Makhana Kheer is a delicious Indian dessert made with barnyard millet, foxnut, dry fruits, jaggery, and milk. You can enjoy this special vrat ki kheer while observing Hindu fasts such as Navratri, Shivratri, or Janmashtmi. Be sure to watch the video!
Like any other Indian kheer, in taste and texture, Makhana Kheer is delicious and creamy to the core. This kheer recipe highlights the simple, fuss-free making process and the creamy texture.
It is the perfect Indian dessert for a falahar diet, as many communities refrain from eating whole grains while fasting. You can also make dry fruits makhana rice kheer for other festive occasions.
The only twist we have introduced in the Makhana Kheer Recipe is adding barnyard millet (samavat rice) and dry fruits.
The combination of millets and foxnuts takes this humble kheer to another level of deliciousness and makes the kheer more wholesome plus fulfilling.
Key Ingredients
The two key ingredients of this kheer recipe are – Samvat Rice and Makhana.
Samvat Rice is a variety of tiny millet known as barnyard millet in Engish. It is often used to substitute regular rice in many religious fasting or falahari recipes.
The other names of Samvat Rice are – samo rice, sama ke chawal, samvat chawal, or vrat ke chawal. From kheer, pulao to upma, you can prepare any rice dish with this gluten-free millet.
Makhana is the Hindi term for foxnuts or lotus seeds. It is also a gluten-free, plant-based vegan ingredient. You can use foxnuts to make curry, caramel makhana, and phirni or eat roasted as a snack.
Other Ingredients
Whole Cream Milk – I highly recommend using full-fat or whole-cream milk to make a rich and creamy kheer.
Sugar – I prefer using jaggery powder for making Makhana Kheer. It gives the kheer a delicious nutty taste and a light brown color. You can use granulated white sugar or brown sugar.
Dry Fruits: Slived almond, cashew, unsalted pistachio, golden raisins, dried rose petals, chironji. You can roughly chop the nuts or process them to make a coarse powder in a food processor. Dry Fruits give an excellent taste to the kheer and add a lot of protein value.
Green Cardamom, Saffron – for the taste and aroma.
Fresh Fruits – From fresh pomegranate pearls, chopped mango pulp, and apples to bananas, you can add a variety of fresh fruits on top of chilled kheer to make it more nutritious.
Makhana Kheer Recipe Variation
You can make this kheer with only barnyard millet, foxnuts, and dry fruits.
Makhana Kheer with Condensed Milk: You can add condensed milk to the kheer. It will thicken the kheer. Once the millet is cooked, add ½ cup sweetened condensed milk to the kheer and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Add some sugar if the kheer is not sweet enough for your taste.
Vegan Makhana Kheer: To make a vegan kheer, replace ghee with coconut oil and use almond milk like I do for my vegan badam phirni.
Watch Kheer Video
Storage Suggestion
Transfer the makhana kheer to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 days. It remains fresh. Reheat in a microwave or saucepan on the stovetop. You can enjoy makhana kheer chilled as well.
It cannot be frozen, as the milk will curdle when thawed or reheated.
More Indian Kheer Recipes
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Samvat Makhana Kheer Recipe
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 Cup foxnut (makhana), cut into half
- ¼ cup barnyard millet (samvat/sama rice)
- 1 litre full cream milk
- 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon saffron strands
- ⅓ Cup jaggery powder or white sugar
- ⅓ Cup dry fruits (sliced almond, pistachio, cashew)
Instructions
- Clean and rinse millet with water. Set aside in a sieve or colander.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a pan. Add foxnut and roast over low heat till crispy. Keep stirring them while roasting else they burn very fast. Once roasted, transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan, heat the remaining ghee, add rinsed millet, and fry for 40 – 50 seconds.
- Add milk, and stir to combine the millet into the milk. Simmer the milk over low heat, keep stirring at regular intervals, and let it reduce to half the original amount.
- Once the millet is fully cooked, add cardamom powder and saffron. Stir to combine into the milk. You have to cook the millet till it is soft, mushy, and the texture of the kheer is creamy.
- Add roasted foxnut, jaggery powder, and stir to mix. Add chopped dry fruits and simmer the kheer for 2 – 3 minutes. Do not cook for too long after adding foxnuts.
- You can serve it either warm or allow it to cool down at room temperature. If you like it chilled, keep the kheer in the refrigerator for 1 – 2 hours after coooling it down at room temperature.
- Garnish Makhana Kheer with sliced dry fruits and rose petals. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- Make sure you use full cream or full fat milk for making the kheer.
- Keep stirring the kheer at regular intervals while simmering to avoid milk or millet getting burnt.
- Check rice for doneness at regular intervals while cooking.
- Do not add the sugar before the millet is fully cooked.
- You can make this kheer in an instant pot as well. Add all the ingredients in the inner pot. Set Pressure Cook Mode for 10 minutes. Seal the lid. After 10 minutes check rice for doneness. If the kheer is not thick enough, set SAUTE mode for 10 minutes and allow the kheer to simmer till it thickens.
Anu says
Nice clicks!!
Sangeeta Sethi says
Fabulous healthy delicious festive fasting recipe .
Hina Gujral says
Thank You. Glad you like it!