Riz au lait (French Rice Pudding)

Made with real vanilla bean, this beautifully creamy French rice pudding, or riz au lait, is a popular French dessert and the best breakfast option. Try this traditional, timeless French pudding recipe, or bring a new flavor to an old favorite.

There is nothing easier than making French rice pudding. For every French, it is a grandmother's dessert with the beautiful taste of childhood.

It is a comforting breakfast or a gourmet dessert easily made at home for the rest of the world.

What is French rice pudding?

French rice pudding, or riz au lait, is a traditional French dessert with rice cooked in milk flavored with vanilla bean.

Its cooking principle is simple: rice grains must absorb the milk while slowly cooking rice.

The name of this recipe, riz au lait, originates from the French words 'riz' for rice and 'lait' for milk.

The best rice for rice pudding

To make a tasty and creamy rice pudding, it is essential to choose the correct rice.

• It has to have the ability to absorb the liquid as much as possible. So, round short-grain rice is the best dessert rice due to the rounded grains.

• It has to be rich in starch, so it tends to stick together during cooking. Therefore, it gives a signature creamy texture to the dessert.

The French use special round white rice called "riz rond." Risotto rice with short and round grains has the same qualities as pudding rice.

That is why Arborio rice, Carnaroli, and Vialone Nano rice are the best choice to succeed in pudding making.

French rice pudding recipe

• Rriz au lait recette is a quick and easy grandmother's recipe.

• It is made with pantry staples - simple ingredients like rice, milk, sugar, and vanilla. 

• For every French, it is a childhood dessert; every French grandmother knows the secrets of the best pudding recipe.

• It is a perfect comfort food for serving breakfast, brunch, or finishing a refined dinner.

Ingredients:

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Rice: Use short grain round rice such as riz rond (in France) or risotto rice such as Arborio rice, Carnaroli, and Vialone Nano rice found in grocery stores or on Amazon.

• Milk: The recipe calls for whole milk, but use low-fat milk if desired. To make rice pudding dairy-free, use soy, rice, oat, or almond milk (1 liter) instead of milk and heavy cream.

• Heavy cream: Use heavy cream with at least 30% fat content. Replace it with full fat milk if desired.

• Sugar: Use granulated or caster sugar interchangeably. Or replace granulated sugar with brown sugar or a sweetener. You can decrease the amount of sugar used to cook the rice.

• Vanilla bean: Use Madagascar vanilla beans for the best flavor. You can replace a vanilla pod with 1 sachet of vanilla sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla paste, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or approximately 1 tablespoon of vanilla syrup - a delicious recommendation from French chef Raymond Blanc.

How to make riz au lait

Step 1. To make rice pudding, split a vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape off the seeds with a knife's tip (photo 1).

Step 2. Pass the rice under cold water several times until the water is clear (photo 2). 

Pro tip: Washing rice helps remove the excessive starch. If you plan to make rice pudding in the morning, soak rice overnight and rinse it the next day.

Step 3. Immerse it in a large saucepan of boiling water and simmer/blanch for 2-3 minutes. Drain the rice using a colander or a fine-mesh sieve, but don't rinse it out (photo 3).

Pro tip: Simmering the rice for a couple of minutes is called bursting the grains. This step allows the rice to better release the starch, but also to be able to absorb more milk. 

Step 4. Pour milk, heavy cream, place the vanilla pod and scraped vanilla seeds in a medium saucepan and bring over medium-high heat. 

Step 5. Once it starts to boil, pour in the drained rice. Reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon. 

Pro tip: remember to stir regularly with a spoon to prevent the pudding from sticking to the bottom of the pan

Step 6. Add sugar and let gently simmer for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and let cool (photo 4).

Step 7. Making caramel sauce is an optional step. Pour sugar into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat.

Pro tip: Don't use utensils. Just shake the pot over the stove until the caramel gets an amber color.

Step 8. Remove from the heat, pour the warm cream, constantly stirring (be careful of the splash). Add butter and mix for about one minute over low heat (photo 5).

Step 9. Discard the vanilla bean once the rice has cooled (photo 6).

To serve, divide riz au lait into dessert cups or jars. Pour hot caramel over the dessert. Bon appétit!

Expert Tips

1. For more creaminess, reduce the rice to 2.8 to 3.5 oz. (80 to 100 g) for 1 liter of milk.
2. The rice is ready when it is soft and creamy and absorbs almost all the liquid. Remember that the rice will finish soaking up milk as it cools.
3. If the rice is too compact when cooled, add a little warm milk to soften it.
4. Make the caramel once ready to serve rice pudding. If it hardens, warm it up over low heat.
5. Be careful not to overcolor the caramel to avoid it becoming bitter.
6. Replace homemade caramel with the store-bought one or Bonne Maman® confiture de lait.
7. Serve rice pudding warm, lukewarm, or chilled. Once it is cooled at room temperature, place the dessert in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Recipe variations

The desired flavor has to be added to milk at the beginning of rice cooking. The flavor has to be distilled in liquid, but there are some exceptions.

For French chef Cyril Lignac,

...rice pudding is a great passion, especially since we can bring it lots of different flavors.

• Vanilla: It is a classic flavor of French rice pudding. Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape the seeds over a saucepan. Infuse the vanilla pod in the milk/cream mixture throughout the cooking and remove it at the end or before serving.

• Cinnamon: Cook rice with a cinnamon stick, then discard it. Or divide the rice pudding into individual ramekins and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

• Cardamom: Add ½ tablespoon ground cardamom to the milk/cream mixture and cook the rice.

• Lavender: Add 1 to 2 drops of lavender essential oil when adding sugar, and cook for another two minutes.

• Ginger: Add 2 to 3 cm of peeled fresh ginger to the milk/cream mixture and cook. Discard it once riz au lait is ready.

• Anise: Use 1 whole anise star to infuse a creamy mixture. Remove it after cooking.

• Chocolate: Add 1.7-3.5 oz. (50-100 g) grated dark, milk, or white chocolate to the milk mixture and continue cooking as directed in the recipe.

• Nutella: Add 3 tablespoons Nutella hazelnut spread to the hot rice pudding (while off the heat) and mix gently.

• Citrus: Add orange or lemon zests to the milk mixture and cook the rice. Or add 1.4 oz. (40 g) chopped candied orange peel at the end of cooking. Also, decorate the top of the dessert with citrus zests.

• Pink Praline: Grind 3.5 oz. (100 g) Pink Praline and add to the cooked rice pudding and mix gently.

• Rose water: Add 1 tablespoon of rose water to bring a romantic touch to the dessert.

• Matcha tea: Add a little matcha green tea powder to the milk/cream mixture to get a nice color and a unique taste to your dessert.

• Pistachios: Add 1.7 oz. (50 g) pistachio paste to the hot rice off the heat. Once serving, sprinkle the dessert with ground pistachios and serve with a scoop of rose ice cream.

How to serve rice pudding

Enjoy rice pudding warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

To serve rice pudding, use regular bowls, ramekins, glasses, or small cups. You can even create verrines by superimposing the different layers: rice pudding, fruit coulis, and fresh fruit. Just be creative.

• To serve it cold, cover the cooled pudding with plastic wrap in contact and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours before serving.

• Add 3.5-7 oz. (100 -200 g) the cold sugar-free whipped cream to the chilled rice pudding to lighten the dessert.

• Mix cold rice pudding with vanilla custard chilled overnight.

• Garnish it with dried fruit (apricots, prunes, raisins, etc.) previously macerated for 10 minutes in rum or black tea. 

• Sprinkle rice pudding with caramelized hazelnuts, almonds, chopped toasted pistachios, flaked almonds, or muesli.

• Top it with berries (fresh raspberries, half-strawberries, blackberries), fresh or stewed fruits (peach, mango, etc. ), dust with icing (powdered) sugar, and decorate with a small sprig of rosemary or mint.

• Pour liquid honey, maple syrup, salted butter caramel, or red berries, or rhubarb compote on top of the dessert. 

Storing and freezing

Store French rice pudding in an airtight container or a bowl with plastic in contact in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Can you freeze rice pudding? You can freeze it in individual air-tight containers for up to three months. To thaw, bring the dessert to the refrigerator for a few hours.

Recipe FAQ

Love quick desserts? Try these next!

• Banoffee Pie Cups
• French Chocolate Mousse
• Fig Tiramisu
• Or browse all the no-bake desserts

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The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.