Rice Pudding

Enjoyed warm or cold and scented with vanilla and cinnamon, every bite of homemade Rice Pudding is as comforting as your favorite pair of slippers.

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 0

Cook Time 1 15

Total Time 1 15

Servings servings

Calories 225kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup long-grain white rice (see note 1)
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk (see note 2)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
ground cinnamon for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in rice and salt. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until water is mostly absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Microwave milk until steaming, about 1 to 2 minutes. To the rice, stir in milk and granulated sugar and bring to a slow simmer. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally until mixture is thick, about 45 minutes. (A spoon should be able to stand up in the pudding)
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Allow pudding to cool slightly before serving, or refrigerate until chilled to serve cold, about 2 hours. Garnish with a dusting of ground cinnamon.

Notes

White rice: I prefer a long-grain variety of white rice, such as Jasmine, Basmati, or American long grain rice. But you can also use a medium-grain variety, like Arborio or Valencia. Short grain rice will work as well.
Milk: For the best flavor, use whole milk if you have it. For even richer Rice Pudding, opt for a combination of milk and butter or half-and-half.
Yield: One batch of the recipe makes about 4 cups of rice pudding.
Make ahead: Feel free to make this a day or two ahead of time, especially if you want to serve the pudding chilled.
Freezing: Store in a freezer-safe container, label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before eating.
Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator and enjoy within 4 days (chances are it won't last nearly that long!).
Start the rice in water: Cooking the rice in water at first (rather than milk) makes a more tender product that tastes more rice-like.
Leftover rice: If you have it in the refrigerator, use pre-cooked rice to cut down on cooking time. You'll need about 3 to 4 cups of cooked rice for one batch of the recipe.
Non-dairy: You can use soy, almond, coconut, oat, or another nut milk instead of regular dairy milk.
Low sugar: Instead of some or all of the granulated sugar, sweeten the pudding with honey, maple syrup, or another low-calorie sugar replacement, if desired.
Raisins: If you like raisin-spiked Rice Pudding, add 1 cup of plain or golden raisins to the pudding before it's completely done, so the dried fruit has a chance to absorb some moisture and flavor. Dried currants, cranberries, or cherries would be tasty, too.
Nuts: Top with toasted pecans, almonds, chopped pistachios, walnuts, or pine nuts.
Spice it up: Think of rice pudding as a blank canvas for any flavor combo you love. Ground nutmeg, cardamom, lemon zest, orange zest, and ginger can all amp up the creamy rice if you prefer them over (or in addition to) the cinnamon.
Fruit: For a naturally-sweeter treat, mix in or top with some fresh fruit like diced mango, berries, or sliced bananas.

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