Salted-Caramel Rice Pudding Recipe (2024)

By Samantha Seneviratne

Salted-Caramel Rice Pudding Recipe (1)

Total Time
35 minutes, plus cooling and chilling
Rating
4(616)
Notes
Read community notes

Rice pudding is pure dessert magic. Simple ingredients like jasmine rice, whole milk and sugar cook together to make a luscious treat, and the bittersweet salted caramel swirled throughout makes it even more irresistible. This pudding is flavored with vanilla, but a little orange zest, some instant espresso powder or a few smashed green cardamom pods would take it in another delicious direction.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings (about 3 cups)

    For the Rice Pudding

    • 4cups whole milk, plus more as needed
    • cup jasmine rice
    • ¼cup dark brown sugar
    • Pinch of kosher salt
    • 2large egg yolks
    • 1teaspoon pure vanilla extract

    For the Caramel

    • ¼cup granulated sugar
    • cup heavy cream
    • 1tablespoon unsalted butter
    • 1teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • ¾teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

277 calories; 14 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 23 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 335 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Salted-Caramel Rice Pudding Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Prepare the rice pudding: In a medium pot, combine the milk, rice, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the milk has reduced and become creamy and the rice has swollen, about 20 minutes. (Cook a few minutes more if you like a thicker pudding.) You’ll be able to see the rice on the surface of the pudding. The mixture will look loose, but it will continue to thicken as it cools. Remove from the heat.

  2. Step

    2

    In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with a few spoonfuls of the hot pudding. Add about 1 cup more pudding, little by little, then stir the yolk mixture back into the pudding. Stir in the vanilla. Cool slightly, then transfer to a serving bowl, cover and chill until cold, about 3 hours.

  3. Step

    3

    Prepare the caramel: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Cook over medium heat, carefully swirling the pan to cook evenly without stirring, until the mixture starts to darken in spots, about 5 to 7 minutes. Cook until the caramel is a deep amber, 1 or 2 minutes. Immediately add the cream and butter, and stir to combine. Cook until the mixture is uniform and creamy, about 1 minute more. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Set aside until cooled to room temperature, about 20 minutes. It will thicken as it cools.

  4. Step

    4

    Once the pudding is cold, you can adjust the consistency by adding a bit more milk. Just before serving, add the caramel to the cold rice pudding and swirl it through without fully combining.

Ratings

4

out of 5

616

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Amanda

This may seem odd, but straining the egg yolk through a fine sieve makes a noticable improvement to the texture. I do this with whole eggs or just yolks anytime I make a custard or pudding.

Mary El

...and THANK YOU Samantha Seneviratne and NYT for calling out the specific amounts in brand table salt! .... 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt *OR* 1/2 teaspoon Morton kosher salt...this should help novice home cooks (me) with "too salty" or "not enough salt" results.

Cordau

I haven't made this recipe, but I do have some experience of making rice pudding and not having it thicken properly. In general, it usually thickens better if you stir the milk/rice mixture vigorously and often during the first 20 minutes or so of cooking. It's similar to making a risotto--a lot of stirring early on releases the starch in the rice, thickening the mixture and making it creamy. Also, you could try using a shorter-grain rice. They are starchier and that helps with thickening.

milapartment

The caramel and rice pudding was a DELICIOUS combo. I added about a 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt instead of the recommended salt. I would also recommend cooking it to the consistency you want the rice pudding to be. It did not solidify as much as is described in the directions, so i would probably cook it an additional 10-15 minutes more recommended than the recipe if you are looking for that creamier consistency.

Linda

I had to try this as soon as it appeared! I don’t like super sweet desserts, but this needs adjustments, for my taste. The caramel is salty and intense (yum), so the pudding needs to be a bit sweeter for better contrast I think. I’ll try 1/3 cup sugar next time. An inspired combination, thank you!

Greg

I had never made rice pudding so I tried this -- I cooked 25 minutes instead of 20 -- and it was way too runny (way too runny). From comparing to other recipes this has more milk and less rice, but it seems as if it was something that I did. I used Jasmine Rice, whole milk and did follow the recipe. Any ideas? I had to throw out the rest. On the caramel, I did find out not to put the heavy cream in all at once -- it siezed. Second time was better by slowly adding the cream.

Charlie

I used store bought dulce de leche and swirled it around. So much faster and easier and still delicious.

Sue

I actually prefer short-grain rice in rice pudding. You'll achieve a different texture--and the call for jasmine here is also a call for a specific flavor--but the overall formula will still work very nicely.

Andrew G

Yes the eggs will cook through. This is called "tempering" the eggs. Make sure to do it a little at a time so they don't scramble!

Prakash Nadkarni

RE: Too runny: It IS the rice/milk ratio. Cordau's tips are on target: enough of the rice's starch has to mix with milk to thicken it, and different kinds of rice absorb varying amounts of liquid (arborio the most, basmati the least). There's nothing wrong with runny puddings per se. South Asians cook sweetened, cardamom/saffron-spiced milk down to various concentrations, all are good - but if you wish, thicken the decanted liquid with cornstarch/tapioca flour, even gelatin.

Gigi

For those who experienced 'runny' rice pudding, try using either short grain or arborio rice instead of jasmine. Short grain rice is the only type of rice typically used in rice pudding here in England (the land of rice pudding!), so much so that it is called 'pudding rice'. It's far more starchy and you should have no problem with thickening!

nb

I made this exactly as written and it was perfect. Just go for it, you will be happy.

Lengthen Cooking Time

The flavor of this rice pudding is absolutely perfect. The first time I made it I must have had the heat down too low. I cooked it for 45 minutes and it was still thin. Second time around made sure it was at a good simmer, and still cooked it longer.Best rice pudding ever!Also, used dark brown sugar in the caramel second time around. Both versions were great.

candace

4 cups of milk is way too much; it turned out nearly perfect with 2.5 cups. Next time I'll do 3.

Jude

It could! I'd recommend oat milk for good texture, but others could work too, though it will likely affect your cooking time (taste as you go).

Sherri

This is amazing! I halved the recipe; used medium grain rice and 1.5 cups whole milk. It was ready in 20 minutes, nicely thick. Caramel sauce was also halved, came together beautifully. Very much a keeper.

Sydney

This recipe turned out to be super-runny cold rice in sugar milk. I followed the recipe exactly as written so I don't know why this happened...

Karen G

Outstanding. I didn’t have enough milk so I used 1c coconut milk/ 3 c milk. I’m lucky to have a pandan tree, so I added a leaf while simmering. When I tempered the eggs with hot pudding, I blasted it with an immersion blender. It thickened the rice pudding perfectly

todd sf

This was a complete bomb- I cooked the rice 24 minutes, followed the recipe to the letter, and ended up with sweet rice soup. It never thickened……

Ian - Chicago

Glad to say that this recipe works with instant rice and the whole milk equivalent of your favorite brand of Oatmilk!A couple modifications:1/3 cup of instant rice PER cup of Oatmilk used plus a little more than 1 tsp homemade vanilla extract. For 1 1/3 cups of rice, I used the same amount of brown sugar and yolk.

Pat

Wonderful flavors, but needs more rice. I will definitely make again, but will double or even triple the rice.

linda

I made this recipe exactly as directed. Are you sure you meant 1/3 cup rice for 4 cups of milk? It was soup not pudding. Tasted great though. Next time I will use arborio rice and increase amount as this was way too runny.

Annie

The salted caramel was delicious. Other than that, I had problems with the proportions in this recipe, with the suggested cooking times, and with the choice of rice.While the need to make so many changes likely means I won't be making this again, I will say that there's too much milk for so little rice. A shorter grain rice would be a better choice here at the recommended cooking time. I had to cook the milk and rice much longer than recommended. Same experience browning the caramel.

Sarah

Great recipe I used and always try to use unpasteurized milk when making rice pudding. The flavor is just different!

Vivian

could this be done non-dairy? There are great dairy substitutes for both milk and cream, but does anyone know if that would inhibit the pudding from setting?

Steve

I started to make it as directed, but realized the milk wasn’t going to cook down enough with even double the cook time. I added rice and continued to cook and stir another 20 minutes and it was great!

kassie

Mistakes I made: “deep amber” is subjective but by the time I “immediately” added cream and butter it was black. I’d say “light amber” is a good stopping point. The rice pudding wasn’t sweet enough. I’d say 1/3 cup brown sugar. 1/2 tsp. Caramel was way too salty. I’d say 1/2 tsp tops.

Dominique

I followed this recipe to a T! The pudding didn’t thicken like I expected. What am I doing wrong? It also felt like I cooked it for at least 30 min on the stove , stirring frequently.

Cheryl

Really delicious. The caramel is too salty for eating on its own but perfectly complements the mild rice pudding. I used 2% milk as that was what I had in the house, and it was great. I will definitely make this recipe again.

MER

My pudding did not thicken. I followed directions as written. Any thoughts why it didn't?

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Salted-Caramel Rice Pudding Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should you rinse rice for rice pudding? ›

While we've mentioned before that this dessert gets its perfectly creamy texture from the starch that is released when the grains are cooking, we do suggest a rinse for this recipe in order to wash off excess debris and added starch.

What makes rice pudding thicken? ›

Rice pudding is simply rice cooked in sweetened milk. As the rice cooks, it releases starch, which thickens the milk and suspends the tender grains of rice, contributing to its creaminess.

How do you keep rice pudding from getting watery? ›

It's a natural process that occurs with certain types of rice. To prevent this, you can try adding a bit more liquid or cream to the rice pudding before refrigerating it. This may help maintain a softer texture when you enjoy it later.

How to make Jamie Oliver's rice pudding? ›

Method. Put the rice, milk, 200ml of water, half the maple syrup or honey and the vanilla into a large pan. Give it a good stir, then place the pan on a very low heat. Cook gently for around 45 minutes, or until thick and creamy, stirring regularly.

What kind of rice is best for rice pudding? ›

Rice - I've tried all sorts of rice types and uncooked medium grain is by far the best for rice pudding, followed by risotto rice. Risotto rice (arborio) - needs extra liquid, add 1 cup (250ml) water into the saucepan with milk, and cook for 1 hr 20 minutes.

Is rice pudding supposed to be hot or cold? ›

Depending on where you are in the world, rice pudding can be eaten cold or warm. In the United States, where rice pudding is traditionally served as a dessert, it is usually cold. Whereas in Sweden, for example, rice pudding is warmed and eaten for breakfast.

Is jasmine or basmati rice better for rice pudding? ›

Although this dish is most commonly made using long grain White Rice (some would even use Thai Jasmine Rice, many would argue that, to achieve a balance between consistency and flavor, aromatic Basmati Rice should be used as it contains starch.

Why is my rice pudding mushy? ›

I don't recommend any other type of short-grain or quick-cooking rice for rice pudding, as it tends to result in a mushy pudding with this long-simmering recipe. Milk – Whole, full-fat 3.5% b.f. milk is best for rice pudding. You can use 2%, if that's all you have, though the resulting pudding won't be quite as creamy.

Why did the milk curdle in my rice pudding? ›

Boiling is a sure way to curdle milk. It's not just boiling. Heating milk too quickly, even if it never comes to a boil, can also curdle it. To prevent the dairy from curdling, heat the milk gently over medium-low heat.

Does homemade rice pudding need to be refrigerated? ›

You can serve your rice pudding immediately, or let it cool to room temperature and store it in the fridge for a cold, fruit-topped breakfast or snack. The pudding will keep in your fridge for about 4 days. But unlike that bowl of cooked rice, it probably won't last that long.

Why does my rice pudding taste grainy? ›

You must use pudding rice with its little fat, almost spherical, grains otherwise it'll be a disaster - it stays quite grainy, whereas normal cooking rice would just become a gluey mess. Also full fat milk MUST be used.

Do you have to refrigerate rice pudding? ›

Shelf Life & Storage: 30 days Guaranteed Shelf Life. 55 days Maximum Shelf Life. DO NOT FREEZE, PERISHABLE KEEP REFRIGERATED.

How do you make James Martin's rice pudding? ›

Heat a large non stick pan until hot, pour the milk in, add the butter, add the rice and coat all over. Add the sugar, milk and cream, then the vanilla seeds. Stir through then simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour into an oven proof serving dish and then pop in the oven for 10 minutes.

What is traditional rice pudding made of? ›

Rice pudding is a creamy mixture of rice and milk that is cooked until it's thick and soft. It can be sweet or savory. This raisin-studded dessert rice pudding is thickened with an egg, sweetened with sugar, and enhanced with vanilla.

How to make rice pudding Nigella? ›

Preheat the oven to 150'C. Put the rice and golden raisins in an oven proof dish. Stir together the evaporated milk, sugar and normal milk and pour over the rice. Put in the middle tray of the oven and stir after half an hour, put back in the oven for another hour and then remove.

Why is my rice pudding rice still hard? ›

As a result, the rice in the pudding can become firm and hard when it cools down. It's a natural process that occurs with certain types of rice. To prevent this, you can try adding a bit more liquid or cream to the rice pudding before refrigerating it.

Do you still need to rinse rice? ›

If your priority is fluffy, light rice where the grains are individually defined, be sure to rinse your rice before steaming or boiling. If you want your rice to be starchier or stick together, you can skip that step.

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