This homemade Arborio rice pudding recipe is a delicious and comforting dessert, perfect for the winter months. It has a classic flavor and creamy texture made with simple ingredients.
Why You Will Love This Arborio Rice Pudding Recipe
This rich and creamy arborio rice pudding is a delightful, nostalgic dessert that's perfect any time of year, though it's especially comforting during winter. Made with a blend of milk, cream, maple syrup, and warm spices, this naturally gluten-free, decadent pudding is the ultimate comfort food. Here are more reasons you'll love this creamy rice pudding recipe:
- Simple to Prepare: This stovetop rice pudding recipe is incredibly straightforward, involving just a single pot. It's one of our favorite desserts to make during the holiday season.
- Creamy Texture: The slow simmering of rice with milk allows the natural starch to break down, resulting in an incredibly smooth and creamy consistency that's deeply satisfying without needing complex thickeners like eggs in many recipes.
Arborio Rice Pudding Ingredients
This rice pudding recipe has minimal ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredient Notes
- Milk: Just like my gluten-free fruit tart with vanilla pastry cream, this recipe achieves the creamiest rice pudding texture by combining both whole milk and heavy cream. For a dairy-free alternative, you can easily substitute full-fat coconut milk for the heavy cream and unsweetened soy milk or almond milk for the whole milk.
- White Rice: For the perfect creamy texture, I recommend using Arborio rice. This short-grain rice variety has a high starch content and is plumper than long-grain rice, which contributes significantly to the pudding's rich consistency.
- Sweetener: Organic pure maple syrup provides the perfect touch of natural sweetness to this recipe.
- Flavor Enhancers: A splash of vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste (or fresh vanilla bean), a sprinkling of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt truly make this rice pudding extra cozy. We love stirring raisins into the finished pudding, but feel free to swap them for coconut flakes or golden raisins if you like. This creamy pudding is also delicious simply plain.
Find the printable recipe card with complete instructions and measurements below.
How To Make Arborio Rice Pudding
Step-by-step instructions for this easy rice pudding recipe:
- Step 1: Stir together the ingredients. Combine the milk, heavy cream, uncooked rice, and maple syrup in a large saucepan. Stir well and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Step 2: Simmer the rice pudding on low heat. Once simmering, reduce the heat to a low, gentle simmer and partially cover the saucepan with a lid, leaving a small gap for steam to escape. Let the pudding cook for 30 minutes. During this time, it's crucial to whisk the pudding every few minutes after removing the lid. This prevents the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Keep a close eye on the pudding, as it tends to bubble up quickly. If you see it bubbling vigorously, simply remove the lid and whisk it well.
- Step 3: Allow the pudding to thicken. After 30 minutes, remove the lid completely and continue to simmer the pudding, uncovered, for another 5 minutes. Whisk it continuously during this time until the rice is tender and the pudding begins to thicken. Keep in mind that the rice pudding will continue to thicken as it cools. If it becomes too thick for your liking, simply whisk in a little more milk until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Step 4: Stir in the flavor enhancers. Once the pudding reaches your desired consistency, take it off the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract, a dash of cinnamon, salt, and raisins. Let the rice pudding cool for a few minutes before transferring it to a serving dish. Serve warm and enjoy!
Storage
- Storage: Allow the leftover rice pudding to cool, then transfer it to an airtight container. This simple dessert can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheating: Enjoy your rice pudding cold, straight from the refrigerator, or gently warm it on the stovetop or in the microwave. If it thickens too much overnight, simply stir in a little more milk before reheating to reach your desired consistency.
FAQ
Rice pudding thickens significantly as it cools. If it becomes too thick for your liking, you can stir in a little more milk (dairy or dairy-free) until it reaches your desired consistency.
This often means it hasn't cooked long enough, or there was too much liquid relative to the rice. Continue simmering gently, stirring frequently, until it thickens to your preference. Remember, it will thicken more as it cools.
You can use any white short-grain or medium-grain rice for this recipe, but I highly recommend Arborio rice. This short-grain rice, typically used for risotto, cooks up plump, firm, and delightfully chewy, which is perfect for rice pudding. Avoid using brown rice or long-grain rice, as they won't give you the desired texture.
More Dessert Recipes You'll Love
I hope you enjoy this Arborio rice pudding recipe! If you make it, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comments section below. Your review will help other readers in the community.
Recipe
Arborio Rice Pudding (Creamy Stovetop Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2½ cups (600ml) whole milk
- 2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
- ¾ cup (135g) arborio rice
- ¼ cup (60g) maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
- ½ cup raisins, (optional)
Instructions
- Stir together the ingredients. In a large saucepan, whisk the milk, heavy cream, uncooked rice, and maple syrup together. Heat this mixture over medium-high heat, whisking frequently, until it reaches a simmer. Do not let it come to a full boil.
- Simmer the rice pudding on low heat. Once the pudding begins to simmer (you'll see small bubbles), immediately reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer. Partially cover the pot with the lid, leaving a slight gap for steam to vent. Cook for 30 minutes. Every few minutes, uncover and whisk thoroughly to prevent the rice from sticking. Watch it closely; if the pudding bubbles up vigorously, remove the lid and whisk it down.
- Allow the pudding to thicken. After 30 minutes, remove the lid completely. Continue to simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, whisking continuously. Keep whisking until the rice is tender and the pudding begins to thicken. Remember, rice pudding thickens further as it cools; if it becomes too thick, just whisk in a little more milk. Once the desired texture is reached, remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, and raisins.
- Serve. Let the rice pudding cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a serving dish and serve warm.
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