If there's one thing I know for sure about myself, it's this; I hatewinter.
SAD (seasonal affective disorder) is definitelya thing in my mind because, come winter, I go into hibernation.
On Monday I went to head out on my morning walk in my usual shorts and a t-shirt only to be hit with cold air the second I walked out the door. It's okay, I thought... it'll warm up.
Ten minutes later, I'm walking around the park covered in goose bumps... looking at the patches of sun but wondering why on earth I wasn't feeling their warmth and then it hit me...
WINTER IS COMING.
Dread. Pain. Anxiety. For a second there I thought I was going to have a full on panic attack.
If summer was a person, I'd be the one wrapped around it's heels, sitting on it's feet, BEGGING it not to leave me. Forget the promise of returning in 6 months time, DO NOT LEAVE ME!
But then I realised winter was inevitable (and yes I know, autumn comes first.. but in my world it's either summer or winter - also known as time to be a social butterfly or time to forget my own existence) and I tried to think of all the good things about winter.
And then I went home to do what every insane person would do.
I flicked the dial on the oven to heat it up and I made baked rice pudding.
Why? To get a head start on convincing myself that winter isn't really that bad... and I tell you what, friends... if winter involves steaming hot bowls of creamy rice pudding, I'll take it.... for a few months at least 😜
And northern hemisphere friends, don't let me lose you - I can assure you that this tastes delicious cold too... so you can eat it all year long.
So let me share the recipe with you >>
Easy Baked Rice Pudding Recipeserves 4 (small batch)
gluten free, vegan, refined sugar free, low fat,
egg free,dairy free, nut free, kid friendly
2 cups milk of your choice (we used unsweetened almond milk)
1/4 cup (50g) coconut sugar orbrown sugar (use more if you like things extra sweet)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
Optional:1/4 cup raisins
If needed: 1/2-1 cup additional milk
- Preheat your oven to 160C/320F
- Grease a 4 cup baking dish with butter or oil.
- Add your rice to the bottom of your baking dish.
- Add your sugar and cinnamon and pour over 2 cups of milk and your vanilla extract.
- Cover your baking dish with foil and place in the oven.
- Make for 15 minutes, covered before uncovering and stirring with a spoon or spatula.
- Recover your baking dish and bake for another 45 minutes.
- Uncover your baking dish and check the texture of your rice. If the rice is still very undercooked, recover (adding an extra 1/2 to 1 cup of milk if it's looking quite dry) or if it is just cooked or almost cooked, leave uncovered and bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden.
- Add your extra milk if your rice pudding is looking quite dry orif you prefer a creamier pudding (see my notes below for an extra creamy tip!).
- Continue baking until your desired consistency is reached, remove from the oven and serve immediately.
- This will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days, however, we find it's best eaten fresh as cooling and reheating can give you a mushier texture.
Notes:
- *We've tried this recipe with all three types of rice and each work perfectly. All you'll need to do is adjust the amount of milk. After it's baked for an hour, check the texture and add an extra 1/2-1 cup of milk if needed
- **If you like your rice pudding extra creamy, mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch into your extra 1 cup of milk and stir it through after your rice pudding has baked for an hour. Continue baking uncovered until it reaches your desired consistency.
- If you don't want to bake itwell then it's not a baked rice pudding.... butit can be done. Simply take all the ingredients and put them in a medium sized saucepan on the stove. Cooked over medium-low heat until it reaches your desired consistency, stirring regularly.
But tell me, what's your favourite season?
Do you have S.A.D too?
And what's some of your favourite winter warmer recipes?
FAQs
How to Make Vegan Rice Pudding. Our version begins with combining dairy-free milk (we like almond for its neutral flavor) with maple syrup for natural sweetness, cornstarch to thicken, and sea salt to enhance all the flavors. The cornstarch is the egg replacement in this recipe.
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 rice can I use instead of pudding rice for rice pudding? ›
You can use any short-grain 🍚 rice, Italian-style rice, or arborio rice for this Rice Pudding. For a dairy-free alternative, you can certainly try coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk instead.
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.
What nut is hidden in rice pudding? ›
I didn't know that hiding an almond in rice pudding is a Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Finnish custom. Some say that finding the almond means you'll be married before next Christmas. In Denmark, the rice pudding was traditionally left out to appease mischievous elves and then later it became a game.
What are the ingredients of Ambrosia rice pudding? ›
Ingredients
- Full Cream Milk,
- Skimmed Milk,
- Whey (Milk),
- Rice (9%),
- Sugar,
- Total Milk content 72%
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.
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.
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.
Why does my rice pudding get hard? ›
It also ensures that the rice in the pudding will not get crunchy (retrograde) when refrigerated." Retrogradation, they explain, is the process in which cooked rice becomes hard again under refrigeration. It happens to rice that is high in the starch called amylose, such as U.S. long-grain rice.
You've got to love that it's made from simple ingredients like rice, milk, sugar and eggs. While this is a dessert, it does offer some nutritional benefits, including almost 10 grams of protein and 15 percent of the daily recommendation for bone-building calcium per cup.
What temperature do you cook homemade rice pudding at? ›
Method
- Heat the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Wash and drain the rice. Butter a 850ml baking dish, then tip in the rice and sugar and stir through the milk. Sprinkle in the nutmeg and top with the bay leaf or lemon zest.
- Cook for 2 hrs or until the pudding wobbles ever so slightly when shaken.
However, you can add, if, if your rice pudding di or vanilla pudding didn't thicken it is not only because of the kind of milk you used, you generally you need to use some kind of a starch, either arrow root or corn starch. I wouldn't use teca starch cuz that makes things a bit stretchy.
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.
What does rice pudding contain? ›
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.
Is Jell O pudding vegan? ›
The base ingredients for most Jell-O brand instant puddings are dairy-free as well as vegan. By using a non-dairy milk such as coconut, almond, or oat milk you keep this simple instant pudding dairy-free/ vegan.
Is there such thing as vegan rice? ›
Plain white rice is, generally speaking, vegan. It contains only the rice grain without the hull, making it a good alternative for people who have trouble processing high-fiber foods. White rice often comes topped with non-vegan butter, so be sure to order yours plain.
