7 Creamy Kheer Variations To Make For

Dussehra 2026

Festivities With Family

The Dussehra Festival is being observed on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, marking the ninth day of Sharad Navratri. It is also known as Vijayadashami and celebrates the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana and that of Goddess Durga over Mahishasura. Sweets play a vital role during the festival, and there are very few desserts which are as soothing as the kheer. The name 'kheer' originates from the Sanskrit word 'kshira', meaning milk, and the dessert has been enjoyed in India for centuries now.

The most authentic form of the dessert, rice kheer is prepared by cooking rice in milk till it becomes thick and creamy and has a sweet taste. Basmati rice, which has a distinctive fragrance, is more commonly used, but the rice variety used in payesh from Bengal is Gobindobhog rice. The traditional flavours added to the kheer are cardamom, saffron, almonds and pistachios. Kheer is distributed as prasad in many temples and is traditionally served during fairs, marriage ceremonies and birthdays.

While the traditional preparation of kheer uses rice, in this sabudana kheer recipe, pearl tapioca made from the starch of the cassava plant replaces rice. Cassava is a native crop of South America, but the preparation of sabudana is synonymous with India and is a staple of fasting diets. Salem city in Tamil Nadu is one of the main sources of sabudana production. Pearls become transparent after soaking in water and cooking. This preparation becomes part of the Navratri fasting diet. A hint of cardamom provides enough flavouring.

Makhana are also known as fox nuts or phool makhana and are dried puffed seeds of the prickly water lily (Euryale ferox), grown in still waters. Bihar's Mithila is where the maximum production of makhana happens in India, with Mithila Makhana receiving a Geographical Indication status in 2022. The seeds are light and nutty in taste and are fried in ghee until they turn crisp, after which they are cooked in milk to give a creamy texture. Some people even smash some of the seeds while making a makhana kheer recipe, as it gives a natural thickening texture.

In the Kaddu Ki Kheer recipe, the pumpkin is transformed into a rich dessert. The pumpkin is grated and then slowly simmered in milk to make it soft; as it is naturally sweet, this kheer does not require much sugar. The orange colour of this dish comes from beta-carotene. The mild flavour of this dish can be enhanced by adding a little cardamom or nutmeg. Kaddu is one of those vegetables that have been traditionally consumed during fasting periods; hence, this kheer is a common dish during Navratri.

Seviyan kheer is the fast-cooking sibling of the group, prepared with vermicelli made from wheat flour that takes no time to cook. First, these strands are toasted in ghee, giving them a nutty flavour and ensuring they do not become soft while cooking in milk. While seviyan is often considered the dessert prepared on Eid along with sheer khurma, which is also cooked similarly, seviyan is just as popular during Hindu festivals as well. In South India, it is known as semiya payasam. The accompaniments include cardamom, raisins, and sliced almonds.

Carrot kheer recipe has been drawn from the dessert known as gajar ka halwa, the winter speciality of Punjab and North India. Carrots are slowly simmered in milk to create a dish that is rich in colour and subtle in its flavour. The red desi carrots, which appear in the markets as winter approaches, are highly valued because of their sweet nature. When the weather begins to get colder after Dussehra, the kheer is an ideal introduction to winter desserts.

Sitaphal, which is also called custard apple or sweet apple, is covered with a green skin, which is scaly in texture and conceals the soft, creamy and naturally sweet pulp of the fruit. Sitaphal is an excellent source of fibre, vitamin C, thiamine, potassium, and magnesium. Only the pulp of sitaphal is needed for kheer, and the seeds and skin of the fruit are not required. Milk is slowly cooked along with saffron and crushed almonds and garnished with cardamom.