Vegan Kesar Pista Rabri (Super Easy!)

One thing Indians often miss after going vegan is eating traditional homemade sweets like kheer, halwa, and rabri which conventionally contain milk or other dairy products. Thankfully, the easy availability of soy milk has made it possible for vegans to continue to enjoy non-dairy versions of their favorite sweet treats. Of course, we can also use homemade non-dairy milks to make these desserts but I will admit, it is definitely very convenient to use store-bought soy milk as it is easily available and more economical than other varieties of non-dairy milk. 

So, coming to today’s recipe! Traditional rabri is a rich, condensed dairy milk-based dessert. This smooth, creamy, and luscious VEGAN rabri is made with soy milk and flavored with real kesar (saffron) and pista. It tastes heavenly and no one would be able to guess you made it in under 20 minutes! Yes, it is actually that easy to make. Do try and share your feedback 🙂

Yields around 3 cups (around 450 ml) 

Time Taken: 20 minutes (active time) 

1 Indian teacup = 150 ml

Ingredients:

• 4 cups unflavored, unsweetened soy milk (I used So Good brand)
• ½ cup jaggery powder/sugar
• 1 slightly heaped tablespoon corn flour 
• 1 tablespoon chopped pistachios 
• 2 tablespoons chopped almonds/cashews 

Flavoring:

• 8-10 strands of saffron soaked in 1 tablespoon of water for 15 minutes 
• ¼ teaspoon green cardamom (hari elaichi) powder 

Method:

1. Take ½ cup soy milk in a cup and mix in the corn flour. Whisk until smooth. Keep aside. 
2. Place the remaining soy milk in a deep-bottomed saucepan or kadhai and bring to a boil on medium-high heat, stirring continuously. Soy milk tends to boil over quickly, so you need to be very careful. 
3. Let the milk simmer on low-medium heat for 10-12 minutes. Stir frequently so that it doesn’t stick to the sides or boil over. Add the sugar/jaggery and mix until it dissolves fully. 
4. Add the corn flour slurry to the boiling milk and mix well. It will start to thicken immediately. Continue to cook on low-medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Switch off the stove. 
5. Mix in the saffron water, green cardamom powder, and chopped almonds/cashews. Garnish with chopped pistachios and serve warm or cold.