This rice pudding made with leftover rice, comes together quickly, can be eaten warm or cold and is deliciously creamy.
The Best Way to Use Up Leftover Rice
My mom made rice pudding for breakfast when we were growing up and I had a neighbor who made rice pudding for dessert. We kind of eat it as a snack at our house. So I guess it doesn’t really matter when you eat rice pudding.
This is a recipe I have been making for many years. It uses leftover rice, which is why I like it so much. It comes together quickly and can be eaten warm or cold from the fridge.
Often, when we have leftover rice from dinner, I whip up a batch of this rice pudding and put it in the fridge for the next day. This recipe works well with white or brown rice.
Sweetener Options
You can also choose the sweetener you prefer. I typically use honey as the recipe indicates but coconut sugar and maple syrup work great, as well as regular white sugar or brown sugar.
This recipe is not overly sweet. We like to sprinkle cinnamon sugar (made with coconut sugar and cinnamon) on the top of our individual bowls so I keep the pudding itself on the more mild side. If you want it sweeter, you can simply increase the sweetener you use.
Eggs and Milk
If eggs are a problem, just leave them out. If I am skipping the eggs, I usually cook it a little longer to break down the rice a bit more. That will help it have a thicker pudding feel without the eggs.
Additionally, the type of milk used is flexible. Typically, I use almond milk. However, any milk works well. In the past I have used cows milk, rice milk, and coconut milk. The coconut milk keeps it dairy free and makes it creamier but my kids don’t love the coconut flavor it imparts. Use what works best for you.
Rice Pudding
1½ cups cooked brown or white rice
3 cups milk (divided)(I use almond)
1/3 cup honey
¼ t salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Bring rice, 2 1/2 cups milk, honey, and salt to a slight boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often to keep it from sticking.
In a small bowl, beat egg with the additional ½ cup of milk. Add a small amount of the hot rice mixture to the egg mixture and stir well. For a second time, add a small amount of the hot mixture to the egg mixture and stir.
Now, add all of the egg mixture to the hot mixture on the stove, stir well and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Serve warm with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Alternatively, let the rice mixture cool for 20 minutes and then pour the rice mixture into a glass bowl. Cover well with saran wrap. Press the saran wrap to the surface of the pudding and place it in the fridge. Once it is completely cool, serve it with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
