Slow Cooker Rice Pudding
Slow cooker rice pudding with coconut milk is a sweet and simple dish to serve for breakfast, dessert, or a snack! This chilled pudding dish is so creamy and tasty served as is or enjoyed with your favorite toppings. With the slow cooker, it’s easy to make the best rice pudding every time!
What exactly is rice pudding?
Rice pudding is a slow-cooked dish with long-grain rice and a mixture of milk, cream, or water, and added sweeteners. The pudding can also include other ingredients mixed in such as fruit, nuts, and seasonings.
Depending on the region, some will serve rice pudding warm, but the classic rice pudding dish is typically served chilled. You can also find savory recipe variations that closely resemble risotto.
This creamy rice pudding recipe is written to be simply sweetened with white sugar and it creates a base that you can eat as is, or enhance with toppings as you please.
Ingredients Needed
These are the ingredients for a classic rice pudding recipe. The coconut milk creates the most delicious, smooth consistency!
- Basmati rice – Basmati is a long-grain white rice that maintains its texture well during cooking. The grains create a fluffy texture and contain less starch than other varieties. I like using basmati because it has a hint of additional aromatics and flavor, but you can use any long-grain rice.
- Sugar – Rice pudding is known for being sweet. Simple white granulated sugar will work.
- Coconut milk – Use canned coconut milk to ensure the added fat from the coconut cream. This ensures the creamy texture in the slow cooker and helps the pudding to achieve the necessary thickness. Most cans come in 15-ounce sizes, so you will need enough cans to cover 3 cups of milk.
- Butter – Adds some extra richness and flavor!
How To Make Slow Cooker Rice Pudding
- Rinse and drain the rice.
- Add rice, sugar, milk, and butter to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours.
- Stir the rice pudding well. (If the pudding is too thick, add a little more milk and stir.)
- Let the pudding cool completely, then divide into containers and refrigerate.
- Serve rice pudding chilled with mix-ins or toppings as desired.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
If you prefer, you can swap out regular milk (not skim or reduced fat) for coconut milk. You can also substitute a different variety of long-grain rice, such as jasmine or regular white long-grain rice.
Spice up your rice pudding with toppings and mix-ins! Here are some optional ideas to enhance the sweetness:
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, added with all ingredients before cooking
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg, or cacao powder dusted across the top
- A dollop of fresh whipped cream
- A spoonful or side of fruit compote
- A drizzle of maple syrup
- A sprinkle of regular or golden raisins
- A handful of berries or banana slices
Experiment to find the combination you love best!
Storing and Reheating
Portion into containers and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Enjoy it for breakfast, dessert, or just a snack when you need it! Serve chilled from the fridge.
Slow Cooker Rice Pudding
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- ½ cup basmati rice
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 cups canned coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Rinse and drain rice
- Add rice, sugar, milk, and butter to slow cooker and stir to combine
- Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours
- Stir rice pudding well
- Let pudding cool completely, then divide into containers and refrigerate
- Serve rice pudding chilled with mix-ins or toppings as desired
Notes
- Store rice pudding in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Near the end, the rice pudding can cook very quickly. It will look very runny for the first 2 hours on high heat but will set around 2.5-3 hours. Pudding will be done when it is no longer liquid, but not so mushy that the rice sticks together.
- If the pudding is too thick, add a little more milk and stir.
- If the pudding is too thin, add a tempered egg mixture in the last 30 minutes of cooking. Whisk the egg with a bit of the liquid removed from the slow cooker until smooth, then add it back to the slow cooker.
- Optional rice pudding additions:
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract in the slow cooker
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, or cacao powder
- Fresh whipped cream
- Fruit compote
- Raisins or berries
Nutrition
Slow Cooker Rice Pudding FAQs
- Why is my rice pudding mushy? Rice pudding will turn mushy when it is overcooked. Even in the slow cooker, you will want to keep an eye on it. If you cook it on high, it will look very runny for the first 2 hours but will finish up quickly around 2.5 – 3 hours.
- Why did my rice pudding not set? It is possible the pudding did not cook long enough. If the rice grains are soft but the liquid is still too thin, you can add an egg to the mixture in the last 30 minutes of cooking. To temper the egg:
- whisk it, then add a bit of slightly cooled cooking liquid from the slow cooker to the egg
- then, blend the egg mixture until smooth and add it back to the slow cooker.
- What kind of rice is best for rice pudding? Long-grain rice is best for rice pudding since it contains less starch. This helps prevent the rice from sticking together and becoming mushy.
- Should you rinse rice before making rice pudding? Yes, rinsing the rice helps to remove some of the additional starch. With too much starch, the rice pudding can turn out mushy and form into one mass in the slow cooker.
