Aval Kesari recipe is a sweet Indian vegan pudding made with poha during Janmashtami. This vegan dessert recipe is easy and quick to make.
Serve this as neivedhyam for Janmashtami or as a dessert on any other festive occasion. It's a classic South Indian dish made vegan!
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What is Janmashtami
Also known as Krishna Jayanthi or Gokulashtami, it is a Hindu festival celebrated widely across India. This day marks the birth of Lord Shree Krishna.
A charismatic, benevolent God, he was the 8th Avatar (or reincarnation) of Lord Vishnu. As a child, he was extremely mischievous and had a penchant for stealing curd and butter.
Being my favorite God, I always enjoy reading about his several exploits. My niece has been aptly named after him which makes this day all the more special.
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What is Kesari
Kesari is a South Indian delicacy. It's normally made with rawa/semolina/sooji and in some parts of India, it's also known as Sheera.
The word Kesari means orange color tones and in some instances also means saffron. This sweet treat is prepared for all happy and festive occasions.
This particular Kesari recipe is prepared with poha and made during the Indian festival called Janmashtami/Gokulashtami/Krishna Jayanthi.
What is poha
Poha (Aval in Tamil) is a commonly used ingredient in Indian cuisine. It's nothing but rice that’s parboiled, flattened, and dried.
Also known as beaten or flattened rice, they come in two varieties - thick and thin. They also come in white and red colors.
The thick ones when hydrated, become fluffy and absorbent and that is how they are used. We use it to make snacks or breakfast dishes.
Besides making the famous Maharashtrian Kanda Poha, I also make Cilantro Poha and Tamarind Poha using these flattened or beaten rice flakes.
The thin ones are added to dosa/idli batters to make them smooth. We also make an Indian trail mix called Poha Chiwda (similar to Rice Krispies Chiwda) with it.
Poha is easily available in Indian grocery stores and Amazon. They last a couple of months when stored in airtight containers.
Why make this
It's believed that beaten or flattened rice flakes or poha are Lord Krishna's favorite food. That's why it's offered to him as prasadam on his birthday.
There is even a short story associated with this food in Indian mythology which tells us how much he liked it and to what extent he would go, to get it.
It's a cute story about his friendship with Sudama. You can google it. It's a fun read. Poha is a pantry essential in an Indian kitchen.
This vegan dessert recipe has many different names. You can call it Aval Kesari, Poha Sheera, Poha Kesari, or Poha Pudding. I like to make it this way because it's the way my mother-in-law makes it.
I feel this Instant Poha Kesari recipe is one of the simplest versions!
- A mouthwatering Indian dessert recipe
- It's got a soft, and chewy texture and is sweet to taste
- Quick and easy to make using basic ingredients
- Is vegan and can also be made with just water and no milk
Ingredients needed
Poha or Aval is the key ingredient here. You can use thick or thin variety here since it's all going to get mashed up.
Sweetener - I make it using regular white sugar. But you can use any sweetener of your choice like jaggery, brown sugar, cane sugar, etc.
Milk - Use plain unsweetened almond/oats/cashew milk for this recipe. You can also skip adding milk altogether and cook this in just water.
Other basic ingredients are food color (optional), sliced almonds, saffron strands, and vegan ghee, or any neutral vegetable oil. You can also add cardamom powder.
Use a good quality non-stick pan to make this dessert because it will stick to the bottom of the pan when cooking.
Here's how to make it
Since this popular South Indian vegan pudding comes together so quickly, it's perfect to offer as neivedhyam or prasadam during festivals like Krishna Jayanthi.
Unless told, you will not be able to guess that this vegan dessert recipe is made using beaten rice/poha.
- In a pan
, add beaten rice, almond milk and water. There is no need to soak the poha prior. - Add organic orange or yellow food color to the pan. Keep stirring on medium flame till the poha softens and thickens. This could take 5-7 minutes.
- Gradually add sugar to it, stir and let this mixture come to a boil. Keep stirring on medium flame and it will begin to thicken.
- This could take 8-10 minutes. There should be no lumps formed. Keep scraping the sides of the pan as you stir.
- Once it stops sticking to the pan and comes together like halwa, add ghee and continue to stir it for another minute.
- Chop some nuts and keep saffron strands ready. Take the pudding off the flame and garnish it with sliced almonds, and saffron strands.
- Also add cardamon powder now, if you want. Mix it all well and take it off the flame.
, add beaten rice, almond milk
and water. There is no need to soak the poha prior.
to the pan. Keep stirring on medium flame till the poha softens and thickens. This could take 5-7 minutes.
to it, stir and let this mixture come to a boil. Keep stirring on medium flame and it will begin to thicken.
and continue to stir it for another minute. 
and keep saffron strands
ready. Take the pudding off the flame and garnish it with sliced almonds, and saffron strands.
Serving suggestions
This vegan pudding will thicken a bit after it cools down. If you want, drizzle some vegan ghee over it when serving. This Aval Kesari can be served hot or cold.
This is popularly served during Krishna Jayanthi or Janmashtami. However, you can prepare this dessert for any festival or occasion and share it with your friends and family.
If you are making this vegan pudding for Gokulashtami, combine it with Curd Rice, and Thattai.
Another way of serving this pudding is to grease a plate with ghee and spread the Kesari on it. After it cools down, cut them in any shape and serve.
Top tips, recommendations, and suggestions
Thick or thin, white or red poha can be used for this Kesari recipe. Poha can be dry roasted first before being used. You can also coarsely grind it to get a smoother texture.
Make sure the poha or aval is fully cooked before you add sugar to attain a soft texture. Instead of sugar, feel free to use any other variety of sugar or jaggery.
Adding food color is optional. You can use natural colors like turmeric or skip adding it all together. As a result, the color of this Kesari will then be plain white.
You can also add ghee-fried cashews and raisins for garnish. If you are not vegan, use regular ghee. It will give it an aromatic Indian flavor.
The ratio of poha and milk/water is 1:2. feel free to use any variety of sugar like brown, jaggery, or cane.
You can store the Aval Kesari in the fridge for up to a week. It can be kept in the freezer as well for 1-2 months. But it's best made fresh.
More dessert recipes to try
These are a mix of vegan and non-vegan dessert recipes that you can make this holiday season.
If you’ve tried this Aval Kesari | Vegan Flattened Rice Pudding Recipe or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how it went by commenting below, I love hearing from you!
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Aval Kesari | Vegan Flattened Rice Pudding
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup poha
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup water
- Pinch orange color
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp vegan ghee
- 2 tbsp sliced almonds
- 1/2 tsp saffron
Instructions
- In a pan, add beaten rice, almond milk, and water. There is no need to soak the poha prior.
- Add organic orange or yellow food color to the pan. Keep stirring on medium flame till the poha softens and thickens. This could take 5-7 minutes.
- Gradually add sugar to it, stir and let this mixture come to a boil. Keep stirring on medium flame and it will begin to thicken.
- This could take 8-10 minutes. There should be no lumps formed. Keep scraping the sides of the pan as you stir.
- Once it stops sticking to the pan and comes together like halwa, add ghee and continue to stir it for another minute.
- Chop some nuts and keep saffron strands ready. Take the pudding off the flame and garnish it with sliced almonds, and saffron strands.
- Also add cardamon powder now, if you want. Mix it all well and take it off the flame.
Notes
Nutrition
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I already have all of the other ingredients in my pantry, and now that I know what Poha is I'm looking forward to buying it on my next trip to my local Indian grocer and trying this recipe. Thanks for teaching me something new!
Thank you so much.
Such a pretty and flavorful dessert! I can't wait to taste this!
Thank you.
I love the use of saffron in this yummy dessert. It is such a wonderful spice!
Yes, indeed. Thank you
The bright orange color is so beautiful! This looks like a delicious dish to prepare. I can't wait to try using poha for the first time!
Do give it a try. Thank you.
I love traditional rice pudding, but have never tried this version before. Love how you found a way to make it vegan!
Yes, glad you liked it. Thank you.
Yumm! I've never heard of this before, so thank you for educating me. It looks so tasty!
Yes, do give it a try..thank you
I'm making this for the weekend, I bet everyone is going to devour it!
yay!! thank you
This looks like an amazing sweet treat. So many delicious flavours.
thank you so much
Looks so good! I have some friends that would go crazy for this!
do pass it along 🙂 thank you
This looks like such a delicious dessert. I've never tried it before so will have to give it a go!
Thank you so much.
I love anything with saffron in it, so this will be a must try for me. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Same here..saffron is so good in desserts. Do try this. Thanks.
Love all rice based desserts so I can't wait to try this! I love saffron, and can imagine how exotic and refreshing this tastes.
Yes, this pudding is very delicious. Thank you
Looks delicious! I'd love to try this one with my family.
Thank you so much
I love the consistency. It just melts in the mouth. Thanks for sharing another delicious Indian recipe with me!
Yes, its so yummy! Thank you so much
My family loved this version of rice pudding! It was delicious and not too difficult to make!
Thank you so much. Glad you all enjoyed it
This pudding is a nice change, I am loving the sweet orange and saffron flavours
Thank you so much
This looks like a treat in my taste! Never had anything quite like it but I love the combo of rice, saffron and sweet.
Yes, its really yummy! Thank you
I enjoy cooking many Indian dishes but haven't yet cooked with poha - I'll have to hunt some down as this looks so comforting. I do love saffron as well, it gives such a lovely color and delicate flavor.
You must try poha..its a great ingredient to cook with. It's available on Amazon as well.
I made this last weekend for my family and they loved it, even had seconds too. It wasn't difficult to make and was overall an amazing experience. Thank you!
I am happy to hear that! Thank you
This is so beautiful - I love saffron desserts, and this is so elegant and delicious!
Thank you so much
Truly beautiful! I have never heard of this pudding before. Looks delish!
This rice puddding seems so finger-licking and palatable. What kind of mixed nuts do you usually use, Priya?
Thank you so much! It truly was 🙂 I usually add almonds, cashews and pistachios.
This looks amazing, beautiful pictures! I am so happy I found you blog x Diana
Nice recipe flavorful and sweet. I hope you are doing ok there... Came from FBC. I hope electricity is back in your area.
yes, thankfully we escaped with minimum damages. Thanks for checking.