This Healthier Brown Rice Pudding is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, plus has extra fiber from the brown rice. And it tastes great!
I remember eating dessert quite often as a kid. My dad had (and still does have) a pretty big sweet tooth. He recently bought a new camping trailer, and I'm pretty sure that high on his list of considerations was the size of the freezer, and how much Culver's frozen custard he would be able to transport back to Canada.
My four year old is definitely starting to take after him - on our recent trip to Mexico, she ate ice cream 4 times per day on more than one occasion.
Anywhoo, the desserts I remember from my childhood often included pudding. Cooked Jell-o chocolate pudding was a favorite of my mom's - with banana slices. Yum!
Also those boxed pudding cakes. Rice pudding happened quite often. My mom made it very differently than this version - Healthier Brown Rice Pudding.
My mom's version was baked in the oven with leftover rice, eggs, milk and lots of raisins (unless I could talk her into leaving the raisins out - otherwise I pretty much never actually ate said rice pudding).
This version uses dry brown rice, milk, no eggs, no raisins and is simmered on the stove top. It is sweetened with a relatively small amount of maple syrup (but just enough so that you know that you're eating dessert).
How do you make Brown Rice Pudding?
This rice pudding is easy to make, and ingredients you probably already have in your pantry:
- Brown rice
- Water
- Salt
- Whole milk
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla
- Cinnamon
It can be made ahead of time and left to cool (or be refrigerated) until you're ready to eat it. This makes it perfect dinner party fare (especially for a comfort food or retro themed party) or just for a Sunday family dinner.
Can I use white rice instead of brown rice to make this rice pudding?
Yes, you can. Simply replace the brown rice with an equal portion of long-grain white rice and follow the recipe as written.
White rice typically cooks more quickly than brown rice, but for a pudding recipe it doesn't really matter too much. If you're in a rush, you can start testing the rice for doneness around 20 minutes but anticipate that the white rice will still take at least 30 minutes to reach the desired texture.
Want more Pudding Recipes?
Healthier Brown Rice Pudding Nutrition Notes
Using brown rice instead of white rice adds about 1g of fiber to this dessert, compared to basically zero from white rice. The recipe uses milk instead of cream to cut down on fat, and a minimal amount of maple syrup to cut down on the amount of sugar in the recipe.
Healthier Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown rice rinsed well
- 1 cup water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Stir together ½ cup brown rice, 1 cup water, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered until water is almost all absorbed, 15-20 minutes.
- Stir in 2 cups whole milk and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the pudding is thick and clings to the spoon, about 30-40 minutes.
- Remove saucepan from heat and stir in ¼ cup maple syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Cool slightly and serve warm or chilled. Add additional whole milk if the pudding has thickened too much. Top with fresh or dried fruit or nuts as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Anna says
Tried this and it turned out great! Brown rice and maple syrup, exactly what I have been looking for. Thank you for this recipe. I just added a capful of rose water to the pot once the milk has thickened (if you've never tried this you must!).
Carissa says
I'm so glad you liked it! The rosewater addition sounds delicious - I will have to try it!
Kirsty says
Thank-you - such a sweet, filling treat going into the cooler months.
Alice says
The flavor was excellent, but it took a lot longer to cook. Also, a film kept on forming on top. Is this normal?
Carissa says
Yes, the film that forms on top of pretty much any pudding while your cooking it (and after it cools) is normal. I just continually mix it in while it's cooking, and it pretty much just dissolves back into the pudding. After it's done cooking you can prevent the film from forming by covering the pudding with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding.
As for the cooking time, is there any chance you live at a high altitude? Rice takes much longer to cook at higher altitudes. If not, it could just be a slightly different type of rice, as some do take longer to cook than others.