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This creamy, comforting and Old Fashioned Rice Pudding recipe is easy to make on the stovetop. It’s a cozy, quick-fix snack or dessert that’s perfect for chilly afternoons!
If you’ve never tried rice pudding, you really should. It’s one of those old-fashioned recipes that never goes out of style. During the colder months it’s so nice served warm with all those cozy flavors from the cinnamon and brown sugar! Then when the weather warms up, rice pudding can be served cold to become a sweet and refreshing summer treat.
I gave some to the twins recently and they loved it. Ashton has the sweet tooth and Brooks actually prefers fries over sweets pretty much every time. Brooks is like his daddy. But when Ashton took a bite, he immediately said “Mmmmmmm,” and repeated it with every single bite!
Why I Love This Rice Pudding Recipe
- Simple. Rice pudding is a classic dessert partially because it’s so easy to make. You won’t need any fancy ingredients or techniques to make this down-home treat.
- Flavorful. This recipe is perfectly sweet thanks to brown sugar and warming cinnamon.
- Perfect texture. I personally love the texture that the rice gives to this pudding! Letting it simmer slowly allows it to puff up and be more dessert-like. The combination of puffy and creamy is irresistible.
What You’ll Need
Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need to make this rice pudding recipe. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for a printable list.
- Egg: Not all rice pudding recipes call for an egg, but I 100% recommend it. It adds a richness that is so worth it. Plus, it helps to thicken the pudding without having to cook it a ton. Ultimately, that gives the pudding a creamier texture.
- White or Light Brown Sugar: Both are delicious, but the brown sugar adds some really nice flavor, so I prefer using that.
- Vanilla Extract
- Ground Cinnamon: You could also sprinkle a small amount of freshly ground nutmeg on top of your finished pudding.
- Whole Milk: You could also use low-fat milk, but whole milk results in a creamier pudding.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: I always use a combination of whole milk and heavy cream. You could use all whole milk, but this pudding is meant to be creamy, and the cream really adds that lovely richness.
- Short Grain White Rice: Don’t substitute for a different variety of rice as the cooking time will be different.
- Salt: Just a touch to enhance the sweetness of the pudding and add dimension to the flavor.
Helpful Tips for Perfect Rice Pudding
- Use short grain rice: You want to use a short grain rice, like Arborio rice. It’s more starchy than long grain rice, so it helps to thicken the pudding nicely and gives it a better texture.
- Slowly add rice mixture to egg mixture: When adding half a cup of the rice into the bowl with your egg mixture, do it slowly and whisk constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
- Don’t let it boil: Once you’re finished combining your mixtures, don’t let the pudding come to a boil. If you do, it’ll curdle. You just want to keep it over low heat until it starts to thicken. Remember that it will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Add raisins: Rice pudding and raisins go together like bread and butter. To make this dish even more classic and flavorful, add some in!
How to Store & Reheat
- Store in the fridge: Keep leftover rice pudding in an airtight container. Once cooled completely, store it in the fridge. Rice pudding stays fresh for 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. If you store it in the freezer, thaw it in the fridge overnight before eating or reheating.
- To reheat: Some people like cold rice pudding, but you can easily warm up your leftovers on the stove if desired. Do so over low heat and stir continuously. Add a little bit of milk at a time to thin out the pudding until it’s reached your desired consistency.
Watch How To Make Rice Pudding
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Recipe
Rice Pudding Recipe
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Spanish
Description
Looking for a quick treat to cozy up with on chilly afternoons? This classic rice pudding recipe is creamy, comforting & full of warm flavors!
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup (52g) white or light brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 cups (480ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup (65g) short grain white rice (I used arborio)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Whisk together the egg, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Add the milk, cream, rice and salt to a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes. Stir frequently to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Slowly add about half a cup of the hot rice mixture to the egg mixture, whisking quickly, to temper the egg mixture.
- Add the egg mixture to the saucepan with the remaining rice mixture. Stir everything together and continue heating on low heat for about another 5-10 minutes, or until thickened. Don’t boil. It will thicken quickly. Keep in mind that the mixture will continue to thicken as it cools, so you don’t want it to be too thick before you take it off the heat. A touch soupy still is ok.
- Remove from heat and serve warm.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 221
- Sugar: 19 g
- Sodium: 425.8 mg
- Fat: 6.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.2 g
- Protein: 7.2 g
- Cholesterol: 65.9 mg
Other Classic Desserts to Try
- When it comes to cheesecake, simplicity is often the tastiest way to go. This is definitely the case for my Classic Cheesecake Recipe! It’s so silky and creamy, and the flavor is right on the money.
- These Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting put all store-bought cupcakes to shame. The cupcakes are soft & fluffy and the chocolatey homemade frosting is irresistible!
- Since we’ve covered arroz con leche with this rice pudding recipe, you have to try my classic Tres Leches Cake next!
If I triple the recipe for 12 servings, do I use 3 eggs or will that make it too thick?
I would triple everything, including the eggs.
very tasty i ended up using zest cause i had no vanilla. thanks for this EASY, QUICK, TASTY Dessert Recipe….
Is the rice precooked or do you cook it in the process?
It cooks in the process.
Lindsay sweet Lindsay! I DO love your Classic Rice Pudding recipe so much. My ex- son-in-law from Perth, Australia who was a great cook, I’m sure still is, made Rice Cream every time I begged! The only difference between the two of yours I noted was he tripled your recipe (YAY) separated the egg whites from the yolks and set aside. I’m guessing here the milk/ cream ratio was the same. He was very casual about it. I didn’t want to be over his shoulder. He occasionally stirred it, then set it off the burner. After a few minutes he beat the egg whites until stiff and incorporated them. Stirring lightly.
Tarah! I did not wait. Lindsay, it was Heaven in a bowl. There’s Pudding in a Cloud, but this was the former. The last difference is? I have to make it. I hope you will try it this way. You may not be swayed and that’s okay because your way is still so creamy and dreamy.
He made a mean hamburger with an egg fried over easy on top, topped with 2 pickled beets. Grilled bun with mayo. But I wondered how a bit of sour cream and a bit of horseradish would be?
I’m so glad you enjoy it! The whipped egg whites sound like a fun thing to try!
This is an amazing recipe. I definitely recommend it.
So easy to make and was delicious! I used just milk, as I didn’t have any cream. So yum!
So glad you enjoyed it!
What is the serving size on this recipe or how many servings are in this recipe?
4 servings.
Fantastic rice pudding, it’s was so delicious, thank you
Glad you enjoyed it!
Should you cover the rice?
No, you don’t need to cover it.
I absolutely love this recipe! I’ve been looking for a great rice pudding recipe that held a candle to my mother’s. Honestly I love you Mom but this recipe is better! I love how custard like it is. The ratio of pudding to rice is perfect, And oh so creamy! Thanks for sharing! Your a rock star!
This is my favorite recipe for rice pudding. It’s easy, quick & delicious. I use white sugar, not fond of the caramel taste from brown sugar.
Amazing although came out brown I guess between the vanilla and the brown sugar but omg best I have ever had.
So glad you enjoyed it!
This was great! Super easy and delish.
When w make rice pudding after I put it into the frig it becomes a solid mass. But it is still delicious.
My mother used to make this every Monday night for us. My father was a milkman so we got free milk + cream. Sometimes she would make it in the slow cooker / crock pot during the day + the cinnamon aroma over the day was enticing. She used to do porridge overnight in the crockpot too. I’ve been looking for a good old fashioned rice pudding recipe so thank you for this one.
I cut recipe in half, thank you for the weights of ingredients. This is delicious. I put some walnuts with mine, just because, no real reason. Certainly will make again.