Easy Rice Pudding with Brown Sugar

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Easy Rice Pudding with Brown Sugar

This rice pudding recipe is thick, creamy, and rich, with brown sugar, and a hint of cinnamon. No need to pre-cook the rice, everything simmers together in one pot, making it easy and low-maintenance. It’s cozy, homemade, and far better than anything store-bought. Serve it warm or chilled, and check the notes for ways to customize it to your taste!

Prep Time5

Cook Time35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Homemade rice pudding, rice pudding with brown sugar, Stovetop rice pudding

Servings: servings (3-1/2 cups total)

Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

½ cup golden raisins or dried cranberries, optional
⅓ cup orange juice or rum for soaking, optional
4⅔ cups whole milk
⅓ cup heavy cream
⅔ cup brown sugar
⅔ cup short-grain white rice see notes if using long grain rice
½ teaspoon salt
1 to 2 vanilla beans split in half (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
1 cinnamon stick optional
1 strip of orange peel 1-inch long (optional)
dash ground cinnamon or nutmeg, optional

Instructions

Soak the Raisins: Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover them with the orange juice. Let them soak while you prep the rice pudding.
For the rice pudding: In a medium heavy-bottomed pot, add the milk, cream, brown sugar, rice, and salt.
If using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds from the bean and stir them into the pot, then toss in both halves of the vanilla bean (If using vanilla extract, do not add it yet, it will be added at the end). Add the cinnamon stick and orange peel, if using,
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent the rice from sticking. You should see steam rising from the mixture and gentle bubbles (not a rolling boil).
Cook for 28 to 35 minutes, stirring often, until the rice is tender and the mixture thickens slightly. The timing will vary depending on the type of rice you use. (Don’t let it boil, it will thicken more as it cools, so aim for a creamy consistency.) 
Drain the raisins and stir them into the pudding. Continue cooking for about 3 to 5 minutes to allow the raisins to warm up. Taste and add more sugar, if desired.
Remove the pot from the heat and discard the vanilla pod, cinnamon stick, and orange peel (if used). If using vanilla extract, stir it in at this time. Serve warm or cold with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.

Notes

Make sure you stir frequently to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pan.
Use a heavy-bottomed pan for the best results. Thin aluminum pans can cause the milk to scorch easily.
If you like a looser pudding, you can add an extra ¼ cup of milk toward the end of the cook time.
I prefer short-grain rice for this recipe because it releases more starch than long-grain rice, making the pudding extra creamy and thick.
Arborio rice is your best bet for the creamiest pudding because it releases the most starch.
If you want to use long grain rice, increase the cooking time by about 5 minutes.

Variations

Chocolate Hazelnut: Stir in ½ cup of chopped toasted hazelnuts and ¼ cup of cocoa powder. When it is finished, remove from heat and toss in ¼ cup chocolate chips and stir until they melt.
Maple Pecan Rice Pudding: Replace half of the brown sugar with pure maple syrup and fold in ½ cup of toasted chopped pecans.
Chai-Spiced Rice Pudding: Infuse the milk with a chai tea bag while simmering and add a pinch of cardamom and cloves.

Recipe inspired by Melissa Clark at Cooking New York Times

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