20-Minute Vegan Seviyan Kheer (Vermicelli Kheer) with Almond Milk, Cardamom and Saffron
Vegan seviyan kheer in 20 minutes: vermicelli toasted in coconut oil, simmered in almond milk with saffron and cardamom, and topped with raisins and pistachios.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 18 min
- Rest
- 5 min
- Serves
- 4
20-Minute Vegan Seviyan Kheer (Vermicelli Kheer) with Almond Milk, Cardamom and Saffron is a vegan dessert recipe made with saffron threads, unsweetened almond milk, coconut oil (refined if you don't want a coconut taste). It takes 23 minutes of hands-on time, plus 5 minutes resting, serves 4, and each serving has 305 calories, 6 g of protein and 3 g of fiber.
Rice kheer takes a long, slow simmer. Toasted vermicelli softens in about 7 minutes, so this version is ready in 20 minutes. Toasting the thin wheat noodles in coconut oil until they turn golden-brown gives them a nutty flavor and helps them keep their shape in the milk. Almond milk is thinner than dairy, so a spoonful of almond butter goes in with the sugar to make the pudding creamy and smooth without coconut milk.
A base ingredient + texture (quick 20-minute roasted vermicelli seviyan kheer in almond milk instead of slow-simmered rice in coconut milk) take on our Creamy Vegan Rice Kheer with Coconut Milk, Saffron and Pistachios.
Ingredients
- 1 pinch0.1 gsaffron threads
- 2 tbsp30 gunsweetened almond milk, warmed (for the saffron)
- 1½ tbsp20 gcoconut oil (refined if you don't want a coconut taste)
- 3 tbsp27 ggolden or dark raisins
- ¾ cup60 gthin wheat vermicelli (seviyan), broken into 1-inch pieces, Use unroasted vermicelli. If yours is already roasted, toast it for only 1 minute.
- 4 cups960 gunsweetened almond milk
- 2 tbsp32 gsmooth almond butter
- ⅓ cup66 gsugar, Taste and adjust. Use 1/4 cup if your almond milk is sweetened.
- ½ tsp1 gground cardamom
- 1 pinch0.4 gfine salt
- ½ tsp2.5 grose water (optional)
- 3 tbsp23 gunsalted pistachios, chopped
Kit: heavy-bottomed saucepan, small bowl, slotted spoon
Tips
- Break the vermicelli inside the bag before you open it, so the pieces don't fly across the counter.
- Plant milks can split if boiled hard, so keep the heat at a gentle simmer once the milk goes in.
- The vermicelli keeps absorbing liquid as the kheer sits. If you plan to serve it chilled, take it off the heat while it is still a little loose.
Swap ideas
- Use cashew butter instead of almond butter
- The kheer is a little sweeter and creamier, and the almond flavor is milder.
- Use jaggery instead of sugar
- The flavor is deeper and more like caramel, and the color is darker. Stir it in off the heat so the milk doesn't split.
- Use oat milk instead of almond milk
- The kheer is naturally thicker and more neutral in flavor, and nut-free if you also replace the almond butter and pistachios with sunflower seed butter and pumpkin seeds.
- Use rice vermicelli instead of wheat vermicelli
- The kheer is gluten-free. Toast it lightly and shorten the simmer to 3–4 minutes, because rice vermicelli softens faster.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
305kcal per serving
Everything else · 4 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 5.1 g 26%
- Sugars
- 24.1 g
- Sodium
- 221 mg 10%
- Potassium
- 372 mg 8%
- Calcium
- 498 mg 38%
- Iron
- 1.9 mg 11%
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg 1%
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg 0%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Spices, saffron, Beverages, almond milk, unsweetened, shelf stable, Oil, coconut, Raisins, dark, seedless (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Pasta, dry, enriched, Nuts, almond butter, plain, without salt added, Sugars, granulated, Spices, cardamom, Salt, table, Nuts, pistachio nuts, raw
Method
Crumble the saffron into the 2 tbsp warm almond milk in a small bowl and set it aside to steep while you cook.
Melt the coconut oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the raisins and stir for 30–60 seconds, until they puff up. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and leave the oil in the pan.
Add the broken vermicelli to the same pan and stir constantly for 3–4 minutes, until it is evenly golden-brown and smells toasty. Watch closely, because thin strands can burn quickly.
Pour in the 4 cups of almond milk, raise the heat to medium and bring it to a gentle simmer, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan. Small bubbles should form around the edges. Don't let it reach a rolling boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 6–7 minutes, stirring often, until the vermicelli is completely soft and the milk has thickened slightly.
In a cup, whisk the almond butter with a ladleful of the hot milk until smooth. Stir it back into the pan along with the sugar, the saffron and its soaking milk, the cardamom and the salt. Simmer gently for 1–2 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the kheer turns pale gold.
Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the fried raisins, the rose water if using, and half the pistachios. Let it stand for 5 minutes. It will thicken as it rests, and more as it cools.
Serve warm, or chill for a thicker pudding. Scatter the rest of the pistachios over the top. If it gets too thick, stir in a splash of almond milk.
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It thickens a lot when chilled, so stir in some almond milk before eating cold, or warm it gently on the stove with a splash of milk. Freezing isn't recommended because the vermicelli goes mushy.
Questions
- How much protein is in 20-minute vegan seviyan kheer (vermicelli kheer) with almond milk, cardamom and saffron?
- Each of the 4 servings has 6 g of protein, 3 g of fiber and 305 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is 20-minute vegan seviyan kheer (vermicelli kheer) with almond milk, cardamom and saffron vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does 20-minute vegan seviyan kheer (vermicelli kheer) with almond milk, cardamom and saffron take to make?
- 5 minutes of prep and 18 minutes of cooking, so 23 minutes of hands-on time, plus 5 minutes of unattended resting.
- Can you make 20-minute vegan seviyan kheer (vermicelli kheer) with almond milk, cardamom and saffron ahead?
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It thickens a lot when chilled, so stir in some almond milk before eating cold, or warm it gently on the stove with a splash of milk. Freezing isn't recommended because the vermicelli goes mushy.
- What can I substitute in 20-minute vegan seviyan kheer (vermicelli kheer) with almond milk, cardamom and saffron?
- Use cashew butter instead of almond butter — the kheer is a little sweeter and creamier, and the almond flavor is milder.. Use jaggery instead of sugar — the flavor is deeper and more like caramel, and the color is darker. stir it in off the heat so the milk doesn't split.. Use oat milk instead of almond milk — the kheer is naturally thicker and more neutral in flavor, and nut-free if you also replace the almond butter and pistachios with sunflower seed butter and pumpkin seeds.. Use rice vermicelli instead of wheat vermicelli — the kheer is gluten-free. toast it lightly and shorten the simmer to 3–4 minutes, because rice vermicelli softens faster..
- Does 20-minute vegan seviyan kheer (vermicelli kheer) with almond milk, cardamom and saffron contain gluten or tree nuts?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes gluten and tree nuts, in some cases as an optional ingredient you can leave out. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published October 9, 2026 ·Indian
