This Rice Pudding is a family recipe made with simple ingredients like rice, milk, eggs, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The raisins are optional. We like to eat this warm, cold, or room temperature. Some people eat this for breakfast, some eat it for a delicious dessert. This an easy recipe for comfort food.
 
Rice Pudding

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RICE PUDDING

I know what you are thinking…rice pudding? I had never heard of it until I married my husband. This rice pudding is a family recipe that has been around for years. It was a recipe from my husband’s great-grandmother who always made it for breakfast not dessert although traditionally people now eat it as dessert. It’s great hot but we like to eat the leftover rice pudding cold. It’s the best rice pudding recipe. 

In fact a couple of interesting food choices surfaced when we were first married. John loves Grape Nuts with straight cream on them…something his mom grew up doing. When we didn’t have fresh cream he would put a generous shot of whipped cream out of the can on top of his cold cereal. I about gagged the first time I saw him eat chicken livers and smelly oysters. It doesn’t stop there. John’s dad enjoyed peanut butter and Miracle Whip sandwiches. I love peanut butter anything but even I have my limits!

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THIS CREAMY RICE PUDDING RECIPE

  • It uses cooked rice. A great way to use leftover rice.
  • People eat this for breakfast or dessert.
  • Raisins are optional although we prefer it with.

INGREDIENTS

This recipe uses basic ingredients you can find at the grocery store.

  • CINNAMON
  • WHOLE MILK
  • VANILLA EXTRACT – you could use vanilla bean paste if you have it.
  • LONG GRAIN RICE – It doesn’t really matter what type of rice you use but what texture you like. If you like medium grain rice better that would work.
  • EVAPORATED MILK – This is one of those old school classic recipes which is why it uses evaporated milk. You could replace this with coconut milk if you like.
  • SALT
  • CORNSTARCH
  • SUGAR
  • EGGS
  • NUTMEG
  • RAISINS
  • OPTIONAL: serve with a little bit of brown sugar or a drizzle of maple syrup for serving.

RICE PUDDING WITH COOKED RICE

That’s right. The very first step is to cook rice. If you have leftover rice you are much closer to the final product.

ALMOND IN THE PUDDING TRADITION

I’m Swedish and one of the traditions is to serve pudding on Christmas Eve and place an almond in it. Whoever has the almond in their pudding gets to open a gift. Usually the gift is to share or a family gift.

HOW TO MAKE RICE PUDDING

  1. Cook the rice first. Start boiling the water and add rice and salt. Cover with a lid and lower the heat to simmer (low) for about 15-20 minutes. While the rice cooks, start the milk mixture.
  2. For the milk mixture: In a large pan, scald the milks together. To scald milk turn heat to medium high and watch really close. As soon as the milk starts to look a little foamy like it’s getting ready to boil (don’t let it boil), it’s scalded. Be very careful not to burn it. Remove from heat to keep it from boiling.
  3. Add all of the sugar, salt, and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Blend well. Stir into the hot milk mixture, stirring constantly over medium heat until thicker and smooth.
  4. Add pre-cooked rice; reheat to a full boil. Remove from heat. Pour a little of the hot mixture (1/2 cup) into the beaten eggs while stirring rapidly. This warms the eggs ups so that when you add them to the rice mixture they don’t scramble. Return egg mixture to hot milk and rice. Stir until thickened (about a minute or two). Stir in raisins, spices, and vanilla. It will thicken the longer it sits.

Rice pudding

OTHER PUDDING RECIPES

Rice Pudding

Rice Pudding

4.34 from 9 votes
This Rice Pudding is a family recipe made with rice, milk, eggs, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The raisins are optional. We like to eat this warm or cold. Some people eat this for breakfast, some eat it for dessert.
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

Rice:

  • 2 cups rice
  • 4 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Milk Mixture:

  • 4 cups milk
  • 1 (12 oz can) evaporated milk
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups raisins

Instructions
 

  • Cook the uncooked rice first. Start boiling the water and add rice and salt. Cover with a lid and lower the heat to simmer (low) for about 15-20 minutes.
  • For the milk mixture: In a medium saucepan, scald the milks together. To scald milk turn heat to medium high and watch really close. As soon as the milk starts to look a little foamy like it's getting ready to boil (don't let it boil), it's scalded. Be very careful not to burn it. Remove from heat to keep it from boiling.
  • Add all of the sugar, salt, and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Blend well. Stir into the hot milk mixture, stirring constantly over medium heat until thicker and smooth making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan.
  • Add pre-cooked rice; reheat to a full boil. Remove from heat. Pour a little of the hot mixture (1/2 cup) into the beaten eggs while stirring rapidly. This warms the eggs ups so that when you add them to the rice mixture they don't scramble. Return egg mixture to hot milk and rice. Stir until thickened (about a minute or two). Stir in raisins, spices, and vanilla at the end of cooking. It will thicken the longer it sits. Serve plain or with maple syrup or brown sugar. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes

Source: Sheri Denney
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Christy Denney
rice pudding
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Christy Denney
Christy is the voice behind The Girl Who Who Ate Everything! She is no stranger to making meals that kids and adults will love. She grew up in Mesa, Arizona as the youngest of ten kids. She can always be found in her kitchen with music playing and cooking with her kids. She published her first cookbook in 2014. She loves party food that gets the conversations going!
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