Badam Kheer (Almond Payasam)

Badam Kheer is a delicious Indian pudding variety made with almonds, sugar, saffron, cardamoms and whole milk. Call it an Almond Payasam or a kheer, whatever you want but it is sure to impress everyone with its richness and flavor. It is garnished with silvered almonds or pistachios and is best served chilled as an after meal dessert. You can also make this ahead and store in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Traditionally this recipe is made with whole almonds, which are soaked, peeled and ground to a smooth paste before simmering with full fat milk. That’s how I too did in the past but in the recent years, blanched almond flour is easily available where I live. So I have been making this Badam Kheer with the store bought flour for convenience.

About Badam Payasam

In the step by step photos I show how to make it with whole almonds along with the instructions to make it with flour. The main difference is that with whole almonds, you need to soak and peel. For this planning ahead is essential and this task can take you about 15 to 20 mins for a small batch. With store bought flour you can instantly make the almond payasam whenever you crave for something rich and sweet.

But whatever you use (almonds or almond flour), it is essential to grind to a fine paste before making the payasam. I have made this on several occasions with fine blanched almond flour and figured out that grinding gives the best texture to the badam kheer. It turns out gritty if you omit this step.

If you have grown up in an Indian home, I am sure you are familiar with the Badam Burfi, Badam Halwa, Badam Ladoo and Badam Milk which are also made with almonds. This Badam Kheer is made similar to the milk but the consistency and sweetness levels are different. This Badam Payasam is not as runny as badam milk but has a slightly thicker consistency similar to Basundi. It is also not as thick as the traditional rice Kheer. Here are some variations you can try out.

Variations & Expert Tips

• Use 1½ tbsps custard powder stirred in with half cup extra milk and add it along with the badam paste. This gives a different more creamy texture. You can use various flavors of custard powder.
• Use 1 tablespoons rice flour or sabudana flour mixed with half cup mix and pour it once the milk comes to a boil. Let it cook for 4 to 5 mins and then add the badam paste.
• You can add 2 tablespoons of overnight soaked sabudana or roasted vermicelli. Extra milk is not required for vermicelli but sometimes sabudana will require more liquid if it is not soaked well. First cook down the sabduana or vermicelli and then stir in the almond paste.
• We personally love garnishing this with toasted and fine chopped pistachios (just before serving). Alternately you may use store bought silvered almonds or simply soak 5 to 6 more almonds along with the rest. Peel, slice and use to garnish.

Photo Guide

Step by Step Photo Instructions

If you are using almond flour use 2/3 cup loosely measured and jump to step 3.

1. Soak ¼ cup almonds (30 almonds – 35 grams) in 1 cup hot water, for 30 minutes. Alternately you may also soak them for 3 to 4 hours in cold water. You want to soak them really well else it is difficult to grind them to a smooth paste. Any grits in the kheer is going to take too long to soften.

2. When the almonds are soaked, peel the skin.

3. On a medium flame, bring 2½ cups milk to a boil in a heavy bottom pot. Reserve another half cup cold milk aside.

4. Add the peeled almonds to a blender along with 2 to 3 green cardamoms, 1 large pinch of saffron and 3 to 4 tablespoons sugar.

5. Pour ¼ cup milk from the reserved milk and blend them to a very smooth puree, adding the rest as you grind. Using lot of milk at one time won’t blend the nuts well, so add them in 2 batches, ¼ cup each time.

6. When the milk comes to a boil, add the ground almonds. If you like to add vermicelli, then roast them lightly in ghee and add it to the boiling milk. When the vermicelli is cooked then add almond mixture.

7. Stir and continue to cook on a low to medium flame.

8. When the milk reaches thick consistency as seen below, turn off the stove. If you want to serve it chilled, cool down and refrigerate. Whisk well with a fork or a whisk to a smooth texture.

Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with blanched/ silvered almonds or chopped pistachios. Serve badam kheer hot or chilled as desired.

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