Rava Kesari Recipe with A2 Ghee (South Indian Sweet)
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By the Faimly Farm Team · Prep 5 min · Cook 20 min · Serves 4 · A South Indian classic
Rava Kesari is the bright, fragrant semolina sweet of South India — rava roasted in pure ghee, cooked with saffron-tinted water, sugar, and ghee-fried cashews. A staple of temple prasadam and Tamil-Kannada-Telugu homes, it is quick, festive, and unmistakably ghee-rich. Here is the classic method.
Ingredients
- 1 cup rava (semolina/sooji)
- 1/2 cup A2 ghee
- 1 cup sugar
- 2.5 cups water
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
- A pinch of saffron (or a little kesari/orange food colour, traditional)
- 10-12 cashews and a few raisins
Method
1. Fry the cashews: heat a little A2 ghee and fry the cashews and raisins until golden; set aside.
2. Roast the rava: in the same ghee, roast the rava on medium-low, stirring, until it turns aromatic and light golden (do not brown heavily).
3. Prepare the water: heat the water with saffron (or colour) until hot.
4. Combine: lower the heat and slowly add the hot saffron water to the roasted rava, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Cover and cook until the rava absorbs the water.
5. Add sugar and ghee: add the sugar (it will loosen the mixture), then stir in the remaining ghee generously as it thickens and turns glossy.
6. Finish: add cardamom and the fried cashews and raisins. Serve warm.
Why Ghee Is Central
Rava kesari is defined by ghee — roasting the rava in it and finishing generously with it gives the glossy texture, rich aroma, and non-sticky finish that mark a good kesari. The ghee is what makes it prasadam-worthy.
The Faimly Farm Tip
Roast the rava and finish generously with pure A2 ghee. Ours is made from indigenous-cow milk by the traditional bilona method, in small lab-tested batches under our FSSAI licence. Explore our A2 Bilona Cow Ghee or the full A2 Ghee collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is rava kesari?
Rava kesari is a South Indian semolina sweet of rava roasted in ghee and cooked with saffron-tinted water, sugar, and ghee-fried cashews, often served as prasadam.
How is it different from sooji halwa?
Rava kesari is a South Indian version, typically brighter (saffron or kesari colour) and made with water rather than milk, with its own regional flavour profile.
Why roast the rava in ghee?
Roasting in ghee develops aroma and keeps the kesari non-sticky with separate grains.
Water or milk for kesari?
Traditional rava kesari uses water; the generous ghee provides the richness.
Which ghee is best?
Pure A2 cow ghee, ideally bilona-made, gives the most authentic aroma and glossy finish.
Conclusion
Rava Kesari is South India's quick festive sweet — golden, saffron-scented, and glossy with pure ghee. Roast the rava well, add the hot water carefully, and finish generously with A2 ghee for a prasadam-worthy treat in twenty minutes.
Make golden rava kesari. Explore our A2 Ghee collection, try A2 Bilona Cow Ghee, and see our complete guide to cooking with A2 ghee. New customers can use code FIRST10 for 10% off their first order.
Faimly Farm: indigenous A2 milk, traditional bilona batches, lab-tested purity under our FSSAI licence. Learn more about Faimly Farm or contact us.
