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Lauki kheer (bottle gourd pudding) in a bowl

Lauki Kheer Recipe (Bottle Gourd Pudding)

Jyoti Behrani
Creamy Indian bottle gourd pudding made with grated lauki, milk, condensed milk, and warm spices, ready on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot in under an hour.
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Indian, North Indian
Servings 6
Calories 171 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

Instructions
 

PREP FOR LAUKI KI KHEER

  • Rinse, peel and grate lauki, about 1 cup.
  • Using mortar and pestle, grind green cardamom seeds to a fine powder.
    Note: Save the cardamom shell and use it to make tea.
  • Chop the cashews into small pieces.

STOVETOP LAUKI KI KHEER

  • Heat a heavy bottom pan. Add a tablespoon of ghee. Add broken cashews, and raisins, and fry to a golden brown. Remove the nuts onto a plate and set it aside.
  • In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of ghee and grated lauki. Saute the lauki over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or it turns translucent. Keep stirring frequently.
  • Add milk, condensed milk, or preferred sweetener, a pinch of saffron (optional), and cardamom powder, and mix well. Bring the milk to a boil, stirring frequently.
  • Bring the milk to a boil, reduce the heat to low. Simmer the kheer for 15-20 minutes or to a desired consistency, stirring frequently.
    Note: Reduce the milk to half the quantity.
  • Turn OFF the heat. Transfer the kheer to a serving dish. Garnish with roasted nuts, a pinch of freshly ground cardamom, and dried rose petals (optional). Lauki Ki Kheer can be served warm or chilled.
  • Lauki ki Kheer stays fresh for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Store it in an air-tight container. Kheer thickens as it cools down. Adjust the consistency by adding a splash of milk.

INSTANT POT LAUKI KI KHEER

  • Turn ON SAUTE (more). When the screen displays hot, add a tablespoon of ghee . Next add broken cashews, and raisins and fry to a golden brown. Remove the nuts onto a plate and set it aside.
  • Now, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of ghee and grated lauki. Sauté the lauki for 5-7 minutes or it turns translucent. Keep stirring frequently.
  • Add milk, condensed milk, or preferred sweetener, a pinch of saffron (optional), and cardamom powder, and mix well. Close the pot with the lid, and vent to sealing.
  • Set the Instant Pot to PORRIDGE (high) for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
  • Open the lid, and select SAUTE (more). Simmer the kheer for 4-5 minutes or to a desired consistency, stirring frequently. Turn OFF SAUTE.
  • Transfer the kheer to a serving dish. Garnish with roasted nuts, a pinch of freshly ground cardamom, and dried rose petals (optional). Lauki Ki Kheer can be served warm or chilled.
  • Lauki ki Kheer stays fresh for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Store it in an air-tight container. Kheer thickens as it cools down. Adjust the consistency by adding a splash of milk.

Notes

Expert Tips
  • Check the lauki before you grate it. Soft seeds are fine to leave in, but pull out any large, tough seeds, they don't soften in the kheer.
  • Don't over-grate. A medium grate holds its texture; a fine grate turns mushy and loses the bite that makes this kheer interesting.
  • Sauté the lauki until it's fully translucent before adding milk. This cooks off excess moisture up front, so the kheer thickens properly instead of turning watery.
  • Full-fat milk gives the best texture, but reduced-fat milk will still work if that's what you have on hand.
  • Add sweetener toward the end if you're using sugar or jaggery instead of condensed milk, sugar can slow down how well the milk thickens if added too early.
  • Adjust sweetness for serving temperature. Keep it slightly less sweet if serving warm, and a touch sweeter if serving chilled, cold desserts read as less sweet.
Variations
  • Swap the sweetener. Use sugar to taste instead of condensed milk, or stir in jaggery once the kheer is off the heat (boiling kheer after adding jaggery can cause the milk to curdle).
  • Add a floral note. A few drops of rose water or kewra essence at the end brightens the flavor.
  • Shortcut the reduction. Evaporated milk in place of some of the whole milk gets you a similar rich color and thickness with less simmering time.
  • Change up the nuts. Almonds, pistachios, or dried cherries all work well in place of cashews and raisins.
Storage
Lauki kheer keeps well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in an airtight container. It will thicken further as it chills, loosen it with a splash of warm milk before serving. This recipe isn't a great candidate for freezing, since the milk-based texture tends to separate once thawed; it's best enjoyed fresh within a few days.
 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Lauki Kheer Recipe (Bottle Gourd Pudding)
Amount per Serving
Calories
171
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
10
g
15
%
Saturated Fat
 
6
g
38
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
0.5
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
3
g
Cholesterol
 
30
mg
10
%
Sodium
 
57
mg
2
%
Potassium
 
272
mg
8
%
Carbohydrates
 
16
g
5
%
Fiber
 
0.3
g
1
%
Sugar
 
14
g
16
%
Protein
 
5
g
10
%
Vitamin A
 
200
IU
4
%
Vitamin C
 
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
176
mg
18
%
Iron
 
0.4
mg
2
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Disclaimer

Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

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