This is the creamiest Easy Old Fashioned Rice Pudding you will ever have. The rich vanilla flavored pudding base is infused with a hint of cozy cinnamon combined with the soft rice in every bite, it is seriously irresistible. Everyone I have ever made this homemade rice pudding with minute rice for, even rice pudding haters, instantly changed their minds after tasting this recipe!
Scroll down to the comment section to see all of the rave reviews. It truly warms my heart that you guys love this easy rice pudding recipe just as much as we do!
One reader MJ Says, "I've been using your recipe for a few years now & it is hands down the best rice pudding ever. I always double the recipe because a single batch is never enough & we love the cinnamon so I just dump it in. Thanks for sharing this fab recipe".
While developing this rice pudding recipe, I used egg yolks instead of whole eggs because my favorite chocolate pudding recipe calls for all yolks. It's amazingly creamy and rich and I was trying to replicate that texture to make this rice pudding as creamy as possible. Egg yolks also create an incredible amount of richness. This rice pudding recipe is just the right balance of creamy and rich without being too much.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Creamy: The texture is unbelievably creamy, smooth and rich. The perfect pudding texture.
- Packed with flavor: This homemade pudding is so delightfully flavorful, I can guarantee you won't stop at just one bite. GUARANTEE IT!
- Extremely easy: Such an easy and simple recipe to make. The only hard part is waiting for it to thicken up while simmering!
Ingredients
- Uncooked MINUTE white rice is used in this recipe.
Substitutions & Variations
- Add raisins during the last 10 minutes of cook time.
- Boozy: Soak raisins in liquor such as rum for a few hours or until plump. Add to pudding to make rum raisin rice pudding.
- Almond milk: Make almond milk rice pudding by swapping out the regular milk and half and half for almond milk.
How to make rice pudding with instant rice
- Boil rice, water (amount of water goes according to directions on box), granulated sugar and salt until tender.
- Pour in half and half + ½ cup milk and simmer on low for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes until thick and creamy. It may look like it's too much milk and it will never thicken, just be patient and trust the process. Once thickened, whisk in brown sugar.
- In a small bowl add egg yolks. Spoon 3 spoonfuls of the warm pudding mixture in with the yolks and immediately whisk rapidly to temper and prevent scrambling.
- Egg tempering troubleshooting: If you notice the eggs scrambled a bit, just push the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and strain out the egg pieces. I know, this sounds gross but it works.
- Once yolk mixture is warm, whisk into pudding mixture and stir in remaining half cup of milk. Cook for 3-5 minutes more until thickened up again. Once thickened, remove from heat and add in butter, vanilla and cinnamon.
- Pudding can be served warm or cold. Store in airtight container for 3-4 days.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, while rice pudding can be served at room temperature, please refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @sprinkle_some_sugar on Instagram!
📋 Recipe
Easy Old Fashioned Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- ¾ cup uncooked white MINUTE rice
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup milk
- 4 tbs granulated sugar
- 1 tbs light brown sugar packed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tbs unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Boil rice, water (amount of water goes according to directions on box), granulated sugar and salt in a medium saucepan until completely done and tender.
- Pour in half and half + ½ cup milk and simmer on low for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes until thick and creamy. It may look like it's too much milk and it will never thicken, just be patient and trust the process. Once thickened, whisk in brown sugar.
- In a small bowl add egg yolks. Spoon 3 spoonfuls of the warm pudding mixture in with the yolks and immediately whisk rapidly to temper and prevent scrambling.
- Egg tempering troubleshooting: If you notice the eggs scrambled a bit, just push the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and strain out the egg pieces. I know, this sounds gross but it works.
- Once yolk mixture is warm, whisk into pudding mixture and stir in remaining half cup of milk. Cook for 3-5 minutes more until thickened up again. Once thickened, remove from heat and add in butter, vanilla and cinnamon.
- Rice pudding can be served warm or cold.
Notes
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Mary says
I just made this with regular long grain white rice. It turned out great. But I cooked the rice first, 2 cups water to 3/4 cup rice, nothing else. When the rice was mostly soft I rinsed it at least twice in water to get all the starches out. Then I began your recipe. And love the texture and flavors just the way they are.
Heather Greene says
mmmm... not sure you need or want to rinse the rice starches out of this dish, pretty sure the fine rice starch helps create the silky texture.
Misty says
Hi, I used unsweetened almond milk for the milk.... It added an amazing flavor! Try it.
I also sprinkled some honey toasted pecans and (cooked) dried cherries in. It was so good.
Now my house smells like baked cookies! 🙂
Jen says
Ithis was my first time making rice pudding. It came out pretty thick which is fine with me. Tastes great. I was confused at first as i used regular rice so was nt sure while i was boiling it to cover ornot. I just didnt cover it but i didnhave to add water sometimes to prevent the rice from sticking to the pan to much. And after everything was done i made about a pints worth and everyone liked it.
TERRY VANDERAA says
Just made this and it was delicious. Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out flawless! Husband approved!
Elizabeth Kaptain says
I was looking at the recipe but didn't see the serving size. How much does this make?
Heather Greene says
Enough to share one small tbs portion after you've binged on the rest 😉
4-6 servings
Gina says
Can you use heavy cream instead of half and half
Jessica says
You can try using half heavy cream and half milk. Using only heavy cream would be way too thick in my opinion.
Heather Greene says
Heavy cream alone would be too rich and you'd also risk the dish breaking (where the fats separate and leave a greasy layer). The non-cream part of milk is also necessary to develop the flavor here.
Kiva says
I made this rice pudding and it was /is the creamiest and most delicious I have ever had. I added a cinnamon stick when cooking the rice to infuse more cinnamon flavor (tip I learned years ago), and it was sooo good! Thanks for sharing this recipe. It's a keeper for sure!! Will be making for years to come!!
Tim says
How many servings does it make?
Lisa says
Thinking about using pumpkin spice creamer instead of half half. Think its a good idea?
Jessica says
Sounds delicious!
Heather Greene says
Well, if pumpkin spice salmon can be a popular trend then pumpkin spice in a very neutral dish such as rice pudding should pose no problem at all.
Madison says
Do I have to put in eggs or not?
Jessica says
Yes, they are needed in this recipe to produce the custard.