Easy Rice Pudding Using Leftover Rice
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Making easy rice pudding is a great way to use up yesterday’s rice. This rice pudding recipe with leftover rice is sweet, scrumptious, and oh-so comforting. Turning leftover rice into a dessert is arguably the best thing you can do with it!
Why You’ll Love This Easy Rice Pudding With Cooked Rice
Our luscious rice pudding with cooked rice is temptingly moreish. It tastes amazing both warm and cold, but I doubt any of it will make it to the fridge.
The eggs in this recipe are pre-tempered so that you get all that creamy goodness without any unappetizing clumps of sweet omelet in your pudding. Follow the instructions carefully and you’ll be surprised how amazing it tastes.
You can make this easy rice pudding using cooked rice with any milk of your choice. I used regular full-fat milk, but you can use any plant-based milk you like. I love rice pudding with almond milk, coconut milk, or even pistachio milk.
Our rice pudding recipe is easily made vegan by omitting eggs and butter. Use your favorite plant-based milk and vegan butter or extra virgin coconut oil instead. Canned coconut milk takes the creaminess to new levels.
What Ingredients Do I Need For This Easy Rice Pudding Using Leftover Rice?
You only need a few pantry staples to make this sweet creaminess:
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 3 cups milk of choice
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2/3 cup white sugar (more or less as per preference)
- 2 large eggs, beaten (optional)
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
How To Make Easy Rice Pudding With Cooked Rice?
Step 1: Simmer the rice and milk
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, mix the rice, milk, and salt. Cook until it starts to thicken (for around 15-20 minutes) while stirring often to prevent the rice from burning.
Step 2: Sweeten and enrich the mixture with sugar and dried fruits
Add the sugar and stir until melted. This is a good time to add dried fruits like raisins or cranberries if using. Stir constantly until the fruit plumps up.
Step 3: Temper the eggs
Take about ¼ cup of the hot rice mixture and rapidly mix it into the beaten eggs. This will temper the eggs so that they don’t turn into scrambled eggs before adding them to the hot pudding.
Step 4: Integrate the tempered eggs & thicken the pudding
Once tempered, add them to the hot pudding and rapidly whisk them in. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring constantly until it thickens.
Step 5: Finish and serve
Remove the pudding from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Season with cinnamon and nutmeg to taste.
Step 6: Enjoy your Easy Rice Pudding Using Leftover Rice
Serve rice pudding warm or cold. Enjoy!
Notes & Variations
- Make sure you temper the eggs before adding them to the hot rice pudding. Otherwise, you’ll end up with scrambled eggs in your pudding. Not appetizing.
- Stir the rice pudding constantly while cooking to avoid any rice getting stuck to the bottom of the pan and burning. Yes, rice pudding requires your full attention, but the result is so worth it.
- Make less-sweet rice pudding to enjoy for breakfast. Reduce the amount of sugar to 1/3 cup. You can always add more sweetness later with jam, sugar, honey, caramel sauce, or maple syrup.
- Use unseasoned cooked rice to make rice pudding. Any seasonings like lime, spices, oil, or excessive salt will ruin the flavor.
- I love making this easy rice pudding with cooked rice and almond milk. Sometimes I add almond extract instead of vanilla extract for a different flavor bouquet. There’s no need for cinnamon and nutmeg in this case.
- To make this an easy rice pudding with no eggs, simply omit the beaten eggs. I also recommend reducing the sugar to ½ cup or 1/3 cup. It’ll still be lusciously creamy, just not as pudding-like.
- Easily make vegan rice pudding with plant-based milk, no eggs, and vegan butter or coconut oil. I love rice pudding with almond milk, coconut milk, pistachio milk, or even potato milk. Just make sure to reduce the amount of sugar.
What To Do With Leftover Rice Pudding?
Don’t worry if you have leftovers, rice pudding tastes just as good cold. You can store any leftovers covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.
If you prefer your rice pudding hot, there are several ways you can reheat it:
In the microwave in increments of 30 seconds. Make sure to stir the pudding every 30 seconds and don’t overheat it. You want it to steam, but not to bubble.
On the stovetop. Heat it on medium-low and stir the rice pudding constantly to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan. Don’t let it bubble or the egg will overcook.
To make your reheated rice pudding even more decadent, add a bit of salted butter to it. This will give it more umami and add a layer of caramelization that is out of this world.
What Is The Best Rice To Make Rice Pudding With?
Rice pudding is best made with white short-grain rice, but any leftover white rice will work well. Just make sure your rice isn’t seasoned since this can ruin the flavor of the pudding.
I don’t recommend using brown rice for rice pudding since the grains are too coarse and you won’t achieve that custardy pudding texture. Make sure the rice is not too crunchy either.
What Can I Add To Rice Pudding With Cooked Rice?
Old-fashioned rice pudding typically contains golden raisins, but the add-on options don’t have to end there. Here are a few delicious additions to try:
Dried fruits like cranberries, pineapple, mango, fig pieces, raisins, or candied citrus peels. You can add these ingredients together with the sugar or right before serving. Depending on whether you like your dried fruit softened and plump.
Chocolate chips or chunks. Try dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or even white chocolate. Add them at the end for beautiful melted chocolate swirls.
Jams and compotes. Jam is always a hit and it’s perfect to serve on the side so that everyone gets to choose their flavor. You can even make homemade jams at home like this Healthy Blueberry Lavender Jam, Gooseberry Jam, or Raspberry Rose Jam.
Crushed nuts or dried coconut. I love adding some chopped pistachios or pecans on top of my bowl of pudding for a little crunch. Desiccated coconut or even toasted coconut flakes are delicious too.
Maple syrup or honey. I also like to add less sugar to the rice pudding while cooking and then drizzle some maple syrup or honey on top. Add an extra bit of salted butter and oh my, you’re in heaven.
Other Ways To Use Up Leftover Rice
Although I love turning leftover rice into a scrumptious dessert, there are also many savory dishes you can make with that rice sitting in your fridge.
Turn that leftover rice into a star performer with this Simple Sizzling Rice Soup. The crispy rice makes a fun sizzling sound when it hits the rice that’ll delight everyone at the dinner table.
Make a healthy scrumptious dinner with these American-style Stuffed Peppers. Use leftover rice in this recipe and you’ll only need 10 minutes to prep these bad boys.
And of course, I wasn’t going to leave you without mentioning fried rice! Try this Simple Fried Scallops Rice for a delightful experience. Fried rice is best made with 1-3 days-old rice.
But let’s say you’ve already got the main dish covered and you came here for a dessert recipe. Let’s make yummy and easy rice pudding using leftover rice!
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 3 cups milk of choice
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs beaten (optional)
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, mix the rice, milk, and salt. Cook until it starts to thicken (for around 15-20 minutes) while stirring often to prevent the rice from burning. Add the sugar and stir until melted.
- Take about ¼ cup of the hot rice mixture and rapidly mix it into the beaten eggs. Once tempered, add to the hot pudding and rapidly whisk them in. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring constantly until it thickens.
- Remove the pudding from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Season with cinnamon to taste.
- Serve rice pudding warm or cold. Enjoy!
