Paneer kheer recipe with step by step photos – This is one more quick sweet dessert recipe of kheer, that can be made for Indian festivals like Navratri, Dussehra and Diwali. This delicious Indian sweet is made with paneer, milk, nuts, sugar and flavorings.
I plan to add some quick and easy sweets for the upcoming festive season. The paneer kheer is one such recipe that can be made in a jiffy and will be done in less than 25 minutes. All you need is paneer and milk along with some nuts.
While making any paneer based dish, I suggest using fresh homemade paneer. You can make the paneer a day ahead and refrigerate it.
This paneer kheer has been flavored with cardamom powder, saffron and rose water. Cardamom powder is a must. Rose water gives a beautiful rosy fragrance to the kheer. Good to add it, but skip if you don’t have.
Saffron strands can be easily skipped if you don’t have these. You can also add your choice of dry fruits and nuts. Always use fresh whole milk while making this kheer.
The recipe tastes somewhat like Rasmalai with soft succulent crumbled paneer in flavored and sweetened milk. Two more paneer based sweets on the blog are Paneer barfi and Gulab jamun.
You can serve paneer kheer hot, warm or chilled. We prefer the kheer to be chilled.
How to make Paneer Kheer
1. Take 3 cups whole milk in a wide bottomed pan or saucepan or kadai and keep it on the stovetop on a low to medium heat.
Ensure that the pan is thick bottomed or heavy so that the milk does not burn while boiling.
2. Allow the milk to come to a gentle boil. You can stir a few times when the milk is getting heated.
3. Once the milk comes to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer the milk till it thickens a bit. About 5 to 6 minutes. Keep stirring the milk at intervals when it is simmering.
Then add 5 to 6 tablespoons of sugar or according to taste. Stir to mix the sugar with the milk and continue to cook further for 5 minutes.
4. Then add the following ingredients and mix well. Simmer for 1 or 2 minutes.
- 12 to 15 almonds, chopped or slivered
- 12 to 15 pistachios, chopped or slivered
- 12 to 15 cashews, chopped
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder or 3 to 4 green cardamoms crushed to a fine powder in a mortar-pestle
- 5 to 6 saffron strands
Make sure to use plain nuts and not salted. If you prefer you can also blanch these nuts before adding them to the kheer.
You can also add your choice of nuts that are available in your kitchen. If you plan to add golden raisins then add them once the kheer is cooked.
5. Add crumbled paneer. You can also grate the paneer and add it. Since I was using fresh paneer, I crumbled it.
If adding refrigerated or frozen paneer, then you can grate it. For frozen paneer follow the instructions mentioned on the pack for thawing it. If the paneer appears dry, then just soak in warm water and then crumble or grate.
Make sure the paneer is fresh and preferably homemade as it is the star ingredient in this recipe.
6. Simmer for 1 minute on a low heat till the crumbled paneer gets cooked. Switch off the heat. Remember not to cook the paneer for more than 1 to 2 minutes as then it can become chewy or dense and won’t be soft.
Then add 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of rose water. Stir and mix.
If you don’t have rose water then you can add one drop of rose essence or skip the rose flavors entirely.
7. Serve paneer kheer hot, warm or chilled. It can be had plain and they also taste good with pooris. While serving you can garnish the kheer with a few saffron strands or chopped nuts.
I suggest not to reheat the paneer kheer after refrigerating as the paneer can become chewy and dense.
Few more kheer recipes for you!
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.
Paneer Kheer
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole milk
- ½ cup crumbled chenna or grated paneer or 50 grams of chenna or paneer (cottage cheese)
- 5 to 6 tablespoon sugar or as required
- 3 to 4 green cardamoms – powdered in a mortar-pestle or ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 12 to 15 unsalted almonds – chopped or sliced
- 12 to 15 unsalted pistachios – chopped or sliced
- 12 to 15 unsalted cashews – chopped or sliced
- 5 to 6 strands of saffron – optional
- 1 to 1.5 teaspoon rose water or one drop of rose essence (optional)
Instructions
- Take milk in a wide-bottomed pan or saucepan and keep it on stovetop on a low to medium heat. Remember to use a heavy pan so that the milk does not burn while cooking.
- Stir at intervals a few times when the milk is heating up.
- Meanwhile crumble the paneer and keep aside.
- Crush the cardamoms in a mortar-pestle to a fine powder. Chop the nuts and keep aside.
- Whilst the milk comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the milk till it thickens a bit for about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Keep stirring the milk at intervals when it is simmering. Then add sugar and continue to cook further for 5 minutes.
- Stir to mix the sugar with the milk. Then add chopped almonds, pistachios, cashews, cardamom powder and saffron. Mix well and simmer for 1 or 2 minutes.
- Add the crumbled paneer. You can also grate the paneer and add. Since I was using fresh paneer, I crumbled it. If adding refrigerated or frozen paneer, then you can grate it. If the paneer appears dry, then just soak it warm water and then crumble or grate.
- Simmer for 1 minute on a low heat till the crumbled paneer gets cooked. Then add rose water and stir.
- Serve paneer kheer hot, warm or chilled. This kheer can be had plain and they also taste good with pooris. While serving you can garnish it with few saffron strands or chopped nuts or rose petals
Notes
- Use whole milk as it gives a creamier and richer consistency.
- Feel free to add nuts that you like.
- You can skip rose water if you do not have it. Even saffron strands can be skipped. But do add cardamom powder.
- It is best to use homemade paneer. But you can use frozen paneer or packaged paneer. For frozen paneer, thaw it according to the package instructions.
- The recipe can be scaled to make a small batch or a larger batch for small parties.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Paneer Kheer post from the blog archives first published in September 2014 has been republished and updated on 19 January 2022.
Tried this recipe today… Came out very well!!! Thank you 🙂
Amit you are a great chef! All of your recipes are wonderful!!!
thankyou so much ram 🙂
i really love your all recipe. one time in a week i try your recipe.
thank you much nisha and happy cooking.
This looks delicious. Can this be made with store bought paneer?
you could make with store bought paneer mita but home-made is preferable for kheer recipe.
mouth watering recipe
thanks jacquline
Awesome recipe!! Thanks a lot for simple n yet tasty recipes….
thanks ramya.
Paneer contains salt in it. Is this a reason for milk getting spoil.
sowmya, when you make paneer at home then there is no salt in it. outside paneer may have salt and that could also be the reason.
Hi I tried ur panner kheer recipe but milk got split when panner was added, so please may I know the reason what I may have done wrong.panner was brought from market.
sowmya, its because the milk was on the verge of getting spoil or already spoiled.
No fresh milk was used.anyway I will try once again.Your recipes are really awesome.thank you
welcome sowmya. kheer could have also got spoiled because of the preservatives they add in the paneer. usually it has a little salted taste. i suggest to use home made paneer.
I tried the recipe & it was awesome. Thank you!! You are an amazing cook. Also, I really appreciate your dedication that you answer all our questions promptly. Keep up the good work.
welcome priya. thanks for sharing positive feedback and kind words.
Thnx for this wonderful recipe. Does the proportion of milk & paneer have to be exact? Can I add more or less paneer?
welcome priya. yes you can vary the proportion and accordingly the consistency will change.
Dassana, this sweet i made it on my birthday. I must tell it was simply awesum, tasted like rasmalai. My friends were in real awe when i posted the pic on whatsap.
Thnx.
welcome neela. glad to know this. thanks for sharing positive review.
Hi Dassana
Can I skip adding rose water?
siri, yes you can skip adding rose water.
After preparing and eating I say that you should change the name to “Easy N Quick Rasmalai” as it tastes like that.. 🙂
Wonderful recipe…
thanks bhavana. if i would have made small paneer balls then i would have changed its name to easy and quick rasmalai. it does taste like rasmalai.
Hi Dassana, Can you please tell me how long can we store sweets made out of Paneer in the fridge? When will they go stale and how to figure if they have gone stale.
Am new to cooking 🙂 and your blog is my guide.
depends on what kind of sweet. for eg paneer kheer will stay good for 2 to 3 days only since both milk and paneer are used. but something like rasgulla will stay longer, since they are cooked and soaked in sugar syrup. a paneer burfi will also stay good for a a few days. there will be a sour smell and taste if the paneer gets spoiled. you can easily make it out. paneer has a fresh and mildly sweet taste. this sweet tinge will not be felt if it gets spoiled.
Will have to store the kheer in the fridge all the while?
I made the kheer during lunch time. It turned out so yummy,
Then by the time my hubby returned in the evening, the milk had curdled 🙁
What could have possibly gone wrong?
thanks aimee. the milk must be on the verge of getting spoiled. this is very rare and it does not happens. i had also kept the kheer in the fridge for more than a day and it was still fresh.
I love your recipes. however, I dont like to bookmark or email recipes to myself. Is there any way you can place your recipes on Pinterest, so I can just pin them? I am sure it’ll help others too.
thanks hiral. here is the link to our pinterest account – https://in.pinterest.com/dassanaamit/
you can pin from recipe also. except on first photo, in all other images pinterest button appears.