This is comfort food at its finest! I grew up absolutely loving the nights where rice pudding or bread pudding followed dinner. The bread pudding I’m having some trouble with. It’s either too dried out, or too soupy. I’m losing the texture of the bread too much to the custard, and until it’s perfect it will not grace these pages. Bread pudding is just to close to this gals heart the screw with and half-ass.
This rice pudding though? This is the definition of perfection. It’s insanely easy to make. If you take my advice that follows, it’s really fast as well!
Most important advice you’ll get in this post:
Make the rice ahead of time.
What I mean by that is, when you’re having rice as a side dish, make a ton of it. Put the left overs in a zip-lock bag in the fridge over night, then use it to make the rice pudding the next day.
This doesn’t just save you time, I’ve made it using fresh cooked rice, and day old rice, and it`s honestly better with the day old rice. The same is true for Chinese style fried rice, never use freshly cooked rice if you can avoid it, always day old.
Just an FYI – I doubled the recipe. I really wanted to be eating this out of the fridge for days. Which I did. And it was awesome.
Put the milk, rice, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. You`ll have to give the day old rice a good stir just to break it all up, no biggie. Let it go until thick and creamy, about 15 – 20 minutes, stirring every once in a while.
While that`s thickening up, get your egg in a bowl. Or eggs, you know, if you’re doubling the recipe, cough.
Give it a quick whisk.
Add another half a cup of milk to the egg and mix it up.
Perfect, the rice is nice and thick and creamy now.
Slowly pour in the egg and milk mixture, stirring really quickly while you do. You have to do this so that you don`t end up with a big chunk of cooked egg. This is what it`ll look like after the egg`s mixed in. Leave it to cook for another two minutes.
Remove from the heat and add some butter and vanilla. Stir it in until the butter has completely melted.
Put it in a bowl and eat. Ta Da!
I like to throw a dash of cinnamon on top too, to mix in just before I eat. sometimes I pour more milk on it as well. I also prefer mine warm, but lots of people eat it cold right out of the fridge.
How anyone can avoid the allure of this is beyond me. But I know there’s a few of you out there. Bo, I’m looking at you.
Yes, the fact that Bo doesn’t like this does imply that I made this strictly for me, seeing as Oliver eats like a bird most days. Yes, it also means that I doubled the recipe entirely for my own consumption. Sometimes you’re just having one of those weeks.
Here’s your printable:
Perfect Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- 1½ cups cooked white rice
- 2 cups whole milk, divided
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Over medium heat cook the rice, 1½ cups of milk, sugar and salt to a boil until thick and creamy, about 15 - 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- In a small bowl mix together the egg and remaining ½ cup of milk.
- When the rice mixture has thickened, slowly pour in the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Cook for two minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the butter and vanilla, stirring until the butter has melted.
- Serve warm or cold, and feel free to top with cinnamon, sugar, or raisins.
Melissa
Hi there, Melissa here from Food Bloggers of Canada. Just popping by to check out your blog and to let you know we’ve added you to our Membership Directory. Welcome aboard!
I grew up with rice pud and bread pud for dessert (English mum) and they, along with Sticky Toffee Pudding, are my favourites. Total comfort foods. I toss a handful of raisins in with my rice pudding as well. mmm… now I want some (as an aside, being made of rice, I suspect it’s a totally acceptable breakfast food… just sayin… ;-))
CaT
i like rice pudding. The recipe does not seem to be complicated at all, and i always thought this was something you cannot make yourselves… so thank you, i will try it soon! 🙂
CaT
made it last night! easy and good! perhaps a little too sweet for me, but otherwise really good. do you think i could go down on the sugar without affecting anything else?
Katrina
Hey Cat, glad that you tried it and liked it! I don’t think you’d have any issue cutting back the sugar. I figure you can go back to 1/4 cup with no issue, maybe even a bit less. My family has quite the sweet tooth, so I’m not really surprised that you found it a bit too sweet.
For anyone who’s worried about it being too sweet, er on the side of caution and decrease the sugar. You can always mix some in when you’re eating it if it isn’t quite sweet enough.
Becky
Hey there!! I’m hosting Thanksgiving this year for a bunch of my hubby’s friends, and one requested rice pudding (what’s “Friendsgiving” without your guests back-home favorites?!). Being that I will be out numbered by guys (5-to-1), how many people will this single recipe serve??? I can’t wait to make it! Love love LOVE anything pudding style ❤️❤️
Katrina
Hey Becky – ummm, how do I get an invite to this, because you’re idea of a perfect friendsgiving is exactly the same as mine – something special for everyone!
Ok, so, I have this listed as serves 4… but that’s probably because I am a PIG when it comes to this rice pudding and basically fill up a soup bowl of it when I want some. I’m not dainty about it is what I’m getting at. This can easily serve 6, especially after a giant meal, and I’m guessing other sweets at the end.
If you’re really worried, you could x1.5 the recipe. And I won’t judge AT ALL if you hide a bit in the back of the fridge just for you once everyone goes home. I hope you all have an amazing thanksgiving together! Let me know what you thought of the recipe after 🙂