Almond Milk Rice Pudding (Vegan)
A creamy and comforting Vegan Almond Milk Rice Pudding with hints of coconut, cardamom, and nutmeg. Delicious baked in the oven or cooked on the stove.
Rice Pudding has to be one of the best comfort foods there is.
Well, in my book anyway.
For me, it reminds me of my childhood when it was served at least once a week. My dad used ot have it all dried and rubbery and never liked it all creamy and soft like my mom, and I did. I guess it is just what you have grown up with.
It has, it seems, also had a bit of a resurgence of late. I have seen it on several menus over the last year. Just goes to show the classics are always firm favourites!
You may be surprised to know that Almond Milk Rice Pudding is equally as delicious as traditional milk rice pudding.
The only difference, really, is that it does not form a thick skin.
I put coconut cream in mine to give it a lovely creamy texture and cardamom to give it a very slight fragrance to the rice pudding.
Jump to:
Why make this Almond Milk Vegan Rice Pudding?
Healthy alternative to traditional dairy rice pudding ✔️
Coconut cream added for a creamy texture ✔️
Comfort food but vegan ✔️
Hints of cardamon, coconut and nutmeg throughout ✔️
Great as a dessert or breakfast ✔️
Add fruit, mixed seeds or chia seeds to make a perfect breakfast ✔️
About as easy to make as it gets! ✔️
Ingredients and Substitutions
See the Recipe card below for the exact quantities
- Arborio or pudding rice
Whilst other recipes often say that any rice can be used, I find arborio, which is the same rice that is used in risottos, soaks up the milk far better and gives a creamy texture. - Almond milk (with no added sugar)
I prefer to use fresh almond milk, but long-life will work fine - Demerera sugar
Demerera gives the Almond Rice Pudding an enhanced nutty flavour. You can replace it with granulated white sugar.
- Cardomon
As in my Cinnamon and Maple Syrup Buns, cardamom works really well with any milk products. Grinding the seeds that are found inside the green pods gives a fresher and more fragrant flavour, but you can replace them with ground cardamom if you prefer or with ground cinnamon. - Nutmeg
Fresh nutmeg is always better as it gives a more intense flavour, but ground nutmeg will work fine too. - Coconut cream
For a bit of tropical flavour and an enhanced creamy texture, coconut cream is added. You can replace it with coconut milk if you prefer.
Instructions
See Recipe card below for exact instructions.
Rinse your Arborio rice thoroughly until the water runs clear.
.
Mix your almond milk, coconut cream, sugar and ground cardamom seeds together in a large serving dish.
Stir in your rinsed rice and grind your nutmeg over the top.
Bake for 1.5 hours until creamy, and the rice no longer has a grittiness to it.
Alternatives
Traditional (non-vegan) creamy milk rice pudding recipe
Ingredients
160 grams arborio or pudding rice
410 gram tin of evaporated milk
850 ml of full-fat whole milk
60 grams white granulated sugar
Whole or ground nutmeg
20 grams of butter plus extra to grease the baking dish
Method
Heat your oven to 140℃ Fan/160℃/320℉/gas mark 3.
Grease a 2.5 pint baking dish with your extra butter.
Rinse your rice under cold water until the water runs clear
Mix together your evaporated milk, whole milk and sugar and then tip into your greased baking dish.
Tip in your rice and mix it around to evenly distribute.
Grate over a whole nutmeg (lots is needed for flavour and a delicious skin) or sprinkle over about 2 teaspoons of ground nutmeg.
Leave to bake for 1.5 hours, then check the rice is soft and swollen, if not continue to bake until it is.
Traditional Rice Pudding Topping
Has to be jam, doesn't it.
A dump of strawberry or raspberry in the middle. No contest.
I do have a recipe for homemade raspberry jam in my Victoria Sponge recipe, should you want to make your own. It is truly delicious and simple to make.
Homemade lemon curd made with lots of fresh eggs works well as a rice pudding topper, too, and adds some extra nutrition. Just follow the lemon curd recipe found in my LEMON TIRAMISU, which is made with fresh eggs to add a sweet but nutritious bit of sweetness. This is, of course, a non-vegan recipe.
Serving suggestions
Rice pudding topping ideas can include:
Sliced banana with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup
Mixed seeds and/or chia seeds for a healthy hit.
Freshly chopped fruit, such as raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, or kiwi fruits, work reallly well.
Chocolate hazelnut spread works really well as it complements the nutty milk in this Almond Milk Rice Pudding (there are vegan varieties available).
Storage
Cover your rice pudding with some cling film (plastic wrap) and refridgerate. It will keep for up to 3 days.
You can freeze it and use it within 3 months, but the texture may not be as good afterwards.
Top tips for perfect Almond Milk Rice Pudding
To be honest, there isn't much for this section as not a lot can go wrong! Except...
Don't overbake it....
As we all know, rice overcooks very easily, so do keep an eye on it when it is baking. The consistency you are after is a creamy rice pudding, soft, engorged grains of rice without any bite or grittiness left in them. But you still want to have lots of milky liquid surrounding them. Bake it for too long, and you will find it becomes a bit dry (perfect for my dad!) and solid.
....but if you do overbake it, don't worry
Simply stir in some extra almond milk. If you find that in doing so it is no longer sweet enough, then gently heat a couple of tablespoons of sugar with some extra almond milk until the sugar grains dissolve, and then mix into your rice pudding.
FAQ
Not in the way that traditional milk made rice pudding does, but it does form a light skin.
Not particularly. Vegan rice pudding is just as tasty and creamy, it just doesn't have a skin.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Almond Milk Rice Pudding (Vegan)
Here's what you'll need...
- Mesh sieve to rinse your rice in
- Large oven proof dish 2 litres in capacity
- Large or wooden spoon
Ingredients you'll need...
see blog post for alternatives if you do not have the ingredients blow
- 1 litre Almond milk
- 150 g Coconut cream
- 100 g Demerera sugar or white granulated sugar
- 10 cardamon pods or use ½ teaspoon of ground cardamon
- 180 g Arborio rice or pudding rice
- ¾ teaspoon Fresh nutmeg or ground nutmeg or ground cinnamon
Here's what we do...
Oven Method
- Heat your oven to 140℃ Fan/160℃/320℉/gas mark 3.
- Tip your rice into your sieve and run under cold water until the rice runs clear. Set aside to drain for a few minutes.
- Crack your cardamon pods, remove the seeds and grind them in a pestle and mortar.
- Add your your almond milk, coconut cream, sugar and ground cardamon seeds to your oven proof dish and mix together thoroughly. Using a small whisk is useful for this. Don't worry if dots of cream remain, they will go once the rice pudding is cooking.
- Mix your rinsed rice into the milk mixture and stir to distribute evenly.
- Sprinkle over your nutmeg.
- Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes by which time you should find that the rice is fully softened, engorged with milk and there is no bite or grittiness left to it.
- Serve as it is or add some jam or fresh fruits.
Stove Top Method
- Rinse your rice in your sieve until the water runs clear.
- Add 300ml of the milk and all of the other ingredients to a large heavy based sauce pan and heat on a medium-low setting, stirring all of the time until most of the milk has been absorbed.
- Continue to add more milk gradually until it has all been absorbed.
- Your rice pudding should be creamy and the grains of rice no longer gritty or hard in the middle when ready.
Comments
No Comments