World Milk Day: Celebrate With Milk Based Dessert Recipes
Image Credit: Ishaara

Milk has been a staple ingredient in Indian kitchens for centuries. Milk-based products like butter, curd, paneer, buttermilk, etc, have been an essential part of Hindi scriptures and Vedic tales. Celebrating the nutritional value of milk and the cultural practices associated with it, World Milk Day is observed across the globe every year.

Falling on the 1st of June, 2025, the best way to commemorate World Milk Day is by prepping traditional Indian desserts where milk takes the centre stage. Whether it’s the creamy bowl of kheer or spongy rasmalai, if you want to nail the desserts at home, here are some step-by-step recipes shared by professionals across the country.

Shahi Kesar Phirni Recipe By Chef Sherry Mehta, Undivided Punjab, Ishaara

Ingredients:

  • 1 litre full cream milk
  • ¼ cup Basmati rice (soaked for 30 mins)
  • ½ cup sugar (adjust to taste)
  • 10-15 strands saffron (kesar)
  • 2 tbsp warm milk (to soak saffron)
  • ½ tsp green cardamom powder

Garnish:

  • 1 tbsp chopped almonds
  • 1 tbsp chopped pistachios
  • A few rose petals (optional)
  • Silver vark (optional)

Ingredients:

  1. Wash basmati rice and soak it in water for 30 minutes. 
  2. Drain and grind to a coarse paste using 2–3 tbsp water or milk. It should have a rava/semolina-like texture, not too smooth.
  3. Soak saffron strands in 2 tbsp warm milk. Let it release its colour and aroma while you prepare the milk.
  4. In a heavy-bottomed pan or kadai, bring 1 litre full-cream milk to a boil.
  5. Reduce heat and simmer. Stir continuously to prevent burning or sticking.
  6. Gradually add the ground rice to the boiling milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
  7. Cook on a low flame, stirring until the rice is cooked and the mixture thickens (15–20 minutes).
  8. Add sugar, cardamom powder, and the saffron milk.
  9. Stir well and cook for another 5–7 minutes until the phirni is rich and creamy.
  10. Turn off the flame. Pour the hot phirni into small clay bowls or serving cups.
  11. Garnish with chopped nuts, rose petals, and optionally silver vark.
  12. Refrigerate for at least 2–3 hours before serving. Phirni tastes best when served chilled.

Rasmalai By Rajesh Mehta, Co-Founder Of India Sweet House

Ingredients:

For the Paneer (Chhena):

  • 1-litre full-fat milk
  • 1–2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
  • Water (for diluting lemon juice)

For the Sugar Syrup:

  • 450 g sugar
  • 450 ml of water

For the Milk Syrup (Ras):

  • 1-litre full-fat milk
  • 50 g sugar (adjust to taste)
  • A few saffron strands
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
  • Chopped almonds and pistachios for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Boil 1 litre of full-fat milk in a heavy-bottomed pan, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
  2. Once the milk boils, reduce the heat and add diluted lemon juice or vinegar gradually, stirring gently until the milk curdles completely.
  3. Remove from heat and let it sit for a few minutes to allow the curds to separate from the whey.
  4. Strain the curds using a muslin cloth or fine sieve to collect the paneer.
  5. Rinse the paneer under cold water to remove any residual sourness from the lemon juice or vinegar.
  6. Tie the cloth and hang it for 30–45 minutes to drain excess water. Once drained, knead the paneer for 5–7 minutes until it becomes smooth and soft.
  7. Divide the kneaded paneer into 12–15 portions and shape them into flat discs.  In a wide pan, combine 450 g of sugar and 450 ml of water.
  8. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. Once boiling, gently add the prepared paneer discs to the syrup.
  9. Cover and cook on medium-high heat for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat and cook for an additional 5–8 minutes.
  10. Turn off the heat and let the discs sit in the syrup for 15 minutes to absorb the sweetness. 
  11. In a separate pan, bring 1 litre of full-fat milk to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer until the milk reduces to about 750 ml, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
  12. Add 50 g sugar (adjust to taste), saffron strands, and cardamom powder to the reduced milk. Continue to simmer for 5–7 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.
  13. Gently squeeze out excess sugar syrup from the cooked paneer discs and place them into the prepared milk syrup.
  14. Let the Rasmalai soak in the milk syrup for at least 30 minutes. Before serving, garnish with chopped almonds and pistachios.

Kheer By Madhuri Aggarwal, California Walnuts

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons basmati rice (washed and soaked for an hour)
  • 1 tablespoon sago pearls (soaked for a couple of hours)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup-soaked walnuts
  • ½ cup condensed milk
  • A pinch of saffron
  • 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
  • Cardamom powder for flavour
  • A few walnuts for garnishing

Instructions:

  1. Soak walnuts overnight and grind them in 2 cups of water. Let there be no lumps in this walnut milk. 
  2. Heat milk in a heavy-bottomed pan along with basmati rice. Keep the flame low at all times.
  3. Add saffron to the milk and keep stirring the milk to avoid it from sticking to the bottom.
  4. Once the milk is reduced to half and the mixture is thick, add walnut milk and sago pearls to this.
  5. At this point, keep stirring the kheer very gently and continuously. You do not want to break the sago by stirring it rigorously.
  6. Add condensed milk and cook the kheer till it thickens. Add milk as and when required to keep the consistency you like.
  7. Add a pinch of cardamom powder to this. Heat ghee in a small pan.
  8. Add walnut pieces to this and let it crisp up and turn golden. Add this to the kheer and serve it hot.