This Creamy Rice Pudding recipe is both humble and delicious and can be made easily on the stovetop for the perfect after-dinner dessert. It can be served warm or cold, with a sprinkle of cinnamon, or even a dollop of ice cream to create an epic hot and cold contrast.
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Classic Rice Pudding Recipe
Rice pudding has long been a household favorite in our family, but lately, it seems to be experiencing a resurgence in popularity - and it's easy to see why! This classic dessert boasts a creamy and comforting flavor profile. At its core, it's simply rice cooked in milk with sugar and a few spices. What sets apart a truly delicious rice pudding is the perfect balance of flavors and sweetness, along with a smooth and consistent texture.
My son loves rice pudding (second only to pie, of course), so he was thrilled for the weeks I was testing out this recipe. I've been making this dessert for years but never followed a recipe - because it's pretty simple to make. However, I'm happy to finally have it written down so I can share it with others.
This version is very much a classic American rice pudding (let's put this in the same category as chocolate chip cookies and apple pie). However, this dish can be claimed by many different cultures throughout history. My version can be served warm (ever paired it with ice cream?) or cold (and I'll include instructions for both below), is made with long-grain white rice and is studded with plump raisins and a touch of cinnamon.
So, let's get to making it, shall we? The article below is jam-packed full of useful information. You can jump around using the menu below, or skip to the end of the article for the full recipe. And be sure to check out the video of me making it, right above the recipe.
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Ingredients Needed
Here is an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe is listed below in greater detail.
- uncooked long grain white rice (see more about this right below)
- evaporated milk (this adds a big boost of creamy taste, without adding actual cream)
- whole milk
- granulated sugar
- raisins (swap out with another dried fruit, or omit if you do not like them)
- cinnamon (use ground cinnamon or a cinnamon stick)
- cloves (to me this is classic rice pudding flavor, but feel free to omit this if you don't like clove)
- vanilla extract
- unsalted butter
Let's Talk About Rice
It should be noted that the recipe is based on uncooked long-grain white rice. Nevertheless, any variety of rice, such as short-grain, Jasmine, Basmati, or even brown rice, can be used to make rice pudding. But, it's worth keeping in mind that switching to a different type of rice may necessitate changes to the quantity of liquid added or cooking time. As a result, if you opt for a different rice, some recipe adjustments may be required to achieve the desired outcome.
Likewise, if precooked leftover rice was used instead of raw rice, it would drastically change the timing and liquid quantity needed to make a good final result. So I can't recommend making that switch, unless you want to play around with the recipe a lot.
Step-by-Step Visual Overview
Here are the key steps for making the recipe (scroll down for the full recipe):
Step 1: Rinse rice and cook it in water.
Step 2: Cook until all the water has evaporated (but be careful not to scorch it)
Step 3: Add in the milks, spices, salt and raisins, cook until thickened.
Step 4: Add in the sugar, and cook until your desired consistency.
Step 5: Stir in the butter and vanilla.
Step 6: Let cool briefly and serve (or cool completely and serve later)
Please see the serving section below to read up on the consistency of the finished rice pudding, and how to troubleshoot that to your desired consistency.
How to Serve It
As mentioned above, various cultures throughout the globe have their own version of rice pudding, and with it comes various ways to serve it. In our family, we like it served warm, with thickness like any other stovetop type pudding, which is to say, fairly thick but not stodgy.
When I've gone to Colombia to visit my husband's family, they often served rice pudding (aka arroz con leche) on the very thin side and usually cold or room temperature. This is all to say, serve it the way you like it!
Some people like to serve warm rice pudding with a scoop of cold ice cream to get that temperature contrast going! And if that sounds good to you, give it a try!
However, I find the recipe pudding to be perfect on it's own, with just a sprinkle of cinnamon on top so that's how we serve it in my house.
Troubleshooting the Texture
The rice is forgiving and you can add in more liquid later after it has cooled if it needs to be thinned out. Additionally, if it's too thin, it can be reduced a little bit, or rested to let it absorb the excess moisture, which it will do whether you want it to or not.
And of course it's important to spell that out more clearly, as this cools down, the rice will absorb more moisture and become thicker and thicker. So be sure to stop the cooking before it's reached your desired consistency, as it's much thinner when you stop cooking and it's warm.
More Pudding Recipes
Video: How to Make Rice Pudding
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Full Recipe
Creamy Rice Pudding
This Creamy Rice Pudding recipe is both humble and delicious and can be made easily on the stovetop for the perfect after-dinner dessert. It can be served warm or cold, with a sprinkle of cinnamon, or even a dollop of ice cream to create an epic hot and cold contrast.
- Total Time40 minutes
- YieldServes 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 2 cups (454 grams) water
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) coarse kosher salt
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1-½ cup (340 grams) whole milk
- ½ cup (70 grams) raisins
- 1 cinnamon stick (or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
- ½ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter
Instructions
- Rinse the rice in a fine mesh strainer, drain it and then transfer it to a large pot. Add in the water and salt and stir to combine. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until most of the water has evaporated about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the water level and don’t let it completely evaporate and scorch on the bottom.
- Add the evaporated milk, whole milk, raisins, cinnamon stick, and ground cloves and continue to cook, stirring every few minutes, until rice is creamy and thickened about 10 minutes. Add the sugar, cook for 3-4 more minutes. Keep in mind, the rice will continue to thicken up. So stop cooking it when it’s more fluid than you would want the final result to be, knowing it will continue to thicken.
- Remove the cinnamon sticks. Stir in the vanilla extract and butter.
- Serve warm or cold. If the pudding is too thick, it can always be thinned out with a splash of water or milk, as needed. If it’s too thin, continue to cook, but remember it will thicken as it cools.
Notes
The instructions indicate to use a large pot. I know in the photos and videos you see me using a sauce pan, but please learn from my mess and use a stock pot instead of a small sauce pan like I used to avoid spilling the pudding while it's cooking.
The rice is forgiving and you can add in more liquid later after it has cooled if it needs to be thinned out. Additionally, if it's too thin, it can be reduced a little bit, or rested to let it absorb the excess moisture, and that it will.
Rice pudding will keep in the refrigerator well for 2-3 days. Serve warm or cold.
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Renee
I made this today and love the flavor. I’ve made lots of rice pudding recipes with whole eggs or egg yolks, cook top and oven baked custard style. It was nice to have this option with no egg for something different. I used jasmine rice and that though turned out a bit to al dente Probably would make sure I had white rice next time because as I don’t mind it being al dente necessarily, I am not sure it was that nice creamy texture that rice pudding is known for. I did also eat it warm so maybe it will still soften up a bit as it cools. Thank you Kellie
Lynn
The whole time I was cooking this I thought I was screwing it up! It actually came out pretty good but definitely if you make it, pay attention to her directions, particularly about how to gauge the thickness with liquid left. I kept cooking it, thinking it was too liquidy.
In the end it was ok. I used a little milk to get it creamier. Next time I will lighten up on the Clove. Not a huge fan of that flavor. But will definitely make this again. Thank you!!
Dee
Looks delicious making this for my son he loves rice pudding