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Creamy, sweet and so, so easy to make. This Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding recipe is classic and comforting. Made in one pot with just a few ingredients like rice, milk, sugar and vanilla…cooked until thick, then served warm or chilled.
This Rice Pudding recipe will be a go-to dessert for years to come.
A family heirloom, this Old Fashioned Rice Pudding recipe is what I remember grandfather’s version to be like. Nobody really knows the exact measurements of everything he used so I had to guesstimate a bit. All I know is he was adamant about using Carolina rice…which I’m not sure if it’s medium grain, long grain rice, or arborio rice, so some testing had to be done since I couldn’t find “Carolina” rice.
I settled on medium grain rice because it held together well and didn’t get too mushy when cooked for a long time. The arborio remained a bit to al dente for my liking so we’ll keep that for risotto. Whatever rice you decide to use, you will still end up with the best rice pudding recipe ever.
Pantry Ingredients and Substitutions
- Rice – We use a medium grain white rice, although, you can also use a short grain rice or long grain rice. Long grain rice will hold together more for added texture, whereas, short grain gives a more smooth, creamy consistency. The recipe hasn’t been tested with brown rice.
- Milk – Whole milk adds richness and a much creamier pudding is achieved with the added fat content. You can substitute with low-fat milk for a lighter version but it may not be as creamy.
- Vanilla – A whole vanilla bean is used for pure, natural flavor but pure vanilla extract works well as a substitute. Even better, if you have vanilla bean paste on hand that works just as well as a real vanilla bean.
- Sugar– Rice pudding is sweetened with granulated white sugar. For a richer flavor, you can substitute half the white sugar with light brown sugar.
- Butter – Don’t skip the butter, salted butter adds creaminess and contrast. You can use unsalted butter but check for seasoning at the end and add a pinch of kosher salt, if necessary.
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
How To Make Rice Pudding
This creamy rice pudding recipe is easy to make and doesn’t take much time at all. Some readers have mentioned stirring an egg yolk into it at the end but we don’t do that here. I don’t like the egg flavor because it makes it taste more like a custard than a pudding.
- Make the milk mixture. Add the milk, salt, vanilla bean and sugar to a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Start cooking. Bring the milk mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the rice. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Simmer. Cook until the rice is tender and the pudding has reduced.
- Remove the vanilla bean from the cooked rice and scrape out the seeds.
- Flavor the pudding. Stir in the butter, vanilla bean seeds or extract at the end of cooking.
- Chill it out. Transfer to a bowl and cover the rice mixture with plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour or overnight.
- Enjoy. Serve warm or chilled.
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This is the Cadillac of vanilla and is a pantry investment but the flavor is other level amazing. It’s a great substitute for vanilla beans and extract.
What is Rice Pudding?
Rice Pudding is a dish that’s made by cooking rice with milk and can be made sweet or savory. For a dessert style rice pudding, the mixture is commonly cooked with a sweetener like sugar or honey.
Golden Raisins and cinnamon is added to a lot of rice pudding recipes but this easy recipe is made with a hint of vanilla. We do sprinkle a little cinnamon on top from time to time but it’s not cooked into the dish as many other recipes do.
Tips for Perfect Rice Pudding
Be sure to cook the pudding long enough…undercooking the pudding will cause it to be soupy…still tasty but not thick like pudding. A good way to check if it’s cooked long enough is to run your finger along the back of your spoon to see if you can draw a line that doesn’t seep back together….if the line remains, you have pudding!
If you have a bit of sticker shock with vanilla beans (we use these), you can certainly use vanilla extract. But I love the look of the flecks throughout the pudding and the flavor can’t be beat. Another alternative would be Vanilla Bean Paste, which I LOVE.
How to Store Leftovers
You can store your leftover rice pudding in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
You can freeze rice pudding but the texture may chance slightly upon thawing. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight for best results.
How To Serve Rice Pudding
We like to serve our classic rice pudding recipe with a little freshly grated cinnamon stick and a dollop of this homemade whipped cream that takes about 2 minutes to make.
You can also sprinkle a bit of ground cinnamon on top with a dusting wand, drizzle with chocolate sauce or stir in some cinnamon sugar.
Easy Rice Pudding Recipe
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
- 1 wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 8 cups whole milk
- 1 cup raw medium-grain white rice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 vanilla bean, split, or 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, add the milk, rice, salt, vanilla bean (if using, extract…don’t add it yet.) and sugar over medium heat.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Uncover and continue to simmer until the rice is tender and the pudding has reduced to about 3 1/2 cups. Continue to stir constantly to prevent scorching.
- Fish out the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the butter, vanilla bean seeds or vanilla extract.
- Transfer the pudding to a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
- Chill for 1 hour or overnight.
- Serve warm or chilled.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We love to serve rice pudding soon after cooking but it’s equally tasty served cold. It’s an extremely versatile snack or dessert.
To spice up your rice pudding, you can add a tablespoon of cocoa powder for a chocolate rice pudding.
Swap out the milk for coconut milk to make a luscious, vegan coconut rice pudding.
A sprinkle of cardamom gives it a warmly spiced exotic flavor.
Stir in raisins for a classic twist on traditional rice pudding.
You can use leftover rice to make rice pudding. It will take much less time to cook the rice than using uncooked rice but add just half the amount of milk and stir, adding 1/4 cup of milk at at time until the desired consistency is achieved.
More Easy Pudding Recipes
- Homemade Vanilla Pudding
- Homemade Chocolate Pudding
- The Very Best Butterscotch Pudding
- Mango Sticky Rice
- The Best Banana PuddingChocolate Chia Pudding
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This comment is about having to join “Grow Account in order to print your recipes” Why would anyone want to join, all this does is give you more advertisements to contend with. I will not add to more advertisements, ever. Find a new way .
Hi Joan, you don’t get more advertisements at all. This is just verifying you’re an actual person and BONUS, you can save all the recipes based on your email address in the “Grow Account.” I promise you, I do not add more ads….I wish I could give you an ad free site but groceries and running the website are expensive so let’s allow the advertisers to take over those expenses so you can still access free recipes.
Hello, thank you for this recipe. I’m going to try it!
Just one note in the “how to make rice pudding” section if the blog above, (not the actual recipe directions) I believe there is a typo – as steps 1 and 3 both tell you to add the rice. I believe step 3 “stir in the rice” is an error?
Thank you, Dan! I’ll check it out.
Can you make this with lactose free milk?
It hasn’t been tested with lactose free milk so I can’t guarantee the results.
I loooove your recipes so good and super easy . The very best is because we can have a GREAT meal and not need a basket of ingredients thank you so much
You’re welcome, Mary! Thank you for your comment!
Thank you for the recipe. I tried it tonight. However, I only cut it to half because I wanted to try it and I didn’t have enough milk for 8 cups. I did use all milk and it worked perfectly. However, the feedback I got was that it could have been a little sweeter. Some next time I will double the sugar.
Hi Don! Thank you for your comment. Yes, it is a less sweet pudding for some but it’s how we’ve been making it for decades. I hope you love it as much as we do!
This can’t be right. You reduced 8 cups of milk down to 3.5 cups in 20 minutes???
It’s not reduced, the rice soaks up the milk. And yes, about 20-30 minutes once the milk is hot. If you’ve ever cooked rice, you know that water soaks into the rice and makes it soft.
Simple and delightful.
Thank you so much!
I am genuinely grateful for this recipe! Experiencing dental pain and this recipe saved me money and tasted alot better than store bought. Keep doing what you love, you are appreciated!
Thank you so much, Savannah! I hope you are on the mend soon!
The best!! I didn’t cook it down enough, therefore it never solidified. BUT, I put it back in the pot the next morning, cooked it down, threw it in the fridge and it worked out!! This is delicious and I’ll never buy premade again!
I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you for your comment!
Just made this. Super Yum!! I did substitute almond milk for whole milk and used Jasmine rice. I also used Mexican vanilla extract which just brought it up a notch for our family and now I’m told I can never buy it again that I always have to make it. Lol. Thanks for recipe!
Love the substitutions! It sounds even better than the original!!