Badam Kheer (Almond Kheer, Badam Payasam) is a delicious Indian dessert where milk is cooked with almond paste and saffron. Make it for festivals or special occasions for a delicious treat (vegetarian, gluten-free).
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About Badam Kheer (Almond Kheer, Badam Payasam)
‘Badam’ means almonds in Hindi and ‘Kheer’ is an Indian milk pudding. Badam Kheer (Almond Kheer, Badam Payasam) is a deliciously creamy and rich almond pudding, which is popularly served during celebrations and festive occasions.
It is very similar to Basundi (a reduced milk dessert) or Badam Milk.
My recipe to make this delicious badam kheer is super easy and comes together in under 40 minutes using simple ingredients. You can scale the recipe up or down as per your requirement.
Serve this kheer piping hot, just out of the pan, or chill it for a few hours before serving. You can also serve it at room temperature. Personally, this kheer tastes best chilled, the next day of making. It gets creamier and thicker.
This kheer has healthy fat from almonds and milk, so if are on a weight loss journey and looking for healthy dessert recipes, then it is a great option for you.
This easy recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free.
Here are some more kheer recipes that you may like
- Vermicelli Kheer
- Orange Kheer
- Carrot Kheer
- Makhane Ki Kheer
- Sabudana Kheer
- Rice Kheer
- Lauki Ki Kheer
- Thandai Kheer
- Chikoo Kheer
- Sweet Potato Kheer
Ingredients
Almonds (Badam) – Almonds are the star ingredient of this kheer. Use the best quality whole almonds for the best result.
Milk – Always use whole milk (full-fat milk) to make the best creamy kheer recipe.
Others – You will also need saffron strands, cardamom powder, and sugar to make badam kheer recipe. Garnish almond kheer with slivered nuts like almonds and pistachios and dried rose petals.
You can also crush whole green cardamom pods in a mortar and pestle and use them in place of ground cardamom.
How To Make Badam Kheer
Soak ½ cup (70 g, 2.5 oz) of almonds in 1 cup of water for 5-6 hours. Soaking the almond in water makes the peeling process and blending easier.
Tip – If you have forgotten to soak the almonds, then soak them in boiling hot water for an hour.
Peel the skin of the soaked almonds and add them to a blender along with ½ cup of whole milk.
Blend to make a fine paste. Don’t bother if there are a few small pieces of almonds in the paste. They will add to the texture of the kheer.
Add the remaining milk to a heavy bottom pan and bring it to a boil on medium heat. Stir frequently to avoid scorching at the bottom of the pan.
Once the milk comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and add 10-15 strands of saffron to the pan and mix well.
Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Now add the ground almond paste to the pan and cook on low heat until the kheer thickens (15-20 minutes). Keep stirring very frequently to avoid scorching at the bottom of the pan.
Keep scraping the sides of the pan at regular intervals and add the solidified milk back to the pan.
The preferred consistency of the kheer should be like that of custard.
Note – Keep in consideration that it will thicken some more once cooled.
Once almond kheer is thickened and has reached the desired consistency, stir in ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon cardamom powder and cook for another 5 minutes.
Garnish with slivered almonds and pistachios and dried rose petals and serve hot or chilled.
Tip – If serving the kheer chilled, cover the pan with a lid to avoid the formation of a cream layer on top. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours and serve chilled.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use readymade almond powder to make this kheer instead of making an almond paste. Just replace the badam paste with 4 tablespoon almond flour and keep the recipe the same.
When this kheer is made using sweetened condensed milk, the time of cooking is reduced as it helps to thicken the kheer faster. To make it with condensed milk, cook the badam paste with milk for 10-12 minutes. Then add ½ cup sweetened condensed milk and cook for another 5-6 minutes and the almond payasam is ready to serve. Do not add any extra sugar to this recipe as the condensed milk is very sweet by itself.
Yes, you can make this kheer with the almond skin on but keep in consideration that the texture of the kheer will not be creamy in that case.
Yes, you can use powdered jaggery or jaggery syrup instead of sugar to sweeten this delicious kheer. But always keep in mind to never add jaggery when the kheer is hot; it will curdle the milk. Once the kheer is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool down for 5 minutes. Now add the jaggery and mix well.
Variations
Vegan – To make a vegan version of this badam payasam, replace regular milk with plant-based milk like coconut milk, oat milk, soy milk, or almond milk. Always cook the kheer on low heat if using vegan milk otherwise the milk will curdle.
Carrot – Add ½ cup of grated carrots to the almond kheer along with the almond paste.
Sabudana – Soak 2 tablespoon sabudana (sago pearls) in 2 tablespoon water for 2-3 hours and add it along with the almond paste.
Lauki – Add ½ cup of grated lauki (bottle gourd) to this delicious dessert along with the almond paste.
Khoya – To make badam payasam even richer, you can add 2 tablespoon of crumbled khoya (reduced milk solids) at the end.
Rice – You can also add a tablespoon of uncooked white rice along with the almond paste. It gives badam payasam a nice bite.
Vermicelli – Make badam kheer with vermicelli. Add 2 tablespoon of roasted vermicelli along with the almond paste.
Storage Suggestions
You can store almond kheer in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days. Make sure you store it in an airtight container.
I do not recommend freezing it as the milk may curdle when thawed.
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Recipe Card
Badam Kheer Recipe (Almond Kheer, Badam Payasam)
Ingredients
- ½ cup almonds (badam) (70 g, 2.5 oz)
- 1 litre whole milk (full-fat milk) (divided)
- 10-15 strands saffron
- ¼ cup sugar (50 g, or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
Instructions
- Soak almonds in 1 cup water for 5-6 hours. Soaking the almond in water makes the peeling process and blending easier.
- Tip – If you have forgotten to soak the almonds, then soak them in boiling hot water for an hour.
- Peel the skin of the almonds and add them to a blender along with ½ cup milk.
- Blend to make a smooth paste. Don’t bother if there are a few small pieces of almonds in the paste. They will add to the texture of the kheer.
- Add the remaining milk to a heavy bottom pan and bring it to a boil on medium heat. Stir frequently to avoid scorching.
- Once the milk comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and add saffron to the pan and mix well.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Now add the almond paste to the pan and cook on low heat until the kheer thickens (15-20 minutes). Keep stirring very frequently to avoid scorching.
- Keep scraping the sides of the pan at regular intervals and add the solidified milk back to the pan.
- The consistency of the ready kheer should be like that of custard.
- Note – Keep in consideration that the kheer will thicken some more once cooled.
- Once the kheer is thickened, stir in sugar and cardamom powder and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Check for sugar and add more if you like it sweeter and cook for another minute.
- Garnish with slivered almonds and pistachios and dried rose petals and serve hot or chilled.
- Tip – If serving the kheer chilled, cover the pan with a lid to avoid the formation of a cream layer on top. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours and serve chilled.
Sunil Subhas
Will definitely try..
Neha Mathur
Thanks