Creamy Rice Pudding Recipe

Name: Creamy Rice Pudding
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) of whole milk; 1/3 cup (66 grams) of uncooked short grain white rice; Pinch of salt; 1 egg; 1/4 cup (50 grams) dark brown sugar; 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon; 1/3 cup (40 grams) raisins

"Rice pudding is how God intended us to eat rice," my father announced when I mentioned I was thinking about making some. Well that settled it, rice pudding it would be.

With a little investigation, I found that there are two basic ways to make rice pudding—baking or boiling.

Then there is my father's way, which is take some cold white rice, add some cream, sugar, and cinnamon. Mix and eat. Dad has been making rice pudding this way my whole life, but dad's method has never appealed to me that much, so boiling or baking it would have to be.

A bowl of homemade Rice Pudding — Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker

Rice Pudding From Scratch, My Way

The first recipe I tried called for 3/4 cup of heavy cream for a recipe that only served 2 people. Yikes! Too rich, couldn't eat it. (Ever notice that recipes 20 years and older can be a bit heavy on the cream and butter?) A couple of adjustments later, I settled on this recipe, using the boiling method. It is especially tasty with raisins.

A bowl of stovetop Rice Pudding with raisins — Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker

The Best Rice for Rice Pudding

This recipe calls for short-grain white rice, but let's say you don't have that on hand. In general, the shorter the grain, the higher the starch content...and it's starch that helps thicken this pudding and make it so creamy. You can use brown rice, but the pudding won't be as creamy, it will take longer to cook, and you will likely need to add more liquid.

Here's a list of rice varieties we recommend in this pudding.

Short-grain white rice
Arborio rice
Sushi rice
Sticky rice

Some readers have left comments saying they had success making the recipe with these rice varieties (we've not tested them ourselves).

Medium-grain white rice
Regular plain old white rice from the grocery store
Basmati rice
Any kind of brown rice

Types of Rice

How Our Readers Make This Recipe Their Own

Vanessa: "I omitted the cinnamon and raisins and used ripe persimmon and orange blossom water. I also topped it with toasted pistachios!"
Judy B.: "Made this today and soaked raisins in dark rum, omitted the vanilla added a little cardamom."
Ange S.: "I did half milk and half coconut cream, coconut sugar and because I love chai I added some cardamon pods and star anise. It was DIVINE!"
Nicole: "Instead of raisins I added fresh blueberries. My husband says it is the best dessert I have ever made!"
Roger B.: "I used white sugar and put in a banana in place of the raisins. Makes a great banana pudding."

Comforting Pudding Recipes You'll Love

Creamy Rice Pudding

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Servings 3 to 4 servings

Longer grain rice holds its shape better than shorter grain rice, which isn’t what you want for a rice pudding. You want a starchy rice. Any rice that would work well for risotto would work well for rice pudding. For the same reason you wouldn’t normally make risotto with basmati or jasmine or brown rice, you wouldn’t normally make rice pudding with it. Calrose, a short/medium grain rice, works well with this recipe because it gets soft and sticky when cooked.

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2 1/2 cups (600ml) whole milk
1/3 cup (66g) uncooked short grain white rice (see Recipe Note)
Pinch salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup (50g) dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup (40g) raisins

Cook the rice in the milk:

In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the milk, rice, and salt to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer partially covered until the rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker
Mix the egg and sugar, temper with the hot cooked rice:

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together egg and brown sugar until well mixed. Add a half cup of the hot rice mixture to the egg mixture, a tablespoon at a time, vigorously whisking to incorporate.

Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker

Elise Bauer
Add the egg mixture back to the pan:

Add egg mixture back into the saucepan of rice and milk. Reduce the heat to low and stir until thickened, or about 160°F (71°C).

Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker

Be careful not to have the mixture come to a boil at this point or it will curdle. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, raisins, and cinnamon. The pudding will thicken as it cools; when it is warm, it will be a bit on the runny side.

Serve warm or cold.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Leave us a rating and review!

Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker

Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker

Simple Tip!

The rice pudding will thicken as it cools. When it's warm, it may seem a bit loose. Once chilled, it will be quite thick.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
214	Calories
6g	Fat
33g	Carbs
7g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories	214
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g	8%
Saturated Fat 3g	16%
Cholesterol 62mg	21%
Sodium 122mg	5%
Total Carbohydrate 33g	12%
Dietary Fiber 1g	2%
Total Sugars 26g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 0mg	1%
Calcium 200mg	15%
Iron 1mg	4%
Potassium 320mg	7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.