Badam kheer or almond payasam is a delicious creamy kheer made with blanched almond paste, milk and saffron.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Desserts
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup almonds (or 35 almonds)
  • ⅓ cup water (for soaking almonds)
  • ¼ to ⅓ cup milk (for grinding)
  • 5 tablespoons sugar (or add as required)
  • 4 green cardamoms
  • 2.5 cups milk
  • 10 to 12 strands of saffron

Method

preparation

  1. Rinse ¼ cup almonds (about 35 almonds) and add them in a bowl. Then pour ⅓ cup hot boiling water. Cover and keep aside for 30 to 40 minutes.
  2. Then drain all the water.
  3. Peel the almonds. You just need to press the skin and it comes out easily.
  4. Take 3 to 4 of blanched almonds and slice them thinly.

grinding almonds

  1. Add the remaining almonds in a grinder jar.
  2. Next add 5 tablespoons sugar or add as required, seeds from 4 green cardamoms.
  3. Add ¼ to ⅓ cup milk. Milk can be chilled or at room temperature.
  4. Grind till smooth. The almonds should be ground very well to a smooth consistency. If there are coarse particles or chunks, then it can be irritating to the throat.

making badam kheer

  1. Take 2.5 cups milk in a pan. Make sure that the pan is large enough so that the milk does not spill out while boiling.
  2. Keep the pan on a low flame and begin to heat badam milk till it comes to a boil. Stir at intervals so that the milk does not scorch from the bottom.
  3. Add 10 to 12 saffron strands and stir.
  4. Simmer on low flame for 3 to 4 minutes. Do stir at intervals.
  5. Then add the almond paste. mix very well with a spoon.
  6. Let the entire badam ki kheer come to a boil.
  7. Then switch off the flame. Scrape the evaporated and dried milk at the sides of the pan and add them in the kheer.
  8. You can serve badam kheer hot, warm or chilled. While serving garnish badam ki kheer with the sliced almonds and a few strands of saffron.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.