Creamy vanilla custard with rice, sweet raisins and just a hint of cinnamon, Classic Rice Pudding is a traditional dessert favorite!
Classic Rice Pudding is one of those desserts that remind me of my childhood. Served warm or cold, something about the creamy texture and the burst of vanilla with the sweetness of the raisins brings back all sorts of memories and it is one of the best uses for leftover rice!
How to Make Classic Rice Pudding
If I were being honest, I would tell you that I started making rice pudding because I always make too much rice. Kind of like pasta, my gauge is almost always off and I seem to make enough for a village.
I also look at leftover take out rice and want to find something to do with it instead of throwing it away. This is by far my favorite use for leftover rice, white, brown, takeout, or even Minute Rice!
In a heavy saucepan, combine rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Stir to combine.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
After about 15-20 minutes it will become thickened and creamy.
In a small bowl or a glass measuring cup, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and egg together until well blended.
Slowly temper the egg mixture into the hot rice mixture a little bit at a time, stirring constantly.
It is really important that this process is done slowly or the egg could cook and you’ll have rice and scrambled egg instead of rice pudding! Once it has all been added, the consistency will change and the mixture will thicken almost immediately.
Remove from heat and stir in raisins until well mixed.
Immediately stir in butter, vanilla and cinnamon and stir until butter has melted and the cinnamon and vanilla are well distributed throughout the pudding. This is the final and most delicious step.
Spoon into serving dishes.
Serve immediately (warm) or refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Other Easy Dessert Recipes You May Like
Watermelon Lime Sorbet – great for poolside or anytime at all. Fresh and bright!
Poppy Seed Dressing for Fruit Salad – elevate fresh summer flavors with this simple and easy dressing.
Pizookie – soft & melty skillet cookie, well worth the wait!
Air Fryer Blueberry Muffins – decadent and delicious and so easy in the air fryer.
Fresh Strawberry Gelato – fresh, creamy, and super light. Perfect for summer!
Get the Printable Recipe Here
Did you make this Classic Rice Pudding? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Classic Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups prepared rice
- 2 cups milk divided
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt in a heavy saucepan.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes until thickened and creamy.
- In a small bowl or a glass measuring cup, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and egg together until well blended.
- Slowly temper egg mixture into the hot rice mixture a little bit at a time, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and stir in raisins until well mixed.
- Immediately stir in butter, vanilla and cinnamon and stir until butter has melted and the cinnamon and vanilla are well distributed throughout the pudding.
- Spoon into serving dishes and serve immediately (warm) or refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Erlene Johnson says
What type of rice,.?
The Bandit says
Hi Erlene – Any time of cooked rice will work. We have used long grain and medium grain white rice, leftover take out Chinese food rice, leftover brown rice and we have even used Minute Rice. We have not tried the packaged ready rice, but we have had success with everything else we have tried!
Lerrie says
Yum! I like how easy it is to make. Will sure have some rice pudding soon!
Susan Lindsley says
I have a recipe for baked rice pudding that we used to make as a child. It has a meringue on top and was so good. I think it was Betty Crocker, maybe. It came in the typical box with the recipe cards by topic. This makes me want to make some this weekend.
Clarice Shay says
Almost 50 years ago I got a “free” cookbook from Uncle Ben’s rice and it had a rice pudding recipe that used raw rice with other ingredients, placed in a baking dish set in another dish with water; the whole thing was baked at a lower-than-normal temperature for several hours. It was the easiest, creaminess rice pudding.
Unfortunately, I lost the recipe during a move and Uncle Ben’s has no record of it.
Would this be the same as your Betty Crocker recipe?
The Bandit says
This is not the same but your recipe sounds fascinating! My auntie made something like that as well. I remember that she baked it pretty much all day. This recipe calls for already cooked rice and the result is what I remember the taste and texture to be as a child. It’s a bit of a shortcut from what you describe but it’s tasty!
Beth says
Wow, I haven’t made rice pudding for such a long time. I’m going to adapt it a bit for how we eat, and try it with coconut milk, ghee and brown rice. Will let you know how it turns out!
Michele Vadnais says
Mmmmm! Love rice pudding! This one looks delicious and uncomplicated…two of my favorite things.
Christin says
I’ll have to try this one….looks delicious! Rice pudding is one of my favourites!