Creamy baked rice pudding (Printer-Friendly)

Comforting creamy baked rice infused with cinnamon and sweet raisins, perfectly thick and tender.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Grains

01 - 2/3 cup short-grain white rice

→ Dairy

02 - 4 cups whole milk
03 - 1/4 cup heavy cream
04 - 3 tbsp unsalted butter

→ Sweeteners

05 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar

→ Fruit

06 - 1/2 cup raisins

→ Spices & Flavorings

07 - 1 tsp ground cinnamon
08 - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
09 - 1/4 tsp fine salt

→ Optional Topping

10 - Ground nutmeg, for garnish

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter a 2-quart baking dish.
02 - Rinse the rice under cold water until water runs clear; drain thoroughly.
03 - In a large saucepan, combine whole milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, butter, ground cinnamon, and salt. Warm gently over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and mixture steams without boiling.
04 - Stir in rinsed rice and raisins. Remove from heat and blend in vanilla extract.
05 - Pour mixture into prepared baking dish; stir gently to distribute rice and raisins evenly.
06 - Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 55 minutes. Stir gently halfway through baking.
07 - Remove foil and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened and rice is tender.
08 - Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm or chilled, garnished with ground nutmeg if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It requires almost no active time once everything goes in the oven, freeing you to do other things while your kitchen smells incredible.
  • The creamy, tender rice absorbs all the cinnamon and vanilla so every spoonful feels intentional and warm.
  • It's naturally forgiving—this recipe actually improves if you forget about it a few extra minutes.
02 -
  • The pudding will seem thinner than you expect when you first take it out of the oven—it continues to thicken as it cools, so don't panic and put it back in thinking something went wrong.
  • If you use boiling milk instead of gently heated milk, you'll get a thin, watery pudding and a slightly unpleasant cooked flavor that you can't undo.
  • Stirring halfway through isn't optional; it's what prevents a gummy bottom layer and ensures the rice cooks evenly throughout.
03 -
  • A 2-liter baking dish is important for the ratio of surface area to depth—use a smaller dish and your pudding will be too thick, use a larger one and it'll be too thin.
  • If you like your pudding sweeter, add sugar directly to your serving bowl instead of to the whole batch, so others can enjoy it less sweet if they prefer.
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