Creamy Rice Pudding Recipe: 4 Tips for Making Rice Pudding

Rice pudding is a dessert consisting of rice cooked in sweetened milk. From Mexican rice pudding to Indian kheer, there are many rice pudding variations throughout the world, seasoned with many spices and ingredients. Some recipes incorporate egg yolks for an extra rich, custardy texture.

Arroz con leche, which translates to “rice with milk,” is a popular type of rice pudding from the Spanish-speaking world, typically sweetened with condensed milk or granulated sugar. Kheer—from the Sanskrit word for “milk”—is an Indian rice pudding with aromatic flavorings like green cardamom powder, rose water, or electric red-orange saffron strands.

Common garnishes include chopped nuts—like cashews, almonds, and pistachios—and dried fruits, such as golden raisins, apricot, or pomegranate seeds.

The best rice pudding is silky and creamy, never sticky or pasty. Here’s what to know before making your next batch:

1. 1. Choosing the rice: The rice selection for this dessert is a matter of preference: Spanish recipes, for example, tend to favor short-grain rice or medium-grain white rice (like the arborio rice in risotto) for a thicker consistency. Long-grain rice, like basmati or jasmine rice, result in a looser, lighter consistency. While white rice is common, you can also use brown rice.
2. 2. Making it in a multi-cooker: If you don’t have the time to make a batch of rice pudding on the stovetop, make it in minutes with a multi-cooker that doesn’t require any stirring. Simply add all ingredients to the pot (except for any garnishes), cook them on “porridge” mode for twenty minutes, then let the pressure release naturally.
3. 3. Make it vegan: To make a dairy-free variation, use coconut milk instead of whole milk, which will thicken better than a plant-based alternative like almond milk. South Indian-style kheer, or payasam, often features coconut milk instead of dairy, resulting in an aromatic, lightly sweet pudding.
4. 4. Using whole spices and extracts: Add whole cinnamon sticks or crushed cardamom pods to the pudding at the beginning of the cooking process for best results. Wait until the end of the cooking time to add more delicate powdered spices and vanilla extract.