Phool Makhana Kheer is a rich, creamy, and healthy dessert made with makhana (puffed lotus seeds), simmered in milk, and flavored with cardamom powder. This delicious pudding can be easily prepared using an Instant Pot or on the stovetop. It's also an excellent choice for vrat (fasting) during Navratri.
I had never heard of phool makhana until I moved to the USA. It was my neighbor from Bihar who introduced me to makhana and shared its amazing benefits. They are packed with the goodness of protein, potassium, phosphorus, carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, iron, and zinc.
She often made spicy roasted masala makhana, which I loved on the first attempt. Then I tried a couple of other makhana recipes at home, like caramel makhana, mint makhana, chocolate makhana, and makhana chivda; my family loves them.
Today, I am sharing a healthy dessert made from Makhana called Phool Makhana Kheer. It is super easy to make and delicious. It is generally made during festivals and vrat (fasting) days. Similar to my rice kheer, and carrot kheer, this dessert can also be prepared in the Instant Pot. I've also included details for the stovetop method below.
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Ingredients
- Phool Makhana: I used plain phool makhana. Even though the package says roasted makhana, I highly recommend pre-roast before using them.
- Milk: I used full-fat dairy milk, you can also make it with coconut milk, or almond milk, if you are vegan.
- Ghee: is used for roasting makhanas.
- Almond Flour: Optional. But it adds a nice taste and texture to the kheer.
- Cardamom powder: I used freshly ground cardamom from 3 whole green cardamom pods.
- Saffron: Optional. I used 1 pinch of saffron strands.
- Nuts: I used almonds and pistachios.
How to Make Phool Makhana Kheer
In a heavy-bottomed pan, add 1 tablespoon of ghee. Once hot, add 1.5 cups makhanas (lotus seeds), and roast them in the ghee for about 3-4 minutes or until they turn light golden brown in color. Transfer them to a plate.
Take ½ cup of roasted makhana and crush them to a fine powder in the blender. Keep aside.
In the heavy-bottomed pan, bring 2 cups of whole milk to a boil on medium heat.
Then add 3-4 tablespoons sugar, roasted makhana, crushed makhana powder, 3 tablespoons of almond powder, and 1 pinch of saffron strands to the pan and stir well until the sugar dissolves. If you don't want to use saffron, you can also skip it.
Continue to cook further for another 6-8 minutes while stirring it occasionally until the kheer thickens slightly. The milk will begin to reduce, and the makhanas will soften and shrink in size.
Note: If you don't have store-bought almond flour, simply add 10-12 almonds to the blender along with the makhana while crushing it.
Lastly, add ½ teaspoon cardamom powder and nuts. Mix well. Serve makhane ki kheer warm.
Instant Pot Method
Firstly, clean the instant pot thoroughly - the steel pot, lid, and sealing ring. If you have an extra sealing ring for sweet foods, use it else, milk may curdle.
Press SAUTE button on Instant Pot. Add 1 tablespoon ghee to the pot. Once hot, add 1.5 cups of phool makhanas and roast them in the ghee for about 3-4 minutes or until they turn light golden brown. **Dont burn; else the burnt smell influences kheer.
To ensure the makhana is roasted properly, take one in your hand and crush it. If it breaks easily with a satisfying crunch, it's perfectly roasted.
Then, remove ½ cup of roasted makhana and crush it into a fine powder in the blender.
Next, add 2 cups of whole milk, crushed powdered makhana, 3 tablespoons almond flour, 3-4 tablespoons sugar, and 1 pinch of saffron strands to the Instant Pot. Give a quick stir.
Close the lid. Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (Low Pressure) and set the timer to 10 minutes. Let it Natural Pressure Release (NPR).
Stir in ½ teaspoon cardamom powder and ¼ cup of chopped nuts like almonds and pistachios. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until it thickens a bit.
Lastly, serve the Instant Pot phool makhana kheer warm and garnish with pistachios and almonds.
Storage Suggestions
You can store the leftovers for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
After refrigeration, the kheer may thicken a bit. You can adjust the consistency by adding a little warm milk while reheating.
Expert Tips
- The makhana kheer becomes thick after cooling down, add warm milk to adjust the consistency while serving.
- You can also ground all 1.5 cups of roasted phool makhana if you or your child doesn’t prefer to eat the whole makhana.
Variations
- If you dont have almond flour, take 10-12 almonds and make a fine powder in a blender. You can also skip almond flour in this recipe, but it really gives a rich and creamy taste. You can also substitute almond flour with 2 tablespoons of condensed milk or khoya/mawa if you like.
- You can also add roasted cashews, raisins, and any nuts of your choice to this kheer.
- If you are vegan, use almond milk and coconut oil for a variation.
- You may also add grated carrots to this kheer, tastes really good.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use any sweetener of your choice for this makhane ki kheer recipe. If using jaggery in place of sugar, add it after the pressure cooking cycle because the impurities in jaggery can curdle the milk. You can also replace regular sugar with brown sugar or coconut sugar.
More Indian Desserts Recipes
Phool Makhana Kheer (Instant Pot & Stovetop)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups makhana /foxnut/lotus seed
- 2 cups full fat whole milk (or almond milk)[500 ml]
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 3 tablespoons almond flour (or 10 almonds powdered)
- 3-4 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 pinch of saffron strands
- ¼ cup almonds and pistachios
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Press SAUTE button. Add ghee to the pot. Once hot, add makhanas (lotus seed), and roast them in the ghee for about 4 minutes or until they turn light golden brown.**Dont burn else the burnt smell influences kheer.
- Then, remove ½ cup of roasted makhana and crush it into a fine powder in the blender.
- Next, add milk, crushed makhana, almond powder, sugar, and saffron strands to the Instant Pot. Give a quick stir.
- Close the lid. Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (Low Pressure) and set the timer to 10 minutes and Let it Natural Pressure Release (NPR).
- Stir in the cardamom powder and nuts. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until it thickens a bit.
- Serve warm or cold and garnish with pistachios and almonds.
Stovetop Method:
- In a heavy bottom pan, add ghee, once hot, add makhanas (lotus seed), and roast them in the ghee for about 3-4 minutes or until they turn light golden brown in color. Transfer them to a plate.
- Take ½ cup of roasted makhana and crush them to a fine powder in the blender.
- In the heavy bottom pan, bring 2 cups of whole milk to a boil on medium heat.
- Then add sugar, roasted makhana, crushed makhana powder, almond powder, and 1 pinch of saffron strands to the pan and stir well until the sugar dissolves. If you don't want to use saffron, you can also skip it.
- Continue to cook further for another 6-8 minutes while stirring it occasionally until the kheer thickens slightly. The milk will begin to reduce, and the makhanas will soften and shrink in size.
- Lastly, add cardamom powder and nuts. Mix well. Serve makhane ki kheer warm.
Notes
- You can also ground all 1.5 cups of roasted phool makhana if you or your child doesn’t prefer to eat the whole makhana.
- The makhana kheer becomes thick after cooling down, add warm milk to adjust the consistency while serving.
- If you dont have almond flour, take 10-12 almonds and make a fine powder in a blender. You can also skip almond powder in this recipe, but it really gives a rich and creamy taste. You can also substitute almond flour with 2 tablespoons of condensed milk or khoya/mawa if you like.
- You can also add roasted cashews, raisins, and any nuts of your choice to this kheer.
- If you are vegan, use almond milk and coconut oil for a variation.
- You may also add grated carrots to this kheer, tastes really good.
Nutrition
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D
When do you add the whole roasted makhana? It's not clear to me. Do you add it at the same time when you had the crushed /blended makhana? Or at the end?
bhavana
I have added whole roasted makhana with the crushed makhana itself not in the end.