Basic recipe for rice pudding: the quickest and easiest way to perfect rice porridge

Warm, sweet and incredibly creamy: rice pudding is the childhood classic and still puts a big grin on our faces today – whether with cinnamon and sugar, hot cherries or applesauce. It doesn't really take much for the creamy dessert: rice, milk, sugar and lots of looove.

Okay, we admit: you also have to be patient so that nothing burns or goes wrong. Plus: the timing has to be right. We have put together an easy basic recipe plus tips and tricks for you.

 

Rice pudding: interesting facts, nutritional values and calories

For rice pudding, rice is gently cooked in milk. It doesn't sound that exciting at first, but it's a very special type of rice: short grain rice. And this is what makes the rice pudding so special in the end. Its starch "gums up" the rice during cooking.

Although the individual grains remain in the porridge, however, this provides the soft creamy consistency that we all love. That's why rice pudding is sometimes called rice porridge or thick rice. 

Rice is naturally low in fat, rich in B vitamins and minerals, and is high in carbohydrates that serve as a quick source of energy. Milk also provides protein, vitamin D and calcium.

For vegan rice pudding you can easily use any other plant-based milk. Soy drink is rich in protein and also scores with filling fiber. Rice pudding with oat milk is particularly rich in fiber and creamy and with coconut milk the rice gets an exotic touch. Rice milk makes the rice pudding naturally sweet.

That's how many calories rice pudding has

Speaking of fat: how healthy is rice pudding? Well, it all depends on how you cook it. And how well you can hold back with toppings. Or not.

Regardless of whether it is cow's milk or a plant-based milk: Milk and rice both are not fattening foods. Cooked rice pudding does not have many Calories – on average about 200 kcal per serving. However the calorie account fills up if the rice is sweated in butter before cooking and then sweetened with sugar.

 Whole milk provides a wonderful creaminess, but also makes the porridge very heavy. Plant-based drinks are often lighter and have a delicate consistency.

Alternative sweeteners to sugar and vanilla sugar are coconut sugar, date syrup or maple syrup. You don't save any calories compared to sugar, but you score with more naturalness and more nutrients. Fresh fruits and fruit pulp naturally sweeten the porridge. 

Caution: Ready-to-use milk pudding from the store is packed with industrial sugar, which quickly turns rice pudding into a calorie bomb. 

Step by step preparation and rice pudding recipe: How do you make rice porridge?

Our rice pudding mantra is: Wield the cooking spoon yourself.

Just boil the milk and rice and you're done? That would be nice. Cooking rice pudding is not that easy. With this basic recipe, you are guaranteed to make the perfect rice pudding – without burning, without frustration and without overcooking.

Rice pudding recipe: easy and sure to succeed

Ingredients for two servings

• 1 vanilla pod
• 1/2 liter of milk or plant-based milk
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
• 1 pinch of salt 
• 125 g uncooked rice pudding

For the topping

• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions: This is how the rice pudding is guaranteed to succeed

1. Cut the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the pulp.
2. Bring milk, sugar, vanilla and salt to boil in a saucepan.
3. Stir in the rice pudding and bring to the boil again briefly.
4. Simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes until the rice is soft. Stir regularly so that nothing burns.
5. Turn off the stove and remove the pot from the warm stove. Add another shot of milk, close the lid and let the rice pudding swell for 5 minutes.
6. Serve with coconut blossom sugar and cinnamon. The recipe is enough for two servings.

Tips to make sure nothing goes wrong with the rice pudding recipe

1. Not paying attention for once and damn, the rice pudding already burnt? That happens to the best. Especially at the end of the cooking time you need to stir, stir and stir again.
2. Your rice pudding is burnt? Don't panic and keep calm. As soon as you try to scrape the burnt rice off the ground, the whole rice gets a fiery toasted taste. Instead, transfer the rice pudding to another saucepan and cook until soft to the desired consistency.
3. If the congee becomes very dry and firm by the end of the cooking time, add a dash of milk.
4. No vanilla pod at hand? Simply replace the vanilla pod with half a teaspoon of ground vanilla.

What goes well with rice pudding?

It depends entirely on your taste! Something fruity always goes well with the basic recipe: red fruit jelly goes just as well as cherries or applesauce or berry compote. Fresh fruits such as berries, apples, pears, plums or mango are also good.

No one is likely to fight a blob of nut butter or chocolate spread on the porridge either.

The velvety-soft taste of real vanilla goes well with rice pudding. It is best to use a vanilla pod and scrape out the pulp and add it to the milk when cooking.

Sugar definitely provides the right sweetness. Instead of white sugar, you can also ideally rely on alternatives such as date syrup.

With cinnamon sugar you are always on the safe side. Why not getting a bit creative and try other creations: How do cardamom, dates and pistachio sound? Or cocoa, maple syrup and coconut chips?

Rice pudding: The sweet basic recipe is not just a dessert

Rice pudding with cinnamon and sugar is traditionally served as a sweet dessert we all know from our childhood. But the short grain rice is not only perfect as a sweet dessert. Even at lunchtime in summer, rice porridge is a refreshing change – best served cold and with fresh strawberries. Rice pudding is also ideal for pie fillings or casseroles. 

Ever thought of having rice pudding for breakfast? With the right toppings, you can make a filling breakfast in no time at all. Whole grain rice contains more fiber than polished rice pudding and is therefore more satisfying and more sustainable. Combined with date sweetness, fresh fruits, nut butter and delicious spices, rice pudding is similiar to breakfast porridge!

Tip: Prepare rice pudding the evening and briefly bring to boil the next morning with a dash of vegetable milk for a quick breakfast. Rice pudding also tastes great cold. 

Hot Breakfast Bowl with rice flakes for breakfast

If you have no time in the morning: Making Rice pudding with rice flakes is many times faster than making rice pudding – and it tastes just as good. For our Hot Breakfast Bowls we use organic whole-grain milk rice flakes, which are full of filling fiber.  

Oat milk powder is already in the mix, so all you need to prepare the porridge is water and a few minutes of time – and your vegan rice pudding breakfast is ready.