Instant Pot Rice Pudding

By Melissa Clark

Published Oct. 27, 2021

Instant Pot Rice Pudding
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Roscoe Betsill.
Total Time
30 minutes, plus chilling
Rating
4(957)
Comments
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Rice pudding prepared in an electric pressure cooker is both speedy and simple — the kind of thing you can whip up in minutes in between other kitchen tasks. This version calls for short-grain rice, which turns plump and pleasingly sticky as it cooks in a combination of milk and heavy cream. Adding a vanilla bean lends deeply aromatic notes, but if you don’t have one, just stir 1 tablespoon vanilla extract into the pudding along with the egg yolks. Or skip the vanilla and add a teaspoon of whole cardamom pods to the pot to round out the spicy flavor of the cinnamon. Whipped cream might be overkill on a pudding this rich, but only in the very best way.

Featured in: Instant Pot Wisdom, Half a Decade Later

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • ¾cup arborio or other short-grain rice
  • 2½cups whole milk
  • ⅓cup granulated sugar
  • 1(2-inch) cinnamon stick
  • 1(4-inch) strip orange or lemon zest, peeled with a vegetable peeler (optional)
  • ½vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped with the tip of a paring knife, or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • Large pinch of fine sea salt
  • ½cup heavy cream
  • 2egg yolks
  • ½cup raisins (optional)
  • Ground cinnamon or cardamom, for serving (optional)
  • Whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

326 calories; 13 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 25 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 86 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In the pressure cooker pot, stir together the rice, milk, sugar, cinnamon stick, orange zest (if using), vanilla bean and seeds, and salt.

  2. Step 2

    Lock the lid into place and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.

  3. Step 3

    Open the lid and discard the cinnamon stick, orange zest and vanilla bean.

  4. Step 4

    In a small bowl, whisk together the cream and yolks. Whisk into the rice and continue to stir until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. (It will still look soupy at this point.) The residual heat of the rice will cook the yolks, and chilling will thicken the pudding. Stir in the raisins, if using.

  5. Step 5

    Spoon the pudding into serving bowls, then cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. Serve with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon or cardamom and whipped cream, if you’d like.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
957 user ratings
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Comments

CFXK

Melissa must be slipping. Rarely does she miss an opportunity to suggest the addition of bourbon to a recipe that takes to it well. How about bourbon soaked raisins here? Or as a sub for some of that vanilla extract?

NOLA_JimM

A variation is to add small-diced candied orange or lemon slices or candied ginger to cook along with the rice. The higher cooking temperature mellows out what might ordinarily be too dominate a flavor. My favorite is to use 2 to 3 Trader Joe's candied orange slices then serve warm with a pinch of ground cardamom and finely chopped pistachios. Can also completely replace milk with TJ's coconut cream or coconut milk. Adjusting the liquid +/- can make for a best served +warm or -cold.

Veronica

The benefit of the Instant Pot is not speed— it is not speedy—it’s being able to walk away from the kitchen and do other things while supper cooks: take a shower, a nap, tackle a big job like catching up on the laundry, or watch a movie with your child. The beauty of the Instant Pot is being able to do two things at once.

Abigail

I did not seem to manage to make it creamy. So it felt watery which is rather disappointing for such a dish.

Angela

Thanks for this recipe. The ingredient combination sounds much more intriguing than my mother’s baked version that I have been making for decades. Although I have an Instant Pot, I much prefer baking my rice pudding in a water bath like my mom & grandmother. Ah, the joy & satisfaction of continuing family traditions. I’m looking forward to mixing up a batch of Melissa’s recipe and popping it into the oven. A sprinkle of good quality ground green cardamom sounds like the perfect finish.

Betty Boop

Can you use a rice cooker to make this?

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