Sabudana kheer – Creamy, delicious & thick pudding made with tapioca pearls, milk, sweetener & cardamoms. Sabudana is the hindi name for tapioca pearls & kheer refers to an Indian pudding. Sabudana is often used in Indian cooking to make various dishes like porridge, kheer, khichdi & vada.
Tapioca pearls or sabudana is made from tapioca root also known as cassava. These pearls are much known as sago in many languages.
In Tamil they are called as Javvarisi, in Telugu sagubiyyam, in Kannada sabakki and in Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi it is known as sabudana.
Sabudana is a processed food and is a pure starch. It has no other nutrients in it except high carbohydrates and very low protein, vitamins & minerals. Hence they are combined with nutritious ingredients and cooked.
In India sabudana is widely used as a fasting food as it gives instant energy boost. This sabudana kheer is one such dish mostly made during religious fastings.
Sabudana kheer is a great summer food. It is considered to reduce the body heat and balance the body temperature. It is also given to babies and toddlers to boost energy.
If you are looking for ideas to feed sabudana to your baby then you can check here how to feed sabudana to your baby.
This kheer can be served chilled or warm as a dessert or as a breakfast.
More Indian sweets
Carrot halwa
Lauki halwa
Moong dal halwa
How to make it
To make sabudana kheer, tapioca pearls are first rinsed well and then cooked in water until they turn transparent. Then milk is added to it. It is further simmered until the entire kheer turns thick & creamy.
Lastly it is sweetened with either sugar or jaggery. Sabudana kheer is flavored with cardamom powder & garnished with various nuts.
I use regular whole milk to cook it. However almond milk or coconut milk can also be used.
To make sabudana kheer you can use any healthy sweetener like jaggery, palm jaggery or stevia etc. If using jaggery then make sure you turn off the stove before adding it.
Step-by-step photos
How to make sabudana kheer
1. Rinse sabudana very well at least twice. Then pour water and begin to cook stirring often to prevent burning. You can also soak the sabudana first in hot water for 30 mins to reduce the cook time.
2. When the sabudana turns transparent check if they are cooked through. You can bite a few and check. They should not be hard or chewy. Pour milk and mix.
3. Continue to cook until they turn soft and light. Then add cardamom powder.
4. Add sugar. I used brown sugar. You can also add jaggery. If you add jaggery to the boiling kheer it will curdle.
So to use jaggery turn off the stove & add the jaggery. Or make a jaggery syrup following the recipe notes and cool it completely. Then add it here.
5. Boil until the kheer turns thick. It will thicken further upon cooling so turn off when it is of pouring yet thick consistency.
Serve sabudana kheer chilled or warm. Garnish with chopped nuts and saffron if you desire.
Tips to make sabudana kheer
- Soaking sabudana for 30 mins in hot water will cut down the cook time.
- Sabudana gets cooked faster in water than in milk so I cook them first in water until transparent then add milk.
- To make this kheer more richer and delicious, blend 10 to 12 blanched almonds, 1 pinch of saffron with half cup milk until smooth. Then pour it to the kheer towards the end. Simmer just for a few minutes.
- You can skip sugar completely and just add finely chopped dates to sweeten the dish. Do not cook once the dates are added as the flavor of the kheer changes.
More sabudana recipes
Sabudana khichdi
Sabudana vada
Recipe
Sabudana kheer recipe
Sabudana kheer recipe | How to make sabudana kheer
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients for sabudana kheer
- ¼ cup sabudana tapioca pearls (sago)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons sugar or chopped dates or jaggery (refer notes)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup milk (use more if needed)
- 1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder elaichi powder
- 1 tablespoon nuts chopped – almonds, pistas & cashews
Instructions
How to make sabudana kheer
- Add sabudana to a heavy bottom pot and rinse it very well.
- Pour 1 cup water and cook them until transparent stirring often.
- You can also soak them for few hours to reduce the cook time.
- Check the doneness by biting a few pearls. They should not be hard or chewy.
- Pour milk and stir. Cook until they turn soft and light.
- Add cardamom powder and sugar.
- Stir and cook until the sabudana kheer turns thick to your liking.
- If needed add more milk & simmer. It usually thickens upon cooling.
- Serve sabudana kheer warm or chilled. Garnish with chopped nuts.
- You can also fry the nuts and raisins in ghee and pour it over the kheer.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
Notes
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Sabudana kheer recipe was originally published in April 2012. Updated May 2019 with new images.
Sabudana kheer for babies
Sabudana is cooling to the body so it is ideal to feed your baby during summers. We usually feed sabudana when the baby has a tummy upset or during teething.
Avoid it if your baby is suffering from constipation. Also avoid sugar and salt until your baby is one year old.
You can also add a piece of carrot to the sabudana kheer. Just blend the carrot with water or milk until smooth. When the sabudana is cooked pour the carrot puree and cook until you get the smell of cooked carrots.
Here are the 3 different ways I have followed to make sabudana kheer for my babies. As the baby grows move to the next method.
1. Sabudana powder (for 8+ months)
- Rinse sadubana well in water. Drain in a colander. Dry on a clean white cloth until completely dry.
- Then dry roast it well on a low flame. Cool and make a fine powder & dry again.
- Sieve if needed and store it in an air tight jar in the fridge.
- Use a teaspoon of this for every ¾ cup water. Cook until it turns slightly thick. Cool and feed. You can also add milk.
2. Sabudana kheer puree (for 8+ months)
The second method is to cook the sabudana kheer following the above method and then puree it in a blender.
3. Almond milk sabudana kheer (above 1 year)
- 1.5 tbsp. small sago (sabudana/ saggubiyyam)
- 4 to 6 Soaked Almonds (optional)
- 45 ml Milk (optional, can use water instead)
- 1 pinch Cardamom powder
- 1 tbsp. organic Jaggery or sugar
- 130 ml Water
- To make sabudana kheer for babies, wash sago and cook in water till they turn transparent.
- Grind the almonds with milk and cardamom.
- Pour the almond mixture in the cooked sago and cook it further till soft.
- Add jaggery and mix well. Switch off the flame. Do not cook after adding jaggery. Serve warm. If your baby cannot eat soft sago, then blend it to a puree in a blender when it cools down.
Rhea says
Hi .I recently checked your whole blog I am amazed by the way everything is explained.. I am a new beginner in cooking and totaly blank about how to start and I need to know cooking it is important for my future life . Can you please suggest me how to start and what recipes should I start first. Please swasthi di
swasthi says
Hi Rhea,
Thank you! Glad you liked the blog! I would suggest you to look into this link Recipes for bachelors. Try to make some one pot dishes like pulao, khichdi, lemon rice, veg biryani as they are quick to make. Then you can also make poha & upma, sandwiches. Hope this helps. If you do not know whether a recipe is easy or not then you can post a comment here. I can guide you.
🙂
Pp says
Hi
I made sabudana kheer yesterday. Thanks for the recipe. Can savudana cause wheezing in babies? I gave this last evening to my 1 year old and he struggled wheezing the whole night. I gave him some adrakwali dalia in the morning. Seems to be better now. My question is can sabudana cause wheezing?
swasthi says
Hi PP,
Looks like your toddler got cold after eating sabudana kheer. Yes it can cause wheezing, cold & even phlegm if eaten cold especially if made with sugar. To avoid this we usually feed it luke warm and then avoid sugar. Instead use jaggery as it is warming to the body. Next time avoid feeding it in the night. Wishing him a speedy recovery.
Ann says
Hi Swasthi
I love all your recipes. Would like to know if you use ponni raw rice. If so what brand is good. I always use basmati but people say not gud for daily use. How do you differentiate between old rice and newrice. Is sr murugan raw rice gud. Would appreciate a response asap.
Thanks and regards.
Ann
swasthi says
Hi Ann,
Thank you. Yes we eat ponni raw rice & parboiled, sona masuri raw & parboiled & basmathi. We use organic rice from mustafa. Not very particular about brands as long as they are organic. Earlier I had used murugan raw rice a few times. They are okay. Regarding the age of the rice, we usually enquire and buy. The men in mustafa guide us. For basmati rice, the harvest date is printed on the pack. We use lalquilla basmati old malai. Hope this helps.
Reena says
Hello swasthi di,
I cannot find the carrot and sadudana recipe on your blog. My baby like it very much. Please give me the recipe. Can I give sabudana for dinner? My baby is 11 months. Thank you di
swasthi says
Hi Reena,
That recipe is not available on the blog anymore. I can give you the link tomorrow. Just blend half carrot smooth with some water and pour it to the sabudana when it is cooked light and transparent. Yes you can give it for dinner but not daily. Avoid during monsoon and winters. Hope this helps.
swasthi says
Reena,
I have updated the method of making carrot sabudana kheer in the above post. Hope this helps
Zakira says
Hi swasthi,
Wow your recipes are truly healthy. Love your thoughts on using dates for sabudana kheer. Never even thought of it. We tried it at home it was delicious 😋 . Thank you .
swasthi says
Hi Zakira
You are welcome. Thanks for comment. Glad you loved dates in sabudana kheer.
Meenakshi says
Hey Swasthi,
Lovely sabudana kheer. My 11 months old baby loves the almond sabudana kheer. Have been feeding this for 3 days in a row. Would you recommend continuing for another 2 to 3 days?
swasthi says
Hi Meenakshi,
Wow! Glad your baby loved it. It should be fine.
alsaa says
pls swasthi reply soon waiting for breakfast idea for my 3 year 1mnth daughter
swasthi says
Hi Alsaa
Please go through this breakfast recipes link for ideas. I suggest high protein foods made with egg or dal for breakfast. You can try moongdal dosa, egg paratha, dal paratha, boiled chana or steamed sprouted green gram tossed with olive oil, veggies, pepper, sesame seeds. There are lot of ideas on the link. You can check. You may also like these kids collection. You can also check these lunch box recipes
alsaa says
sorry to disturb u again mam but how to make chart coz I’m the mad rush of waking the children getting them ready for school it’s very confusing what to give them for breakfast and pack for school Tiffin . also mam is it good to give paratha for breakfast.plus mam tell us very nutritious breakfast. my daughter is 3 + years old
swasthi says
Hi Alsaa
Yes you can give them paratha, . I will tell u in detail about the breakfasts on the food chart post (to your comment)
alsaa says
hi swasthi I m 7months pregnant can I drink this. also mam pls it’s a request my daughter is 3+ Pls give me some healthy and super nutritious breakfast for her. coz it’s very confusing early in d morning.
swasthi says
Hi Alsaa
Yes you can drink it but not too often. sago is loaded with carbs and no other nutrition. Prepare with almond milk and have it twice in a week. Please check the baby toddler link on the menu bar for recipes
schmetterlingwords says
Woww Wowww…. This Almond Sago is indeed a wholesome food… and jaggery gives the needed taste… sure to be a hit with toddlers… Thank you for linking this with Healthy Morsels – Baby and Toddler Foods 🙂
Roshni says
Even I would love a bowl of this.. thanks for linking to event