Nothing says classic comfort treat like this Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding. Served hot, it is just the dessert you need to hit the spot on a chill night. Whipped up easily on a busy weekday night, this is a great Sunday family treat. The sweet and creamy vanilla pudding melds perfectly with the comforting taste of the rice, while the cinnamon gives it just a perfect taste of fall.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy Customization: This recipe lends itself well to being easily customized to fit your specific tastes. Different spices like nutmeg or even pumpkin pie spice can be used to create unique flavors. Whipped cream, jam or even raisins can be used as a topping to add a little something extra to this dish as well.
- Pure Nostalgia: One bite of this sweet dish will transport you instantly back to grandma’s house. The flavors are both classic and comforting.
- Inexpensive: This dish is very inexpensive to make. In fact, all of the ingredients may already be right in your pantry.
Ingredients You’ll Need
White Rice: The base for this dish, opt for uncooked long or short grain white rice for best results.
Whole Milk: Warm the milk before adding it to your recipe. It will add that rich, creamy texture everyone desires in an Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding.
Granulated Sugar: A bit of sugar adds just enough sweetness to this dish to make it delicious, without being overly sweet.
Eggs: Large eggs create the custard base that allows the pudding to have that thick and rich texture.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla can add not only additional flavor, but a beautiful aroma to this pudding.
Ground Cinnamon: Perfect for adding fall flavor to this dish, ground cinnamon is a comfy spice that is delicious in comfort food like this dish.
Butter: One tablespoon of butter added at the end of this recipe creates an extra creamy melt in your mouth texture.
How to Make
Step 1
Add your rice and water to a pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and continue to cook covered for 15-18 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
Step 2
Once the rice has finished cooking, reduce the heat slightly, and stir in 3 ½ cups of milk, sugar, salt and raisins (if using). Continue to cook over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until creamy and thick.
Step 3
Whisk the eggs and remaining milk in a mixing bowl until well combined.
Step 4
Slowly add a small amount of the hot rice mixture into the bowl with the eggs, whisking constantly. This allows you to temper your rice mixture so that the eggs do not scramble when added to the hot rice mixture.
Step 5
Pour the tempered egg mixture into the pot with the rice mixture. Cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
Step 6
Remove the Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding from the heat, and stir in the vanilla, cinnamon and butter. Serve warm.
Helpful Tips
- Be sure to temper the eggs: Placing a small amount of hot rice mixture into the eggs, and whisking to slowly temper them is incredibly important in this recipe. If you fail to temper the eggs before adding them into the pot with the rice mixture, they will scramble instantly.
- Stir frequently: When simmering the rice mixture to thicken it, be sure to stir frequently to keep them bottom from burning.
- Do not allow the mixture to boil once the eggs are added: In the final minutes cooking once the egg has been added, do not let the mixture come to a boil. This will curdle your custard and ruin the silky texture.
Substitutions
- The Rice: While uncooked long or short grain white rice are recommended, you can easily swap it out for leftover rice you already have on hand instead.
- The Spices: Instead of just cinnamon, you can substitute in additional or completely different spices. Nutmeg, all-spice and pumpkin spice are popular options.
- The Milk: If you are lactose intolerant or vegetarian, you can swap out the whole milk in this recipe for oat, coconut or almond milk in a 1 to 1 ratio.
Storage Instructions
This Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding is able to be easily stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, simply microwave for 1-2 minutes, or eat cold if you prefer. A splash of warm milk can be added when reheating to help rehydrate the pudding after being refrigerated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this recipe be frozen? This recipe really is best made fresh. It can be frozen if you desire, but the consistency of the egg and milk custard when thawed will sometimes separate and give the pudding a grainy texture.
What if my pudding is too thin? If your pudding is too thin, try adding some additional cooked rice, or simmering the pudding a bit longer to reduce the liquid.
Can I use brown rice instead? You can swap brown rice out for white in this recipe. It will result in a pudding that has a nuttier taste, and a bit of a bite to it.
Recipe
Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding
Ingredients
Method
- Add the rice and water to a pot over medium high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and boil for 15-18 minutes, or until the rice is cooked completely.
- Stir in 3 ½ cups of milk, sugar, salt and raisins if using into the pot with the rice. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened and creamy.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and ½ cup of remaining milk until well combined.
- Add a small amount of the hot rice mixture to the bowl with the eggs, and stir constantly to temper it.
- Once tempered, pour the egg mixture into the pot with the rice. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat, and stir in the vanilla, cinnamon and butter before serving.
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