Rice Pudding Recipe

Rice pudding is one of those quietly perfect desserts that rewards patience: slow-simmered rice, a real vanilla bean, and a quick egg yolk temper turn simple pantry ingredients into something wonderfully simple.

Rice pudding is one of those recipes where patience is the entire technique. The rice cooks slowly in cream and milk until tender, and the liquid has reduced to a silky, thick, deeply vanilla pudding.

If you enjoy simple, stirred custard like this one, my butterscotch pudding,crème anglaise, and easy lemon curd follow the same patient, stovetop approach and are just as easy to prepare ahead! This would also be the perfect dessert to serve after this shrimp curry, talk about a comfort meal!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Whole Milk: I use whole milk for the added fat and flavor, but you can substitute an alternative milk of your choosing or low-fat milk. The whole milk does give this pudding an extra creamy texture.
• Uncooked Arborio Rice: The short-grain, high-starch variety that makes risotto also makes the best rice pudding, which is what I always use for rice pudding. The starch releases as it simmers, thickening the milk naturally into that creamy, cohesive texture.
• Kosher Salt
• Vanilla Bean: Split and scraped into the milk, a fresh bean delivers a depth and floral quality that extract cannot fully replicate. If you cannot find one, 1½ teaspoons of good vanilla extract is a reasonable stand-in. Save the pod and use it to add flavor to this pastry cream recipe!
• Large Egg Yolks: Whisked in at the end to enrich and slightly thicken the pudding before chilling. You can save those egg whites and use them to make this angel food cake!
• Granulated Sugar
• Pistachios and Cinnamon: Both are finishing garnishes rather than flavors cooked into the pudding. The pistachios add a little texture and color, and the cinnamon adds a faint warmth that pairs well with vanilla.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations on This Rice Pudding Recipe

• Warm or Room Temperature. You can serve the pudding warm or at room temperature, though I prefer it cold. If you serve it warm, the texture will be looser and the vanilla flavor more delicate, so adjust accordingly.
• Stir in some flavor! You can add in dark chocolate after you temper in the egg yolks like I do for this chocolate pudding recipe.. You can also add some apple pie spice or this pumpkin spice recipe for a fall treat!
• Tropical. Make the recipe with coconut milk and serve it with pineapple, bananas, and toasted pecans. Think of it as a hummingbird cake rice pudding! I would be remiss if I didn’t mention you could also stir in up to 1 ½ tablespoons of bourbon or rum!
• Add some fun toppings! Serve the rice pudding with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce, this easy strawberry jam recipe or this hot fudge sauce recipe!

Professional Tips

• Temper the egg yolks slowly. Add the hot rice mixture to the eggs in a thin, steady stream while whisking constantly. If you rush this step, the eggs will scramble, and nobody wants scrambled rice pudding.
• Keep the heat low and your attention close. Once the egg mixture is back in the saucepan, cook it over low heat until it coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. High heat will curdle it. I tried rushing this step once and had to start over, which is the kind of lesson that sticks.
• Press the parchment or plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Any exposed pudding will form a thick skin as it chills, just like with this caramel pudding, which is unpleasant to stir back in and impossible to fully eliminate. Full contact coverage from the start means a smooth, even texture all the way through.
• Do not skip the chilling time. The pudding needs time in the refrigerator to firm and for the vanilla to deepen. Serve it before it is fully cold, and it will taste mild and read as underdone, even if the technique was perfect, just like when making these no-bake lemon bars, good things need time to set in the fridge!

How to Make This Rice Pudding Recipe

Use these instructions to make this easy rice pudding recipe! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Set up your landing zone before you start this recipe! Whether that be a plastic-lined sheet tray or a bowl.

Step 1: Combine milk, rice, salt, and vanilla bean in the saucepan. Add all four to a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir to combine. If you are using vanilla extract instead of a bean, hold off on adding it until Step 3. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly to prevent the milk from scorching on the bottom before the rice has a chance to absorb any liquid. (photo 1 below)

Step 2: Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Drop the heat to low, cover the pan, and let the pudding simmer gently. You are just softening the rice here, not cooking it through completely.

Stir occasionally to keep things moving, but resist the urge to lift the lid constantly.

Step 3: Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together. While the rice simmers, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract (if using) in a medium bowl until fully combined, and the mixture is pale and slightly thick. Set aside until you need it. (Photo 2)

You don’t want to do this step too far in advance because the sugar starts to denature the egg protein and essentially scramble the eggs before you even add heat!

Step 4: Uncover and cook until the rice is tender and the pudding has thickened. Once the 15-minute covered simmer is done, remove the lid and continue cooking over low heat, stirring frequently. As the pudding thickens, switch to stirring constantly so the milk does not catch and burn on the bottom of the pan. Do not let the mixture boil at this stage. When the rice is fully tender and the pudding has a creamy, porridge-like consistency, remove the vanilla bean and scrape every last bit of the seeds directly into the pudding. (photo 3 above)

If the pudding starts to bubble aggressively, pull the pan off the heat for a moment and reduce the burner further before returning it. Boiling the rice at this stage can make the pudding gluey rather than creamy.

Step 5: Temper the egg yolks into the rice mixture. Slowly ladle the hot rice mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Add it gradually. Once you have added about half of the rice mixture, pour everything back into the saucepan and return it to low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the pudding thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. (photos 4-7)

Place a kitchen towel under the bowl of the eggs to help hold them, making the tempering process easier.

Step 6: Transfer to a dish and chill. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the pudding into a serving dish or plastic-lined sheet tray. Cut a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap to fit directly against the surface of the pudding, pressing it down so there are no air pockets. This prevents a skin from forming while it chills. Cover and refrigerate until completely cold before serving.

Step 7: Serve with pistachios and cinnamon. Scoop the chilled pudding into bowls and finish with a sprinkle of crushed pistachios and a dusting of cinnamon.

The pudding can also be served warm or at room temperature straight from the stove, though I strongly prefer it cold. Chilling overnight gives the flavors time to deepen like when making banana pudding and the texture becomes noticeably silkier than it is right off the burner.

Recipe FAQs

Before You Go

This creamy, vanilla rice pudding is the kind of recipe worth keeping in your back pocket for any night you need something simple and satisfying. If you want to keep exploring, browse my custard recipes or just head right over to this vanilla crème brûlée!