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!
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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.
Loved this recipe!!
Thank you.
This was AMAZING!! Everyone in my family LOVED it. It’s quick and easy to make and tastes REALLY good. A must try recipe for everyone. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
thanks a lot fatima. glad to read your feedback. thanks for the rating too.
hi amit,
can jaggery be used instead of sugar?
Maneesha, jaggery can curdle the milk. so if you add jaggery then add right in the end.
Hi Dassana Amit,
We have tried 3 of your recipes – Punjabi chole masala, tomato chutney and paneer kheer. They came out really well. Thanks fo your efforts. All are nice recipes.
thank you sriram for the feedback on the three recipes you have tried. most welcome and happy cooking 🙂
Tasted just like Rasamalai 🙂 Yummy Yummy…
Appreciate the way you patiently reply to all the comments 🙂 Love your blog..
Thank you 🙂
welcome dhivya, pleased to know this. thanks for positive feedback 🙂
Hello Sir,
Can d consistency reduced after adding paner.?
I used frozen panner, d milk is ok, not spoiled, but didn’t get kheer consistency, it’s bit milky.
ashwini, the paneer kheer consistency will not reduce after adding paneer. you have to first reduce the consistency and then add paneer to it. possibly the frozen paneer must have released water in the milk, there by thinning the consistency.
Thank you, though bit thin, still my husband liked a lot.
Thanks again for dis quick and awesome recipe