Tapioca Pearl Pudding Sabudana Kheer

sharing a delicious tapioca pearl pudding or sabudana kheer in Indian style. This is an eggless, stove-top tapioca pearl pudding or kheer recipe. this rich, creamy, luscious pudding uses the flavors from Indian cuisine- saffron and cardamom. to enrich the flavors of the pudding/kheer, we add the sweetened apple. the apple sabudana kheer (or apple and tapioca pearl pudding) tastes best when served chilled. serve it to your family to celebrate the little joys of life. this also works well for vrat days when you are fasting since it does not use any grains - it is just sabudana (tapioca pearls), milk, sugar, and apple.

Jump to:

• other names for this kheer
• 🧾ingredient rundown
• 🍲equipment/utensils needed
• 📋 step by step instructions
• 💭things to keep in mind
• 🥛how much milk to use?
• 🥣serving suggestions
• ⏲️meal prep tip
• ⏲️cooling tips for the kheer & sweetened apple
• 📋additional notes
• 🧾more Indian sweets recipes
• Tapioca Pearl Pudding Sabudana Kheer

other names for this kheer

sabudana kheer is widely popular in India and goes by many different names.

you might know this kheer as.....

• Sabudana ki Kheer
• Sago payasam
• chavvari payasam (in Malayalam)
• Javvarisi Payasam (in Tamil)
• Saggu Biyam Payasam (this info I got from my Telugu speaking friends)
• Sabutandla Paaysu (Konkani)
• Tapioca pearl pudding (literal translation to English :))

If you call this by a different name, let me know in comments.

I have added some sweetened apple to the sabudana kheer to enhance the flavor and texture.

🧾ingredient rundown

here is a quick run down of ingredients - it is pretty simple - as you can see.

• apple
• sugar
• ghee
• sabudana or tapioca pearls
• milk
• sugar
• saffron
• cardamom
• crushed pistachios/dried rose petals for garnish

🍲equipment/utensils needed

• small skillet ( on my regular stovetop, I use a small skillet to cook the apple - but for my video, I had to use a larger skillet to use with my induction stovetop)
• cooking spoons
• saucepan; medium-sized
• small bowls
• measuring cups and spoons

📋 step by step instructions

Full recipe + measurements + video can be found in the recipe card below.

prep work

• soak saffron in warm milk
• wash, peel and grate the apple
• mise-en-place (get everything ready)

cooking

sweetened apple

heat a skillet on medium heat and add ghee. add the grated apple, and sugar to the ghee. fry until the apple is cooked and all the liquid has evaporated. the apple will also turn start to change color. remove from heat and set aside to cool down.

sabudana kheer

remove the skillet and place a sauce pan on the stove on medium heat.

add ghee and sabudana/tapioca pearls. fry for a minute.

add water & milk and cook the sabudana for about 20-25 minutes. look for sabudana to grow in size, most of them will start to turn translucent. the liquid will start to thicken. stir occasionally in the beginning, but as the milk starts to thicken, stir frequently. it is a good idea to scrape the sides of the pan also.

next add more milk, sugar and cook the sabudana for 30-35 minutes. [depending on the quality of the sabudana, this might vary. if not cooked well enough, cook for another 5-10 minutes]. do not leave unattended. if the milk starts to boil, reduce the heat a little. stir occasionally in the beginning, but as the milk starts to thicken, stir more frequently. it is a good idea to scrape the sides of the pan also. sabudana will grow in size and turn fully translucent. taste and ensure that there is no bite to the tapioca pearls.

add saffron soaked milk. simmer for 5 minutes.

remove from heat and let the kheer cool down. stir occasionally (optional step), to avoid the film forming on the top.

once the kheer and sweetened apple have come to room temperature, add the apple to the kheer and mix well. add cardamom powder and mix well.

serve chilled garnished with crushed pistachios and rose petals.

the sabudana kheer will thicken on cooling down

💭things to keep in mind

• do not leave the kheer unattended. we use milk and milk has a tendency to boil over.
• once the milk starts to thicken, stir more frequently to avoid the kheer from sticking to the bottom. scrape the sides also.
• I stir the kheer while bringing it to room temperature since I do not like the (milk cream) film forming on top.
• make sure that cooked apple and kheer are at room temperature before mixing them together.

🥛how much milk to use?

I have mentioned in the recipe to use about 3-4 cups of (2%) milk (in total). the actual quantity depends on the consistency of the pudding you desire. if you like a thicker pudding/kheer, use 3 cups of milk in total. If you like a slightly runny kheer, use 4 cups of milk in total.

remember that the pudding thickens on cooling. if you find that the pudding is thick, you can add additional milk to adjust the consistency.

🥣serving suggestions

my family L-O-V-E-S apple sabudana kheer chilled and garnished with pistachios. adding some crushed rose petals enhances the look and adds an additional flavor note too.

⏲️meal prep tip

this kheer needs constant attention while preparing and takes about an hour to prepare. but the good thing is it is best served chilled making it a wonderful make-ahead recipe. you can make this kheer ahead of time and save it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days (save in an airtight container).

⏲️cooling tips for the kheer & sweetened apple

spread the sweetened apple on a plate/tray to fasten cooling down.

place the sauce pan with the kheer on a water bath (or ice bath) - balance it well so that it does not topple - this will speed up the cooling process.

📋additional notes

• 1 CUP = 250 ML. (US cups are typically 240 ml. You can use US cups with no significant change to the dish). 
• 1 TEASPOON = 5ML; 1 TABLESPOON= 15 ML
• Grams to cups measurements – we strive to provide these conversions as accurately as possible. There might be some slight variations depending on the brand, weighing scale, etc.
• serving size - this serves 3-4 people. adjust the serving size to suit your dietary needs. this is a calorie-rich sweet.
• we use milk and milk has a tendency to boil over - so do not leave the kheer unattended on the stovetop. if you see that milk is boiling over, reduce the heat.
• once the milk starts to thicken, stir more frequently to avoid the kheer from sticking to the bottom
• make sure that the cooked apple and kheer are at room temperature before mixing them together. this prevents any chance of milk curdling.

🧾more Indian sweets recipes

---