Instant Pot Sweet Pongal – A traditional, wholesome, sumptuous, easy-to-make South Indian dessert that resembles rice pudding, made under 30 minutes using Instant pot with everyday ingredients

What is instant pot sweet pongal?

Sweet Pongal or Sakkarai Pongal is essentially an Indian version of pudding made of milk, rice, lentils, jaggery, ghee and some Indian spices such as cardamom and usually served as dessert. Named after the Pongal festival that marks the celebration of the season´s first harvested paddy, it is a popular choice for family gatherings, house warming functions and festive occasions. Remarkably, during Indian house warming functions, the “boiling over” of pongal is considered highly auspicious and is usually met with thunderous applause and cheers from the attendees, marking the beginning of a prosperous journey at the new home.

Using an Instant pot instead of the traditional cooking bowl or pressure cooker greatly simplifies the process.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

Tasty and fulfilling : As sweet as you want it to be, rich texture, filling and sumptuous!
Healthy : Lentils help you meet your daily protein intake while ghee, when added to any hot dish in moderation, can improve good fat percentage and digestion.
Hardly takes 10 minutes to make, using an Instant pot
Beginners can easily make it as well, without fumbling!
Perfect for small or large gatherings and festive occasions.

Ingredients & substitutions:

Rice – I have used “Sona Masoori Rice” . You can use any raw rice but do not substitute with basmati rice.

Moong Dal – Moong dal is split green gram, can be easily available at any Indian store.

Jaggery – Traditional recipe requires jaggery which you can get it from any Asian store. Brown sugar or white sugar can be used as a substitute.

Milk – Replace it with coconut milk or any plant-based milk for vegan version.

Ghee – Ghee is clarified butter and adds a wonderful flavor and richness to the dish. Do not reduce the amount of ghee for the best taste. Replace it with vegan butter or coconut oil if you are vegan.

Nuts & Raisins – You can use any of your favorite nuts. Adds a wonderful crunch.

Cardamom Powder – Do not skip. Use freshly ground cardamom if possible.

Storage suggestions:

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Before serving, take it out of the refrigerator, add a little hot milk or hot water to the pongal to thin it and gently reheat in the microwave or stove top until warm.

Serving suggestions:

Drizzle a little bit of ghee on top of the pongal and serve warm as a dessert, snack or breakfast.

Tips & Notes:

Follow the exact liquid measurements to make the best sweet pongal.

Add jaggery to the rice mixture when it is still hot, so it will dissolve easily.

If you are not using organic jaggery, dissolves jaggery in some water in the microwave or stovetop and filter it using a sieve. Add the jaggery water after rice is cooked.

To prevent the Instant Pot from showing a burn warning, make sure that you scrape any bits stuck to the bottom.

Adjust the sweetness according to your taste. Add more jaggery if needed.

You can also roast and add fresh or dried coconut pieces for the extra flavor and crunch.

Step by step instructions:

Press the SAUTE button.

Add cashews and fry until they are light brown color. Add raisins and continue roasting until golden brown color.

Take them out of the pot and set aside.

Add moong dal and roast until light brown color.

Add rinsed rice and give it a mix.

Add milk and water.

Mix and scrape the bottom well.

Close the lid and move the valve to sealing position.

Cancel saute mode and press PRESSURE COOK / MANUAL button and adjust the time to 8 minutes.

Let the pressure release naturally. Wait until the metal pin drops completely before opening the lid.

Open the lid and give it a mix.

Add powdered or grated jaggery and cardamom powder to the cooked rice mixture while it is still hot.

Mix until the jaggery dissolves.

Add fried nuts and remaining ghee and mix well.

Serve warm and enjoy!