Rice Pudding Recipe - Cooking Classy (2024)

Published May 10, 2020. Updated May 14, 2020

Homestyle Rice Pudding – A delicious, old fashioned recipe just like Grandma made! It only requires 5 basic ingredients, plus sweet cinnamon and raisins if you prefer them.

Looking for more old fashioned classics? Try my Bread Pudding recipe or Oatmeal Cake.

A rich and creamy, easy to prepare dessert that young and old alike will love! It is such a nostalgic treat.

There are so many different flavors and mix-ins you can add too, for ideas see below.

What is rice pudding?

It is a well known dish common in many countries around the world. It is made up of white rice, milk or water, sometimes thickeners like eggs are added and a fat like butter to make it richer. And when made as a dessert it’s usually sweetened (with something like sugar) and often flavored with cinnamon and raisins.

It is a great dessert to make year round with pantry staples!

What does it taste like?

It has a simple yet unique and delicious flavor – a very rice rich flavor complimented by a nice level of sweetness. And with added cinnamon maybe something like horchata to find a familiar flavor.

Rice Pudding Ingredients

The staple ingredients you’ll need for this recipe include:

• Whole milk: I like to make this rich so I go with whole milk for the best richness, consistency and flavor.
• Granulated sugar: I don’t like this super sweet but you can add more sugar to taste. Brown sugar works great too.
• Long grain rice: Other types of rice will work well too, such as jasmine rice or medium grain rice.
• Salt: Just standard table salt or sea salt will work great here.
• Vanilla: This gives it a great background flavor and adds more of a dessert taste.
• Ground cinnamon (optional): It can be definitely be made without but I prefer the flavor with. If you love cinnamon feel free to double up the amount.
• Raisins (optional): If you aren’t a fan of raisins then feel free to leave this out. Brown, red or golden raisins work great.

How to Make Rice Pudding

1. Mix ingredients in saucepan: In a medium non-stick saucepan whisk together milk, sugar, rice, salt and cinnamon.
2. Simmer uncovered: Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat then reduce to low and let simmer, uncovered until rice is tender and mixture has thickened, stirring frequently, about 30 – 35 minutes.
3. Mix in raisins if using and vanilla: Remove from heat, stir in raisins and vanilla let rest a few minutes before serving. Note that it will thicken more as it cools, thin with a little milk if desired.

Can it be made with cooked leftover rice?

Yes. To prepare with cooked rice:

• You’ll need 3 cups cooked rice for this recipe.
• Simmer for about 20 – 25 minutes.
• Sweeten to taste with more sugar.

How to Cook it in the Slow Cooker

Another option to make this rice pudding is to cook in a crockpot, to do so:

• Pour 2 Tbsp melted butter into 4 quart slow cooker.
• Mix in 3 cups milk, 2/3 cup long grain rice, 1/3 cup sugar (or more to taste), 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 cup raisins and 1/4 tsp vanilla.
• Cover and cook on low heat about 4 – 5 hours.

How long does rice pudding keep?

It should keep well in the fridge for about 3 days.

Can it be frozen?

Yes. It can be frozen in an airtight container up to 3 months. Thaw overnight.

How to Reheat

To rewarm you can reheat in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally and thinning with more milk.

Is rice pudding healthy?

A common question people want answered is whether or not rice pudding is healthy. I think it’s a good dessert choice. And it’s definitely a smarter option than say a slice of cake, which is usually jam packed with sugar and refined white flour.

It’s not a health food but I think it’s a better option.

It still has added sugar. To make it healthier you can sweeten it with something else like a few tablespoons honey or maple syrup, and alsoconsider switching to low fat milk.

Is rice pudding gluten-free?

This recipe is naturally gluten-free just be sure to use ingredients that are labeled gluten-free to avoid cross contamination in facilities that may produce or package other products that have gluten.

Possible Variations

A traditional way to prepare it here in the U.S., Mexico and other countries is to add cinnamon and raisins but there are so many variations on this treat. Here are a few ideas:

• Add coconut and coconut extract. Replace half of the whole milk with canned coconut milk.
• Finish with fresh fruit like diced mangoes, strawberries, bananas or cherries.
• Drizzle with a fruit sauce.
• Flavor with citrus (lemon, lime or orange zest).
• Use other spices like nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, anise, cloves, allspice or try with a whole cinnamon stick.
• Sweeten with other things like date syrup, brown sugar or honey.
• Try it with nuts like pistachios, almonds or walnuts. Adding at the end or garnishing servings.

More Delicious Desserts to Try

• Cheesecake
• Key Lime Pie
• Mini Banana Cream Pies
• Sticky Toffee Pudding
• Vanilla Ice Cream