Creamy, luscious, and delicious, Sabudana Kheer is an Indian dessert made using sago pearls, milk, and sugar. Make it over the stovetop or in an instant pot using my simple recipe.
Here are some more kheer recipes that you might like – Seviyan Kheer, Badam Kheer, Carrot Kheer, Makhane Ki Kheer, Rice Kheer, and Paneer Kheer.
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About This Recipe
Sabudana Kheer is an Indian dessert made using sago pearls (sabudana) and milk. It is a great dessert to make for festivals, special occasions, or vrat (Hindu fasting) days.
This Indian sago pudding is rich and creamy in texture and comes together in 30 minutes using simple ingredients. It is gluten-free and can be easily made vegan too.
Sabudana is a very popular ingredient in India. It is called Javvarisi in Tamil, Sabakki in Kannada, Sagubiyyam in Telugu, and Sabudana in Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathai. It is also called tapioca pearls as it is made from the roots of Tapioca or Cassava. Rich in starch, it is basically a processed food.
Sabudana is high in carbs and starch and very low in protein, vitamins, and minerals. It is generally cooked with other nutritious ingredients to balance the dish.
Due to its high Instant energy, it is a favorite ingredient to use during vrat days. It is also a great ingredient to use in summers as it cools downs and maintains the internal body temperature.
I make a lot of dishes using sabudana like Sabudana Vada, Sabudana Thalipeeth, Sabudana Khichdi, and this delicious Sabudana Kheer.
Make it in a pot over the stovetop or in an instant pot as per your preference.
Ingredients
Milk – Use whole (full-fat) milk to make the kheer rich and creamy. You can use any plant-based milk like almond milk or coconut milk to make it vegan.
Sabudana – Sabudana (Sago Pearls) are the star ingredients of this dish. Use medium size pearls for the best result.
Saffron – Saffron (Kesar) is optional but it adds a nice hint of yellow color along with a lovely flavor to the kheer, so highly recommended.
Cardamom Powder – Flavor the kheer with ground cardamom.
Sugar – Adjust the amount of sugar as per your taste. You can also use jaggery or dates puree in place of sugar.
How To Make Sabudana Kheer Over Stovetop
Wash ½ cup sabudana 2-3 times with water. Soak it in ½ cup water for 4-5 hours.
Tip – If you have forgotten to soak the sabudana beforehand, then soak it in boiling hot water for 30 minutes. It will be ready to use to make the kheer.
Heat 1-liter whole milk in a heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat. Keep stirring frequently to prevent scorching. When the milk comes to a boil, add the soaked sabudana and 15-20 saffron strands to the pan.
Reduce the heat to low and cook the kheer until it gets thick and the sabudana are cooked. (Approx 40-60 minutes). Keep stirring very frequently to avoid scorching.
Note – Keep in mind that the kheer will thicken more as it cools down.
Add ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon cardamom powder and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Garnish with slivered almonds and pistachios and serve hot or chilled.
How To Make Sabudana Kheer In An Instant pot
Wash and soak ½ cup sabudana in ½ cup water for 4-5 hours.
Add the soaked sabudana, ½ cup water, and 15-20 strands of saffron to the instant pot and stir gently.
Close the lid of the pot and set the valve to the sealing position.
Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 6 minutes at HIGH PRESSURE.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid of the pot.
Press SAUTE.
Add ½ liter milk and cook until the kheer thickens (12-15 minutes).
Add ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon cardamom powder and cook for another minute.
Garnish with slivered almonds and pistachios and serve hot or chilled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cook the sabudana in water instead of milk. Once it is cooked, add mashed dates and cook for 2-3 minutes. Cool the kheer and add breastmilk or formula and mix well.
You can also add coconut milk or regular milk at the end and boil it for 2-3 minutes.
You can make sabudane ki kheer without soaking the sabudana, just that it will take more time to cook. The other alternative is to cook the kheer in a pressure cooker or an instant pot. Just make sure to increase the cooking time by 4-5 minutes.
You can substitute the sugar with jaggery for a healthy alternative. Crush the jaggery and add it only once the kheer is completely cooked and slightly cooled, otherwise it can split the milk.
Cook the sabudana in milk until they are tender. Add ½ tin sweetened milk and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Do not add any extra sugar as the condensed milk is quite sweet by itself.
Variations
You can flavor sago kheer with fruit purees like mango puree, strawberry puree, or chikoo puree. Add the fruit puree to the cooked and cooled kheer.
You can also add grated bottle gourd (lauki) or carrots to this kheer along with sabudana.
Flavor the cooked and cooled kheer with rose syrup and gulkand for a rose-flavored sabudana kheer. You can also add some thandai powder to it for a thandai flavored sabudane ki kheer.
Storage Suggestions
Sabudana Kheer will last in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days when stored in an airtight container. You can serve it chilled or heat it in a pan or microwave until nice and warm.
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Recipe Card
Sabudana Kheer Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 litre whole milk
- ½ cup medium size sabudana (sago)
- 15-20 strands saffron
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
- Wash sabudana 2-3 times with water. Soak it in ½ cup water for 4-5 hours.
- Heat milk in a heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat. When the milk comes to a boil, add the soaked sabudana and saffron strands to the pan.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook the kheer until it gets thick and the sabudana are cooked. (Approx 40-60 minutes). Keep stirring very frequently to avoid scorching.
- Keep in mind that will thicken more as it cools down.
- Add sugar and cardamom powder and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Garnish with slivered almonds and pistachios and serve hot or chilled.
