Kaddu ki kheer with jaggery is an easy-to-cook, delectable dessert, made using red pumpkin, milk, ghee, jaggery, saffron, cashews, and raisins. It can be enjoyed by people of all age groups. If you want an easy not so elaborate dessert. You can try this.

Kaddu Kheer with Jaggery | Kaddu Ki Kheer

Kaddu ki kheer or pumpkin kheer is basically the Indian version of pumpkin pudding. Kheer/payasam is an Indian traditional dessert usually made on special occasions and festivals. It is the Indian version of pudding and has many lip-smacking variations. Pumpkin kheer is one among those.

Pumpkin or Kaddu (Hindi) or Parangikai (Tamil) has incredible health benefits. Rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and weightloss friendly food. Pumpkin is generally sweet. So making this recipe required less sweetener compared to other kheer recipes.

Kaddu Kheer with Jaggery

The pumpkin kheer recipe I am sharing is very simple. I have used red pumpkin, milk, jaggery, ghee, saffron, cashews, and raisins in this. And for flavor, cardamom and nutmeg are used. I always have a packet of organic jaggery powder handy in my kitchen. If your jaggery contains impurities. Then you need to make the jaggery syrup. To prepare this syrup heat the jaggery with a little amount of water. Then strain and mix that at the end of the cooking process. As jaggery sometimes curdle the milk.

However, there are two methods of making this kheer. One is using grated pumpkin and another one is using cooked and mashed pumpkin. I have used grated pumpkin to make this.

For the second method, you need the same quantity of cooked, mashed pumpkin. Just cook the pumpkin with water or steam it until cooked. Then mash and cook with boiled milk until desired consistency. Finally add the sweetener, flavoring ingredients, and any chopped nuts of your choice. Then serve. No addition of ghee or oil is required in this method.

This pumpkin kheer can be relished by anyone with a sweet tooth. It can be an interesting and delicious dessert for those who are not a fan of pumpkin.

Below I have mentioned a few variations to this recipe.

VARIATIONS:

To make the kheer light, you can replace ghee with oil and use low-fat milk instead of full cream milk. It can also be made without using ghee or oil.
For a vegan version, milk can be replaced with coconut milk and in place of ghee, coconut oil can be added. Just remember not to cook thick coconut milk over a high flame or for a long time. As it can curdle the coconut milk.
Jaggery can be replaced with sugar.
To enhance the taste condensed milk or khoya/mawa or milk powder can be used.
To elevate the flavor few drops of rose essence or kewra essence can also be added.
Few chopped almonds can be added with cashews and raisins.
Any nuts of choice can be used for garnishing.

Recipe