Creamy and comforting, rice pudding recipe is a quick dessert that you can have ready to serve warm or chilled. With some very humble ingredients, but decadent and thick enough to be straight up dessert. This recipe makes the perfect smooth rice pudding that is as good for dessert as it would be for breakfast.
Why You’ll Love Rice Pudding Recipe:
Easy, creamy rice pudding recipe – the ultimate comfort food that takes minutes to cook and tastes like a dream. It is a perfect food to eat alone or serve with your favourite toppings. Warm or cold, it is the ultimate in a dessert that will quell your sweet cravings.
1. The Comforting Delight of Rice Pudding
Rice pudding Recipe is a long-loved, comforting classic for many who crave that delicious nostalgia. A creamy, sweet treat that dates back through the centuries and across continents as feeling good food for both hearts & souls. Rice pudding is a wonderful comfort food, made from the simplest of ingredients — rice, milk, sugar and spices that are cooked down until they melt into each other and you have something either warm or cold to savour.
The rice cooks slowly, absorbing the milk and sweetener while simultaneously releasing its own starches, turning a thick jelly that has a richness to it; every bite is at once rich and revelatory . Rice pudding recipes are intensely regional—each culture has its own variation on the theme, using milk and rice as a palette for hundreds of flavours (cinnamon & vanilla stateside or cardamom and saffron further East…)
This flexibility means rice pudding can be served in a number of different ways — topped with fresh fruit, nuts or drizzled caramel. But no matter how it is made, the consistent appreciation for rice pudding in all its forms of existence remains a comfort food staple at tables across America – any gathering, family dinner or celebratory Thanksgiving included.
2. Essential Ingredients for the Perfect Rice Pudding Recipe
Making rice pudding is all about the ingredients. I made my pudding with Arborio, or what you may recognise as sushi rice. This is ideal largely thanks to the high starch content which will enrich your puddings silky texture! Short-grain rice absorbs liquid efficiently and expresses starch, which is why there the texture of risottos are richer than their long grained counterparts.
The milk—or a combination of regular whole milk and cream if you want to get super decadent—adds richness; for health reasons, our testers recommend trying low-fat (2 percent or less) as well as non-dairy fat burners such as almond or coconut milks. The sugar makes it sweet but you can try toweetners like honey or maple syrup.
Flavouring is important to make the rice pudding taste like itself: we use vanilla extract because it adds depth, and salt otherwise its way too sweet for human tongues. You could also spice it up with some cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom for a really warm and deep hit. One more, and that is the finishing touch which in this case are things like a toasted almonds or raisins even some fresh berries because if they look good to you their going to taste great as well.
3. Mastering the Technique: Step-by-Step Guide to Rice Pudding Recipe
In order to create the best rice pudding, you must perfect your cooking method. Begin by washing the rice in cold water to rinse out excess starches from it that may cause your pudding to be gummy. Place rinsed rice and water in a large saucepan over low heat.
This preliminary action ensures the rice is cooked uniformly and also it takes in liquid effectively. After the water has evaporated, slowly add milk and sugar + pinch of salt in increments while stirring continuously (to prevent rice from sticking to bottom) That gentle simmering gives the rice time to soak up a little milk before water is added, and this means what gets absorbed will have been dispersed gently.
This way of giving it all space allows for creaminess at journey’s end. It’s so important to stay on and stir, while the risotto is cooking that way you get all of those lovely little starch globules from around each grain into your pudding. Once the rice is cooked and tender, after about 20-30 mins of cooking (the mixture will also have thickened slightly), remove from heat again stir vanilla extract through as well as any optional spices you desire. If you want it to be extra creamy cool it slightly and stir in a spoon of whipped cream.
This delicious rice pudding is perfect served warm or chilled from the fridge on a hot day. Combine with your favourite toppings and savour this classic dessert of spoonfuls that is the sheer embodiment of comfort and indulgence.
Rice Pudding Recipe
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Large saucepan
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked white rice medium or short grain
- 4 cups whole milk can substitute with almond or coconut milk for dairy-free option
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon butter optional, for extra creaminess
- Optional toppings: raisins ground nutmeg, whipped cream, or fruit
Instructions
- Step 1: Cook the Rice: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of uncooked white rice with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low heat, cover, and simmer for 15-18 minutes until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed. Set aside.
- Step 2: Simmer the Pudding : Bring the cooked rice, 4 cups whole milk â…“ cup sugar plus a pinch of salt and optional tablespoon of butter to combine these ingredients. Cook over medium heat until it begins to simmer, stirring occasionally so the sugar will dissolve.
- Step 3: Thicken the Pudding : With great care continue to cook the mixture and stir occasionally so that it does not stick or burn. Simmer the pudding gently for about 20-25 minutes until it becomes creamy.
- Step 4: Add Flavourings : Stir until thickened and then remove from heat. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon (warning – if you use this, it does overpower the chocolate so a good option is just more cocoa powder instead) Adjust sugar or flavouring in the pudding, if and when needed.
- Step 5: Serve : This rice pudding can also be enjoyed warm and is equally nice refrigerated, for a chilled dish. Serve with optional toppings, and add in some raisins if you want at the end or a sprinkle of nutmeg on top and whipped cream or fresh fruit!!!
Notes
References :
“For more delicious Meals, visit our Side-Dishes Collection here!”