Arroz Con Leche: Easy Dessert To Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

📋 Ingredients & Substitutions

To make this recipe, you’ll need the following:

• Long grain rice: you can use your regular day-to-day rice. No need for special rice. If you want to make it fancy, you can use arborio rice. You may use brown rice, but the cooking time and the amount of liquid the rice needs to be cooked in will be longer.

• Milk:  I have used 2% and whole milk. The more fat content, the creamier it will result. You can use evaporated milk, but since evaporated milk is not as sweet as regular milk, you may need to add more sweeteners to get the same sweetness.

• Sweetened condensed milk: this sweetener is used in the recipe, giving the dessert another layer of creaminess. If you don't have it on hand, you can omit it, add evaporated milk instead and use sugar to sweeten it.

• Raisins: these also add sweetness. You can omit them if you don't like them, but this is part of the traditional dish, or replace them with golden raisins; these will work too.

• Ground cinnamon and sticks: If you enjoy cinnamon, you can add more.
• Vanilla extract
• Salt and water

You’ll have the complete measurement of each ingredient on the recipe card below.

As for utensils, you’ll need a thick bottom pot or Dutch oven, a spoon, a sifter, and liquid measuring cups.

Now that you have gathered all the ingredients and utensils let me show you the simple steps you need to follow to enjoy this easy dessert at home.

📝 How To Make Arroz Con Leche

Let's start the step-by-step process of cooking this creamy rice pudding:

1. Use a sifter to wash your rice, until the water runs clear, and set it aside. Washing your rice will help remove debris and excess starch content. Helping the rice pudding grains be as separated as possible. Nobody likes clumps in rice pudding.

2. Mix the milk and the sweetened condensed milk in the liquid measuring cup and set it aside. This mixture will be used later.

3. Add the rice, 2 cups of water, salt, and the cinnamon stick into the Dutch oven or pot. Turn on the heat to medium-high, and bring the rice to a boil. It’ll take about 5 minutes.  Then let it cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice has absorbed most of the water and is soft. This can take about 10-15 minutes.

4. Once the rice is soft, remove the cinnamon stick, add the milk mixture, lower the heat, and let it cook for about 8 minutes, constantly stirring or until you get a creamy consistency. Make sure to stir to prevent sticking and the milk from burning on the bottom. If there is still liquid, you don't need to worry. It will continue thickening once it's cooled.

5. Turn off the heat, add the raisins, vanilla extract, and cinnamon powder, and stir to combine.

6. Serve hot or cold with sprinkled ground cinnamon on top. Check out the toppings section for other ideas.

👩🏽‍🍳 Recipe Tips

• Don't cook the rice pudding longer since it will thicken once cool. So if you leave it with some liquid, it should maintain its texture.
• If it thickens too much in the fridge, add a few splashes of milk and mix it in. Or you can warm it in the microwave.
• Wash the rice to remove debris and excess starch.
• If the rice pudding has too much liquid after done cooking, you can cook it a little bit longer if you prefer.
• Stir frequently after adding the milk, to prevent it from burning.

• I prefer cooking the rice first in water, then with milk, because it helps absorb the liquid better. I also noticed that cooking only with milk takes longer to soften. This is a simple trick to cook it faster.
• Basic arroz con leche liquid-to-rice ratio is 3 parts liquid: 1 part uncooked long grain rice. The liquid can include water, evaporated milk, whole milk, or a combination. 

Does Rice Pudding Get Thicker As It Cools?

Yes, rice pudding gets thicker as it cools. Keep it from cooking too long, and you will end up like goop. But it can be fixed by mixing more milk into each serving.

Should Rice Be Washed Before Making Arroz Con Leche?

In my experience, washing the rice before cooking arroz con leche yields a better result, and you don't get clumps.

What Thickens Arroz Con Leche?

The rice starches, condensed milk, and cooking time all of these help in the thickening process of the arroz con leche. 

Why Is My Rice Pudding Rice Still Hard?

This could be a couple of reasons:

1. Insufficient liquid: Add more liquid (milk or water) and cook it longer.
2. Heat was too high: If this happens, the liquid will evaporate too quickly. Lower the heat and cook longer.
3. Different rice types: may need more or less cooking liquid. Adjust accordingly.

How long Does Arroz Con Leche Last in the Fridge

When stored in an airtight container in the fridge, arroz con leche will stay fresh for up to 5 days.

🔖 Recipe Variations

• Chocolate: omit the raisins, and add 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or ½ cup of chocolate chips and mix it in when still hot so the chocolate integrates or melts.
• Matcha: prepare a matcha tea with ¼ cup warm water and 2-3 teaspoons of matcha powder. Then add to the pot once the rice is soft, after adding the milk.
• Dulce de leche: substitute the sweetened condensed milk, add it to the recipe with the milk, and let it cook until it thickens.
• Can add a few cloves for more flavor, add them with the cinnamon stick.