Sheer Khurma

This is the classic, creamy, and rich sheer khurma recipe for the festival of Eid ul-Fitr. Ghee-roasted nuts, dates, and thin vermicelli are simmered into thick, sweetened milk and flavored with saffron and cardamom. A must make for the season of festivities. 

Sheer kurma served in glass bowl with spoons on the side.

What Is Sheer Khurma?

In the persian language, ‘sheer’ means milk and ‘khurma’ means dates. This traditional festival dessert is popular in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. 

Sheer khurma is an Eid al-Fitr (end of the holy month of Ramadan) delight in all Muslim households. They usually make in large quantities and shared with friends and families. Every household has its version of making it with slight differences here and there (like adding khoya or cream or condensed milk).

Sheer khurma is eaten as breakfast after Eid prayers in the mornings and served to the guests throughout the day. 

Taste & Texture:

  • Perfectly sweetened.
  • Super creamy and rich.
  • Soft yet crunchy nuts, soft perfectly cooked vermicelli, and sweet, chewy dates and raisins in every single bite.
  • A balanced flavor of saffron and cardamom. 

Scalable: I have made a small batch enough for 5-6 servings. But you can double, or triple the recipe as needed.

🧾 Ingredient Notes

Here is a pic of the ingredients you’ll need to make a rich, flavorful sheer khurma recipe. 

Sheer khurma ingredients in bowls, spoons and a plate with labels.
  • Milk: Always use full-fat whole milk. Low-fat or fat-free milk won’t give a rich, creamy texture.
  • Nuts: I have used almonds, cashews, and pistachios which are most common in Indian, and Pakistani desserts. 
  • Chironji seeds: It is also known as charoli and is easily available in Indian grocery stores. These seeds go rancid pretty quickly, so use them up in other recipes or store them in the fridge in an airtight container.
  • Raisins: I have used golden raisins.
  • Dried dates: It is also known as kharek or chuara. Instead, you can use fresh Medjool dates. 
  • Thin vermicelli: You’ll need thin, nylon vermicelli aka seviyan (the other verity is thicker than this one and usually used for semiya payasam). I have used the ‘National’ brand vermicelli, another good brand I know is ‘shan’. 
  • Ghee: It adds a nice aroma and rich flavor to this dessert. 
  • Sweetened condensed milk: It is added for sweetness as well as to get a rich, creamy texture without simmering milk for longer.
  • Cardamom seed powder: Using mortar and pestle, crush the green cardamoms and remove the pod, crush the seeds into a powder.
  • Saffron: It adds color and flavor to the dessert.
  • Optional: You can add rose water or kewra water (if using kewra water then skip adding saffron as both don’t go well together).

👩‍🍳 How To Make Sheer Khurma? (With Photos) 

Prep Nuts & Dried Fruits:

1) Take almonds, cashews, and pistachios in one bowl and add enough water (½ inch above nuts) to soak them overnight. Similarly, soak chironji and dried dates in separate bowls. Keep them covered and soak them overnight.

Why soak? Nuts have a warming effect (“garam taseer”) on your body and by soaking overnight, it changes to a cooling effect that is much needed after a month of Ramadan fasting. And dry dates are so hard to chop, so we soak them to soften them.

3 bowls with soaked nuts, raisins and dates.

2) Next day, peel the skin of the almonds and pistachios and discard. Thinly slice almonds, pistachios, and cashews. Keep it aside.

Collage of 2 images showing peeling almonds and pistachios and sliced nuts in a bowl.

3) Also, remove the skin of chironji seeds. Rub the chironji seeds between your thumb and finger and the peel comes out easily. It is a little tedious task but worth it.

Collage of 2 images showing peeling chironji seeds and peeled seeds in a bowl.

4) For dried dates, open them using a sharp knife and discard the seed. Slice them thinly. 

Collage of 2 images showing remving pit from the date and sliced dates.

Making Sheer Khurma:

1) Add milk to a heavy bottom pan and turn the heat on medium. 

2) Bring the milk to a boil and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until it thickens slightly. Do stir every 2-3 minutes, scrape the sides and bottom of the pan and make sure that it is not sticking or burning.

3) Add around 2 tablespoons of milk in a small saffron bowl and let the saffron soak, so it brings out its flavor and color.

Collage of 3 images showing adding milk to the pan, stirring and taking some in a saffron bowl.

4) While milk is simmering, on another stove, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a wide pan on medium heat. Once hot add sliced nuts and chironji. 

5) Roast them with stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes or until they get a slight color change and become crispy. No need to brown them.

6) Add raisins and sliced dates. 

7) Roast them for a minute or two or until raisins get plumped up and dates become aromatic. 

Collage of 4 images showing roasting nuts, raisins and dates.

8) Add these roasted nuts, and dates mixture to simmering milk and mix.

Collage of 2 images showing Adding and mixing roasted nuts.

9) In the same pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee, once hot add vermicelli (break/crush them into small 1-2 inches long pieces).

10, 11) Keep stirring and roasting until they get golden brown color. Be careful here, as thin vermicelli gets burned faster, if needed lower the heat to low-medium. 

12) Add this roasted vermicelli along with all the ghee to the simmering milk. Let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes and the vermicelli will soften quickly.

Collage of 4 images showing roasting vermicelli in ghee and adding to simmering milk.

13, 14, 15) Add condensed milk, cardamom powder, and saffron-milk. Mix everything well.

16, 17) Bring this mixture to a gentle simmer and let it simmer until it thickens (around 10 minutes). Notice (compare pic 16 & 17) that earlier ghee is floating on the top, as it simmers, everything gets mixed up and results in a thick, creamy mixture. 

Collage of 5 images showing adding condensed milk, cardamom, saffron milk and simmering.

18) You can serve sheer khurma warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Below is the pic where sheer khurma is cooled at room temperature. As it cools down, it will thicken more.

A ladleful of sheer khurma taking from the pan.

💭 Expert Tips For Best Sheer Khurma

  • Forgot to soak nuts the night before? If so soak the nuts and dried dates in boiling hot water for 30 minutes only. But it is highly recommended that you soak overnight to reduce its warming effect (‘garam taseer’).
  • Don’t want to buy dried dates just for this sheer khurma recipe? Use fresh Medjool dates. If so no need to soak them, just slice and use them. But keep in mind that dried dates give a good texture. 
  • Sheer khurma thickens as it cools down and after storing it in the refrigerator. So keep it a little on the thinner side if planning to serve chilled. If planning to serve warm then simmer a little more until you get desired consistency.
A spoonful of sheer khurma taking from the bowl.

Check Out Other Dessert Recipes

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.

Sheer Khurma Recipe

5 from 1 vote
Sheer kurma served in glass bowl with spoons on the side.
This is the classic, creamy, and rich sheer khurma recipe for the festival of Eid ul-Fitr. Ghee-roasted nuts, dates, and thin vermicelli are simmered into thick, sweetened milk and flavored with saffron and cardamom.
Kanan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Soaking Time 8 hours
Total Time 40 minutes
Serving Size 6

US measuring cups are used (1 cup = 240 ml)

Ingredients

  • 15 Almonds, 15 grams
  • 10 Cashew nuts, 15 grams
  • 15 Pistachios, 15 grams
  • 6 Dried dates (Kharek or Chuara)
  • 1 tablespoon Charoli (chironji), 10 grams
  • 1 tablespoons Raisins, 10 grams
  • 1 liter Milk, 4 ¼ cups Full-fat whole milk
  • 4 tablespoons Ghee (clarified butter)
  • ¾ cup Thin vermicelli, 30-35 grams
  • cup Sweetened condensed milk
  • ½ teaspoon Green cardamom seeds powder
  • 8-10 Strands Saffron

Instructions

  • Soak & Prep Nuts: Take almonds, cashews, and pistachios in one bowl and add enough water (½ inch above nuts) to soak them overnight. Similarly, soak chironji and dried dates in separate bowls. Keep them covered and soak them overnight.
  • Next day, peel the skin of the almonds and pistachios and discard. Thinly slice almonds, pistachios, and cashews. Keep it aside.
  • Also, remove the skin of chironji seeds. Rub the chironji seeds between your thumb and finger and the peel comes out easily. It is a little tedious task but worth it.
  • For dried dates, open them using a sharp knife and discard the seed. Slice them thinly.
  • To Make Sheer Khurma, Add milk to a heavy bottom pan and turn the heat on medium. Bring the milk to a boil and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until it thickens slightly. Do stir every 2-3 minutes, scrape the sides and bottom of the pan and make sure that it is not sticking or burning.
  • Take saffron strands in a small bowl and add around 2 tablespoons of hot milk to it and let the saffron soak, so it brings out its flavor and color.
  • While milk is simmering, on another stove, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a wide pan on medium heat. Once hot add sliced nuts and chironji. Roast them with stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes or until they get a slight color change and become crispy. No need to brown them.
  • Add raisins and sliced dates. Roast them for a minute or two or until raisins get plumped up and dates become aromatic.
  • Add these roasted nuts, and dates mixture to simmering milk and mix.
  • In the same pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee, once hot add vermicelli (break/crush them into small 1-2 inches long pieces). Keep stirring and roasting until they get golden brown color. Be careful here, as thin vermicelli gets burned faster, if needed lower the heat to low-medium.
  • Add this roasted vermicelli along with all the ghee to the simmering milk. Let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes and the vermicelli will soften quickly.
  • Add condensed milk, cardamom powder, and saffron-milk. Mix everything well.
  • Bring this mixture to a gentle simmer and let it simmer until it thickens (around 10 minutes). Notice that earlier ghee is floating on the top, as it simmers, everything gets mixed up and results in a thick, creamy mixture.
  • Keep in mind that it will thicken as it cools down.

Notes

  • Forgot to soak nuts the night before? If so soak the nuts and dried dates in boiling hot water for 30 minutes only. But it is highly recommended that you soak overnight to reduce its warming effect (‘garam taseer’).
  • Don’t want to buy dried dates just for this recipe? Use fresh Medjool dates. If so no need to soak them, just slice and use them. But keep in mind that dried dates give a good texture in sheer khurma.
  • Sheer khurma thickens as it cools down and after storing it in the refrigerator. So keep it a little on the thinner side if planning to serve chilled. If planning to serve warm then simmer a little more until you get desired consistency.

Nutrition

Calories: 466kcal (23%) | Carbohydrates: 58g (19%) | Protein: 11g (22%) | Fat: 23g (35%) | Saturated Fat: 12g (60%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 58mg (19%) | Sodium: 130mg (5%) | Potassium: 671mg (19%) | Fiber: 3g (12%) | Sugar: 45g (50%) | Vitamin A: 423IU (8%) | Vitamin C: 2mg (2%) | Calcium: 340mg (34%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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