This chai-spiced rice pudding gets its creaminess from canned coconut milk, which also means — bonus! – this dessert is vegan. Garnish with cinnamon and coconut for a decadent dish.
In this recipe
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Prepare vegan rice pudding
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How much coconut milk?
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rice variety
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Spices in this rice pudding
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Other ways to season
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portion
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Save and Freeze
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
Some vegan recipes include the caveat, “It doesn’t taste bad at all!” It’s almost as if people believe that vegan recipes are inherently inedible and you have to try to “sell” them.
How do you make vegan rice pudding?
Coconut milk is the main ingredient for vegan rice pudding. Thanks to the slow simmering and frequent stirring of the rice and coconut milk, the starch from the rice thickens the pudding without the need for tempered eggs. A final cup of coconut milk is stirred in just before serving to ensure a smooth, silky rice pudding.
The difference between this vegan rice pudding and a traditional rice pudding is really non-existent in terms of taste and creaminess.
- If you’re looking for a non-vegan rice pudding recipe, I highly recommend this version.
How much coconut milk do you need?
For this recipe, you need three 13 1/2-ounce cans of coconut milk, which is unsweetened and essential for a creamy vegan rice pudding. Refrigerated and packaged coconut milk does not have the full flavor of canned coconut milk. Because canned coconut milk is unsweetened, you can control the overall sweetness of the finished rice pudding.
If you’re craving an even creamier pudding, stir in 1/2 cup of smooth coconut cream in place of the remaining coconut milk just before serving.
What kind of rice do you use?
Its floral essence and larger grain make jasmine rice my favorite type of rice for all my rice puddings. Basmati, which has a nuttier flavor, is another great rice to use in this dish. Plain, extra long grain, or long grain are also great substitutes for jasmine.
I would avoid short or medium-grain rice, as the grains would disintegrate a lot during cooking and you would end up with a porridge instead of a pudding with plump rice grains.
This recipe is also a great way to use up leftover rice, as long as it has not been heavily salted when steaming. To use leftover rice, simply skip the rice steaming step and add an additional 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the spice blend. Proceed with the recipe as directed, adding the star anise to the saucepan after adding the coconut milk.
What are the spices in this rice pudding?
Inspired by my favorite chai latte, this recipe begins by adding cinnamon and star anise to steaming jasmine rice. A spice blend of (more) cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, salt and a pinch of black pepper is later added with coconut milk and vanilla extract.
Despite being “chai-inspired,” no tea is used in the recipe. However, if you want to stay true to the chai nickname, steep a few bags of black tea in the rice water.
Other ways to flavor rice pudding
- Add 1 cup sultanas (golden raisins) or black raisins when adding the coconut milk.
- Chocolate chips (white, semi-sweet, or milk), dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, or pineapple), and/or marshmallows are great for adding variety.
- Top off your rice pudding with a drizzle of caramel sauce or chocolate sauce.
- For almond rice pudding, use chilled almond milk instead of coconut milk and almond extract instead of vanilla. In place of the star anise, add a 1″ thick lemon zest to the boiling rice water and omit the ground cardamom and black pepper from the spice mix. Garnish the almond rice pudding with toasted almond slivers.
How to serve rice pudding
Rice pudding should be served cold. After the rice has finished cooking, transfer it to a shallow bowl and let it cool completely (about 3 hours).
Once cool, stir in the remaining coconut milk (for extra creaminess) and transfer the pudding to individual serving bowls. Garnish with ground cinnamon and toasted coconut flakes.
How to store and freeze rice pudding
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to three days. You can freeze any leftovers that you don’t want to eat within three days. Packaged in a freezer-safe storage container, the rice pudding can be frozen for two months. Thaw the pudding in the refrigerator, adding 1/4 cup coconut milk to thin it if needed.
More vegan desserts to try!
- Vegan Banana Bread
- Vegan Mint Chocolate Ice Cream
- Nut-free “peanut butter” chocolate chip cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Frosting
- vegan brownies
Chai-spiced rice pudding
For an extra-tight seal when steaming the rice, cover the pot with aluminum foil and then put the lid on.
ingredients
For the rice:
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1 1/2 cups water
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1 (3 inch) Cinammon floor
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1 all star anise
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1 Cup jasmine rice
For the pudding:
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1 1/4 teaspoon Cinammonplus more for garnish
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1 teaspoon ground ginger
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3/4 teaspoon floor cardamom
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1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
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prize ground black pepper
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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3 (13 1/2-ounce) cans unsweetened coconut milkdivided
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1 cup packed Brown sugar
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Toasted coconut flakesoptional set
method
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Cook rice:
In a 4 quart saucepan, combine the water, cinnamon stick, and star anise and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the rice and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and steam until no longer crisp, about 15 minutes.
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Make the spice mix:
In a small bowl, combine the spices. Add vanilla extract and 1/4 cup coconut milk to the spices and whisk to form a smooth paste. This will prevent the spices from clumping together when you add them to the steamed rice.
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Mix rice and coconut milk:
Once the rice has finished cooking, add 4 cups of the coconut milk and spice paste to the saucepan. Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen stuck rice.
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Simmer the rice pudding:
Bring the mixture to a simmer, uncovered, over low heat and cook without stirring for 15 minutes. The surface of the rice pudding should develop small bubbles; When large, fast-moving bubbles break through the milk surface, lower the temperature. Don’t stir it because you don’t want the rice to break up. A skin will form on the surface, but that’s okay!
After 15 minutes, add the brown sugar and stir the pudding (stir the skin that forms as well). When you scrape the bottom of the pot, it sounds like paper rustling. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the pudding has the consistency of mayonnaise.
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Pour into a shallow bowl and refrigerate:
Remove the cinnamon stick and star anise from the pudding and discard. Transfer the pudding to a shallow bowl (such as a pie plate or casserole dish) and refrigerate, uncovered, until cold, at least 3 hours, or up to overnight.
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Finish with coconut milk and cinnamon:
Stir in the remaining coconut milk just before serving. Pour the pudding into individual serving bowls and garnish with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon and toasted coconut flakes.
Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 192 | calories |
| 4g | Fat |
| 39g | carbohydrates |
| 1g | protein |
