Makhane ki Kheer

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Makhane ki kheer is a sweet dessert pudding made with Makhana (foxnuts), milk, ghee, sugar and dry fruits. This is an easy and popular sweet that is often made during Navratri Fasting or Mahashivratri vrat or Ekadasi Fasting. I had made the makhane ki kheer during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. It tastes delicious and you can also make it on regular days as a sweet.

makhane ki kheer served in a black bowl with a spoon kept on it.

I always have a jar of makhana at home. Makhana is also known foxnuts in English. I usually roast the makhana and keep it in an air tight jar. Since we make kheer also with makhana, it’s time I updated the recipe on the blog. You can read more about these healthy seeds on my Roasted Makhana post.

Makhana is healthier than popcorn or any of the ready to eat cornflake cereals. I recently read that since there is no demand for makhana in most cities, the poor farmers who cultivate these in the central Indian wetlands are no longer doing so.

Not only the farmers are losing their work, but also we are losing in a way. Traditional Indian food habits are healthy. Slowly under the pressure of fast life and heavy influence from big corporate food giants we are changing our food habits, which is really sad.

It is disheartening to see that we don’t include locally available indigenous nuts, grains or veggies and choose to buy expensive imported foodstuff or go by certain food advertisements that are so well-publicized.

Please do include locally cultivated food in your meals. It not only helps the farmers to sustain but also preserves the food culture and tradition of our country which may possibly get lost into oblivion in the future.

makhana kheer in a bowl

While preparing the makhane ki kheer, I have powdered ⅔ part of the makhana and kept ⅓ part whole. You can also chop them. Powdering them gives a smooth consistency in the kheer.

If you want texture and bite in the kheer, then chop the makhanas or add them whole, if they are small in size.

I have not thickened the milk too much. You can do so. However, increase the quantity of milk and the other ingredients proportionally. This is a simple phool makhana kheer and fuss-free too.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Makhane ki Kheer

Roasting makhana

1. Heat 2 to 3 teaspoons ghee in a pan.

ghee in a pan

2. Add 1 cup phool makhana and 10 to 12 cashews.

phool makhana and cashews in the pan

3. Roast the makhana on low to medium-low heat in ghee till the makhana become crunchy. The cashews will also get golden. Stir often while roasting them.

roasting makhana

4. Then remove them on a plate and keep them aside.

roasted makhana and cashews on a plate

Making makhana kheer

5. Heat 2 cups milk (500 ml) in a saucepan or a thick bottomed pan. Keep the heat to medium-low to medium. Stir at intervals so that the milk does not scorch from the bottom.

heating milk in a pan

6. Let the milk come to a boil.

milk coming to a boil

7. Whilst the milk is getting heated up, reserve ⅓ cup makhana and add the remaining roasted makhana in a grinder or blender jar. Keep in mind not to add the roasted cashews that are kept in the same plate with makhana.

Also add cardamom seeds from 4 green cardamom pods along with a pinch of saffron strands.

Instead of cardamom pods you can add about ½ teaspoon of cardamom powder to the kheer once it is cooked.

makhana and cardamom in a grinder jar

8. Grind or blend to a fine powder.

makhana powder

9. When the milk comes to a boil, then add 3.5 to 4 tablespoons of sugar or add as per taste.

sugar added to milk

10. Add the ground makhana.

ground makhana added to milk

11. Then add the reserved ⅓ cup makhana.

reserved makhana added

12. Stir and mix very well.

stir and mix makhane ki kheer

13. Simmer for 9 to 10 minutes on a low to medium heat till the makhana softens and the milk thickens a bit. Do stir at intervals. Scrape the evaporated milk solids from the sides and add to the kheer.

Keep in mind that the kheer will thicken more on cooling. So keep the consistency according to your preferences.

simmer makhane ki kheer

14. Lastly add the golden cashews and raisins. If using blanched and sliced almonds, then you can add at this step.

cashews added to makhane ki kheer

15. Stir and simmer makhana kheer for a minute.

cooked makhane ki kheer in the pan

16. Serve makhane ki kheer hot or warm or chilled. After refrigeration, the kheer’s consistency thickens a bit.

You can serve it as an after meal dessert. Or make it as a sweet during any of the Hindu fasting days. Refrigerate and leftover kheer for a day.

makhane ki kheer served on a black bowl

More Ways to Use Makhana

1. Roast the makhana and keep it in an air-tight jar. These Roasted Makhana make for a nutritious and light snack. You can either make these savory or sweet. For savory add your favorite spice mix with salt. For the sweet option add powdered sugar.
2. You can also make dry makhane ki sabzi with peas known as matar makhana or khoya makhane ki sabzi.
3. You can make curries like Khoya matar makhana that goes well with roti or paratha.
4. You can have makhana during breakfast and top it with fruits. Roast the makhana and mix it with milk (dairy or vegan) and top it with fruits and nuts. Add your choice of sweetener.
5. Makhane ki roti – You can make soft, smooth and healthy rotis with finely powdered makhana.
6. Makhana raita – spiced cooling raita made with phool makhana.
7. Aloo makhana – easy snack recipe for Navratri made with boiled potatoes, phool makhana and spices.

Apart from makhana kheer, there are many Fasting sweets recipes which you can make for Navratri fast like:

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

makhane ki kheer served in a black bowl with a spoon kept on it.

Makhane ki Kheer

Makhane ki kheer is a sweet dessert pudding made with Makhana (foxnuts), milk, ghee, sugar and dry fruits. This is an easy and popular sweet that is often made during Hindu fasting days.
4.87 from 22 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Cuisine North Indian
Course Desserts
Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Difficulty Level Moderate
Servings 2
Units

Ingredients

  • 1 cup makhana (foxnuts or phool makhana)
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 3-4 green cardamom – husked and powdered in a mortar-pestle
  • 10-12 cashews or 10-12 almonds – blanched and sliced
  • 1 tablespoon golden raisins
  • 3.5 to 4 tablespoon sugar or as required
  • 1 pinch saffron
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons Ghee (clarified butter)

Instructions
 

Roasting makhana and cashews

  • Heat ghee in a pan.
  • Add the phool makhana and cashews.
  • On a low heat, roast the makhana and cashews in ghee till the makhanas become crunchy. 
  • The cashews will also get golden. Stir often while roasting them.
  • Then remove them in a plate and keep aside. However keep the cashews separate from the makhana as we will be making a powder of the roasted makhana.

Making makhane ki kheer

  • Heat whole milk in a sauce pan or a thick bottomed pan on medium-low to medium heat.
  • Stir at intervals so that the milk does not scorch from bottom.
  • Let the milk come to a boil.
  • Whilst the milk is getting heated up, reserve ⅓ cup of the roasted makhana and add the remaining in a grinder or blender jar. Add cardamom seeds from 4 green cardamom pods along with a pinch of saffron strands.
  • Grind or blend to a fine powder.
  • When the milk comes to a boil, then add sugar.
  • Add the ground powdered makhana.
  • Also add the reserved ⅓ cup makhana.
  • Mix very well.
  • Simmer till the makhane softens and the milk thickens a bit. About 9 to 10 minutes on a low to medium heat.
  • Scrape the evaporated milk solids from sides of the pan and add to the milk.
  • Lastly add the golden cashews and raisins. If using blanched and sliced almonds, then you can add at this step.
  • Stir and simmer the kheer for a minute.
  • Serve makhane ki kheer hot or warm or cold. Leftover kheer can be refrigerated. On refrigeration the kheer's consistency thickens a bit.

Notes

  • Use the makhana that are fresh and have not become rancid.
  • You can add nuts and dry fruits of your choice like cashews, blanched almonds, pistachios, raisins and pinenuts. If adding raisins then add them once the kheer is cooked.
  • You can skip saffron and only make the kheer with green cardamom.
  • You can also add rose water to enhance the flavor of the phool makhane ki kheer.
  • The kheer consistency will thicken on cooling. You can vary the consistency according to your preferences.
  • The recipe can be scaled to make a big batch for pooja.

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This Makhana Kheer post is from the archives (September 2013) and has been republished and updated on 10 September 2021.

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Meet Dassana

Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

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26 Comments

  1. Hi Dassana,

    Thank you for sharing this recipe. I just made this but the consistency of the kheer was thick . I added another 3/4 cup of milk to lessen the thickness.
    Could you advise what may have gone wrong with the consistency. Making it as a Prasad so will taste it in a while and let you know.i am sure it will be delicious.

    Thanks

    1. Hi Monica, my only guess would be the quality of milk in terms of having more cream and fat content. Otherwise the kheer does not become thick. But in any kheer recipe if it becomes thick, some more milk can always be added to reduce the thickness. What you did was perfectly right. I hope you like the taste.

  2. I am your biggest fan. I have tried your several recipes and every single dish comes out amazingly. I wanted to know if we can use coconut milk for makhana kheer. Thanks and God bless!5 stars

    1. thanks a lot priya. you can use coconut milk. but cook the makhana in some water first. then add thick coconut milk and lightly heat it. do not boil or else coconut milk can curdle.

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