This rice pudding is creamy with very minimal ingredients, milk, rice, sugar, eggs, cream and vanilla. The taste of real vanilla is one of my favorites! Costco often has vanilla beans for sale during the holidays. I usually buy 2-3 vials that have 4-5 beans in each. I use them throughout the year and always when I make rice pudding.
Twenty years ago, my husband's Aunt Gail, showed me how to make this creamy rice pudding. The low temperature at which you simmer the rice, gently releases the starch. With the eggs it makes the perfect, creamy rice pudding. Sundays always remind me of rice pudding. My family would often make a big pan of it on Sunday evenings. Sundays were happy days at my house, eating good food, playing games and being together as a family.
Happy Sunday everyone!
How to Make Creamy Rice Pudding
1. Sometimes I have a gallon of milk that is about to expire. None of my kids will eat anything from a gallon of milk that has an expiration date that has passed. If you are like me, you know the expiration date on most food items is a suggestion, not a black and white rule. There are tons of internet articles on interpreting expiration dates. Take a look, you will be surprised. Whenever, I see a gallon of milk in my spare refrigerator with an expiration date that is about to expire, I always think, rice pudding.
2. I have a large 8 quart cast iron pot that I use for soups and rice pudding. It has seen a lot of love! The flat bottom of the pan makes it perfect for rice pudding. This recipe takes over an hour to make, so if I am going to make it, I always make a big pot. For 2 - 4 people you will want to cut this recipe in half.
3. Pour 7 cups of milk into a large pot. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 cup of rice. Bring this mixture to a simmer. You want there to be bubbles all around the edge of the milk. You do not want it boiling with huge bubbles popping up in the middle of the milk and rice.
4. Once the bubbles on the outside edge of your milk are bubbling, and there are quite a few of them, put the lid on the pan and lower the temperature.
5. If you are using a vanilla bean, this is the time to put it in your milk/rice mixture. Letting is gently boil for 40 minutes with the rice will allow it to soften. It will be easier to split open and, at the end of the cooking time, scrape the vanilla paste/caviar from inside the bean.
You need the rice, milk and sugar to cook for 40 minutes, but there must be bubbles popping during the whole time.
6. After 5 minutes, pick up the lid and check to make sure the mixture is bubbling. If it is boiling, turn the heat down. If you see bubbles that are small and are coming up to the surface, your pot is at a soft boil. You can put the lid back on and continue to cook.
If you do not see any bubbles, turn the heat up a little and check it again in five minutes. You want to set the timer for 40 minutes. The rice pudding will burn if you forget about it and no one wants that!
7. Five minutes before the timer goes off, crack all the eggs into a bowl. Use a wire whisk or a fork and mix the eggs together until nice and fluffy. Add the other 1/2 cup of sugar and the heavy cream at this time.
8. Once the timer goes off, take the lid off the pan and take out the vanilla bean. Let the vanilla bean cool for a minute or two as you add the eggs.
9. You will need to temper the eggs. Take a half a cup of rice mixture and pour it into the bowl with the eggs. Use the wire whisk to mix in the milk and rice. Keep stirring the entire time as you continue to add 1/2 cup of the milk mixture to your eggs.
10. After you have added 4 cups of milk and rice to the eggs, pour the egg mixture into the large pot with the rest of the milk and rice. Keep stirring!
When making pudding, you have to stir the mixture the whole time
11. Increase the heat on the stove to medium heat. The pudding will begin to thicken as it comes to a boil. At this point, cut the vanilla bean and scrape out the paste and add it to the pudding. Stir vigorously to get the paste spread evenly in the pan.
12. If you do not have a vanilla bean, use 1 Tbsp. of vanilla and add it to the pudding now.
13. Being a raisin lover, I like to add raisins to my bowl of pudding. If you like raisins as well, put a cup of raisins in a small microwave safe dish and cover them with hot water. Bring to a boil in the microwave. Drain and add these to your pudding. YUM!
Let me know on Instagram or Pinterest if you make this.
Post a picture and tag me @dinasdiner. I want to know how it turns out.
Creamy Rice Pudding
7 C. Milk
1 C. Rice
1 C. Sugar, Divided
4 Eggs
1 C. Whipping Cream
1 Vanilla Bean
1 C. Rice
1 C. Sugar, Divided
4 Eggs
1 C. Whipping Cream
1 Vanilla Bean
1. Put 1/2 c. of sugar, the milk and rice in a large pot.
2. Put the lid on and bring to a soft boil.
3. Once boiling, add the vanilla bean and turn the temperature down. Set the timer for 40 minutes.
4. Check after 5 minutes to make sure the mixture is still boiling. If not, bump up the heat a little. If it is at a rolling boil, turn the heat down.
5. Five minutes before the rice mixture is done, put the eggs in a bowl and whisk well. Add the other 1/2 cup of sugar and whipping cream and whisk together.
6. Temper the hot rice mixture into the eggs by adding 1/2 cup at a time and mixing well after each addition.
7. Once the egg mixture is the same temperature as the rice mixture, add all the egg mixture to the large pot of rice and milk. Take out the vanilla bean and continue to stir until the pudding thickens up.
8. Cut open the vanilla bean and scrape out the paste. Add this to the pudding while it is thickening up.
9. If you do not have a vanilla bean, add 1 Tbsp. of vanilla when the pudding is done cooking.
10. This recipe makes 6-8 cups of pudding. Cut the recipe in half if you want a smaller amount.
