Creamy Vegan Rice Kheer with Coconut Milk, Saffron and Pistachios
Creamy vegan kheer made with basmati rice slowly simmered in almond and coconut milk, scented with saffron and cardamom and finished with pistachios and raisins.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Rest
- 20 min
- Serves
- 5
Creamy Vegan Rice Kheer with Coconut Milk, Saffron and Pistachios is a vegan dessert recipe made with basmati rice, unsweetened almond milk, full-fat coconut milk. It takes 50 minutes of hands-on time, plus 20 minutes resting, serves 5, and each serving has 314 calories, 4 g of protein and 1 g of fiber.
This vegan kheer cooks the rice in almond milk first, because it's thin enough to soften the grains evenly without catching on the pan. Full-fat coconut milk goes in after that, so its richness stays intact and doesn't split from a long boil. The sugar is added only once the rice is tender, since sugar in the pot early slows the grains down. It's an easy, make-ahead dessert for Diwali and other festival tables, and it thickens as it chills.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup61 gbasmati rice, uncooked
- 3 cups720 gunsweetened almond milk
- 1 can400 gfull-fat coconut milk, well shaken, 13.5 oz can
- 2 tbsp30 gwarm water, for the saffron
- 1 pinch0.1 gsaffron threads, about 15–20 threads
- ⅓ cup63 gcoconut sugar, adjust to taste
- ½ tsp1 gground cardamom
- 1 pinch0.4 gfine salt
- 3 tbsp27 ggolden or dark raisins
Kheer
- 3 tbsp23 gunsalted pistachios, chopped
Garnish
- 1 tbsp7.7 gunsalted pistachios, slivered or chopped, for garnish (optional)
Kit: heavy-bottomed saucepan, fine-mesh sieve, wooden spoon
Tips
- Coconut sugar turns the kheer a soft caramel color and gives it a light molasses note. If you want the classic pale ivory look, use regular cane sugar.
- A heavy-bottomed pan and frequent scraping are what stop plant milk from catching. Thin pans scorch easily during the long simmer.
- Short-grain or broken basmati rice turns creamier more quickly. Whole long-grain basmati keeps more of its shape.
Swap ideas
- Oat or soy milk instead of almond milk
- Gives a creamier body that's less likely to separate, with a slightly more neutral flavor.
- Regular sugar instead of coconut sugar
- Gives a paler kheer with a cleaner, sweeter taste.
- Chopped cashews or almonds instead of pistachios
- Keeps the crunch, with a milder, more buttery nut flavor.
- 1 tsp rose water stirred in off the heat
- Adds a floral, festive aroma that goes well with saffron.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
314kcal per serving
Everything else · 5 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 15.5 g 78%
- Sugars
- 16.1 g
- Sodium
- 346 mg 15%
- Potassium
- 515 mg 11%
- Calcium
- 351 mg 27%
- Iron
- 3.9 mg 22%
- 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: Rice, white, long-grain, regular, raw, enriched, Beverages, almond milk, unsweetened, shelf stable, Nuts, coconut milk, canned (liquid expressed from grated meat and water), Beverages, water, tap, drinking, Spices, saffron, COCONUT SUGAR (The Kroger Co., Branded; ingredients: organic coconut sugar), Spices, cardamom, Salt, table, Raisins, dark, seedless (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Nuts, pistachio nuts, raw
Method
Rinse the rice in a fine sieve under cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Put it in a bowl, cover with fresh water and soak for 20 minutes, then drain. While it soaks, crumble the saffron into the 2 tbsp warm water and set it aside to steep.
Bring the almond milk to a gentle boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, stirring now and then so it doesn't scorch.
Stir in the drained rice, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes. Stir every few minutes and scrape the bottom and sides. It's ready for the next step when a grain squashes easily between your fingers and the milk has reduced by about a third.
Lightly crush some of the rice against the side of the pan with the back of a spoon to release starch. Stir in the coconut milk and keep the pot at a bare simmer, never a hard boil, for 8–10 minutes, until the kheer coats the back of a spoon.
Stir in the coconut sugar, cardamom, salt, raisins, the 3 tbsp chopped pistachios and the saffron with its soaking water. Simmer 2–3 minutes more, until the sugar dissolves and the raisins plump up. Taste and add more sugar if you like.
Take the pan off the heat. The kheer should still look a little looser than you want, because it thickens a lot as it cools. If it ever gets too thick, stir in a splash of almond milk.
Serve it warm, or chill for at least 2 hours to serve cold. Top with the remaining pistachios just before serving.
Storage: Cool the kheer, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. It sets thick when cold, so loosen it with a splash of almond milk, either cold or while gently reheating on the stove. Freezing isn't recommended because the rice turns grainy.
Questions
- How much protein is in creamy vegan rice kheer with coconut milk, saffron and pistachios?
- Each of the 5 servings has 4 g of protein, 1 g of fiber and 314 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is creamy vegan rice kheer with coconut milk, saffron and pistachios vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does creamy vegan rice kheer with coconut milk, saffron and pistachios take to make?
- 10 minutes of prep and 40 minutes of cooking, so 50 minutes of hands-on time, plus 20 minutes of unattended resting.
- Can you make creamy vegan rice kheer with coconut milk, saffron and pistachios ahead?
- Cool the kheer, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. It sets thick when cold, so loosen it with a splash of almond milk, either cold or while gently reheating on the stove. Freezing isn't recommended because the rice turns grainy.
- What can I substitute in creamy vegan rice kheer with coconut milk, saffron and pistachios?
- Oat or soy milk instead of almond milk — gives a creamier body that's less likely to separate, with a slightly more neutral flavor.. Regular sugar instead of coconut sugar — gives a paler kheer with a cleaner, sweeter taste.. Chopped cashews or almonds instead of pistachios — keeps the crunch, with a milder, more buttery nut flavor.. 1 tsp rose water stirred in off the heat — adds a floral, festive aroma that goes well with saffron..
- Does creamy vegan rice kheer with coconut milk, saffron and pistachios contain tree nuts?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes 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
