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Home » Pudding & Custard » Creamy Rice Pudding

Creamy Rice Pudding

Published: Feb 9, 2021 · Modified: Feb 9, 2021 by Allison · 29 Comments

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This creamy Rice Pudding is flavored with cinnamon and vanilla and made on the stovetop. A classic recipe with a few twists!

Rice pudding topped with cinnamon in a white bowl.Say hello to winter comfort food: the creamiest, most delicious Rice Pudding! If you’re looking to live your best life you’re going to make and eat this as soon as possible. Even people who *think* they don’t like rice pudding, love this recipe!

This recipe was heavily adapted from my grandma’s rice pudding recipe. I made a couple of small tweaks to make it extra creamy. This recipe is incredibly easy, made in one pot, and it can be adapted to suit your tastes.

Rice pudding in a white bowl topped with ice cream and cinnamon.

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • Ease: Everything simmers on the stovetop, and aside from stirring it’s mostly hands-off time.
  • One-pot: No need to dirty a bunch of dishes; this rice pudding comes together in one pot.
  • Basic ingredients: Milk, rice, sugar, butter, and flavorings. 
  • Texture: Super creamy with just a hint of chewiness from the rice.
  • Flavor: This rice pudding is flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. You can also add raisins or another dried fruit.
  • Versatility: This rice pudding can be served warm or chilled. It can be served as-is or topped with ice cream, fruit compote, or whipped cream. 

 

Recipe tips

Use white rice: Long grain or short grain uncooked white rice is best for this recipe.

Simmer, don’t boil: A simmer is cooking below the boiling point. There should be gentle bubbling in the pot, and your heat should be somewhere between low and medium. 

Stir frequently: Be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan when you stir so that the rice doesn’t stick.

Adjust consistency as desired: If you want your rice pudding on the thinner side you can thin it out with some extra milk or cream. If you like it thick you can allow it to cool and it will thicken quite a bit.

Rice pudding in a white bowl topped with cherries.

Toppings for rice pudding

You can absolutely serve this rice pudding on its own, but here are some topping ideas if you want to take it up a notch:

Cinnamon: Use a fine mesh sieve to dust the top with ground cinnamon.

Vanilla ice cream: This is my favorite way to enjoy rice pudding. I serve it warm and top it with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. The combination of cold ice cream and warm pudding, plus the extra richness of vanilla ice cream takes this over the top. 

Whipped cream: Homemade whipped cream or store bought whipped cream both go great on this rice pudding. 

Fruit: Add fresh fruit, dried fruit, or fruit compote to the topping. Try my Blueberry Sauce or Roasted Strawberries. For the cherry topping you see pictured above: thaw frozen cherries and combine with cherry jam. 

Related recipes

Homemade Vanilla Pudding
Chocolate Pudding Cake
Banana Pudding
Homemade Chocolate Pudding
Chocolate Mousse

Rice pudding in a white bowl topped with ice cream and cinnamon.

Creamy Rice Pudding

This creamy Rice Pudding is flavored with cinnamon and vanilla and made on the stovetop. A classic recipe with a few twists!
4.7 from 10 votes
Print Pin
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 (or 4 large servings)
Calories: 218kcal
Author: Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

  • 3½ cups milk, plus more, if needed
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup uncooked white rice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup raisins, optional
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan, combine milk, butter, sugar, rice, salt, and cinnamon.
  • Bring to a simmer and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, for 30-40 minutes, until rice is tender. Be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan when you stir it. If the mixture appears to dry out during cook time you can add a few splashes of milk.
    During the last few minutes of cook time, add the vanilla, raisins, and heavy cream and simmer for a couple more minutes. Serve warm or chill. The rice pudding will thicken up after chilling; you can stir in a splash of milk to thin it out again.

Nutrition

Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 294mg | Potassium: 127mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 227IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 191mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

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Comments

  1. Katie

    February 09, 2021 at 11:11 am

    5 stars
    Looks oh so yummy!! My family would go crazy for this.

    Reply
  2. Ashley

    February 09, 2021 at 11:11 am

    5 stars
    My daughter requested rice pudding so I tried this recipe. So easy and we loved it!

    Reply
  3. Kathy

    August 08, 2021 at 1:48 pm

    Delicious and SOOOO easy! I had it for breakfast!

    Reply
    • Allison

      August 10, 2021 at 9:37 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  4. Dawn Wilkens

    August 17, 2021 at 8:35 am

    You never said to ADD Rice at the beginning step.

    Reply
    • Allison

      August 17, 2021 at 9:12 am

      It’s in step one.

      Reply
  5. Deb

    September 06, 2021 at 8:07 pm

    5 stars
    Sounds really close to my grandma’s recipe—she taught me how, but I don’t measure anything. She always said, “If you cook it to fast you’ll end up with slop”.
    I use warm milk while I add to the rice and we serve it with brown sugar and cinnamon. Thanks for the recipe!!

    Reply
    • Allison

      September 08, 2021 at 11:24 am

      You’re welcome, Deb. I hope it brought back some happy memories. Enjoy!

      Reply
  6. Barbara A LeonezMade

    October 19, 2021 at 6:47 pm

    5 stars
    Made this tonight and was delicious. Gone in a minute. It is a keeper
    Easy to make

    Reply
    • Allison

      October 22, 2021 at 10:25 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

      Reply
  7. LORNA VANDZURA

    December 05, 2021 at 9:51 am

    Do you think you could use 1/2 and 1/2 instead of heavy cream? Thanks! Recipe looks good and easy!

    Reply
    • Allison

      December 08, 2021 at 9:06 am

      Sure! Enjoy!

      Reply
  8. Kristen

    December 23, 2021 at 4:09 pm

    3 stars
    Tasted great, never thickened though, rice soup. I’ve been cooking for over 40 yrs, so I’m a bit flummoxed.

    Reply
  9. Rachel

    January 10, 2022 at 4:03 pm

    Do you rinse the rice before cooking it?

    Reply
    • Allison

      January 11, 2022 at 9:04 am

      For this recipe I do not rinse it. Enjoy!

      Reply
  10. June

    January 12, 2022 at 11:04 am

    4 stars
    Tasted wonderful but I could not get it to thicken up. I followed instructions exactly .

    Reply
    • Allison

      January 19, 2022 at 12:05 pm

      Hhhhmmm. You used uncooked rice, right? Did you rinse it? It’s best not to rinse the rice for this recipe because the starch is what helps it thicken.

      Reply
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aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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