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{{Short description|sweetish pudding dish in India}}
{{Short description|Sweet pudding dish from Indian subcontinent}}
{{distinguish|Kheer (Bengali sweets)}}
{{distinguish|Kheer (Bengali sweets)}}
{{multiple issues|
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2024}}  
{{original research|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox food
| name              = Kheer
| image              = Kheer.jpg
| image_size        = 300px
| caption            = A bowl of kheer
| alternate_name    = ksheeram, doodhpak, meetha bhat (sometimes misunderstood as mayasam)
| country            = [[South Asia]]
| region            =
| creator            =
| course            = Dessert
| served            =
| main_ingredient    = Rice, milk, sugar, [[cardamom]], [[jaggery]], [[saffron]], [[pistachio]]s or [[almond]]s
| variations        = [[Vermicelli]] (semiya) kheer, [[Barley]] kheer, kaddu ki kheer, paal (milk) payasam, payesh, chhanar payesh (payesh made with chhana or paneer)
| calories          = 249
| other              =
| type              = Pudding
}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox food
| name            = Kheer
| image            = Kheer.jpg
| image_size      = 300px
| caption          = A bowl of kheer
| alternate_name  = Payasam, Payesh and Ksheeram
| country          = [[Indian Subcontinent]]
| region          = [[India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Bhutan]], [[Nepal]]
| creator          =
| course          =
| served          =
| main_ingredient  = Rice, milk, sugar, [[cardamom]], [[jaggery]], [[saffron]], [[pistachio]]s or [[almond]]s
| variations      = [[Barley]] kheer, Kaddu ki kheer, paal (milk), payasam, payesh, chhanar payesh (payesh made with chhana or paneer)


| calories        = 249 kcal
'''Kheer''', '''khir, payesh, fenni''' or '''payasam''' is a [[pudding]] or [[porridge]] (specifically [[rice pudding]]) popular in the [[Indian subcontinent]], usually made by boiling [[milk]], [[sugar]] or [[jaggery]], and [[rice]]. It can be additionally flavoured with dried fruits, nuts, [[cardamom]] and [[saffron]]. Instead of rice, it may contain [[cracked wheat]], vermicelli ([[sevai]]), [[sago]] or [[Tapioca#Tapioca pearls|tapioca]] (sabudana).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Best rated puddings in the world |url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/best-rated-puddings-in-the-world |access-date= |website=www.tasteatlas.com}}</ref>
| other            =  
}}


'''Kheer''' or '''Kheeri''' or '''Payesh''', '''Payasam''' or '''Phirni''' (Hindi: खीर; {{lang-bn|পায়েস}}; {{lang-or|କ୍ଷୀରି}}; Sinhala: පායාසම්; {{lang-kn|ಪಾಯಸ}}; Tamil: பாயசம்; Malayalam : പായസം, Nepali: खिर; [[Telugu language|Telugu]]: పాయసం; Punjabi: ਖੀਰ; [[Urdu language|Urdu]]: کھیر ) is a sweet dish and a type of wet [[pudding]] popular in the [[Indian subcontinent]], usually made by boiling milk, sugar or [[jaggery]], and [[rice]], although rice may be substituted with one of the following: [[daals]], [[bulgur wheat]], [[millet]], [[tapioca]], [[vermicelli]], or [[sweet corn]]. It is typically flavoured with [[desiccated coconut]], [[cardamom]], [[raisin]]s, [[saffron]], [[cashew]]s, [[pistachio]]s, [[almond]]s, or other dry fruits and nuts, and recently [[pseudocereals|pseudograins]] are also gaining popularity. It is typically served as part of a [[multicourse meal]], as a [[dessert]].{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}
In Northern India, it is made in various ways. The most popular versions are the ones made with rice and [[vermicelli]] (semiya).<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=Best rated puddings in the world |url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/best-rated-puddings-in-the-world |access-date= |website=www.tasteatlas.com}}</ref> In Nepal, it tends to be thicker and uses fewer ingredients.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 September 2025 |title=Have No Fear, You Can Make Kheer Here! – The Wesleyan Argus |url=https://wesleyanargus.com/2013/10/28/kheer/ |access-date=18 September 2025 |language=en-US}}</ref>


==Etymology==
==Etymology==
The word ''kheer'' is derived from the [[Sanskrit]] word for [[milk]], ''[[ksheer]]'' (क्षीर). Ksheer is also the archaic name for sweet [[rice pudding]].
The word ''kheer'' is derived from the [[Sanskrit]] word ''[[kshira]]'' (क्षीर), which means [[milk]] or a "milk-based dish".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Monier-Williams |first=Sir Monier |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FzRDAQAAMAAJ&dq=Kshira+milk&pg=PA268 |title=A Sanskṛit-English Dictionary Etymologically and Philologically Arranged: With Special Reference to Greek, Latin, Gothic, German, Anglo-Saxon, and Other Cognate Indo-European Languages |date=1872 |publisher=Clarendon Press |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kheer: An Essential Dish {{!}} Civilization of India |url=https://people.smu.edu/hist2390/2020/06/29/kheer-an-essential-dish/ |access-date=10 September 2024 |website=people.smu.edu}}</ref> Kheer is also the archaic name for sweet [[rice pudding]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 December 2013 |title=DS group enters dairy market, with 'ksheer' - Hindustan Times |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/ds-group-enters-dairy-market-with-ksheer/article1-1112050.aspx |access-date=10 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220090554/http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/ds-group-enters-dairy-market-with-ksheer/article1-1112050.aspx |archive-date=20 December 2013 }}</ref>
 
The word ''payasam'' used in [[South India]] for kheer originates from the [[Sanskrit]] term ''pāyasa'' (पायस), which means "milk" or a dish made from milk. This term evolved into various regional languages, including [[Malayalam]] (പായസം, pāyasaṁ), [[Telugu language|Telugu]] (పాయసం, pāyasaṁ), and [[Tamil Nadu|Tamil]] (பாயசம், pāyacam).<ref>{{Cite web |title=payasam |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/payasam_n?tl=true#:~:text=Where%20does%20the%20noun%20payasam%20come%20from?&text=The%20earliest%20known%20use%20of,:%20Tamil%20p%C4%81yasam;%20Sanskrit%20p%C4%81yasa. |website=Oxford English Dictionary}}</ref>


==Origin==
==Origin==
[[File:Mixed Dry Fruit Kheer - Home - Chandigarh - India - 00011.jpg|left|thumb|Kheer topped with dried fruits and nuts]]
Kheer was a part of the [[ancient India]]n diet and is mentioned in the ''[[Ayurveda]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gounesco.com/kheer-the-quintessential-affair-indian-milk/|title=Kheer: The Quintessential Indian Milk Affair|access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=August 2020}}


According to the food historian [[K. T. Achaya]], kheer or ''payas'', as it is known in southern India, was a popular dish in [[ancient India]]. First mentioned in ancient Indian literature, it was a mixture of rice, milk and sugar, a formula that has endured for over two thousand years. Payas was also a staple [[Hindu]] temple food, in particular, and it is served as ''[[Prasāda]]'' to devotees.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/a-truly-international-dessert/story-kfaP9BbuLcuyvCr5A03VGL.html|title=A truly international dessert|date=3 October 2009|work=Hindustan Times}}</ref>
A story from [[Kerala]] titled "The Legend of Chessboard", holds that an old sage, who was [[Krishna]] in disguise, challenged the king of ''Ambalapuzha'' (chess enthusiasts) to a game. To motivate the sage, the king offered anything the old man would name. The sage modestly asked for a few grains of rice but with one condition: the king must put a single grain of rice on the first chess square and double it on every subsequent one.
 
Krishna, as the sage, won the game and the king started placing the grains. As he stacked them, he was shocked to see the number grow exponentially. In the end, the number came up to trillions. Krishna reveals himself and asks the king to provide kheer to every pilgrim who comes to what is now the [[Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Swamy Temple|Ambalapuzha Krishna Temple]] in the [[Alappuzha district|Alappuzha District]], which still follows this command.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 June 2020 |title=History of Indian Food |url=http://www.haldiramusa.com/History_Indian_Food.htm |access-date=25 April 2024 |website=Haldiram USA |archive-date=18 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118172506/http://www.haldiramusa.com/History_Indian_Food.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
According to the food historian [[K. T. Achaya]], kheer (or ''payasam'', as it is known in South India) was a popular dish in [[ancient India]]. First mentioned in ancient Indian literature, it was a mixture of rice, milk and sugar. ''Payasam'' was also a staple food in [[Hindu]] [[Temple|temples]] in particular, where it is served as ''[[Prasāda]]'' to devotees.<ref name="ht">{{Cite news |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/a-truly-international-dessert/story-kfaP9BbuLcuyvCr5A03VGL.html|title=A truly international dessert|date=3 October 2009|work=Hindustan Times}}</ref>
 
== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Mixed Dry Fruit Kheer - Home - Chandigarh - India - 00011.jpg|Kheer topped with dried fruits and nuts
File:Rice pudding also called payasam or kheer.jpg|Kheer
File:Paal payasam.JPG|Paal payasam
File:Milk kheer.jpg|Kheer with vermicelli (called seviyan kheer, semiya payasam or [[shemai]])
File:Semiya Payasam Vermicelli Kheer.jpg|Vermicelli kheer
</gallery>


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Porridge]]
* [[Porridge]]
* [[Khira sagara]]
* [[Phirni]] – a dessert made with ground rice or rice flour cooked in milk and eaten chilled
* [[Shir Berenj]] – Persian rice pudding
* [[Doodhpak]] – Gujarati rice pudding
* [[Shemai]] – Bengali vermicelli pudding
* [[Sheer khurma]] – Persian vermicelli pudding


==References==
==References==
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{{Bangladeshi dishes}}
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[[Category:Pakistani rice dishes]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi rice dishes]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi rice dishes]]
[[Category:Indian rice dishes]]
[[Category:Indian rice dishes]]
[[Category:North Indian cuisine]]
[[Category:North Indian cuisine]]
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[[Category:Bihari cuisine]]
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[[Category:Uttar Pradeshi cuisine]]
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[[Category:Nepalese cuisine]]
[[Category:Nepalese cuisine]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi desserts]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi desserts]]
[[Category:Odia cuisine]]
[[Category:Cuisine of Odisha]]
[[Category:Rice pudding]]
[[Category:Rice pudding]]
[[Category:Telangana cuisine]]
[[Category:Telangana cuisine]]
[[Category:Hyderabadi cuisine]]
[[Category:Hyderabadi cuisine]]
[[Category:Punjabi cuisine]]
[[Category:Punjabi cuisine]]
[[Category:Fijian desserts]]
[[Category:Kerala cuisine]]
[[Category:Kerala cuisine]]
[[Category:Tamil cuisine]]
[[Category:Tamil cuisine]]
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[[Category:Pakistani cuisine]]
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[[Category:Sri Lankan cuisine]]
[[Category:Indo-Caribbean cuisine]]
[[Category:Andhra cuisine]]

Latest revision as of 20:20, 28 March 2026


Not to be confused with Kheer (Bengali sweets).

Kheer
A bowl of kheer
Alternative namesksheeram, doodhpak, meetha bhat (sometimes misunderstood as mayasam)
TypePudding
CourseDessert
Place of originSouth Asia
Main ingredientsRice, milk, sugar, cardamom, jaggery, saffron, pistachios or almonds
VariationsVermicelli (semiya) kheer, Barley kheer, kaddu ki kheer, paal (milk) payasam, payesh, chhanar payesh (payesh made with chhana or paneer)
Food energy
(per serving)
249 kcal (1043 kJ)

Kheer, khir, payesh, fenni or payasam is a pudding or porridge (specifically rice pudding) popular in the Indian subcontinent, usually made by boiling milk, sugar or jaggery, and rice. It can be additionally flavoured with dried fruits, nuts, cardamom and saffron. Instead of rice, it may contain cracked wheat, vermicelli (sevai), sago or tapioca (sabudana).[1]

In Northern India, it is made in various ways. The most popular versions are the ones made with rice and vermicelli (semiya).[2] In Nepal, it tends to be thicker and uses fewer ingredients.[3]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

The word kheer is derived from the Sanskrit word kshira (क्षीर), which means milk or a "milk-based dish".[4][5] Kheer is also the archaic name for sweet rice pudding.[6]

The word payasam used in South India for kheer originates from the Sanskrit term pāyasa (पायस), which means "milk" or a dish made from milk. This term evolved into various regional languages, including Malayalam (പായസം, pāyasaṁ), Telugu (పాయసం, pāyasaṁ), and Tamil (பாயசம், pāyacam).[7]

Origin[edit | edit source]

A story from Kerala titled "The Legend of Chessboard", holds that an old sage, who was Krishna in disguise, challenged the king of Ambalapuzha (chess enthusiasts) to a game. To motivate the sage, the king offered anything the old man would name. The sage modestly asked for a few grains of rice but with one condition: the king must put a single grain of rice on the first chess square and double it on every subsequent one.

Krishna, as the sage, won the game and the king started placing the grains. As he stacked them, he was shocked to see the number grow exponentially. In the end, the number came up to trillions. Krishna reveals himself and asks the king to provide kheer to every pilgrim who comes to what is now the Ambalapuzha Krishna Temple in the Alappuzha District, which still follows this command.[8]

According to the food historian K. T. Achaya, kheer (or payasam, as it is known in South India) was a popular dish in ancient India. First mentioned in ancient Indian literature, it was a mixture of rice, milk and sugar. Payasam was also a staple food in Hindu temples in particular, where it is served as Prasāda to devotees.[9]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

  • Kheer topped with dried fruits and nuts
    Kheer topped with dried fruits and nuts
  • Kheer
    Kheer
  • Paal payasam
    Paal payasam
  • Kheer with vermicelli (called seviyan kheer, semiya payasam or shemai)
    Kheer with vermicelli (called seviyan kheer, semiya payasam or shemai)
  • Vermicelli kheer
    Vermicelli kheer

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "Best rated puddings in the world". www.tasteatlas.com.
  2. ↑ "Best rated puddings in the world". www.tasteatlas.com.
  3. ↑ "Have No Fear, You Can Make Kheer Here! – The Wesleyan Argus". 16 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  4. ↑ Monier-Williams, Sir Monier (1872). A Sanskṛit-English Dictionary Etymologically and Philologically Arranged: With Special Reference to Greek, Latin, Gothic, German, Anglo-Saxon, and Other Cognate Indo-European Languages. Clarendon Press.
  5. ↑ "Kheer: An Essential Dish | Civilization of India". people.smu.edu. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  6. ↑ "DS group enters dairy market, with 'ksheer' - Hindustan Times". 20 December 2013. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  7. ↑ "payasam". Oxford English Dictionary.
  8. ↑ "History of Indian Food". Haldiram USA. 24 June 2020. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  9. ↑ "A truly international dessert". Hindustan Times. 3 October 2009.
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