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    Home » Recipes » Dessert/Sweet

    Vegan Rava Kesari

    Published: February 3, 2017 · Modified: May 5, 2022 by Uma Raghupathi · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 8 Comments

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    I'm so excited to share this delicious vegan Rava Kesari recipe with you all! It's a warm, sweet, and comforting dessert that is perfect for winter.

    Kesari Bath is a popular dish in Karnataka, India, and I grew up eating it often. This version is made with semolina (rava), sugar, cardamom, almonds, cashews, and coconut milk. It's simple to make and tastes amazing!

    Rava Kesari on a plate, with strawberry on top

    How to make a veganized Indian Dessert?

    There is nothing better than a warm and sweet dessert with coffee, especially on a cold wintery day.

    That's my inspiration today for making Vegan Rava Kesari. It's called "Kesari Bath" in the local dialect in Karnataka and it is my personal favorite dish to make with Semolina (Rava).

    It's a traditional Indian dessert that is typically made with lots of ghee. So, as I was trying out vegan options for ghee, I struck gold with my combination of coconut milk and other ingredients I have listed here.

    In my vegan journey thus far, I have definitely been delighted by the way this recipe has turned out. After all, it is possible to prepare awesome desserts without dairy!

    So much that it has become a huge hit in my family. It takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. So, when you have guests to entertain on short notice, Vegan Rava Kesari is the way to go.

    One little side note on that is you will need to have the ingredients readily available. Of all the ingredients I have listed, saffron strands might be the hardest one to get.

    But I can tell you from personal experiences and trials that it is definitely worth the extra effort. The aroma of saffron is just heavenly.

    Ingredients note

    Rava: I use fine semolina for this recipe, but you can also use coarse semolina. The texture will be slightly different but it will still taste great!

    Sugar: You can adjust the amount of sugar to your liking.

    Coconut milk: I prefer to use full-fat coconut milk for this recipe, but you can use light coconut milk if you prefer.

    Cardamom: I love the flavor of cardamom in this dish, but you can omit it if you don't have any on hand.

    Cashews: These are optional, but I love the flavor and texture that they add to the dish.

    Directions

    Dessert and Semolina

    Place a pan over medium heat with 2 teaspoon olive oil and roast the rava or semolina. You can easily tell from the aroma.

    Place the semolina on a plate and let it cool. In the same pan, boil 1¼ cup water and 1 cup coconut milk and drop the saffron strands in them.

    A close up of food, with Semolina

    When it starts to boil, add the roasted semolina. Stir well to remove any lumps. After about 3-4 minutes of constant stirring, add sugar and olive oil and continue to stir.

    Continue to stir until all the ingredients are evenly mixed. Now, add cardamom powder and roasted cashews to it and mix well.

    Vegan Rava Kesari is ready!

    Rava Kesari bath is on the plate with Semolina and Coconut milk

    Tips

    • If the Kesari is too thick, you can add more coconut milk to thin it out.
    • For a richer flavor, you can roast the semolina in a pan before adding it to the coconut milk.
    • Use avocado oil or other neutral-flavored oil instead of ghee.
    • Instead of saffron, you can use a pinch of turmeric for yellow color.

    Related recipes

    • Mango Kesari
    • Quick Rava Idli - Instant Pot Rava Idli Recipe
    • Rava Ladoo
    • Chocolate Semolina Cake
    • Karjikai Recipe
    • Vegan Banana Cake
    • Vegan Mango Ice Cream
    • Pumpkin Bread Vegan

    Just subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious vegan recipes such as this sent directly to your inbox.

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    A plate of rava kesari on a table

    Vegan Rava Kesari

    Uma Raghupathi
    Best Vegan Rava Kesari made with simple ingredients. Always Liked by kids 🙂
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe
    Prep Time:5 mins
    Cook Time:20 mins
    Total Time:25 mins
    Course :Dessert
    Cuisine :Indian
    Diet :Vegan
    Allergen :Dairy free, Soy free
    Difficulty :Easy
    Servings 4 person
    Calories 488 kcal

    Equipment

    • Non-Stick Pan

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup rava - semolina
    • 1 cup canned coconut milk
    • 1 ¼ cup water
    • 2 saffron strands
    • 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
    • 3 tablespoon olive oil
    • 10 cashews - optional
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Place a pan over medium heat with 2 teaspoon olive oil and roast the rava or semolina. You can easily tell from the aroma. Place the semolina on a plate and let it cool.
      1 cup rava
    • In the same pan, boil 1 ¼ cup water and 1 cup coconut milk and drop the saffron strands in them.
      1 cup canned coconut milk, 2 saffron strands
    • When it starts to boil, add the roasted semolina. Stir well to remove any lumps.
    • After about 3-4 minutes of constant stirring, add sugar and olive oil and continue to stir.
      1 ¼ cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoon olive oil
    • Continue to stir until all the ingredients are evenly mixed.
    • Now, add cardamom powder and roasted cashews to it and mix well.
      ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder, 10 cashews

    Notes

    • If the Kesari is too thick, you can add more coconut milk to thin it out.
    • For a richer flavor, you can roast the semolina in a pan before adding it to the coconut milk.
    • Use avocado oil or other neutral-flavored oil instead of ghee.
    • Instead of saffron, you can use a pinch of turmeric for yellow color.

    YOUR OWN NOTES

    Click here to add your own private notes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 488kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 475mg | Potassium: 185mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 66g | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is an estimation only.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Aparna Datt

      June 24, 2018 at 3:09 pm

      I had been searching for this ever since I turned vegan, any particular olive oil like virgin , refined or cold pressed etc. can I use olive oil used for Italian cooking which has a strong flavour. Will it show up in the final product ?

      Reply
      • Uma Raghupathi

        June 24, 2018 at 5:13 pm

        Hi Aparna. You can use any kind of oil which is fragrant free. I used light olive oil, some time I use corn oil. Hope this will help you. Good luck!

        Reply
    2. Gayathri

      May 16, 2017 at 12:39 am

      Hi... Can we substitute olive oil with some other oil???

      Reply
      • Uma Raghupathi

        May 16, 2017 at 12:58 am

        Hi Gayathri, You can substitute with other oil. But it won't taste good as much as with olive oil. Try with refined coconut oil, because it has no coconut scent. That might be better. Believe me I have tried with all the oil options, finally i got delicious recipe with olive oil option. Hope this will help you. Happy cooking!

        Reply
    3. Cook with Smile..

      February 04, 2017 at 8:59 pm

      Looks great... Love the addition of coconut milk ☺

      Reply
      • Uma Raghupathi

        February 04, 2017 at 10:49 pm

        Thank you ?

        Reply
    4. Maria Doss

      February 03, 2017 at 8:15 pm

      I love your vegan choice of ingredients, Uma. As you can imagine, rava kesari was a sweet that I grew up with. In the northern part of India, suji halwa is made with milk instead and lots of lots of ghee. This recipe with coconut milk and olive oil is a brilliant and healthier twist to this classic.

      Reply
      • Uma Raghupathi

        February 03, 2017 at 11:39 pm

        Thank you Maria:) Yes it's tough to replace the ghee, but nothing is impossible:)

        Reply

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