Semiya Payasam Recipe (Vermicelli Payasam)
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Semiya payasam (vermicelli payasam) is a South Indian dessert where wheat vermicelli (semiya) is cooked in milk and flavored with ground cardamom. This rich, creamy sweet is commonly served in South Indian homes for festivals such as Tamil New Year, Onam, and Vishu, as well as for special occasions like weddings, birthday parties, and family get-togethers. Use my easy recipe to make this delicious sweet.
Here are some more kheer and payasam recipes: Rice kheer, paneer kheer, carrot kheer, and makhana kheer.
Quick Look: Semiya Payasam
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: Approx. 370 per serving
Dietary Info: Vegetarian. Can be easily made vegan (use coconut milk and oil).
Skill Level: Easy
Tools Needed: Heavy-bottomed pan and a silicone spatula
Table of Contents
What Is Semiya Payasam?
Semiya payasam is a South Indian milk pudding made by simmering roasted vermicelli (semiya) in milk, then sweetening it with sugar or jaggery and flavoring it with cardamom.
Ghee-fried cashews and raisins go in at the end. That single step, frying the nuts in ghee, is what separates payasam from its North Indian cousin, seviyan kheer, which is usually milder and less nutty.
You will see this dessert at:
- Onam sadya and Vishu in Kerala
- Tamil New Year and festive Tamil Nadu meals
- South Indian weddings, ladled onto banana leaves alongside the rest of the meal
- Birthday parties and everyday family dinners, because honestly, it is too easy not to make often
Why You’ll Love This Family Favorite Recipe!
One pan, 30 minutes. No soaking, no waiting overnight.
Beginner-proof ratios. I give you exact milk-to-vermicelli measurements, so you will not end up with a gluey block or a thin, sad soup.
Three sweetener options. Sugar, jaggery, or condensed milk, all covered.
A real fix for curdled payasam. Most recipes do not tell you why milk splits when you add jaggery. I do, and I show you how to avoid it
Ingredients
- Milk – Full-fat milk (whole milk) gives the payasam its rich, thick body. Skim milk will taste watery, no matter how long you simmer it.
- Semiya – Use roasted wheat vermicelli if you can find it; it cuts your cooking time. I use the Bambino brand, sold at any Indian grocery store or on Amazon. You can also use MTR brand vermicelli.
- Ghee – Used to fry the nuts and toast the vermicelli. This is the ingredient that gives payasam its signature depth.
- Dried Nuts and Fruits fried in ghee are added to this dessert. I used cashew nuts, almonds, and raisins.
- Sweetener – I used granulated white sugar to sweeten this dessert. However, you can also use powdered jaggery, coconut sugar, or brown sugar instead of white sugar. You can adjust the amount of sugar to suit your taste.
- Cardamom Powder – A small amount transforms the whole pot. Freshly ground is best, but store-bought works fine.
- Optional Add-ins – Saffron adds color and a floral note. A tiny pinch of camphor gives a smoky, festive aroma used in many South Indian households, but it is easy to overdo, so go light. You can also fry some fresh coconut pieces in ghee along with dried nuts. They taste great in this payasam.
How To Make Semiya Payasam
Step 1: Heat 3 tablespoons of ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Once the ghee is hot, add 10-12 cashew nuts (chopped) and 10-12 almonds (chopped) and fry until browned. Take both out and set aside.
Step 2: Add ¼ cup of raisins and fry until plump. Remove to a plate.
Step 3: Add 75 g (½ cup) of roasted wheat vermicelli to the same pan.
Step 4: Stir constantly until it turns light golden. Roasting removes the raw, starchy taste and stops the noodles from turning mushy once milk goes in. Be very careful not to burn the vermicelli.
Step 5: Now add 1 cup of boiling water to the pan and cook until the vermicelli is tender and cooked through, stirring gently a few times.
Step 6: Once the vermicelli is fully cooked, add 1 liter of whole milk and ¼ cup of granulated white sugar to the pan and mix well.
Do not add sugar until the vermicelli is properly cooked. The cooking process stops as soon as you add the sugar.
Step 7: Cook until the milk thickens (10-12 mins), stirring frequently. Add ½ teaspoon ground cardamom and mix well.
Step 8: Simmer for a few more minutes until the semiya payasam thickens to the desired consistency. Check for sugar and add more if needed. Add most of the fried nuts and raisins back into the pot, keeping a few aside for garnish. Simmer for 1 to 2 more minutes so the flavors settle together.
Turn off the heat and let the semiya payasam cool for a few minutes. Serve warm, chilled, or at room temperature, garnished with fried cashews, almonds, and raisins.
Pro Tips By Neha
Keep it slightly thinner than you want at the table. It sets as it sits, and reheating with extra milk is much easier than fixing an overly thick pot.
Do not walk away while roasting the vermicelli. It goes from golden to burnt in under a minute, and burnt vermicelli tastes bitter enough to ruin the whole batch.
Use a heavy-bottomed pan. Thin pans scorch milk fast.
Taste before you add all the sweetener.
Variations
Vegan semiya payasam – Swap whole milk for full-fat coconut milk and use oil or vegan butter instead of ghee. The coconut adds its own sweetness, so cut back on sugar slightly.
Condensed milk payasam – Restaurant-style and wedding-style versions often use a can of condensed milk in place of some sugar and milk. It gives a denser, richer payasam and cuts your simmering time.
Paal payasam style – Use less vermicelli and more milk for a thinner, more drinkable pudding, closer to how it is traditionally served at Kerala weddings.
Vermicelli Payasam FAQs
Press the SAUTE button on the Instant Pot. Follow the process until the vermicelli is cooked in water.
Add milk and sugar, and close the lid of the Instant Pot.
Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 6 minutes.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.
Press the SAUTE button again and cook until the vermicelli payasam thickens to the desired consistency.
Check for sugar and add more if needed.
Add the fried cashew nuts, almonds, and raisins to the pot and mix well.
Add cardamom powder and mix well.
Serve hot or chilled.
If you are using jaggery instead of sugar, melt ¼ cup of crushed jaggery separately in ¼ cup of water to make a syrup, then strain out any grit. Add this syrup off the heat, once the pot has cooled slightly. Jaggery reacts with hot milk, curdling it almost instantly. This is the one mistake in payasam-making that cannot be undone, so take the extra minute.
Storage Suggestions
This South Indian pudding can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Payasam thickens a lot once chilled. Add a splash of warm milk while reheating on the stove or in the microwave to restore a pourable consistency.
I do not recommend freezing it, as the milk separates upon thawing and the texture never fully recovers.
Make-ahead tip: You can fry the nuts and raisins and roast the vermicelli 3-4 days ahead and store them in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. This shaves 10 minutes off your prep on the day you actually make the payasam.
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Semiya Payasam Recipe (Vermicelli Payasam)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons ghee
- 10-12 cashew nuts (chopped)
- 10-12 almonds (chopped)
- ¼ cup raisins
- 75 grams roasted wheat semiya (vermicelli) (½ cup)
- 1 cup boiling water
- 4 cups whole milk (full-fat milk)
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
Instructions
- Heat ghee in a pan over medium heat.
- Once the ghee is hot, add cashew nuts and almonds and fry until browned. Take both out and set aside.
- Add raisins and fry until they plump up. Remove on a plate.
- Add roasted wheat vermicelli to the same pan. Stir constantly until it turns light golden. Roasting removes the raw, starchy taste and stops the noodles from turning mushy once milk goes in. Be very careful not to burn the vermicelli.
- Now add boiling water to the pan and cook until the vermicelli is soft and cooked through. Stir gently a few times while cooking.
- Once the vermicelli is cooked well, add milk and sugar to the pan and mix well.
- Cook until the milk thickens (10-12 mins), stirring frequently.
- Add ground cardamom and mix well.
- Simmer for a few more minutes until the semiya payasam thickens to the desired consistency.
- Check for sugar and add more if needed.
- Add most of the fried nuts and raisins back into the pot, keeping a few aside for garnish. Simmer for 1 to 2 more minutes so the flavors settle together.
- Turn off the heat and allow the payasam to cool down for a few minutes.
- Serve warm, chilled, or at room temperature, garnished with fried cashews, almonds, and raisins.
