Old Fashioned Creamy Rice Pudding

Creamy, rich old fashioned rice pudding. Whether you enjoy it warm with cinnamon or cold this rice pudding recipe will quickly become a family favorite.  
Anytime I have leftover rice I always make rice pudding. Oh how I love it! Rice pudding is just one of those delicious southern desserts that your mom and grandmother used to make. Who can resist all that creamy, vanilla-scented goodness, it's just so satisfying. This recipe is the only rice pudding recipe that I make.  

I've been making it for years and it turns out perfect creamy every time.  There's two ways to prepare rice pudding, either baked or on the stove top. Most people bake their rice pudding in the oven, but I prefer to prepare mine on top of the stove.

For me the pudding can tend to dry out in the oven, so I like mine to be more of a custard like consistency.  I also use whole milk instead of cream, I think using cream makes it way too rich. I'm sure low fat milk will work just as well.  
 
I prefer not to add raisins to mine, but if you love then by all means add raisins. If you are not a fan of creamy rice pudding this recipe just might change your mind. Lets get started and I will show you how easy this recipe is to make.
 
In a medium saucepan on medium heat, add the sugar, flour, salt, and milk. Stir until the mixture begins to boil. Let the mixture boil while stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat.

Separate the eggs and add the yolks to a small bowl. Discard the egg whites or save the egg whites for a meringue topping. Add 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into egg yolks and gently mix (this tempers the eggs). If you don't temper the eggs you will end up with scrambled eggs if you just add them without tempering.


Add the egg yolk mixture to the hot pudding and mix well.


Mix until you have  a creamy consistency. 


Add the cooked rice and place the pot back on the stove. Continue to cook on low for 2-3 minutes. Stir constantly so pudding does not lump and stick to the bottom of the pan.


The pudding will be done when the mixture starts to thicken to a pudding consistency, and coats the back of a spoon or spatula. 


Remove pudding from heat and add the vanilla extract, blend well. Chill before serving or serve at room temperature. Add your favorite garnish Fruit, whipped topping or a little cinnamon is always nice. I like my rice pudding warm so I serve it warm. 

I place the rice pudding into a serving bowl and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Then I let it set on the stove. I usually make my rice pudding just before we sit down for dinner, that way it is still a bit warm when I am ready to eat dessert. Enjoy!!!!




Southern Rice Pudding

1 - cup cooked or leftover rice
1/3 -cup flour
3/4 - cup sugar
1/4 - teaspoon salt
2 - cups whole or low fat milk 
3 - egg yolks, beaten
1 - teaspoon vanilla extract
cinnamon sugar for garnish

In a medium saucepan on medium heat, add the sugar, flour, salt, and milk. Stir until the mixture begins to boil. Let the mixture boil while stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat. 

Separate the eggs and add the yolks to a small bowl. Discard the egg whites or save for a another recipe (see cooks note). Add 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into egg yolks and gently mix (this tempers the eggs). 

Add the egg yolk mixture to the hot pudding and mix well. Mix until you have  a creamy consistency. 

Add the cooked rice and place the pot back on the stove. Continue to cook on low for 2-3 minutes. Stir constantly so pudding does not lump and stick to the bottom of the pan.

The pudding will be done when the mixture starts to thicken to a pudding consistency, and the mixture coats the back of a spoon or spatula.

Remove pudding from heat and add the vanilla extract, blend well. Chill before serving or serve at room temperature.  

Add your favorite garnish Fruit, whipped topping or a little cinnamon is always nice. I like my rice pudding warm so I serve it warm.

Cook's Note: You can save the egg whites and add a meringue topping to the rice pudding if you prefer. I like rice pudding without a meringue. If you do want a meringue I have included a link to a recipe here. If you do not have any leftover rice cook 1/2 cup uncooked rice with one cup water. Let rice fully cool before using.


Servings: 4




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43 comments

Oh yum! I can't wait to try this! I love a good rice pudding!!
Bre said…
yum! I am going to forward this to my mom!
Bunny said…
Can you believe I've never made rice pudding, I love it but haven't made it. I'm making this one though, it looks so good!
Tina Butler said…
Country Cookin Mama, LMK how it compares to you liking.

Bre, thanks for the forward Ü

Bunny you gotta make it, your going to love it. So creamy and good. If you really want to make it you can just cook up some rice and let it cool. I do that when I gotta have a rice pudding fix and I don't have any left over.
Anonymous said…
Mmmmm. I love rice pudding. Have to try this recipe!
Ingrid_3Bs said…
Yum, love rice pudding. My grandma used to make it but she always put raisins which I picked out. :)
~ingrid
MamaHen Em said…
I absolutely LOVE rice pudding but have never been able to make it. I remember my mom making it and it seemed she never made enough! I cannot wait to try this!
emsmommy said…
Just wanted to let you know that I WILL be trying this recipe! I love rice pudding but have never made it myself. Can't wait! Also, why are all your pictures disappearing from your site? Thanks for all the wonderful recipes.
angie McGowan said…
that looks great, I have not made this in a long time, but its so easy and cheap, I have made Thai black rice pudding with coconut milk the last times we've had rice pudding, I add raisins, its good too.
Tina Butler said…
Hopefully all is better now with the pics. Photobucket said i exceeded my bandwith. I think I fixed it.
Leslie said…
mmmm.comfort in a bowl
Hey Tina, about the cupcakes...I used yellow squash puree, but you could probably use zucchini puree and it would turn out good. Let me know how it turns out.
Tina, I love rice pudding. Actually that's what I have planned on posting about tomorrow. I'll link to yours so that readers can have some choices in various preparations of this delicious dish. Everytime I come here you have an excellent comfort food dish for me to read about. Thanks neighbor.
MamaHen Em said…
I had to come back and tell you that I JUST made this for dinner and it is sooooo delicious. So much better then I remember rice pudding being. Thanks for a great recipe and I am going to be linking to it from my site!!
Sherri Murphy said…
Ahhhh...it's the simple things in life that are soooo good.
SnoWhite said…
I love rice pudding. It's a holiday treat for one of my best friends, and I always look forward to sharing it with her!
Lisa said…
Thanks so much for sharing this! I just wrote a blog on baked rice pudding as well, and in my Internet research I found your blog. Baked rice pudding is the only way I'd eat it for awhile and for years I could never find the recipe until my mother handed it over to me recently. I love reading others' takes on it, it's such a great dish!
Tammy said…
Made this tonight - WOW. So delish. This was so much easier than the recipe I've been using. PLUS, no baking. Yep. This one is a keeper.
Anonymous said…
I have been looking for a no bake rice pudding for a long time.When I read yours that was what I was looking for.It is like I can taste it as I read the recipe.
Shanese said…
Just made this and it was delicious! I'll definitely make this again! :)
Janelle said…
I just made this recipe it is amazing! The kids or husband can't get enough!
Anonymous said…
Well I tried this tonight, and not to be rude or insulting, it just wasn't my cup of tea persay. The only thing to give it rice pudding flavor is the vanilla. Tastes more floury. Others try it, you may love it, we are all different in that respect. I use vanilla pudding (cook and serve type) add 1 cup of rice and 4 cups of milk, quicker to make and I love it. I will try many more recipes on here though. The cornbread chilly you must try, so good and so simple.
Tina Butler said…
I'm sorry you didn't like it. This is one of our favorite desserts. My husband would not eat if I used boxed pudding. He only likes the homemade pudding version. I guess every ones taste buds are different. Hopefully you will find a few other recipes you might like.
Jane Kapitan said…
Tina, there are tons more I'm going to make. I just used the same rice pudding for years and love the taste and I use tons of rice, like it thick, lol. (Just Me) I loved your cornbread chili, that will be made many times this winter, hubby and I both loved it. We just ate the Buttermilk Peach Cobbler, that was fantastic! We ate it all so next time, double batch. Thanks for sharing your delicious recipes with us so we have more flexibility in preparing dinners night after night. Love it.
Anonymous said…
Made 5this tonight. EXCELLENT!!!!! I tweeked the recipe by using a lot less flour. Also, added nutmeg and not cinnamon. It was the BEST rice pudding ever!!!!!
I did this tonight and it was delicious!!
Lenoria said…
Yum, I have always loved rice pudding! When we were growing up my Mom didn't waste anything so leftover rice became rice pudding and was one of my favorite things. This recipe sounds so much like what she did I can't wait to try it. If we had raisins she would put them in because my Dad liked them but I would pick them out of mine, so mine will be plain! (My mouth is watering).
Anonymous said…
Just wondering... how many servings does this make?
Anonymous said…
Looks like my moms...going to make this for a large group...my mother use to save the egg whites and fluff into meringue then fold in at the very end...
Anonymous said…
I'm not really a cook but I made this yesterday and it's yummy! I added raisins also:)
Shanese said…
I just made this recipe again, but this time I used quinoa! It turned out pretty good but I added a bit more sugar. BTW, this is my go-to recipe for rice pudding! Thanks again for sharing it.
Joanne S said…
Thanks for the recipe! I made rice pudding the other day for the first time. The recipe was not good though, too dry for my taste. This one looks good!
Anonymous said…
My husband loves rice in any form. I'm sure he will love this. I'm going to make it as a surprise for him.
Anonymous said…
I just made this. 5 stars for you. My mom use to make rice pudding as a kid and love it then. Don't have her recipe and when I tasted this it was like she was with me again. Felt ten again. Amazing rice pudding. Def making again... thank you...
Unknown said…
This sounds great! A must try...
I usually just put whole milk on my rice and simmer a few hours, replenishing the milk as it evaporates. I use some canned evap. milk as well, a tbsp. of butter and brown sugar. For a nice change, try stirring in a tbsp. or two of a good caramel sauce. I guess this would be more of a porridge than pudding, but still a family favorite !!
Tina Butler said…
Posting the recipe made me want some too. I made is last night and updated the photo and then we cleaned the bowl out. I am so glad you liked it.
Anonymous said…
I just made the rice pudding, next time I would only add 1|2 cup sugar. I thiught it was a little too sweet.
Anonymous said…
Holy yum! I just took mine off the stovetop, and it's taking every bit of self control I have not to devour it before it's had a chance to cool off a bit. I modified it only slightly by substituting half of the milk with cream. Okay, it's been long enough. Gotta indulge now.
Anonymous said…
This recipe is the bomb. Oh so good! I've always made baked rice pudding, but this by far is the best I've had. It's custardy too. Thanks for this awesome recipe .
joyce said…
Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe it's simple, very easy to make and so delicious.
Sage said…
The BEST rice pudding I've ever had! And I have tried quite a few over the last few years! Thanks so much for your recipe :)
Anonymous said…
Pretty frikin good! ! Burnt my tongue cuz couldn't wait for it to cool. Didn't even make dinner cuz we were full of puddin!
Anonymous said…
This is a great recipe! Follow it to the letter! I have made this recipe for two years...at least twice a month. It's the best! Thank you, Tina. You have seriously added to my quality of life!

I'll eat about 1/2 cup at a time...but it takes me 20 minutes to finish because I enjoy tiny amounts on the end of my spoon...and then I work at getting every last bit out of the bowl. It really is the finest rice pudding recipe there is.

I have a couple of helpful hints. First...use a hand mixer on the milk, sugar, flour, and salt mixture BEFORE heating. The reason is to get the flour and sugar well incorporated into the mix. I also like to use the hand mixer on the egg yolks...and during the tempering process. Second, cover the pot when the pudding is finished. Wipe the inside of the cover free of water every 20 minutes until the pudding is complete cooled.

If you do this recipe exactly as Tina has instructed, your pudding will come out with a beautiful light yellow color and will be incredibly delicious.