Quinoa Pudding Recipe | Creamy Instant Pot Breakfast Or Dessert

This Quinoa Pudding, or Quinoa Kheer, is an Indian dessert made with quinoa, milk, and sweetened condensed milk for sweetness. This delicious Instant Pot Dessert is only four ingredients with optional add in's that comes together in less than 15 minutes!

What is Kheer?

Kheer is an Indian rice pudding made from boiling milk with rice and sugar. Then, Kheer is flavored with cardamom and dried fruits or nuts. Kheer is a sweet milk pudding typically made with rice sometimes made with Seviya noodles, but those have gluten. I already have a delicious Kheer recipe for you to try HERE.

It can be served hot or cold depending on the season. Usually, in the Winter, we will eat it warm, and in the Summer, it is delicious cooled.

Quinoa For Indian Pudding

Quinoa is actually a seed, not a grain. It is a great substitute for rice and I've done exactly that in this Quinoa Pudding. Quinoa is low calorie, rich in protein, fiber, Vitamin B, and is gluten-free

Quinoa has a coating that protects the seed from pests called Saponin, but there is no need to eat it. You must rinse your quinoa before cooking it to remove the coating. It will taste bitter if you do not. Simply put your measured quinoa into a mesh strainer and rinse for a minute or two until the water runs clear. Then cook your quinoa.

How To Make Quinoa Pudding

1. Place the rinsed quinoa and water in the Instant Pot liner. Cook on high pressure for 1 minute and then quickly release all pressure.
2. Stir in evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cardamom, and saffron (along with the soaking milk if using.)
3. Serve hot, or chilled. If you chill this, the porridge may thicken and you may need to add a little milk to it just before serving.
4. If you are using the nuts, you can either chop and add those once the porridge is done just as they are, or you can sauté those in a pan with a little butter or ghee (link to my recipe) before adding to the finished porridge.

Quinoa cooks amazingly well in the Instant Pot. I tried this on the stovetop and about 15 minutes of babysitting later I was SO DONE. In contrast, one minute in the IP and it was ready.

I tested quinoa pudding in the Instant Pot Mini. If you do this in a larger pot, you may need to double up on quinoa. Mainly you want to ensure that the bottom of the pot is covered in grains and water. Otherwise, you will likely get the dreaded burn message.

Other Indian Pressure Cooker Recipes

• I have a rice kheer if you want to try a more traditional version.
• My Instant Pot Halva is a delicious dessert that will impress any guest!
• Pakistani Zarda Sweet Rice is a delicious dessert that is full of rich flavor and is a pretty yellow color it gets from the saffron.
• For a keto version, try my Keto Almond Phirni

Looking for another great Instant Pot quinoa recipe? Check out my Edamame Salad With Quinoa!

Variations For Quinoa Pudding

• If you are using saffron for the quinoa pudding to add a depth of flavor and beautiful color, soak the strands in a little hot milk and set aside to soften.
• You can use nuts for topping. Either chop and add those once the pudding is done just as they are, or you can sauté those in a pan with a little butter or ghee before adding to the finished Indian Quinoa Dessert.
• A change of spices will change this from an Indian Kheer, to a more western adaptation such as an apple pie spice which would be delicious with golden raisins and almonds for topping. Cinnamon would make this a breakfast kheer. A splash of vanilla could be added for a depth of flavor.

Tips and Tricks:

• This will last 3 or 4 days.
• Use the Instant Pot Mini or double up on the quinoa so you don't get the burn message.
• If you chill the Quinoa Kheer, it will thicken, add milk before serving to loosen it up.
• This would be delicious in a salad. Or, you can make my Tabouli and use quinoa instead of hemp hearts.
• Change up the spice profile and tell me in the comments below what you made!

So the next time you're looking for a quick, simple, and absolutely delicious sweet treat, make yourself some Quinoa Pudding! Let me know what your favorite variation is in the comments!