Easy Rice Pudding Recipe: this rich and creamy recipe is quick and easy to make with rice and raisins. Perfect served warm or cold.
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This easy rice pudding recipe makes the perfect comfort food. This rice based pudding is thick and creamy and such a great comfort food. The texture from oven baking this pudding can't be beat. This old fashioned rice pudding served with warm spices on the top is the perfect comfort food.
Everyone in my family likes rice pudding; my husband, my two sometimes fussy little girls, and me. Problem is...I didn't know how to make it. I tried to make it once for my husband years and years ago when we were first married. It was an absolute failure. The rice never fully cooked, it was crunchy rather than creamy. But it's not actually hard to make.
I decided to give it another try and it was a great success! I've made this easy recipe lots of times since and it's really, really good, and easy too. It is creamy with a custard-like texture, not too sweet, and the addition of the plump juicy raisins is so good.
The day I first tried this recipe my husband happened to be working from home, and it was ready just as my girls got home from school. We had it warm from the oven with cinnamon sprinkled on top -dessert before dinner, but don't tell anyone. 😉 Everyone absolutely loved it.
Baked Vs. Stove Top Rice Pudding
Stove top and baked rice pudding are both delicious, but they are a bit different. While both versions are usually made of the same ingredients the cooking technique changes the texture of the finished pudding. An unbaked stovetop rice pudding is looser in texture. The baked version is a little more solid, and more like a baked custard. Our old fashioned rice pudding is a baked rice pudding recipe that you're sure to love. It has a really creamy rice with a lovely creamy texture. This classic dessert is perfect served warm on a cold night, at room temperature, or cold from the fridge. It's the ultimate old fashioned comfort food.
Raisins or No Raisins?
You can make this old fashioned baked rice pudding with or without raisins depending on your own personal preference. I love adding raisins for a little bit of a different texture and the added sweetness. My little girl loves raisins, so we always include lots of raisins. You can use regular raisins or golden raisins in this recipe. If you are not a fan of raisins, feel free to leave them out altogether.
Rice
This pudding is made with a rice base. A lot of recipes call for leftover rice as the easiest way to use it up. We prefer to use uncooked rice in this recipe, and cook it on the stovetop with milk. Since regular rice is cooked with water, using a little milk to cook it in starts building that creaming base to the pudding. You can skip this step and use leftover rice if you wish too, but this step does add to the overall creaminess of the finished pudding.
What Type Of Rice Is Best For Rice Pudding?
The best types of pudding rice to use to make rice pudding are any long grain rice like jasmine rice, basmati rice or arborio rice. Medium-grain rice, short grain rice or brown rice are all not as great choices when making rice pudding from uncooked rice. These can become mushy in the rice pudding, because different kinds of rice absorb the liquids they are cooked in differently. If you are making your rice pudding from leftover already cooked rice, it's not as crucial which type of rice you use.
Cinnamon
Our ultimate comfort food rice pudding has a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Cinnamon is a classic spice to go with rice pudding, which is in itself rather plain. I am personally not a big cinnamon fan, so I only add a dash of cinnamon. If you're a cinnamon lover, add more on top of the pudding when you serve it.
If you have any leftover rice pudding you can store it in an airtight container in your refrigerator for later.
Serving Suggestions
We love the raisins in this rice pudding, and serving it with a little sprinkle of more cinnamon on top for the cinnamon lover. You can also make it with no raisins for a more plain version. Try serving it with fresh fruit or a spoonful of jam as the perfect way to add a little more flavor.
Recipe
Easy Rice Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk -divided
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp. water
- 1 ⅓ cups long grain white rice
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of cinnamon
- 3 teaspoons butter
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of milk, sugar and water to a boil. Stir in the rice and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the rice is cooked and tender, about 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325, and spray a 1 ½ quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine remaining cup of milk, eggs, raisins, vanilla and cinnamon, and stir in cooked rice. Pour into baking dish. Dot the top with butter. Bake, stirring twice, about 25 minutes.
Nutrition
This baked old fashioned rice pudding is such a comforting dessert. It's plainess is part of its charm. It's a taste of home and perfect on cold nights.
With easy and delicious rice pudding like this, life really is a party!
More Recipe Inspiration
You might also enjoy our Easy Banana Cake recipe here.
Also check out our Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake recipe here.
You might also like our Easy One Bowl Brownies recipe here.
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