Doodhpak or Rice Kheer or Rice Pudding is a delightful and luxurious, traditional old fashioned Indian rice pudding prepared using rice, milk, nuts, and aromatic spices. This is dessert meant for the royals!
- ,
- Ghee Rice.
I would love to know which one is your most favorite 🙂
It's mixed feeling for me today. These 9 days were filled with full of happiness and joy. It just passed like flash of light. But upcoming Diwali festival keeps my enthusiasm high. Have you planned anything for Diwali yet? I really want to post some interesting facts and recipes for the same. Meanwhile you can also check my post on Diwali sweet recipes and Diwali snacks recipes.
Ok now back to doodhpak, I can only say BEST FOR THE LAST plus it's my father-in-laws birthday!!! I could not find any better occasion to prepare this appetizing sweet.
What is kheer or Indian Rice Pudding?
Kheer or Doodhpak is a popular Indian style pudding dessert or sweet recipe prepared using 3 basic ingredients rice, milk and sugar. All other ingredients are added to enhance the flavor and is totally optional.
A variation to doodhpak is to use sabudana (tapioca pearls) instead of rice or combine the two. The time to cook sabudana and rice are different so I avoid combining the two ingredients together. Another way to prepare Kheer is using Semolina-sevia or vermicelli(semiya or seviyan), which also tastes great and is easy to prepare. Other versions of kheer are makhana kheer, badam kheer, lauki kheer, mango kheer, apple kheer....
This doodhpak or Chawal ki Kheer recipe is different from doodhpak prepared in Gujarat. The ingredients remains the same but time to prepare this dish and the ratio of rice to milk varies. The recipe below is very popular in coastal Karnataka specially with Konkani community and can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients used to make Rice kheer, rice pudding or doodhpak
- ¾ cup Basmati Rice
- 1 ½ tablespoon Ghee (brown butter)
- 4 to 5 Cardamom pods (vary as per taste)
- 2 Cloves
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- 6 to 7 Saffron strands
- ½ to ¾ cup Sugar (Vary as per taste)
- 2 tablespoon Cashews broken
- 2 tablespoon Almonds broken
- 1 tablespoon Raisins
Tips to make the best kheer, pudding, or doodhpak at home
First, use good aromatic rice like basmati or jeera to make doodh pak. Next add additional flavor to the dish. This is optional but doing so will take your dish to the next level. To do this sauté the rice in butter or ghee for not more than 2 minutes. To this add cardamom skin (seeds will be crushed and used for the recipe), cloves, water, and cook the rice. Check video on making of kheer or doodhpak
Once the rice is cooked, add milk, and saffron strands, and simmer on low flame. Keep stirring to avoid it from sticking at the bottom. Once the rice is soft and cooked through, add sugar and simmer for few more minutes till the sugar is dissolved and the mixture thickens. You can check the sweetness and adjust the sugar accordingly. See that you add sugar only when rice is cooked through completely.
In another pan, add ghee or butter and roast the dry fruits and nuts of your choice. Add this to the kheer along with cardamom powder and simmer for 1 more minute for the flavors to get infused. Doodhpak or Kheer is now ready.
Few more tips : Doodhpak is a thick dessert but it gets dry or thick in consistency as it cools down. To adjust this add more milk or water. For the best results use full fat milk. Keep stirring it to avoid any burning from the bottom. There is not exact ratio for rice, milk and sugar. All three ingredients can be varied as per ones taste.
This is one Indian dessert that can be prepared for any occasions like birthdays, anniversary, romantic dinner, or for festivals like Diwali, Holi, Ramnavmi, Christmas, Ganesh Chaturthi.
Is kheer served hot or cold?
You can serve it hot or cold and it tastes great both the ways.
I like it eating it hot straight from the pan while my husband loves the chilled version.
Based on individual preference serve this pudding or kheer hot or keep it in refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours and serve cold.
Can I make doodhpak or kheer or pudding vegan?
Yes. Instead of milk use almond milk and skip roasting nuts and rice with ghee or butter.
Instant Pot Rice Kheer recipe (Indian style Rice Pudding)
Kheer is one of the best and nice recipe that you can try on instant pot. It makes your job easier. Follow the recipe below. The quantity of liquid and rice in an instant pot is different from that of a regular pot.
Start by pressing the sauté button. Add ghee or butter to the inner pot of the instant pot. Add cashews, almonds, and sauté. Once they turn the light add raisins. Transfer this to a plate.
Add 1 ½ cups of water and let it start steaming, and then add the remaining ingredients. This is to allow milk or pudding from sticking to the bottom. Then add 2 cups milk, ½ cup rice, sugar, cardamom skin and cloves, and saffron strands to the inner pot of the instant pot. Stir it once. Cover with the lid.
Place the steam release handle to the sealing position and press the porridge button. Set the timer to 18 minutes. Once done, allow the pressure to release naturally.
Open the lid and add cardamom powder, roasted nuts and stir well. You may feel that the kheer is runny. In this case you can cook on sauté mode till it becomes thick for desired consistency.
However, kheer or pudding thickens as it cools down. Serve hot or chill, and enjoy.
Video recipe on how to make rice kheer or doodhpak
Stepwise recipe for Doodhpak or Rice Kheer or Indian style Rice Pudding

Doodhpak or Kheer is a delightful and luxurious, traditional old fashioned Indian rice pudding prepared using rice, milk, nuts, and aromatic spices. This is dessert meant for the royals!
- ¾ cup Basmati Rice
- 1 ½ tablespoon Ghee (brown butter)
- 4 to 5 Cardamom pods (vary as per taste)
- 2 Cloves
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- 6 to 7 Saffron strands
- ½ to ¾ cup Sugar (Vary as per taste)
- 2 tablespoon Cashews broken
- 2 tablespoon Almonds broken
- 1 tablespoon Raisins
-
In a pan, add rice, ½ tablespoon of ghee and saute it on medium flame just for a minute or two.
-
Remove the skin of cardamom and separate the seeds. Crush the seeds in mortar and pestle and keep it aside.
-
Add the cardamom skin (just to add flavor), cloves, and approx 1 ¼ cup of water. Once it comes to a boil, simmer it for 10 minutes till the rice is cooked through.
-
To the cooked rice, add whole milk, saffron strands, and simmer on medium to medium-low flame stirring it frequently till the rice becomes soft.
-
Add the sugar and continue stirring till the mixture thickens. Start with ½ cup, check the sweetness and vary sugar as per your taste. If kheer or rice pudding becomes too thick (dry), you can add more milk or water. Check video on making of doodhpak or rice kheer
-
In another pan add remaining 1 tablespoon of ghee and roast almonds and cashews. Once they turn light brown in color, add raisins and switch off the flame.
-
Add the roasted nuts along with crushed cardamom powder to the kheer and simmer for one more minute. Switch off the flame.
-
Doodhpak is now ready. Serve hot or chilled and enjoy.
- Use whole milk or full fat milk as it will make your pudding rich and creamier.
- Adding nuts, saffron and spices are totally optional. You can add only those available in your pantry and still make this kheer.
- Doodhpak is a thick dessert but it gets dry or thick in consistency as it cools down. To adjust this add more milk or water.
- Keep stirring it to avoid any burning from the bottom. There is not exact ratio for rice, milk and sugar. All three ingredients can be varied as per ones taste.
If you like this Indian sweet or dessert recipe,
Don't miss to check out some of my popular and delicious Indian desserts and sweets or mithai to try this festival or holiday season.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
For more recent updates, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter.
***Click below to save it on Pinterest***
Kendall
I can't have dairy, but it sounds like this recipe could be delicious with coconut milk so I'm going to try it! Also, my 4-year-old loves anything with rice, so I think he'll be excited about dessert rice. 🙂
Kasey Ma
This looks super interesting! I’ve mever had rice pudding, but I’d like to try it.
Kasey Ma
TheStyleWright.com
Kasey Ma
This looks super interesting, I’d love to try it!
Kasey Ma
TheStyleWright.com
Joanna Clute
I would love to try some of this. My husband said he loves the stuff.
Leah
This looks great!! We will have to give it a try!
Elaine Benoit
I love rice pudding but have never had Doodhpak! I love finding these fun recipes from other cultures! I can't wait to make this for hubby and myself!
Gloria
Love the sound of this version if rice pudding. Recipes from around the world are fun to make and fun to eat. I will have to try this one out soon.
Aleta
This sounds delicious! Anything with roasted almonds and I'm sold 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Nicoletta De Angelis Nardelli
We've been wanting to make kheer for so long! We love it and have been intimidated in trying. This might be the time we make it! Thank you!
Tatiana
I remember i tried this rice pudding before when i visited my Indian friends. So delicious and sweet!
lauren
I have a bunch of basmati rice that needs something tasty to be done with it - this looks like the right fit! My friend loves rice pudding so I'm going to try this as a special holiday treat for him.
Leslie Haasch
I love the smell of cardamom and saffron - I bet I would love this!
Jessica (Swanky Recipes)
I'm looking to make new recipes for the New Year and this is just easy enough to try for my friends. I love how delicious rice pudding is and I'm going to make this next.
Jyothi (Jo)
Kheer on any day is welcome in our family. It’s a regular meal item in our home and my son never gets bored of kheer. If not for anyone I always make for my son haha. Looks delicious
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
I have never heard of kheer, but it looks yummy! I love the flavour combination in this dish. Pinned!
Holly
This rice pudding looks so delicious! My mom would make it for breakfast now and then and it was such a treat.
Jessica Formicola
This is the best rice pudding recipe I've ever tried! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Erica Schwarz
Love the sound of this lovely dessert! I bet the spices smell divine!
Sara Welch
What a tasty and unique recipe! I've never tried this before, but you've inspired me to give it a try! Yum!
Anita
We always get this when we go to Indian buffet, even when we are already completely full! Now have to learn to cook it myself with your recipe. 🙂
liz
I like the idea of putting something crunchy on top!
Pam Greer
What a delicious rice dessert! I love all the flavors in it! So pretty with the toppings!
Jo Allison
I love rice pudding in any shape or form. Your version with all the nuts as well as saffron sounds and looks absolutely beautiful and luxurious! Can't wait to try it!
Amy
I love rice pudding! This looks delicious!
Krissy Allori
Yum! I love rice pudding. This was so good.
David
I don't tend to think of rice in a sweet dish but you sure make it look so good!
Biana
This looks delicious, the pudding looks so smooth and delicious. I love that you flavor it with spices!
Dannii
Rice pudding is total comfort food, and so nostalgic for me. This looks delicious.
Caroline
I have been getting back in to rice pudding recently and exploring different ones from around the world. I love the sound of the flavors in this - cardamon is a big favorite so I am sure I'll like this! Interesting to hear how this varies as well.
Alexandra
I love traditional desserts, and this one is so lovely! What a beautiful combination of flavour and spice.
Priya Lakshminarayan
This is one of my favorite dessert! Looks so good.
Emmeline
We have a similar rice pudding in Sweden for Christmas - but this I think will be my new favorite version! So much great spices in there, yum!
Charla
This looks like an amazing after dinner pudding and it has cardamom in which is my favourite spice.
Jacqueline Meldrum
I love creamy rice pudding and I am glad to see no skin. I hate rice pudding with a skin. I will have to try your idea of adding nuts to it the next time I make it. I've never tried that before.
Dr. Kavita Kamath
This reminded me of the doodhpaak served in konkani weddings when I was a child... Can you please tell me if I want to combine rice with sabudana, when and how should the sago be added?
Kushi
Thanks for your comment and sorry for late response. You can add sabudana at step II in the recipe above along with cooked rice to make rice sabudana kheer. The texture will be different from what you see in the picture. Also make sure you soak sabudana (sago) for at least 30 minutes
Maddy Franchi
I made this recipe today and indeed, it is delicious. However, this one calls for cooking the rice in 1 1/4 cups of water until cooked and then adding the milk and cooking longer. Other recipes I have looked at online soak and drain the rice and cook it only in milk. I used basmati rice and it came out great, but I wonder why this one cooks the rice in water first. Comments?
Kushi
Hi. Thanks. I am glad you liked it. This is just my preferred way. There is nothing wrong in cooking it directly in milk. It is just that it requires constant stirring for little more extra time to prevent it from burring at bottom.
JP
As an Asian that loves rice, I'm not sure how I feel about rice pudding but it does look similar to some of our snacks. The almond part makes it look fancy and would probably go well together.
Devishobha Chandramouli
You make it look so easy! I can already feel it melting in my mouth! Thanks for sharing!
Marysa
I have never made my own rice pudding, but it is a dessert I really enjoy. I would like to try making my own and your recipe sounds great.
Cinny
Mmm, we love pudding in our household. Those look like a lovely dessert to have.
Ashley t
I love rice pudding and this looks so good. Would love to try this recipe one day.
AscendingButterfly
My Latina Grandma used to make "Arroz Dulce" which is slightly similar, when my Grandmother made this all her neighbors would come over for some, and bring tupperware to take some home too!
Grasyah [Of Coffee and Crackers]
rice pudding looks yummy.. and I bet kids will love this! rated your recipe and bookmarked it too! 🙂
Alita Pacio
I have never made any Indian recipes before but I totally think this Indian rice pudding is worth a try. Thanks for sharing
Matt Taylor
I love rice pudding! I also love that almost every culture in the world that eats rice has their own version of rice pudding. Such an amazing dish!
Ivan M. Jose
That looks delicious! It's also such a coincidence because I've been craving our local sticky rice with coconut milk lately.