Coconut Vanilla Rice Pudding
For me, rice pudding is pure comfort. It is what I want to eat if I am sad, sick, or just not too interested in life. Ironically, it is also what I want to eat when I feel great about life – it is sort of a celebration food for me. Perhaps it is because my mom made rice pudding a lot when I was growing up.
I live near Tarpon Springs, a huge Greek community in Florida, where rice pudding is a dime a dozen. However, the Greek rice pudding has so much cinnamon in it and often raisins, of which I am not always a huge fan. Sometimes that is all good but normally I like my rice pudding pretty simple. I want it to be sweet and creamy. I want to taste vanilla. And when I am feeling fancy, I want the specs from real vanilla beans.
This rice pudding recipe fulfills all those desires and also happens to be dairy-free. It is rich and creamy with the slightest hint of coconut.
This recipe uses a whole vanilla bean from Singing Dog Vanilla. I say in the recipe to discard the vanilla bean but really – here is what you should do: remove the vanilla bean pod, clean it off, and leave it to dry. Then add it to some sugar and let sit for a few days. Or you can toast it in the oven for a few minutes, grind it up, and add it to some sugar. And now you have delicious vanilla sugar which is great for baking or pretty much anything. Personally, vanilla is one of my favorite flavor profiles for desserts. If push comes to shove, I will take vanilla over chocolate any day of the week. I know this may be controversial, but hey, that’s how I feel.
Served warm or cold, this rice pudding is comfort in a bowl!
For more gluten-free dessert recipes, go here.
Dairy Free Coconut Vanilla Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups cashew or other dairy-free milk
- 1 (14-ounce) can coconut cream
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 1 Singing Dog Vanilla Bean
- Coconut whipped cream topping , for serving
- ½ cup toasted coconut flakes , for serving
Instructions
- Combine the dairy-free milk, coconut cream, maple syrup, cornstarch, and salt in a medium nonstick saucepan. Whisk to dissolve the cornstarch. Add the rice. Cut the vanilla bean in half, scrape out the seeds into the mixture, and add the vanilla bean pods. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat, and cook at a low simmer, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes or until it reaches the consistency of risotto. Remove from the heat, remove and discard the vanilla bean pods. Let cool for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Can be served warm or chilled. To chill, transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, placing the wrap directly on the surface of the rice pudding to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Served topped with coconut whipped topping and toasted coconut flakes if desired.
Nutrition
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