Pristine, pure and quite delicious seasonal treat this Nungu Payasam, a South Indian Kheer made with Ice Apples!
Summer means a lot of things to lot of us. From the crisp bright day to hot humid wind to vacations to holidays to summer delicacies โ the list is endless. It is impossible to imagine summer without mangoes and ever since I started jotting down recipes on this blog, I have made it a point to try as many mango recipes as possible. But today, for a change I have decided to talk about another gorgeous summer delicacy โ Ice Apple. It is also known as Nungu in Tamil, Munjalu in Telugu and Tadgola/Taal in Hindi. And I made Nungu Payasam ๐
Ice Apple is quite amazing as it is. I mean, whats not to love about it? I love, love, absolutely love waiting for the palm fruit to be cut open in front of eyes, Nungu/Ice Apples extracted carefully! I look forward to gently peeling off the skin and take a quick taste at the sweet water inside Ice Apples ๐ Growing up, the sister and I used to called these โSabbuโ (means soap in Telugu) as these Ice Apples are so smooth. Aren’t these gorgeous?!

Apparently, the tender ones are really good for health and they have a good cooling effect on the body. But if the ice apples are too hard and are devoid of any water inside โ better be careful as they can cause stomach pain.
Anyway, one fine day the husband decided to surprise me with a pack of Nungu/Ice Apples on his way home. I couldnโt control myself and immediately gulped down a few ๐ When I have had enough, the thought of making Nungu Payasam seemed like a good idea. This has to be one of the easiest and yet, delicious Kheer recipes of all times! Do make it while the ice apples last.
How to make Nungu Payasam | Ice Apple Kheer โ

Prep Time | 10minutes |
Cook Time | 15minutes |
Servings | people |
- 4Nungu/Ice Apples(tender & medium sized)
- 2cupsBoiled Milk
- 1/4cupSugar
- 12Blanched Almonds
- 2Cardamoms
- Few Strands of Saffron(optional)
Ingredients
| ![]() |
- Remove the skin of the nungu/ice apples. Chop them into small pieces of desired size. Set aside.
- In a blender jar, add blanched almonds along with cardamoms. Add little milk and grind into a smooth paste.
- Mix the ground almond paste with milk and cook it on low flame until it begins to thicken.
- Add sugar and mix well. Keep boiling on low flame for another 3-4 mins. Remove from heat and let this cool down completely.
- Add the chopped nungu/ice apples and mix well. Set it in refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve chilled with saffron strands on top.
- Instead of almonds, cashews can also be used.
- Adjust the quantity of sugar as per preference.
- It is recommended to use tender ice apples and to add them only after the milk mixture has cooled down completely.
Detailed step by step picture tutorial of making Nungu Payasam | Ice Apple Kheer โ
1. Remove the skin of the nungu/ice apples.
2. Chop them into small pieces of desired size. Set aside.
3. In a blender jar, add blanched almonds along with cardamoms.
4. Add little milk and grind into a smooth paste.
5. Mix the ground almond paste with already boiled and cooled down milk and cook it on low flame until it begins to thicken.
6. Add sugar and mix well. Keep boiling on low flame for another 3-4 mins. Remove from heat and let this cool down completely.
7. Add the chopped nungu/ice apples and mix well. Set it in refrigerator until ready to serve.
8. Serve chilled with saffron strands on top.
Note โ
- Instead of almonds, cashews can also be used.
- Adjust the quantity of sugar as per preference.
- It is recommended to use tender ice apples and to add them only after the milk mixture has cooled down completely.
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Taking this to Fiesta Friday #175 and the co-hosts this week are Monika @ Everyday Healthy Recipes and Suzanne @ A Pug in the Kitchen ๐
Nungu is my favorite. We used to get fresh tender ones in periyakulam. Miss those. Last year I tried Lassi with nungu. This sounds sounds delicious and yummylicious. Perfect summer treat.
Wow – lassi with nungu?! must be delicious – I will check it out Sri ๐ Thanks!
Looks so delicious! I know them as tadgula, just love these ๐
Thanks Freda ๐
Wow what a nice idea dear. perfect for summer looks rich and yummy
Thanks Vidya ๐
Looks so good..here I miss this fruit
Thanks Lathiya ๐
Looks so refreshing! Never heard of ice apples – learn something hew everyday:) Thank you for sharing with FF!
Thank you, ice apples are delicious ๐
Beautiful!
Thanks Hilda ๐
Best blog till date…keep posting these blogs…
Thanks & Good luck
Thanks!