Healthy Quinoa Apple Kheer
on Oct 13, 2015, Updated Apr 19, 2021
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This Healthy Quinoa Apple Kheer is the perfect festive dessert for those of you like to eat healthy! Indulge without feeling any regret because this light take on the widely loved Indian dessert is here to win your heart over!
Anybody who’s grown up in an Indian family will agree that the festive season is the beginning of incredibly delicious, but rich, high calorie food. But if you’re on a diet or trying to eat healthy and are looking for healthy dessert ideas, I’ve got you covered! Enter: This Healthy Quinoa Apple Kheer. This kheer is ‘healthier’ than traditional Indian sweets, which is really saying something! It’s made with quinoa, which is considered to be a superfood. Rich in antioxidants, fiber and minerals, it can absorb copious amounts of water, which makes it perfect for making kheer.
Quick Walk Through: Healthy Quinoa Apple Kheer
Top Tips To Make The Best Quinoa Apple Kheer
- Most kheer recipes recommend using full fat milk, but since we’re trying to make this dessert healthy, I have replaced that with skimmed milk. You can still use full fat milk if you prefer.
- This kheer thickens as it cools down, so be careful with the amount of quinoa you add. Too much quinoa will change the texture and make it lumpy instead of creamy.
- If the kheer feels too thick, you can easily adjust the consistency by adding a little water or milk before serving.
FAQs
Absolutely! This kheer can be made vegan by replacing regular milk with coconut or oat milk and using a neutral flavoured oil instead of ghee. The kheer will taste different this way, but it will still be delicious.
The healthy quinoa apple kheer stays good in the refrigerator for up 4 days. Make sure to store it in an airtight container.
Eating kheer hot or cold is a matter of personal preference. I personally like my kheer lukewarm, but my husband prefers it straight-out-of-the-fridge cold. No matter how you eat it though, I promise you it tastes amazing!
This apply quinoa kheer may have been born out of a random experiment, but it has easily gone onto become on my favorite homemade desserts ever! Apart from being super easy and delicious, I love that I can indulge on it without guilt. I love serving this after a hearty Indian meal of potato curry and pooris and believe me, it’s the perfect way to end a festive meal!
Healthy Quinoa Apple Kheer
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Quinoa, cooked
- 1 teaspoon Ghee
- 1 Apple, finely chopped
- 750 ml Milk, Skim
- 8-10 Saffron, strands
- 1 teaspoon Cardamom, crushed
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Pistachios, Chopped
- Apples, Sliced for topping
Instructions
- In a pot, heat ghee and add the finely chopped apples. Saute for 3-4 minutes till slightly soft and add quinoa, milk, saffron and cardamom to it.
- Bring it to a boil and simmer for 35-40 minutes till milk reduces by about one thirds and the kheer thickens up. You can simmer for longer if you like your kheer really thick.
- Add sugar and stir till combined. Cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate for an hour or so.
- Serve chilled, topped with chopped pistachios and apple slices.
Hello
Thank you for the recipe – I know it says to use cooked quinoa but can we make this with uncooked quinoa ?
Thank you
Rashida
Hey Rashida, you must use cooked quinoa.
Thanks for sharing such a valuable information. Keep bringing more
I made this tonight. I reduced the sugar and increased the apples . Added some sultanas and dried cranberries. Tastes great with hot milk and I will eat it like a breakfast cereal .
Thanks a lot for posting this . I tried quinoa with pumpkin and pumpkin spice and that works out well too.
So glad you liked it! And I agree – you can do so much with this.
Parvathy everyone who’s tried this recipe has commented on how light this is. I hope you like it. I’ve been looking for more ideas like this, and will post them soon!
I was looking for a “healthier” version of kheer! think i found it :0)
Thanks Ramz 🙂
Thanks, looking forward to it Nandita 🙂
This looks deeeeeelicious!
Looks good, and I do have a bag of quinoa on hand 🙂 I’m going healthier, with a savoury recipe for the Dussera round up 🙂