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Home » All » By Course » Desserts » Arroz con leche {Latin style rice pudding}

Arroz con leche {Latin style rice pudding}

By Layla Pujol 8 Comments

Arroz con leche rice pudding recipe

Arroz con leche rice pudding is a classic Latin American dessert made with rice, milk, cinnamon, sugar, raisins, and condensed milk. Obviously such a popular dessert has many recipe variations, and not just in Latin America, but it seems like this comforting dessert is well known throughout the entire world. I’ve had Asian variations that include spices like cardamom and rose water. The Spanish arroz con leche recipe doesn’t usually have raisins or cinnamon, but uses citrus zest and orange blossom water.

Other rice pudding variations include nuts such as walnuts, almonds or pistachios. You can also make arroz con leche with coconut, berries, mango, apples, dulce de leche, chocolate, etc. Arroz con leche is a great dessert because you can really customize the flavors to create a variation that is your own and that works for the different taste preferences of your family.

En Español

Arroz con leche rice pudding recipe

Arroz con leche {Latin style rice pudding}

Easy recipe for homemade arroz con leche, a classic Latin American rice pudding dessert made with rice, milk, cinnamon, sugar, raisins, and condensed milk.
4.4 from 171 votes
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Ecuadorian, Latin
Keyword: Arroz con leche, Rice pudding
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 4 -6 people
Author: Layla Pujol

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rice about 7 ounces or 210 grams, short to medium grain
  • 6 cups whole milk
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 orange peel strips
  • ½ cup sugar can also use brown sugar or miel de panela syrup
  • ½ cup raisins
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ½ cup condensed milk adjust based on the level of sweetness that you prefer
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon rum - optional

Optional garnishes:

  • Ground cinnamon
  • Chocolate shavings
  • Dulce de leche
  • Fresh berries or your choice of fruit

Instructions

  • Wash and rinse the rice very well.
  • Put the milk in a medium sized pot with the orange peel, cinnamon stick, and pinch of salt. Bring to boil and add the rinsed rice. Cook on low heat for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Stir occasionally, increase frequency of stirring as the cooking time increases.
  • Remove the cinnamon sticks and orange peel from the rice.
  • Add the sugar or panela and raisins, cook for 15-20 minutes, or until it is tender and creamy. Stir frequently.
  • Stir in the butter.
  • Add the condensed milk, vanilla and rum to the arroz con leche and stir well. Remove from heat.
  • The rice pudding or arroz con leche can be served warm or cold. Garnish with ground cinnamon, berries, dulce de leche, chocolate shavings, etc.

Arroz con leche
The preparation of arroz con leche also varies from one place to another, many people cook the rice separately in water (and sometimes spices) until it is tender (20-30 minutes), and then mix it with the milk and sugar. The best arroz con leches that I’ve tasted are the ones where the rice is cooked entirely in the milk, it does take longer for the rice to soften, but it’s completely worth the extra time. This also very similar to how we prepare morocho dulce, a spiced corn pudding drink, in Ecuador. You can sweeten the rice pudding with sugar or with panela, if using the latter prepare a miel de panela or syrup first. I also add some sweetened condensed milk at the end to give an extra richness; you can adjust how much condensed milk to use depending on how sweet you want it. Arroz con leche or rice pudding is a must-have dessert for the traditional Ecuadorian Easter meal.

Arroz con leche recipe
Arroz con leche can be served warm or cold. I tend to prefer it cold, except that when making it I can never resist having a small bowl right when it’s finished and still hot. Another yummy way to eat it is with some warm dulce de leche on top – or top it dulce de leche and then put it under the broiler for a few minutes. You can also put it in a large bowl and serve it family style, or for individual servings you can put in regular glasses, ice cream or dessert bowls, martini glasses, shot glasses (for small tasting size serving), ramekins, cazuelas, etc. You can serve this delicious dessert garnished with ground cinnamon, chocolate shavings, fresh berries, and/or dulce de leche, among others.

Arroz con leche or rice pudding

Step by step preparation photos for arroz con leche or rice pudding

Rinse medium grain rice to cook arroz con leche or rice pudding Bring the milk, orange peel, cinnamon and pinch of salt to a boil.

Cook on low heat for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until the rice is tender Add the sugar and raisins, cook for another 15 to 20 minutes or until it has the desired consistency.

Stir in the butter, then add the condensed milk, vanilla and rum, mix well and remove from heat. Arroz con leche can be served warm or cold

Creamy soft homemade arroz con leche or rice pudding recipe Arroz con leche can be served family style in a large bowl.

Arroz con leche Arroz con leche with cinnamon

Arroz con leche with ground cinnamon Arroz con leche or rice pudding with chocolate shavings

Arroz con leche with fresh berries Arroz con leche with dulce de leche

Homemade arroz con leche recipe Easy arroz con leche recipe

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Filed Under: Caribbean, Central America, Christmas, Comfort food, Desserts, Easter, Ecuador, Europe, Holidays, Kid friendly, Latin America, Mexico, Recipes for Lent, Rice dishes, South America, Valentine's Day, Vegetarian

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah Eberhard says

    May 5, 2020 at 10:38 am

    Absolutely love this recipe!

    Reply
  2. Sandy says

    September 22, 2015 at 12:31 pm

    Making this wonderful recipe for the second time. Its on the stove right now and I can’t wait!

    Reply
  3. Debbie says

    March 8, 2014 at 10:11 am

    Oh my gosh, this is nirvana! I made exactly as written by Laylita – used brown sugar, golden raisins, and Myers dark rum. I cannot wait to serve it tonight. Doubled recipe and had to add a bit more milk while simmering.
    Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

    Reply
  4. Amparo says

    December 26, 2013 at 2:59 pm

    Hi Laylita,
    I used the slow cooker to prepare this delicious desert to go with my Christmas meal. I followed your recipe very closely keeping in mind that it would take longer to cook in the crock than on the stove. I set the pot on high and it took approximately 2 1/2 hours from beginning to end, stirring occasionally, only when I had to add the next set of ingredients. It was SO worth it as it was delicious and the pudding didn’t stick nor burned to the bottom of the pot!

    Reply
  5. Hana says

    April 22, 2013 at 2:38 pm

    Is it required to use white rice? I am curious to try using short grain brown rice or basmati?

    I haven’t tried with brown rice, but it should work, though might take a little bit longer to cook. Quinoa is also a good alternative.

    Reply
  6. Noma Gardipee says

    April 16, 2013 at 4:45 pm

    Really good, but a lot of time and prep!

    Reply
  7. Ileana says

    March 22, 2013 at 10:20 pm

    Delicious….

    Reply
  8. Norma-Platanos, Mangoes and Me! says

    March 14, 2013 at 8:44 am

    Delicious and it remindsme of a son my mom would sin to me when little…thousand years ago…Arroz con Leche se quiere casar con una viudita de la capita, que sepa coer, que sepa bordar, que ponga la aguja en el campanar…

    Reply

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Welcome

 Layla Pujol is an Ecuadorian modern-day nomad who loves to cook and travel. She currently lives in Europe, previously in the US, and is currently working on her first cookbook, which will focus on delicious Ecuadorian and Latin recipes (adapted to her style). More

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