Easy Brown Rice Pudding
Published 10/2/2018 • Updated 12/8/2023
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Instantly warm up chilly winter days with a bowl of cozy brown rice pudding. This naturally vegan recipe is delightfully cinnamon-spiced and comes together with just 6 wholesome ingredients.
Once the temps drop below freezing, it’s rice pudding season here in the midwest. If you aren’t familiar with traditional rice pudding, you’re in for a treat today! Homemade brown rice pudding is thick, slightly sweet, creamy, and warms you up from the inside out! It’s like a second cousin to oatmeal – especially when made with a whole grain like brown rice. Often enjoyed for dessert, we love rice pudding for breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up, too.
This wholesome stovetop brown rice pudding is made in about an hour (lots of hands-off time) with simple ingredients and without any refined sugars. Here at Fit Foodie, we love cinnamon – if you do, too, we recommend increasing the amount to 2 teaspoons for even more warm, cozy flavor. Our naturally plant-based recipe is also gluten free, making this a versatile sweet that everyone loves!
Featured Comment
“Easy recipe to follow and we loved the results. We added a small handful of raisins at the 45 minute mark, and they added a nice texture and sweetness. We love cinnamon, and will increase the amount for the next batch.” – Ryan
What is in brown rice pudding?
All you need are just a few pantry staples to make this simple recipe:
- Brown rice (we used long grain)
- Almond milk
- Maple syrup
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Cinnamon
Brown Rice Pudding Variations
Rice pudding is a very forgiving recipe and works well with any of these substitutions:
Rice: Use the same amount of white rice instead of brown rice.
Milk: Instead of almond milk, use any kind of plant-based or regular milk. Oat milk would add a delicious creaminess and sweetness.
Maple Syrup: Feel free to use honey instead, but the pudding would no longer be vegan.
Spices: Increase the amount of cinnamon or mix things up by adding homemade pumpkin pie spice or a chai spice mix.
FAQ
Rice pudding is typically a dessert, but this recipe could totally pass for breakfast! Top with berries or a sliced banana, nuts, and a drizzle of maple syrup for a wholesome breakfast.
Yes, this is a naturally gluten free (and dairy free/vegan) recipe!
Rice pudding is supposed to be pretty thick. Once cooked, if it’s too thick for your liking, add 1-2 tablespoons of additional milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It’s a great meal-prep snack or dessert to make on the weekend and enjoy all week long!
Freezing Brown Rice Pudding
Let the rice pudding cool to room temperature, transfer to freezer-safe containers (we like to freeze this in individual servings), and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and warm before enjoying – you may need to stir in a splash of almond milk to thin the pudding out a bit.
Serving Suggestions
Serve brown rice pudding hot with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and a splash of almond milk. If you’re eating this recipe for breakfast, I suggest swirling in a nut butter (like cashew butter or peanut butter) and adding a handful of raisins or nuts.
Easy Brown Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain brown rice
- 4 cups unsweetened almond milk, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup*
Instructions
- Place the brown rice, 3 cups of almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and maple syrup in a medium pot set over medium/high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. Let simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining cup of milk and simmer for another 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is soft and chewy.
- Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon and optional almond milk.
Tips & Notes
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing Instructions: Once cool, transfer rice pudding to freezer-safe containers, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and warm before enjoying – you may need to stir in a splash of almond milk to thin the pudding out a bit.
- Maple Syrup: Use 1-2 more tablespoons of maple syrup for sweeter rice pudding. Feel free to use honey instead, but the pudding would no longer be vegan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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What a mess! Followed directions exactly, ended up with an overflowing rice cooker and milk everywhere. I have the size cooker mentioned in the comments. Thanks for nothing!
Let cook until timer turns off or all water is evaporated.
in your ingredients i only see milk as ingredient. is there water in this recipe too? how much. cant wait to try
Whoops- I meant to say milk 🙂 Thanks for catching that!
This is so good! I love rice pudding, but its a no no if youre dieting. then I found this recipe and my life is complete, thank you! I was wondering if you could tell me the nutrition facts, or the calories this whole recipe has?
The selections of rice that could be prepared in a Zojirushi rice oven swiftly and also effortlessly will
also aid to include range to your meals.
Made this today and it was delicious! I don’t have a rice cooker, so used a saucepan on the stove. Quick tip if doing it on the stove you don’t need to leave the lid on the moisture wouldn’t absorb for me, when I took the lid off it took about 45 minutes.
Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
Awesome suggestion, thank you so much for leaving that!
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I, Thanks for posting this recipe. I was wondering what kind of rice cooker you have. Mine is not a good one as it burns on the bottom everytime I use it unless I pull it out right away when its done. Thanks Luba
Here is the one I have —> http://amzn.to/1Ej9oEE (affiliate). I love it! It’s never burnt a batch of rice 😀
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I have a question I saw the recipes for the rice pudding, and it said to use 3 cups of almond milk but the direction said to use 1 cup of milk in to the rice and add another milk in the end?
Hi! So sorry if the instructions weren’t clear. You combine all ingredients which includes the first 3 cups of milk. Let it cook in the rice cooker and then when it’s done cooking, add in the last cup of milk! So in total you are using 4 cups of milk. Does that make sense?
Ok but what if you have white rice and rice cooker is just a normal turn and off kind?
Hey Natalie! I just posted a brand new rice pudding recipe today where you don’t even use a rice cooker. You could just follow the directions on how to cook the rice on the stove. Check it out —> https://fitfoodiefinds.com/2014/11/vanilla-almond-milk-latte-rice-pudding/