Rice Pudding with cooked rice is smooth, creamy, and studded with plump, sweet raisins. This gluten free, dairy free dessert is a great way to use up leftover rice. Make it in less than half an hour on the stove top.

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My husband has always loved rice pudding. Sadly, this was one of those things that I couldn't make "just like his mother's!" Both of our mothers used to whip up rice pudding with leftover rice without so much as a glance at a recipe. I'm a recipe follower, and the only recipes that I could find back in the day used uncooked rice. Therefore, I rarely made rice pudding.
Finally, as a special birthday treat for him, I decided to figure out how to make rice pudding with cooked rice. After all, since rice is gluten free, rice pudding is a naturally gluten free dessert! I've been making it this way for about a year now, and I think it's time for me to share the recipe with you.
Ingredients for Leftover Rice Pudding
- Rice - Any white rice is nice. If you'd like the simplicity of cooking your rice in an Instant Pot, my friend Lorena offers great instructions for Failproof Instant Pot Rice.
- Raisins - Sultanas work well.
- Cashew Milk - Use your favourite nondairy milk.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for Stove Top Rice Pudding
Whisk the egg in a medium saucepan. Then add everything else except the vanilla. Cook it for 15 to 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. You might get away with cooking your pudding in 10 minutes if you have a heavy pot and stir constantly.
When the pudding starts to thicken, remove it from the heat and stir in vanilla.
Hint: Serve the pudding warm.
Recipe FAQ's
Because rice pudding is a dessert, white rice is more suitable for it than brown. You could use arborio, basmati, jasmine, long grain white, or any white rice you happen to have available. Since you're using cooked rice here, it doesn't matter what cooking time or how much water was needed when it was cooked. Stove top rice pudding is a versatile, forgiving dish.
It's easy to make rice pudding with leftover, cooked rice. Simply combine plain, unflavored, cooked rice with a liquid (usually milk), an egg, a little sugar, salt, and some cinnamon in a medium saucepan on the stove top. Cook, stirring frequently over medium heat for 15 or 20 minutes, until it thickens up and becomes creamy.
If vanilla is added too early, it can evaporate and leave very little flavour.
Substitutions
- Milk - I've made this recipe dairy free by using nondairy milk. If you don't need yours to be dairy free, you can use regular milk.
Variations
- Raisins - If you choose to reduce or omit the raisins, reduce the milk by almost the same amount. Raisins tend to absorb quite a bit of moisture. Without them, your rice pudding might be too thin and runny.
Equipment
You don't need much special equipment for this recipe. A whisk is handy for beating the egg, but a saucepan, stove, and something to stir with are really all you need!
Storage
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
I don't freeze rice pudding. If you do, let me know how that worked out for you. In fact, I love to get your feedback in the comment section below the recipe.
Top tip
Be careful not to cook your rice pudding over such a high heat that it might scorch the bottom of the pan. Stir it frequently to prevent sticking and to keep an eye on it.
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Recipe
Rice Pudding with Cooked Rice
Equipment
- 1 Medium Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2 cups cashew milk or regular dairy milk
- 1 cup sultana raisins
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg. Add everything else except the vanilla. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat for 15 - 20 minutes until it begins to thicken.1 egg, 2 cups cooked rice, 2 cups cashew milk, 1 cup sultana raisins, 2 tablespoons raw sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla.1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Serve warm. Sprinkle a little additional cinnamon over each serving, if you wish.
Notes
- I've tested this recipe with both dairy and nondairy milk. We didn't notice any difference.
- The pudding will continue to thicken as it cools.
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