Food

Rice Pudding

Rich, creamy Rice Pudding is delicious warm or cold, and lightly spiced with just a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s the coziest, most comforting dessert of all! We love it with plump golden raisins!

It’s so easy to make homemade rice pudding and it’s a great way of using up leftover rice! If you love pudding-type desserts, be sure not to miss our Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding, Coconut Bread Pudding, and Pistachio Pudding Salad!

An image of bowls of creamy rice pudding with raisins.

Rice Pudding

This old-fashioned dessert is a classic that is the ultimate in creamy comfort in a bowl. Serve it warm and it’s perfect for cold winter nights. Or chill it in the fridge for a wonderful warm weather treat!

Cooked medium-grain rice is simmered with milk and sugar, then egg yolks are tempered with some of the hot liquid and added back in to thicken things up and make things extra creamy and rich.

I like to add just a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg to flavor the rice pudding, but I’m not heavy-handed with the spices since it could easily overpower the classic flavors of this dessert. More cinnamon and nutmeg can be sprinkled over the top of each serving as a garnish, if desired.

You can leave the raisins out, if you’re not into them. But there is something wonderful about the bursts of sweet plump golden raisins in the creamy rice pudding that I love, despite not being a huge raisin fan otherwise.

An image of a spoonful of homemade cinnamon rice pudding.

Can you use leftover rice to make rice pudding?

Yes! Definitely go ahead and use leftover rice when making rice pudding! It’s a great way to avoid food waste and use up leftovers in a new and different way. Medium-grain rice makes for the creamiest, best rice pudding, in our experience, but you could make rice pudding with long-grain rice or even brown rice, if you wanted to.

An image of a bowl of homemade rice pudding.

How to Make Rice Pudding

  1. Cook the rice. If you don’t have leftover rice to use, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan, then stir in 3/4 cup medium grain rice, cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer. After 20 minutes, the rice should have absorbed the water and be tender.
  2. Heat the milk and sugar. In a medium saucepan, combine the cooked rice with 1 1/2 cups of the milk and the sugar. Cook and stir for 15 minutes over medium heat until the mixture starts to thicken.
  3. Temper the egg. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and the egg in a separate bowl. To avoid scrambling the egg, gradually add 1 cup of the hot rice and milk mixture to the whisked egg and milk, whisking to combine.
  4. Cook until thickened. Stir the tempered egg into the saucepan along with the raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook another 2 minutes until thick and creamy, then remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.
  5. Serve. The rice pudding can be served warm or at room temperature. Or chill completely in the fridge and serve it cold. When serving this cold, we like to stir in 1 cup of sweetened whipped cream to make it extra light and creamy.

A collage of images showing how to make rice pudding.

How long is rice pudding good for?

You can keep leftover in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just let it cool completely at room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Does rice pudding freeze well?

Yes, you can freeze rice pudding, but honestly it’s best when it’s freshly made. The rice pudding will tend to separate a bit and not be as creamy after it thaws. If you like eating it cold, I recommend adding a little sweetened whipped cream to improve the texture a bit if you decide to freeze leftover rice pudding. Or you can reheat the thawed rice pudding on the stove a bit and stir to help it come back together.

Looking for more creamy desserts? Try these!

An image of a large bowl of rice pudding sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Rice Pudding

Rich, creamy Rice Pudding is delicious warm or cold, and lightly spiced with just a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s the coziest, most comforting dessert of all! We love it with plump golden raisins!

  • 1 1/2 cups cooked medium grain rice
  • 2 cups whole milk, divided
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 2/3 cup golden raisins
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup sweetened whipped cream (optional)

  1. Combine the cooked rice with 1 1/2 cups of the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir for about 15 minutes, until the mixture starts to thicken slightly and become creamy.

  2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with the remaining milk. Gradually whisk 1 cup of the hot rice and milk into the egg mixture to temper the egg. Add the tempered egg mixture to the pan with the hot rice and milk, stirring to combine. Stir in the raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

  3. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.

  4. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chill and serve cold. For an extra creamy version, mix 1 cup of sweetened whipped cream into the chilled rice pudding.

If you don’t have have leftover cooked rice to make this rice pudding, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add 3/4 cup medium grain rice, cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender.