Baked Rice Pudding

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Who doesn’t love comfort food? This heart-warming baked rice pudding is exactly what you need to feel better on a cold or rainy day.

Eggs seem to be one of those things that I either have a ton of or none of when I need them. This was a day when I needed to use some up before my organic eggs saw their maker (my garbage can).

It had been a dreary, rainy day and I felt like making some comfort food. I wanted a rice pudding but I wanted to make a fancier version. I wanted sophisticated flavors and a baked pudding instead of a loose runny one, so a brulée top would seal the deal. It’s no secret that I love a brulée, like my ginger mascarpone crème brulée.

But I couldn’t find a recipe that had all of the qualities that I was looking for. So, I took the best of all of the interesting recipes I found and came up with this. It was exactly what I was looking for.

Why is This Baked Rice Pudding So Good?

  • All of the creamy goodness of a rice pudding, with the added crunchy texture of a brulée top.
  • Warm, comforting, and cozy on a cold and rainy day, or if you need a pick-me-up at the end of a long work week.
  • A great way to use up ingredients that are probably laying in your pantry right now.
  • Although it needs some time to chill in the fridge, it’s so easy to make – this baked rice pudding is a great rainy day activity for the kids, too.

Ingredients

The Rice:

  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 2/3 cup long grain rice
  • pinch salt

The Custard:

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 vanilla bean, split in half
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 3 large whole eggs
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 orange, zested
  • 2 tbsp rum

The Brulee:

  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar

How to Make Baked Rice Pudding – The Steps

Step 1: In a small saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add the rice and a pinch of salt. Simmer it, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Transfer the rice to a bowl and let cool.

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 300°F. Butter a 9 inch shallow baking dish.

Step 3: Bring the milk and heavy cream to a boil in a pan. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds in.

Step 4: In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, honey, sugar, salt, rum, and orange zest until well combined. Add the rice.

Step 5: Add the milk mixture to the bowl in a slow stream while whisking. Pour it all into the baking dish.

Step 6: Put the baking dish inside a larger pan. Add hot water until it reaches halfway up the side of the pan. Bake the rice pudding for one hour or until it is set.

Step 7: Let the rice pudding cool and then chill it, covered in plastic wrap, for at least 6 hours or overnight in the fridge.

Step 8: Just before you are ready to serve it, cover the top with the brown sugar. Try to spread the sugar evenly over the top. Do a better job than I did.

Step 9: Broil the sugar 2 to 3 minutes until it is melted. It is easy to burn the sugar, so keep your eye on it. When the sugar is browned and shiny, serve your baked rice pudding.

Serving Suggestions

This is a delicious dessert, but I’d venture as far to say that you can have it at brunch, or even breakfast. If you want to bulk this baked rice pudding out, you can’t go wrong serving it with roasted pears or another sweet or tart fruit. If you’re having guests over, I’d recommend doubling up because this dish will be gone quickly!

FAQs

Can I substitute one ingredient for another?

Of course. While the rice is paramount, you can use any long grain rice, like Basmati or Thai jasmine rice. The vanilla bean can be swapped out for vanilla extract, and if you want to make a vegan version, swap out the milk, cream, and eggs for your favorite plant based alternatives. Results may vary slightly, but you’ll still have a delicious tasting dish.

Can I use leftover rice for this dish?

You can, but in my experience, the texture changes a little bit. I would recommend letting your leftover rice come up to room temperature first. This baked rice pudding is best with fresh rice, but experiment with it a little in your kitchen – that’s what cooking is all about!

Is there another way to get the brulée top?

The traditional way is to use a small torch. Hold it over your sugar topping carefully, so as not to burn it, and let the brown sugar bubble until it hardens.

How to Store Baked Rice Pudding

This dish is best eaten on the same today to keep the brulée from softening, but if you’re okay with that, keep the pudding in its baking dish, let it cool, and wrap it up tightly with plastic wrap. It will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days and can be served again cold, or whack it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes until heated through. You can switch on the broiler for the last couple of minutes, but because the sugar has already cooked, keep a close eye on it.

rie pudding brulee

Baked Rice Pudding

bakedbree
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Additional Time 6 hours
Total Time 7 hours 40 minutes
Course desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings
Calories 342 kcal

Ingredients
  

The Rice:

  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 2/3 cup long grain rice
  • pinch salt

The Custard:

  • 1 1/3 cups water
  • 2/3 cup long grain rice
  • pinch salt
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 vanilla bean split in half
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 3 large whole eggs
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 orange zested
  • 2 tbsp rum

The Brulée:

  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar

Instructions
 

  • In a small saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add the rice and a pinch of salt. Simmer it, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Transfer the rice to a bowl and let cool.
  • Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Butter a 9 inch shallow baking dish.
  • Bring the milk and heavy cream to a boil in a pan. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds in.
  • In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, honey, sugar, salt, rum, and orange zest until well combined. Add the rice.
  • Add the milk mixture to the bowl in a slow stream while whisking. Pour it all into the baking dish.
  • Put the baking dish inside a larger pan. Add hot water until it reaches halfway up the side of the pan. Bake the rice pudding for one hour or until it is set.
  • Let the rice pudding cool and then chill it, covered in plastic wrap, for at least 6 hours or overnight in the fridge.
  • Just before you are ready to serve it, cover the top with the brown sugar. Try to spread the sugar evenly over the top. Do a better job than I did.
  • Broil the sugar 2 to 3 minutes until it is melted. It is easy to burn the sugar, so keep your eye on it. When the sugar is browned and shiny, serve your baked rice pudding.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 342kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 10gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 216mgSodium: 217mgFiber: 1gSugar: 37g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

2 thoughts on “Baked Rice Pudding”

  1. @bakedbree, I have some leftover cooked rice that I want to use for your pudding.. It would be helpful if you could measure your cooked rice and let us know the measurement.
    3 cups seems like a lot. I want the pudding to be creamy!

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