This creamy rice pudding infused with cinnamon flavour and pops of plump sultanas is just heavenly!! It’s an effortless, straightforward recipe that’s the perfect cosy dessert for cold winter nights.
Serve it plain, straight out of the pot, or take it over the top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Creamy Rice Pudding
I am pretty sure this is the ultimate emergency cosy winter dessert.
It takes all of 5 minutes to prep.
It’s completely effortless – just pour everything into a baking dish, then pop it in the oven.
It’s extremely low risk – all sorts of outcome variables are easy to rectify and adjust.
There’s no need to fuss with compotes or other toppings – it is really really good straight out of the pot as is (unlike plain rice pudding which I find desperately needs a fruit compote or something to dress it up).
And it’s terrifically economical, calling for just a handful of ingredients!
What goes in Cinnamon Rice Pudding
Here’s what you need to make this cinnamon Rice Pudding:
The best rice for rice pudding – medium grain white rice or risotto rice
The rice type is really important for the desired outcome (she says wearily, after having tried 10 or so batches using various rice types – half the Northern Beaches have received samples of various versions I’ve made over the past few weeks!)
Medium grain rice – In my view, the best rice (by a long shot) is medium grain white rice, uncooked. It makes a creamy rice pudding with rice grains that are soft but not mushy (read: baby food). The rice and creamy sauce meld together beautifully, becoming one BUT without being mush. It’s certainly the benchmark for upscale restaurants.
Risotto rice (arborio rice) is just as good – but requires more liquid and takes slightly longer to cook.
Jasmine rice & short grain rice – If you want quite soft rice (softer but not mush), then short grain white rice or jasmine rice is the go.
Long grain rice – If you want firm rice grains, then use long grain white rice. In my personal opinion, it doesn’t have as nice a mouthfeel because the rice grains don’t “meld” with the sauce – there is too great a textural contrast. The thing with long grain rice is that here is no in between – it’s either firm or if overcooked it breaks down into unpleasant mush. We want the middle ground that medium grain rice can deliver!
Brown rice really isn’t to my taste – it’s just too firm for rice pudding.
Basmati rice – I haven’t tried it with basmati rice because I don’t associate the flavour with rice pudding, but I suspect it will be like long grain.
Rice needs to be uncooked – because stirring the raw rice as it cooks loosens the starch which is what thickens the milk mixture to make the sauce creamy. And this is the reason why it is illegal to stir when cooking rice for meals – because we want fluffy rice for our stir fries, we don’t want to make the cooking water creamy!
Cooked rice won’t yield the same creamy texture and also the rice texture isn’t as nice – it’s either firm or mush, you just can’t achieve the perfect soft texture you want for rice pudding.
And a quick note on the other ingredients!
Milk – any fat % is fine. I haven’t tried with non dairy but see no reason why it wouldn’t work. Coconut milk also works great but I’d change the flavour profile (see recipe notes for adjustments);
Butter – a good smear on the baking dish for flavour and stop it catching on the sides;
Sugar – I only use 1/3 cup which isn’t a lot given it makes about 5 cups of pudding. I’d say this rice pudding borders on “just sweet enough”, definitely not too sweet;
Cream – just a bit, stirred through at the end, to add a subtle richness to the mouthfeel and also makes the sauce whiter (it comes out a bit brown from the cinnamon). Sub with butter – it has a similar effect;
Sultanas or raisins – I find 1/2 cup is enough which doesn’t sound like a lot but you will be surprised how much it swells!
How to make rice pudding – in the oven
A notorious problem with stovetop rice pudding is that it catches on the base of the pot due to the sugar. So stovetop recipes call for constant stirring, like with risottos.
Scratch that.
Just bake it. So much easier, just as creamy. Dump and bake, and stir just twice during the bake time.
What to serve with Cinnamon Rice Pudding
If it’s a plain vanilla rice pudding (and you can totally do that by leaving out the cinnamon and sultanas in this recipe) then I really feel like you need a fruit compote or similar to put on top to turn it into a dessert that I can get really excited about. (Try the Strawberry Sauce in this Cheesecake).
But with just a little bit of cinnamon and sultanas, it takes the bland into OMG this is sooooo good! territory which is where I always like my food to be. 😂
Then to take it over the top, try it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. In my simple mind, this takes it from a quick dessert for a family meal, to guest worthy. It’s that addictive combination of warm and cold that we love with all our favourite cosy desserts, like Apple Crumble, Chocolate Pudding, Butterscotch Pudding.
Effortless cosy food. It’s got my name written all over it! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Creamy Cinnamon Rice Pudding (really easy!)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter , for greasing
- 4 cups milk (full or reduced fat, Note 1)
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup medium grain white rice, uncooked – definitely the best for rice pudding (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup sultanas or raisins (Note 3)
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup cream , thickened/heavy (or bit of butter)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all types).
- Grease a 10 cup+ casserole dish with butter.
- Place milk, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar, until the surface is foamy – do not boil, it will split.
- Place rice, sultanas and cinnamon in baking dish. Pour over milk, give it a brief stir then cover with lid or foil.
- Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes to break up the rice that starts to set on the base.
- After 1 hour, remove from oven and add cream. Give it a good stir – it will look a bit watery straight out of the oven but it evaporates quickly. I like mine creamy so it oozes when you serve it.
- Serve immediately, just as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you want to take it over the top!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More Cosy Desserts
Warm, cosy desserts for cold winter nights!
Life of Dozer
Wondering if he should clean up that dollop of rice pudding on the bench… the answer is NO! His cleaning duties are restricted to floor level only. 😂
Delicious, so easy to make and perfect for teenagers with insatiable appetites. This will be a regular I’m sure! Thx Nagi 😋
So simple and delicious. The difference that last 20mins makes is amazing. Went from so wet too perfect.
Thanks
Hi Nagi,
I made this recipe yesterday and it tasted amazing, but it came out way too thick. As soon as I took it out the oven, added the cream, and stirred it the pudding became too thick and clumpy. I followed the recipe to the T and the flavor was still there, but I don’t know what I did wrong. Any suggestions for when I make it next time? Thanks!
The recipe says to thin with warm water not cream
Hi Nagi, I tried few rice pudding recipes but this is the number one. it’s really easy to make and soooo delicious. Thank you so much for the amazing recipes xxxx
Perfect comfort food! I used almond milk and it was really, really, really good. Lovely texture, absolutely delicious and so easy to make. Perfect, thanks for the recipe
Oh Nagi another amazing recipe!! I made this for dinner today and it came out caressing our taste buds.
I followed the recipe but omitted the raisins because my hubby doesn’t like it. Thank you Nagi, you never fail to deliver.
I’m so glad it was a hit Gigi, that’s great to hear!! N x
Hubby had finished the last of the milk, so all I had left was some chocolate milk. I was deperate to try this recipe, so went ahead with it. I omited the sugar and raisins, but kept the cinnamon in. It turned out fabulously!!! I never would have thought of making chocolate rice pudding in a billion years! I mean, “regular” rice pudding is just so fantastic as it is already, right? This is deffinitely a “do again” for us. And now that the groceries are once again stocked-up, I’m going to try the original version! 😀
Made this recipe over the weekend and it went down an absolute treat! This rice pudding was like a trip down memory lane since mum would cook this when we were kids. The pudding was so creamy and tasty, and not overly sweet. I omitted the sultanas as I didn’t have any and replaced the vanilla extract with a vanilla bean pod as I had some on hand.
Such an easy recipe to follow, I’ll be making this again for sure. Thanks again for yet another simple and delicious recipe Nagi xx
Nagi , your recipes are ahhhmazing and this one is no exception. My hubby loves rice pudding and is already asking me to make this again !
Finally bought medium grain rice! Made the pudding today and it is delicious! Baking it in the oven is so easy and it turned out perfect! Rice Pudding, it takes me back to my childhood!! Thank you Nagi
Thanks so much for letting me know Leslie, I love hearing this! N x
I followed this recipe word for word and it turned out as good as you said 🙂 my hubby, who isn’t (or wasn’t) a rice pudding fan, loved it. So simple but so good! Thanks Nagi x
Anyone tried this on a stovetop? Would appreciate your tips.
Hi Kian, you can although I prefer the oven as it’s an even heat and easier to control without the rice sticking or catching to the bottom of the pot. N x
It is in the oven as I type. Excited to see how it turns out!
Question for you: does it reheat well and do you have any tips for serving it later?
Hi Emily, it reheats fine – see the notes for tips here 🙂 N x
My mom says this sounds like the way her mother made rice pudding back in the 1930’s & 40’s. I made this today and it’s delicious. I didn’t have any cream and so added a couple of Tbl’s of butter to get that creaminess. Definitely a keeper.
Absolutely amazing. Followed this word for word with arborio rice and it’s bloody amazing. My partner who usually hates cinnamon really loved that it was subtle. Definitely making this one again! Thanks, Nagi!
I love hearing this Christine!! N x
Nagi, I love ALL of your recipes and they always turn out exactly like your videos… but something went wrong for me with this one. I halved the recipe, used risotto rice, added the extra water and cooked for the extra 20 mins as you suggested. By the end it had soaked up all of the liquid and the rice was very soft. It still tasted delicious (of course) but it didn’t quite have the consistency in your video. Any ideas?
Hi Naomi, it would be different to my video as I didn’t use risotto rice in my video. Risotto rice would be very soft as it’s a creamy/starchy grain not like medium grain rice. N x
Perfect!
Hi Nagi, will this work with dates instead of sultanas? It’s a grey drizzly day here so I’m thinking it’ll be perfect for dessert tonight!
Yes more definitely Kat!! N x
I made this. Simply divine! Creamy! Tasty! Amazing! Thank you Nagi, every recipe you share is just the best!
That’s so lovely to hear Anne, thanks so much! N x
Made this tonight and it was so good! Only had dried mixed fruit so used that – the occasional pop of citrus peel was delicious. Love all of your recipes – thanks Nagi.
Yum! Sounds great Judy! N x
I’m making this as I type. I only have long grain rice. Ekk. Any thoughts on how I might have to modify?
Thanks. Love your recipes!
Hi Jackie – You can use long grain, I just don’t like the mouthfeel of it as it’s not as soft as medium grain. N x