Pure, with cinnamon and sugar or fancy with strawberries and vanilla: rice pudding is always a good idea. In the classic recipe, rice is cooked in butter and cow's milk. But vegans don't have to do miss out on the creamy dessert – rice porridge can also be prepared with plant milk. What you should consider and which toppings are suitable. Plus a delicious recipe.
Vegan rice pudding: the basics
Which rice is best for the recipe?
Basmati, long grain or maybe brown rice? Loud and clear: no. All of these rice types are unsuitable for making rice pudding. Round-grain rice types with large and round grains are. Because of their shape, the rice grains can soak up a lot when cooked. Plus, their starch content creates a sticky, "sloppy" consistency that we are so into. There are special types of milk rice to buy in the supermarket. Tip: Do not wash rice grains before cooking, otherwise they will lose their starch. No rice pudding at hand? No problem. Risotto rice has similiar properties than rice pudding and can be used in an emergency.
Patience pays off
Wait. Stir. Wait. And don't stop stirring. Anyone who cooks rice pudding should be patient – otherwise the fun will quickly be over. Rice pudding grains need to be boiled in a saucepan with plenty of plant-based milk and then simmer for about 30 minutes. To make sure it does not burn or boil over, you need to be careful. Or rather: stir, stir and stir again – at least every few minutes. As soon as the milk has boiled off you can test whether the grains are soft.
Coconut, almond & oat: which milk is suitable for vegan rice pudding?
As the name suggests, an important component of rice pudding is the milk. Rice porridge is traditionally cooked with cow's milk. Back then you didn't hear so much about soy, coconut or rice milk. But that changed! Cow's milk can simply be exchanged for a vegan alternative. Would you like to have your vegan rice pudding with soy, coconut, almond milk, oats, rice milk or hazelnut? The answer is: It depends on your taste.
- The classic version comes with soy drink. Soy milk is available in sweetened version and with vanilla flavor. Both are suitable for the preparation of sweet rice pudding.
- Rice milk is naturally very sweet and goes well with rice pudding. You don't need too add a lot of extra sweetness.
- Coconut milk is ideal for a fresh, exotic taste.
- Oat milk and almond milk both make the rice porridge incredibly creamy and ensure a heavy consistency.
- For those who like it nutty, hazelnut, cashew or macadmia drink is perfect. This gives the rice pudding a delicious, nutty taste.
- If you like it extra creamy and a little exotic, you should rely on real coconut milk. Replace half of the specified amount of liquid with water and the other half with thick coconut milk – and your coconut rice pudding is ready.
The following applies for all the milk substitutes: If you use the unsweetened variant, you have to season and sweeten a little more during preparation, since plant-based drinks naturally taste more bitter than sweet.
Vegan rice pudding: the basic recipe – step by step
Voilà: Here's the recipe for creamy dreamy vegan rice pudding.
Ingredients for 4 servings
- 250 g rice pudding
- 1 l plant-based milk alternative, e.g. oat or almond milk. Use coconut milk for coconut rice pudding.
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch of salt
preparation
- Mix rice, plant milk, coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat.
- Reduce the heat and cook the rice over low heat for about 30 minutes until the rice is soft. Important: stir regularly, especially towards the end.
- As soon as the rice pudding is soft, turn off the stove, cover the pot with a lid and let it soak for 10 minutes. Season with other spices (see below) and sweeteners of your choice and serve with your favorite toppings.
Congee recipe may vary with spices and toppings
Spice it up: These spices make the rice pudding really delicious
Only the right spices bring life to your rice pudding. The classic option for rice pudding is cinnamon: You can't really go wrong with cinnamon in combination with sugar. The warm, spicy spice is perfect for cozy moments and goes well with fried nectarines or peaches. If you like it a little more classy, you should definitely mix vanilla into your rice porridge while cooking – it tastes particularly good in coconut rice pudding. Fresh bourbon vanilla is best for this. A pinch is enough. Ginger, cardamom, cloves or orange zest also harmonize perfectly with the natural sweetness of rice pudding. Chocolate lovers add a tablespoon of raw cocoa in the porridge. Very important: Always add a pinch of salt to the rice pudding, preferably when cooking.
Cherry on top: These toppings upgrade vegan rice pudding
Whether it's porridge, semolina or vegan rice pudding: We love toppings. Of course, our rice pudding also needs a few goodies to make us happy. Or let's better say: A lot. Our favorites:
- fresh berries such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or blackberries
- fresh fruit such as pears or plums
- Fried apples with sliced almonds (important: don't forget cinnamon!)
- hot cherries
- Plum compote
- Nut crunch made from roasted cashews, almonds and hazelnuts
- toasted coconut chips
- Date or maple syrup
Are you a minimalist? Prepare the recipe above and sprinkle some cinnamon over the porridge. Top everything with a few coconut chips – done.
Use vegan rice pudding not only as a dessert
Traditionally rice porridge is served as a sweet dish, dessert or mixed with hot cherries as a side dish to waffles. But vegan rice pudding is not only suitable as a dessert, it is also ideal as a sweet snack in between. Or: for breakfast. The best way to do this is to cook the rice porridge in the evening and store it in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning decorate it with your favorite toppings and your delicious breakfast is ready. Tip: Use whole grain rice for the recipe, as it contains more fiber, minerals and vitamins than polished rice pudding. So you can start the day full of energy.
Rice pudding for breakfast? Yes, please!
For those of you who like to have a warm breakfast but don't want to wait for hours: The Wholey Hot Breakfast Bowls with filling wholemeal rice flakes are ready in a few minutes and you only need water to make them. It gets wonderfully creamy even with water because oat milk powder is already in the porridgeRice pudding with oat milk
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