Paneer Kheer is an Indian dessert made using crumbled fresh paneer or chenna. It is easy to make and tastes delicious and is even perfect to serve for your functions and special occasions. Here is how to make it.
Here are some more Kheer Recipes, which are apt to make during festivals – Sevaiyan Kheer, Carrot Kheer, Badam Kheer, Makhane Ki Kheer, Sabudana Kheer, and Thandai Kheer.
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About This Recipe
Paneer Kheer or Cottage Cheese Milk Pudding is surely one of my favorite desserts. It is made using milk, fresh paneer or chenna, saffron, and rich dry fruits.
Paneer Kheer tastes a lot like rasmalai with pieces of soft chenna soaked in flavored milk coming in each bite.
Flavor this chenna kheer with cardamom and add pistachios and almonds on top to pretty it up. Paneer Kheer can also be named Paneer Payasam, as in South India Kheer is popularly known as Payasam.
This Indian sweet takes a few minutes to cook and tastes great. Moreover, it is made using very basic ingredients which are mostly available in any pantry.
You could easily make paneer at home, just as I have mentioned in the recipe or you may buy it from the nearby shops located in your area. But if you are making this Kheer, homemade fresh chenna tastes the best.
Paneer kheer fits perfectly on the menu of various festivities and special occasions. Be it Holi, Janmashtami, Christmas or you name any other festival, Paneer Kheer will enthrall your taste buds whenever you make a bowlful of this dessert. This kheer can also be made for fasting days (Vrat) like Navratri, Shivratri, or Ekadashi.
Serve it hot or chilled, I personally like to serve it chilled with lots of slivered dry fruits on top. You can also serve it with poori for a festive meal.
Ingredients
Milk – If you are using milk for homemade sweets and desserts, always go for full-fat milk as it tastes the best and makes your Kheer creamy and rich.
You can also opt for slim milk or low-fat milk, but the best result comes from full-fat milk.
Paneer – I always make homemade Paneer or Chenna to add to the kheer, but if you are short on time you can use store-bought paneer too. If using store-bought paneer, select the one which is moist and soft.
But I will always recommend you to add homemade paneer, as it is fresh and tastes amazing when mixed with milk and other ingredients.
Vinegar – Add in a little vinegar to make Chenna. You can even use lemon juice instead of vinegar.
Saffron – Saffron adds a nice hint of yellow along with adding flavour.
Sugar – You can adjust the amount of sugar as per your taste.
Cardamom – Cardamom powder adds a beautiful aroma and taste. You can even add crushed green cardamom seeds instead of powder.
How to make Paneer Kheer?
Heat 1-liter milk in a heavy bottom pan. It’s best to use buffalo milk to make the kheer as it is richer than cow’s milk. But if you don’t have access to it, feel free to use full-fat cow’s milk to make the kheer. Keep stirring the milk while heating otherwise it will stick to the bottom of the pan and get burned.
When the milk comes to a boil, switch off the heat. Add lime juice and give it a stir.
Milk will curdle immediately after adding the lime juice. If it doesn’t, then add some more lime juice to the pan. Let the curdled milk rest for 5 minutes. Strain it in a soup strainer and collect the cheese. Do not discard the water that is left behind. It has many nutritional benefits and can be used to make curries or kneading the flour.
Keep the strainer with paneer under running water for a few seconds so that the excess lime flavor is gone. Let the strainer rest over a vessel to get rid of all the excess water for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 and ½ liters of milk in another heavy bottom pan. Keep stirring at regular intervals to avoid burning of the milk at the bottom of the pan.
Simmer the heat to low once the milk comes to a boil. Add saffron strands to the pan and mix well. You can skip adding saffron if you wish to.
Let the milk cook for 20-25 minutes on low heat until it is reduced to almost half. Keep stirring at regular intervals. Crumble the paneer or chenna that we made earlier and add it to the pan.
Cook for another 30-35 minutes, until the milk is thickened. Keep in mind that the kheer will thicken some more after cooling. Add sugar and cardamom powder and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Adjust the amount of sugar according to your liking.
Paneer ki kheer is ready to serve. Serve it warm or chill it for a few hours. Garnish with almond and pistachio slivers and dry rose petals.
Pro Tips by Neha
This recipe can be easily halved, doubled or tripled.
Instead of crumbling the paneer, you can also grate it using the small hole of the box grater. I personally like the texture of the crumbled paneer though.
Adding a few drops of rose water elevates the taste of this kheer a lot. Do give it a try.
Storage Suggestions
Paneer Kheer will last for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. Make sure you store it in an airtight container.
Do not freeze it, because the milk will curdle once you thaw it at room temperature and it won’t taste good.
You can reheat the refrigerated Kheer in a pan or in microwave for about a minute.
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Recipe Card
Paneer Kheer Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 and ½ litres full fat milk (divided)
- 2 teaspoon lime juice
- 10-15 strands saffron (optional)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- Almond and pistachio slivers for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat 1-liter milk in a heavy bottom pan. It’s best to use buffalo milk to make the kheer as it is richer than cow’s milk. But if you don’t have access to it, feel free to use full-fat cow’s milk to make the kheer. Keep stirring the milk while heating otherwise it will stick to the bottom of the pan and get burned.
- When the milk comes to a boil, switch off the heat. Add lime juice and give it a stir.
- Milk will curdle immediately after adding the lime juice. If it doesn’t, then add some more lime juice to the pan. Let the curdled milk rest for 5 minutes. Strain it in a soup strainer and collect the cheese. Do not discard the water that is left behind. It has many nutritional benefits and can be used to make curries or kneading flour.
- Keep the strainer with paneer under running water for a few seconds so that the excess lime flavor is gone. Let the strainer rest over a vessel to get rid of all the excess water for about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 and ½ liters of milk in another heavy bottom pan. Keep stirring at regular intervals to avoid burning the milk at the bottom of the pan.
- Simmer the heat to low once the milk comes to a boil. Add saffron strands to the pan and mix well. You can skip adding saffron if you wish to.
- Let the milk cook for 20-25 minutes on low heat until it is reduced to almost half. Keep stirring at regular intervals. Crumble the paneer or chenna that we made earlier and add it to the pan.
- Cook for another 30-35 minutes, until the milk is thickened. Keep in mind that the kheer will thicken some more after cooling. Add sugar and cardamom powder and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Adjust the amount of sugar according to your liking.
- Paneer ki kheer is ready to serve. Serve it warm or chill it for a few hours. Garnish with almond and pistachio slivers and dry rose petals.
