Riz au lait (French Rice Pudding)

Beautifully creamy, this French rice pudding, or riz au lait in French is a popular French dessert and the best breakfast option. Try out this classic French rice pudding recipe, or bring a new flavor to an old favorite!

There nothing easier to make French rice pudding. For every French, it is a grandmother's dessert with the wonderful 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 called riz au lait in French is a favorite French dessert made with rice cooked in milk.

Its cooking principle is the same as cooking rice in water: the rice grains have to absorb the milk.

The best rice for rice pudding

To make a tasty and smooth 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 rice is the best dessert rice due to the rounded grains.

It also is rich in starch, which is why it tends to stick together during cooking. Therefore, it gives a signature creamy texture to the dessert.

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

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

Why do you have to wash the rice?

Yes, rice contains starch that helps to thicken the pudding and obtain a creamy texture.

However, the French almost always wash the rice while making rice pudding.

This step removes dust residues due to packaging, and it is also the best way to remove excess starch from the rice grains.

Moreover, it reduces the cooking time of the dessert. It takes up to 45 minutes to cook the washed and blanched rice.

How to wash the rice? Pass the rice under cold water several times until the water is clear. If you plan to make rice pudding in the morning, soak rice overnight and rinse it the next day.

Why you should blanch the rice

Blanching rice is soaking/cooking it in boiling water (sometimes even salted boiling water) for 3 to 5 minutes to increase rice grains' absorption capacity.

The heart of rice grains breaks a little, which allows rice to absorb ten times more milk.

What if you do not have time or you missed this step? You will be just fine!

You will have to cook rice a bit longer, and the texture of your pudding will be a little firmer.

How to flavor rice pudding

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 is the 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 is another flavor to cook the pudding with. Cook rice with a cinnamon stick, then discard it.

Divide the rice pudding into individual ramekins and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

How to flavor riz au lait with cardamom? Add ½ tablespoon ground cardamom to the milk/cream mixture and cook the rice.

Once serving, sprinkle the dessert with ground pistachios and serve with a scoop of rose ice cream.

If you feel like flavoring your pudding with lavender, add 1 to 2 drops of lavender essential oil when adding sugar and cook for another two minutes.

As for ginger flavor, add 2 to 3 cm of peeled fresh ginger to the milk/cream mixture and cook. Discard it once riz au lait is ready.

You can also use 1 whole anise star instead of ginger. Remove it after cooking.

For a chocolate lover, add 1.7 to 3.5 oz. (50 to 100 g) grated dark, milk, or white chocolate to the milk mixture and continue cooking as directed in the recipe.

Or add 3 tablespoons Nutella hazelnut spread to the hot rice pudding (while off ​​the heat) and mix gently.

Citrus lovers will appreciate the citrus flavor in rice pudding. Add lemon or orange zest 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 zest.

Pink Praline is not an exception to making rice pudding. Grind 3.5 oz. (100 g) Pink Praline and add to the cooked rice pudding and mix gently.

Also, add 1 tablespoon of rose water to bring a romantic touch to the dessert. Omit sugar while using Pink Praline.

Finally, if you are a fan of 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.

To get the same beautiful green color and nutty taste of rice pudding, add 1.7 oz. (50 g) pistachio paste to the hot rice off the heat.

How to serve rice pudding

Enjoy rice pudding warm, at room temperature, or chilled. To serve it cold, cover the cooled pudding with plastic film in contact and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours before serving.

Some chefs add 3.5 to 7 oz. (100 to 200 g) the cold whipped cream to the chilled rice pudding to lighten the dessert.

Philippe Conticini mixes cold rice pudding with a custard chilled overnight.

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

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

Sprinkle rice pudding with caramelized nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, etc.), chopped toasted pistachios, flaked almonds, or muesli.

Top it with half-strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, sliced into small pieces peach or mango, dust with icing (powdered) sugar, and decorate with a small sprig of rosemary or mint.

Pour liquid honey, maple syrup, salted butter caramel (the recipe is below), or red berries compote on top of the dessert. 

Why you should try this recipe

1. This French rice pudding recipe (riz au lait recette in French) is a quick and easy recipe to make.
2. It is made with pantry staples (rice, milk, sugar, and vanilla). 
3. For every French, it is a childhood dessert; every French grandmother knows the secrets of the best pudding recipe.
4. It is a classic perfect for serving for breakfast, brunch, or finishing a refined dinner.

Ingredients:

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.

Rice: use short grain round rice such as riz rond (in France) or risotto rice such as Arborio rice, Carnaroli, and Vialone Nano rice.

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

Heavy cream: use heavy cream with at least 36% fat content. Replace it with whipping cream (30% fat content) or milk.

Sugar: replace granulated sugar with brown sugar or a sweetener if desired. You can decrease the amount of sugar used to cook the rice.

Vanilla bean: use Madagascar vanilla beans or replace the vanilla pod with 1 sachet of vanilla sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla paste, or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.

How to make riz au lait

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

Rinse the rice thoroughly with running cold water to remove the starch (photo 2).

Immerse it in a large saucepan of boiling water and simmer/blanch for 3 minutes. Using a colander or a fine-mesh sieve, drain the rice (photo 3).

Pour milk, heavy cream, place both the vanilla pod and seeds in a medium-to-large saucepan and bring to a boil.

Pour in the drained rice, reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring regularly with a wooden spatula. 

Add sugar and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool (photo 4).

To make caramel, pour sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat.

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

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).

To serve, discard the vanilla bean once the rice has cooled and divide riz au lait into dessert cups/bowls (photo 6). Pour hot caramel over the dessert.

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 has absorbed almost all of the liquid. Please, remember that the rice will finish to soak up milk as it cools.
3. If the rice is too compact when cooled, add a little warm milk to soften it.
4. Read on about what caramel is and how to make it in the recipe for Hazlenut Praline.
5. Make the caramel once ready to serve rice pudding. If it hardens, warm it up over low heat.
6. Be careful not to over color the caramel to avoid it becoming bitter.
7. Replace homemade caramel with the store-bought one or Bonne Maman® confiture de lait.
8. 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.

Frequently asked questions

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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.