Stovetop rice pudding is hard to beat for sheer heartwarming comfort food. Quick to make, nostalgic of childhood, yet unashamedly delicious. It's a dessert the whole family will be fighting over for seconds.
How do you eat yours? That's the question I want to ask everybody when it comes to rice pudding. I'm all for hearing about new toppings to try out.
I know there is a split opinion on this dessert - it is not everybody's idea of a great sweet. I, however, am in the love camp and I'm hoping to convert a few loathers with my quick stovetop rice pudding recipe.
Of course, my love for this filling treat dates back to childhood. School dinners, Sunday lunches, sick days, when all I could face was a tin of Ambrosia. The latter part may have been soon after I left home, before I developed the ability to cook...
Why Make This Stovetop Rice Pudding
I would certainly put basic rice pudding in the nursery food category. What do I mean? The traditional food you grew up with. Those delicacies that hold a special place in your (hopefully) rose-tinted childhood memories. The foods that remain endearingly popular throughout the decades by young and old alike.
Quite simply, rice pudding is an old-fashioned yet ever-popular dessert amongst diners of all ages.
It's nourishing for the body and soul, hearty and downright hard to stop eating. Especially when you are a hungry child. Perfect nursery fayre for children of all ages.
This quick rice pudding recipe takes just 30 minutes to cook. And my optional extra of blood oranges in caramel not only looks striking but it also adds a wonderful touch of glamour to this otherwise understated dessert.
Ingredients
I've gone all-out in this recipe to create a lovely depth of flavour in my stovetop rice pudding. It is deliciously creamy, though the recipe does not call for this luxury ingredient at all to give it the wow-factor.
Instead of cream, I've used brown sugar, butter, citrus zest, vanilla and egg yolks to build up the flavour profile and turn rice cooked in milk into something far beyond the suggestion from that title.
Adding egg yolk is a great way to add a little more pronunciation to the colour of this pudding and impart a waft of custard-like flavour to proceedings. It doesn't taste eggy, it just tastes creamy, custardy and deeply gratifying.
How to Make This Dessert
Rice pudding can be oven-baked for several hours. As I've never enjoyed the skin that forms when cooked this way, I would always favour the hob version which I'm presenting today. This method is also much quicker so that's also a big bonus too.
Step By Step: Cook the Rice
Follow three steps to cook your quick rice pudding to perfection in around 30 minutes:
Step 1: Put the rice into a saucepan with the sugar, butter, orange zest and vanilla pod
Step 2: Splash in the milk, bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for around 30 minutes until the rice is tender
Step 3: Take off the heat, scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod back into the rice and briskly stir through the egg yolks. You stovetop rice pudding is ready to serve.
Step by Step: Make the Blood Orange with Caramel
I played around with this topping a few times but ultimately decided that keeping the recipe as simple as possible worked best. And by simple I mean creating a caramel sauce with a hint of orange added to it and using this sauce to pour over fresh blood orange slices
Step 1: While the rice is cooking de-pith the oranges and slice the naked fruit into rounds
Step 2: Prepare the caramel by putting the caster sugar into a small heavy-based saucepan then cook (without stirring) over a medium heat until it turns to a mid amber liquid (if you think it is going to burn, plunge the base of the pan into cold water to stop the cooking process)
Step 3: Add the orange juice (it will splutter and go a bit lumpy). Let cook on a very low heat for a minute, stirring until it is smooth again
Step 4: Take off the heat and beat in a little butter and a pinch of salt - let cool for 5-10 minutes
Once everything is ready, spoon the stovetop rice pudding into bowls, topping each with a few orange slices and a drizzle of caramel.
Expert Tips and FAQs
Cooking Tips
It's really just 3 straightforward steps to perfect rice pudding with eggs. The key task to remember is to keep stirring every 5 minutes or so to keep the rice on the move and prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan.
The best way to check if the rice is cooked is to eat a spoonful. It should be al-dente (i.e. not hard but not mushy either).
And then really, it's up to you to achieve your perfect stovetop rice pudding consistency:
- to thicken it let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving
- to thin it out, add a splash more milk and stir through
Frequently Asked Questions
You certainly can leave out the eggs. Keep in mind that the end result will have a less creamy, custardy taste and will be lighter in colour. If you need to make it vegan, I have a dedicated recipe that is dairy and egg free.
It's perfectly fine to eat this dessert cold. Plenty of people enjoy it this way. Remember that as it cools this dessert will thicken, so just stir through a little more milk to return it to your desired consistency before serving
By nature, the rice in this recipe will continue to absorb the liquid even when taken off the heat. For this reason, I would always prefer to eat rice pudding freshly made.
Leftovers, however, can be stored in the fridge for several days and reheated as required. It will most likely be necessary to add a splash of milk to loosen the mixture to your desired consistency as it heats.
This quick rice pudding with eggs can also be frozen - just ensure it cools to room temperature before sealing, labelling and placing in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
Defrost in the fridge and either eat cold or reheat gently.
Other Ways to Serve this Dessert
I think of this quick stovetop rice pudding as a vessel for a wide variety of accessories. And by accessories, I do of course mean goodies:
- Keep it simple and just sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg. Add a few raisins if you feel like going wild
- Dollop a spoonful of rum & raisin caramel sauce into it
- Maple syrup or honey with dates and nuts make a fine partnership
- Go nostalgic and pour over some rosehip syrup. I"m sure this is what my school dinners involved, but I can't be 100% sure. I do know that a scattering of edible petals alongside the syrup makes a pretty sight though
Find More Cosy Winter Desserts:
- Chocolate & pear crumble
- Winter baked Alaska
- Sherry affogato with raisins & prunes
- Honey baked pears
- Cinnamon & chocolate mousse cake with blood orange compote
If you tried this quick rice pudding I'd love you to rate the recipe below. Don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram too - I enjoy seeing how you got along. Use #littlesugarsnaps and tag me @jane_littlesugarsnaps.
Stovetop Rice Pudding with Blood Oranges in Caramel
Ingredients
For the Rice Pudding
- 100 g/ 3 ⅓ oz Short grain rice
- 45 g/ 1 ½ oz Light brown sugar
- 30 g/ 1 oz Butter
- 1 Vanilla pod
- 1 Strip orange zest
- 500 ml/ 2 cups Whole (full-fat) milk
- 2 Egg yolks
For the Blood Oranges in Caramel
- 2 Blood oranges
- 1 ½ tbsp Orange juice
- 60 g/ 2 oz Caster sugar
- 1 tsp Butter
- Pinch salt
Instructions
Make the Rice Pudding
- Split the vanilla pod lengthways with a knife and drop into a saucepan with the rice, sugar, butter, orange zest (cut from one of the oranges) and milk
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently for around 30 minutes until the rice is tender and much of the liquid has been absorbed
- Take the pan off the heat. Remove the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds back into the pan. Add the egg yolks and beat until everything is well combined
- Assess the consistency - if you like a looser pudding, add a dash more milk and stir in
Make the Blood Oranges in Caramel
- While the rice is cooking de-pith the oranges: slice off the top and bottom ends of the fruit. Lay your fruit on one end and cut downwards through the peel and pith, following the curve of the fruit. Flip the orange over and cut away any remaining peel and pith. Trim off any bits of pith that remain on the fruit. Slice the naked fruit into rounds
- Next prepare the caramel. Begin by putting the caster sugar into a small heavy-based saucepan and cook (without stirring) over a medium heat until it turns to a mid amber liquid (if you think it is going to burn, plunge the base of the pan into cold water to stop the cooking process)
- Add the orange juice (it will splutter and go a bit lumpy). Let cook on a very low heat for a minute, stirring until it is smooth again
- Take off the heat and beat in a little butter and a pinch of salt - let cool for 5-10 minutes
Serve
- Divide the rice pudding between 2 (or 3) bowls
- Top with the rounds of blood orange and pour the orange caramel over
Notes
- to thicken it let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving
- to thin it out, add a splash more milk and stir through
Wow! You have taken rice pudding to a new level indeed. It looks so creamy and delicious.
Thankyou - the egg yolks make all the difference.
This rice pudding was a hit with my kids this morning. The orange is definitely a great addition and it gives such a nice refreshing flavour. Will definitely make it again. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent - lucky kids, that's a nice breakfast!
I've never had oranges with rice pudding and let me tell you - they elevated this dessert into truly something special. Thanks for this delicious recipe!
I never think to make rice pudding on the stove top. But it makes so much more sense in terms of time. Actually I haven't made it in far too long, so I'm going to try it your way very soon. The orange is a gorgeous addition and really makes a simple pudding stand out.
Stovetop makes this a much more accessible pudding for weeknights - enjoy.
This was delicious! Blood oranges are my favorite and they really shine in this recipe!
Thanks for the feedback Erica - so pleased you enjoyed it.
I had only ever had rice pudding with cinnamon, but orange makes so much sense! YUM! Plus, what a great way to use up your blood oranges during the season? The color is gorgeous!
Thanks Kelly. You definitely need this then - though you could add cinnamon too 🙂