Seviyan Kheer (Vermicelli Kheer)

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Seviyan kheer also known as vermicelli kheer is a must at any festival at our place. This creamy seviyan kheer is a North Indian sweet made with wheat vermicelli, milk, sugar, dry fruits and flavored with spices. This incredibly easy recipe of semiya kheer comes together in 20 minutes and makes for an excellent dessert or sweet that can be eaten as is or served with a North Indian meal.

seviyan kheer served in a glass bowl with text layover.

About This Seviyan Kheer

The Hindi word Seviyan means vermicelli in the English language and called Semiya in South India. Kheer is a pudding like dish made with milk but not as thick as the western puddings and has a flowing consistency.

There are many varieties of vermicelli aka semiya available in the market. In the North Indian recipe of seviyan kheer, typically and almost always whole wheat vermicelli is used. These are fine thin strands of vermicelli and not thicker ones. But if the finer ones are not available to you, then you can use the thicker ones.

The North Indian version differs from the South Indian version of Semiya Payasam in some ways. E.g. the dry fruits are always fried in ghee and this adds a different dimension of flavor to the payasam.

Moreover, the South Indian versions of payasam are sometimes made with coconut milk and also rice vermicelli. The preparation method is also different.

I share a recipe that is made during festivals or special occasions in my home. Generally, when we make seviyan kheer, we only add cardamom powder. But in this recipe, I have used cloves and saffron strands. Both are optional and can be skipped. But both the cloves and saffron do add their subtle fragrance to the kheer.

For the semiya aka vermicelli, I have used whole wheat thin vermicelli. As far as nuts and dry fruits are concerned you can add your choice of nuts and dry fruits. I have added almond slivers, chopped cashews and golden raisins.

There was a tradition in my home to make whole wheat vermicelli from scratch when we were younger. Good old days!!!

seviyan kheer served in a glass bowl

You can serve semiya kheer hot or warm or chilled. Leftover kheer can be refrigerated and served later.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Seviyan Kheer

Roasting vermicelli

1: Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a heavy kadai or pan.

heat ghee in a pan

2. Add 3 cloves. Fry for 2 to 3 seconds. Including cloves is optional.

add cloves to ghee

3. Add 1 cup broken seviyan or vermicelli or semiya. If the vermicelli strands are very long then break them with your hands prior to roasting.

Feel free to use seviyan made with whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour – whatever is available to use. But I recommend using thin strands of whole wheat vermicelli.

Add 1 cup broken seviyan or vermicelli or semiya

4. Stir and continuously roast seviyan on low to medium-low heat. Stir often while roasting semiya for even browning.

Stir and continuously roast seviyan

5. Roast on a medium flame till the seviyan strands turn golden brown.

roasting vermicelli

Making vermicelli kheer

6: Pour 4 cups of whole milk (1 litre) into the pan. Milk can be chilled, hot or at room temperature. For thicker kheer, add less milk.

adding whole milk to pan

7. Mix very well.

mix milk with vermicelli

8. Simmer milk on a low to medium-low heat. Stir occasionally so that the milk or seviyan does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

simmer milk stirring occasionally

9. Let the milk come to a boil.

let the milk come to a boil

10. Once the milk comes to a boil, then add 7 to 8 tablespoons sugar or as required according to your preferred sweetness.

adding sugar to milk

11. Mix very well so that all the sugar dissolves.

mix sugar with the milk

12. Next add 10 to 12 saffron strands. Mix and stir.

adding saffron strands and mix

13. Next add 1 tablespoons of sliced almonds and 1 tablespoon chopped cashews. Mix well. You can also add nuts like sliced pistachios, pine nuts at this step.

add dry fruits to milk

14. Then add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder (ground cardamom).

adding cardamom powder to milk

15. Mix well.

mix the cardamom powder in kheer

16. Also add some dried rose petals. This step is optional. Skip if you do not have dried rose petals.

adding rose petals to kheer

17. Mix well.

stir and mix rose petals with kheer

18. Cook the vermicelli kheer mixture for 3 to 4 minutes more till the vermicelli gets cooked and the milk thickens. 

When the vermicelli has softened and cooked well, the kheer will also thicken and look creamy. Do scrape the sides of the kadai where milk solids will be collected and add them to the kheer.

Note that on cooling the semiya kheer will thicken more.

cook vermicelli kheer for 3 to 4 minutes more

19. Switch off the heat and then add 1 tablespoon golden raisins. Mix again. Check the taste of kheer and if required you can add some more sugar.

add raisins to kheer

20. Serve the vermicelli kheer hot, warm or chilled. You can garnish with some chopped nuts or dried rose petals while serving.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator. The kheer will thicken after cooling. While reheating add a splash of milk to loosen the consistency and heat the kheer in a pan.

vermicelli kheer served in a glass bowl

More Kheer recipes

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seviyan kheer served in a glass bowl with text layover.

Seviyan Kheer | Vermicelli Kheer

This creamy seviyan kheer is a North Indian sweet made with wheat vermicelli, milk, sugar, dry fruits and flavored with spices. This incredibly easy recipe of semiya kheer comes together in 20 minutes and makes for an excellent dessert or sweet.
4.96 from 25 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Cuisine North Indian
Course Desserts, Sweets
Diet Vegetarian
Difficulty Level Easy
Servings 4
Units

Ingredients

For roasting

  • 1 tablespoon Ghee (clarified butter)
  • 3 cloves – optional
  • 1 cup seviyan (broken vermicelli or semiya)

For making vermicelli kheer

  • 1 litre whole milk or 4 cups milk
  • 7 to 8 tablespoons sugar – add more or less for your preferred sweetness
  • ½ teaspoon cardamom powder (ground cardamom)
  • 1 tablespoon almond slivers or almond slices
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cashews – chopped (optional)
  • 4 to 5 dried rose petals – optional
  • 10 to 12 saffron strands – optional
  • 1 tablespoon golden raisins

Instructions
 

Roasting vermicelli

  • Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a heavy kadai or pan. Add 3 cloves. Fry for 2 to 3 seconds. Addition of cloves is optional.
  • Add the broken seviyan or vermicelli.
  • Stir and continuously roast seviyan on a low to medium-low heat.
  • Roast till the seviyan strands turn golden brown.

Making vermicelli kheer

  • Reduce the flame to its lowest and slowly pour milk in the pan. Mix very well.
  • Simmer milk on a low to medium-low heat. Stir ocassionally so that the milk or seviyan does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
  • Let the milk come to a boil on a low to medium-low heat. Once the milk comes to a boil, then add 7 to 8 tablespoons sugar or as per taste. 
  • Mix very well so that all the sugar dissolves.
  • Next add 10 to 12 saffron strands. Mix and stir.
  • Next add 1 tablespoons of sliced almonds and 1 tablespoon chopped cashews. Mix well.
  • Then add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder.
  • Also add 4 to 5 dried rose petals. This step is optional. Skip if you do not have dried rose petals. 
  • Cook the vermicelli kheer mixture for 4 to 5 minutes more till the seviyan gets cooked and the milk thickens. When the seviyan has softened and cooked well, the kheer will also thicken and look creamy.
  • Switch off heat and then 1 tablespoons of golden raisins. Mix again. Check the taste of semiya kheer and if required you can add some more sugar.
  • Serve the seviyan kheer hot, warm or chilled. You can garnish with some chopped nuts or dried rose petals while serving. Do note that on cooling the kheer will thicken.
  • Refrigerate any leftovers and try to eat within 1 to 2 days. On refrigeration the kheer will thicken. Either you can enjoy it cold or heat it in a pan with a splash of milk to loosen the consistency.

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Seviyan Kheer | Vermicelli Kheer
Amount Per Serving
Calories 367 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 8mg3%
Sodium 104mg5%
Potassium 79mg2%
Carbohydrates 75g25%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 26g29%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 100IU2%
Calcium 17mg2%
Iron 0.7mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This Seviyan Kheer recipe post from the blog archives (first published in July 2012) has been updated and republished on 2nd July 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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85 Comments

  1. Hi Dassana

    Love your blog. The whole meal recipe came out well in the bread machine as per your suggestions.

    About this kheer, I have always used whole cardamom and never powder. Is it preferable to use powder, it seems like a good idea? And which brand do you buy?

    Similarly have never used saffron in my cooking, but want to try. Can you please share which brand I could buy. I have no idea how to judge the authenticity of saffron.

    Thanks!

    1. hi tara, that is great. thanks for letting me know.

      1. in the kheer recipe, cardamom can be used whole or powdered. i make cardamom powder in a mixer-grinder. i buy organic cardamoms. take 1/2 cup of cardamoms, 1 tablespoon sugar in a grinder or coffee grinder. grind to a fine powder. the sugar granules help in crushing the peels and make them to a fine powder. no need to remove the peels or husks. just add the whole cardamom pods.

      2. i use kashmiri saffron. this is the brand and it is good – https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07HG7J2H1/

      for the saffron, the aroma should be intense when you smell it. secondly, when dissolved in water, the saffron should be still orange and not leech color and become white. if the saffron is not original, then after dissolving in water, it will leech color and become like white threads. you can even read reviews for organic saffron. in india, we get good saffron whether we buy them online or in a super store or shop. you can also have a look at spanish saffron.

  2. Thank you so much for making the recipe sound so easy. Had it sounded difficult, I wouldn’t even try on Eid’s morning before getting ready.
    Just prepared it and it not only looks great but tastes heavenly too!
    Prepared the breakfast, chaat with all assorted chutneys, khattay aaloo, puri paratha and now getting ready ????5 stars

    1. thanks asma for sharing this feedback. thats a lovely & tasty spread you have made. hope you had a great time.