Fragrant, comforting, and easy to serve as a complete meal, Indian Rice Pudding (Better than restaurant) is a gluten-free, vegetarian Indian dessert made with simple everyday ingredients in about 45 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 1 minutes
  • Cook time: 44 minutes
  • Total time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4 · 4 to 5
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • ½ cup rice ((any starchy rice))
  • 5 cups (1200 ml) whole milk
  • ¼ to ⅓ cup sugar ((or 3 to 4 tbsps condensed milk, adjust to taste))
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom (or 1 pinch saffron strands crushed or 1 tsp rose water)
  • ¼ cup unsalted pistachios ((chopped, to garnish))
  • 1 tablespoon rice flour ((optional, or custard powder dissolved in ½ cup water or milk))
  • 1 tablespoon ghee ((optional, read notes to omit))
  • ¼ cup cashews ((split/ chopped) + ¼ cup sweet raisins (optional))

Method

How to make Indian Rice Pudding

  1. Pour milk to a heavy bottom pot & bring to a gentle boil, on a medium heat. Meanwhile rinse rice in a strainer, drain well and add it to the hot milk.
  2. Cook on a medium heat, stirring often at the bottom and sides, until the rice is soft, and slightly mushy.
  3. Optional - Dissolve the rice flour in water or milk to a smooth slurry & incorporate it to the rice pudding. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes or until it turns thick and creamy.
  4. Mash the rice slightly with the back of the ladle to thicken. Add the sugar & cook until it dissolves for 3 to 4 mins. Rice pudding should have a flowing yet thick consistency. It will become thicker after cooling.
  5. Stir in the ground cardamom & other optional fragrances - saffron or rose water. Garnish with pistachios.
  6. Optional, for a traditional garnish - Heat ghee in a small pan. Add cashews and fry them until golden. Remove to a small plate. Stir in the raisins and fry until they turn plump. Pour the ghee and the raisins as well over the rice pudding. Mix well.
  7. Garnish with cashews. Serve Indian rice pudding hot or chilled as a dessert.

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.