Sabudana kheer is a creamy, delicious pudding from India. Made with sago, milk, sugar, and nuts, this pudding is very easy to make. A perfect dessert for every festival.
Most Indians love desserts and there is a huge variety of desserts in Indian cuisine. Even in puddings, you will find an impressive range. Today’s recipe- Sabudana kheer is my favorite Indian puddings.
It's perfect for every occasion and is very easy to make.
Sabudana is the Hindi word for tapioca pearls and kheer means pudding. So Sabudana kheer is a pudding made with tapioca pearls.
Though as a kid I was not a fussy eater, my mother had a tough time making me drink milk. So she used to make puddings or ice creams for my happy intake of milk. Of all the puddings she used to make, Sabudana kheer was my favorite, not only because it’s delicious but also because I was fascinated by the tiny translucent tapioca pearls in this dish.
Last month we celebrated one of the biggest festivals of Hindus – Navratri which is celebrated for 9 nights. I have already shared the details of this festival in my post of Vrat wale alu. As I mentioned there, during the period of this festival only the vegetarian dishes made with a few acceptable ingredients are allowed to be eaten.
Sabudana kheer is one such dish that is prepared and eaten during Navratri. Though you can also enjoy it on any day of the year.
So, if you are looking for some easy Indian dessert recipe, do try this Indian Sago pudding.
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Ingredients required
Making sago pudding is very easy and it needs only the following basic ingredients:
- Sago (tapioca pearls)
- Milk (preferably full cream milk)
- Sugar: Jaggery or palm sugar can be used too
- Nuts: Use a combination of your favorite nuts. I have used cashew nuts, pistachios, and almonds
- Raisins (preferably golden raisins)
- Green cardamom powder
Do you need to soak sago for making pudding?
No, to make sabudana kheer you don't need to soak it. It will swell when boiled with milk even without soaking.
Where to buy Tapioca pearls?
Last time when I posted the recipe of Sabudana khichdi, I received a lot of messages from people asking me where to buy Tapioca pearls.
You can very easily find it in every Indian store or I should say every Asian store as sago is also used in many Southeast Asian recipes.
If there is no Asian store near your place then its also available on Amazon, you can order from there.
How to make its vegan version?
If you are a vegan, just replace milk with coconut milk, the rest of this recipe will remain the same. Coconut milk is the best plant-based milk for making sago desserts.
How to serve?
Sabudana kheer can be served hot, warm, or cold. You can decide it based on your liking and also the weather.
I prefer having it chilled.
How to make?
Making Indian style sago pudding is very easy. Just follow the steps given below:
- Boil milk in a heavy-bottomed pan.
- After the first boil, add tapioca pearls, chopped nuts, and raisins. Cook on low flame for around 20-25 minutes or until the milk thickens and the pearls turn translucent. Keep on stirring after every 8-10 minutes to ensure that the milk doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Add sugar, and cardamom powder. Mix everything and cook for another 2-3 minutes and then switch off the gas.
Isn't it too simple? But, it tastes really good.
How to make it with jaggery?
If you want to make sabudana kheer with jaggery, you can follow this recipe. Just replace sugar with grated or powdered jaggery. Add it only after switching off the gas and stir until the jaggery melts in hot kheer. Adjust the quantity based on your sweetness preference.
Step by step photo instructions
Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions
- For making any Indian pudding, use full cream milk. It makes it creamier and tastier.
- Sabudana kheer thickens after some time, so if you are making it in advance either reduce the quantity of sago or add more milk.
- Don't add any ingredient to the milk before the first boil.
- Don't add sugar to the pudding until the tapioca pearls are cooked otherwise, they won't get cooked properly.
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot to make this dish otherwise, milk will stick to the pot and spoil the pudding.
- Don't leave the kheer unattended while cooking it and keep on stirring after every 8-10 minutes.
More easy kheer recipes
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Recipe
Sabudana Kheer
Ingredients
- 1 litre full cream milk
- ½ cup sugar adjust as per taste
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons tapioca pearls
- 2 tablespoons chopped pistachio/ almonds/ cashew nuts
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- ½ teaspoon green cardamom powder
Instructions
- Wash the tapioca pearls, drain the water and keep the pearls aside
- Boil milk in a heavy-bottomed pot.
- Once the milk starts boiling add tapioca pearls, chopped nuts, and raisins. Cook on low flame for around 20-25 minutes or until the milk thickens and the pearls turn translucent. Keep on stirring after every 8-10 minutes to ensure that the milk doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Add sugar, and cardamom powder. Mix everything and cook for another 2-3 minutes and then switch off the gas.
- It can be enjoyed hot, warm, or chilled. If you prefer chilled keep the fridge for at least 2-3 hours before serving.
Notes
- Add tapioca pearls and nuts only once the milk gets boiled.
- This pudding thickens after a few hours so don't add too much sabudana. Just follow the recipe and it will be fine.
- Don't add sugar to the pudding until the tapioca pearls are cooked otherwise they won't get cooked properly.
I've never tried a pudding like that but the spices and nuts really appeal to me and it's so pretty. Shared!
Thanks a lot, Jacqueline :).
Ooh gosh, I haven't had tapioca in years. We used to have it in school and I hated it, but looking at your recipe, I suspect I'd really like it now.
Thanks Choclette. Yes, this pudding tastes great, you should definitely give it a try.
My favourite
Thank you 🙂