such as pudding rice, arborio or Indian short-grain varieties, are high in amylopectin and release a lot of it as they cook, thickening the milk into a creamy sauce. Long-grain basmati has more amylose, so the grains stay more distinct and the pudding is thinner.

Breaking or lightly crushing some of the grains increases the surface area and speeds up starch release. Many Indian cooks use broken rice for kheer for this reason, and it is also cheaper.

The second element is milk reduction. Simmering whole milk slowly evaporates water and concentrates its fat, protein and sugar, making it thicker and richer. The milk sugar (lactose) and proteins brown very slightly over a long simmer, giving a gentle caramel flavour, which is part of the character of a good kheer. A quick shortcut, used in many homes, is to add a little evaporated or condensed milk at the end.

Rice puddings thicken considerably as they cool, because the starch continues to set. A pudding that looks perfect in the pan will be stiff once cold, so it should be taken off the heat while still a little runny. Sugar is added once the rice is soft, since sugar slows down the softening of the grains.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 60 g short-grain or broken rice
• 1000 ml whole milk
• 80 g sugar
• ¼ tsp ground green cardamom
• 1 pinch salt
• 60 ml evaporated milk or condensed milk (optional, for extra richness)
• 1 tsp ghee or butter
• 2 tbsp cashews or almonds, chopped
• 1 tbsp raisins

For a creamy kheer, use short-grain rice, such as Indian short-grain, pudding rice or even arborio; broken basmati also works well. For a more fragrant, less thick kheer, use basmati. Whole milk is essential for creaminess. The evaporated or condensed milk is an optional shortcut for richness; if using condensed milk, reduce the sugar. A small pinch of salt balances the sweetness. For a spiced Western-style rice pudding, replace the cardamom with vanilla and a little nutmeg or cinnamon.

iv. Method

1. Rinse the rice and soak it in water for 20 minutes. Drain and lightly crush about half the grains with your fingers.
2. Bring the milk to the boil in a heavy-based pan over medium heat, stirring so it does not catch.
3. Add the rice and reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently, stirring every few minutes and scraping the base and sides, for 35–45 minutes, until the rice is completely soft and the milk has thickened and reduced by about a third.
4. Add the sugar, salt and evaporated or condensed milk, if using. Stir and simmer for another 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a small pan and fry the nuts until golden, then add the raisins until they plump.
6. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cardamom and most of the nuts and raisins. The pudding should still be slightly runny; it will thicken as it cools.
7. Serve warm, or cool and chill for at least 2 hours, topped with the remaining nuts. Loosen with a little cold milk if it becomes too thick.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Choose the right rice. Short-grain or broken rice gives a creamy pudding; long-grain gives a thinner one with separate grains.
• Use a heavy pan and low heat. Milk burns easily and a scorched taste spoils the pudding.
• Stir and scrape regularly. Starch settles on the base of the pan and catches if left alone.
• Add sugar after the rice is soft. Sugar added too early slows the cooking of the rice.
• Take it off while still loose. Rice pudding thickens a lot as it cools.
• Loosen leftovers. Chilled rice pudding sets firm; stir in a little milk before serving.

vi. Variations

Within India: gur kheer uses jaggery, stirred in off the heat to prevent curdling; kesar kheer adds saffron; dudhpak from Gujarat is thicker and richer; and makhana kheer uses puffed lotus seeds. Around the world: British rice pudding is baked slowly in the oven with butter and nutmeg until a brown skin forms; Spanish and Latin American arroz con leche uses cinnamon and lemon peel; Turkish sütlaç is baked until browned; and Danish risalamande folds cold rice pudding with whipped cream and almonds.

Related desserts on DessertCat include cardamom rice pudding, phirni, payasam, arroz doce and the Persian saffron rice pudding sholeh zard, made without milk.

vii. Serving & storage

In India, kheer is served warm in winter and chilled in summer, in small bowls, at festivals and family meals or simply as an everyday dessert. It is also good with fresh fruit, such as mango, or a spoonful of jam or stewed fruit in the Western style.

Rice pudding keeps for up to three days in the fridge, covered. It will thicken as it chills; stir in a little cold milk, or warm it gently with milk. It does not freeze well, as the milk separates and the rice becomes grainy.

ix. More rice and milk puddings

• Cardamom Rice Pudding — fragrant North Indian kheer
• Phirni — chilled ground-rice pudding
• Payasam — South Indian milk pudding
• Risalamande — Danish Christmas rice pudding
• Arroz Doce — Portuguese cinnamon rice pudding
• Sholeh Zard — Persian saffron rice pudding