Rice Pudding on the hob or stove top is super easy and lovely and creamy. Enjoy it hot or cold, as a snack or as a warm pudding on cold days. A homemade rice pudding is also very cheap when compared to ready made shop varieties. It also means less packaging. And if you need another reason, it contains a lot less sugar. I often make up a batch of this as it keeps well in the fridge for 4 - 5 days.
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The basic recipe for stove top rice pudding is straightforward. All you need is pudding rice, milk, and a little butter and sugar. After that, you can add lots of different toppings or flavours, or just enjoy it plain.
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Recipe Tips and Variations
The best rice to use is called Pudding Rice. It's a short grain rice. In supermarkets, you'll probably find it near the tinned or canned rice pudding rather than the rice section. If you can't get hold of pudding rice, you can use arborio rice or calrose rice. These are also short grain and will give your pudding that nice creamy texture.
It's quite simple to make a vegan or dairy free rice pudding. Leave out the butter and replace the milk with almond or soya milk. For a sweeter version, you can replace half the milk quantity with coconut milk.
You can freeze rice pudding for up to 3 months. Storing it in individual portions in jam jars is useful as it's then ready and you can re-heat it in the microwave or enjoy cold and pop it in a packed lunch. If you've made your rice pudding with almond milk, you can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
How to make it
Gather your ingredients (see recipe card below). This is a useful recipe for making a batch, just double or triple the quantities in the recipe card. Remember, it will store well in the fridge for 4 - 5 days.
- Stir the rice, butter and milk together in a non-stick pan over a medium heat & bring to a boil. It's important to add the ingredients to a cold pan or the milk will burn on the bottom. You also risk curdling it, especially if you're using almond milk. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon whilst it slowly comes to a boil. It might seem like a lot of liquid to begin with, but the rice will absorb it.
- Once it has reached a boil, turn the heat down low and simmer for 30 minutes. You should give it a stir roughly every 5 minutes to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Once the rice has thickened, stir in the sugar. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for at least 5 minutes. The rice will continue to absord the liquid and will thicken up.
Topping & Flavour Ideas
Rice pudding is delicious on its own, but there are many different flavours you can add
- A dash of nutmeg or cinnamon is simple but adds lovely flavour.
- Adding a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the milk when cooking your rice will give it an added sweetness.
- Stewed apple on top of rice pudding is tangy and delicious
- You can also top with diced fruit. Anything soft such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, banana, cooked rhubarb.
- A spoonful of jam is a classic or try honey or maple syrup. If you know you're adding honey or maple syrup, you could leave out the sugar in the recipe as you're sweetening it anyway.
- If you're making the rice pudding with coconut milk, you might like to add chopped mango or pineapple. Coconut milk will also make it taste sweeter so taste first before stirring in any additional sugar.
- Other tasty topping ideas include sultanas, raisins, nuts, seeds or granola.
- Jamie Oliver suggests adding 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the ingredients to make a chocolate version!
Cooking Rice Pudding in the Oven
Making Rice Pudding on the hob is much quicker than in the oven and uses less energy, but for a hands off approach, you can also make it in the oven. Heat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2. Grease an ovenproof dish and stir in all the ingredients. Sprinkle nutmeg over the top and place on the middle shelf for 2 hours. After 45 minutes, stir everything to prevent it sticking.
Sustainability
Making your own Rice Pudding saves lots of money but also lots of packaging. A 500g bag of pudding rice will make around 30 x 125g portions. Many of the ingredients can also be bought Fairtrade such as pudding rice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut milk as well as bananas, pineapples and mango.
📖 Recipe
Easy Rice Pudding on the Hob
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Ingredients
- 100 g pudding rice Fairtrade, organic
- 10 g salted butter leave out for Vegan
- 25 g Caster sugar Fairtrade, organic
- 750 ml semi-skimmed milk organic. Substitute almond milk for Vegan
Instructions
- Stir the rice, butter and milk together in a non-stick pan over a medium heat & bring to a boil. You can add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the milk if you like to give your rice pudding a sweeter flavour.100 g pudding rice, 10 g salted butter, 750 ml semi-skimmed milk
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 30 minutes until it thickens, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick.
- Stir in the sugar. Leave it to rest for at least 5 minutes. The rice will continue to absorb the liquid. Add your toppings and enjoy.25 g Caster sugar
Notes
Tips
Use a pudding rice or a short grain rice such as arborio or calrose. Add the ingredients to a cold pan and bring to a boil. Don't let the milk boil over. To make a Vegan or Dairy Free rice pudding, leave out the butter and replace the milk with almond milk or coconut milk or half and half. Coconut milk with make it much sweeter so you might not need to add the sugar.Topping Ideas
The following toppings work well with rice pudding :- Cinnamon, nutmeg, stewed apple, soft fruits such as blueberries, bananas, strawberries, cooked rhubarb, mango, pineapple. Also, jam, honey, granola, or nuts.Storage
Store in the fridge for 4 - 5 days. It will freeze for up to 3 months.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
Naiomi
To make it vegan I used a can of coconut milk and made up the volume with oat milk. Much richer than almond milk if that’s your thing!
REALMEALDEAL
Thanks Naiomi for the tip. That's so helpful.
Barry Mackie
Great and easy recipe and ideal for people who are living on a budget.
Claire
When do you add the vanilla and how much?
REALMEALDEAL
Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the milk when cooking your rice to give it an added sweetness.