064 / 75 · Sweet finishes and small bakes
Vanilla Rice Pudding
4 small bowls of creamy vanilla rice pudding, each with one quarter of the batch · Active 22 min · Cook 43 min · Total 1 hr 10 min (warm service)
Cold serving plan: 3 hr 10 min; follow the stated cooling endpoint and finishing route.
Print recipe · PDFDry short-grain rice needs a real cooking interval before it becomes milk pudding. Start it in water, then add milk and continue gently, stirring often enough to move the softening grains off the bottom. Vanilla goes in at the end. This makes four modest desserts rather than one deep mug that can boil over.
Cook the grain before judging the sauce
The early water stage softens the rice without asking milk to take the whole long cook. When milk is added, the mixture can look loose at first. Continue the gentle simmer until the rice is tender all the way through and the liquid lightly coats the spoon. The final stand thickens it further; do not force it dry in the microwave.
Milk needs room and attention
Use the 3 L bowl and reduce power once the milk reaches a gentle bubble. Stir every few minutes, scraping the bottom and edges. If the surface rises, pause sooner rather than trying to finish a long unattended interval. The chilled option needs a separate refrigeration allowance, not a claim that warm pudding turns cold during a short stand.
Ingredients
- 60 g dry short-grain pudding rice (2 oz; about ⅓ cup), rinsed, with label simmering time about 15–20 minutes, not cooked rice
- 200 ml water (about ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp), for the first rice stage
- Up to 90 ml extra water (6 tbsp), only if the rice stage dries before the grains soften
- 400 ml pasteurized milk (about 1⅔ US cups)
- 20 g granulated sugar (about 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp)
- 5 ml vanilla extract (1 tsp)
- 0.5 g fine salt, a small pinch
Set out
1000 W microwave with turntable, Kitchen scale and measuring jug, Fork or small whisk, Spoon, Oven mitts, Food thermometer used outside the microwave, Microwave-safe bowl, at least 3 L/about 3¼ US qt measured capacity, about 22 cm/8¾ in inside diameter and 11 cm/4¼ in deep, Microwave-safe vented cover for the water-rice stage, Four shallow serving bowls or heatproof storage pots, each at least 250 ml/about 1 US cup usable capacity, Fine sieve
Allergens
Milk. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Put the rinsed dry rice, 200 ml water and salt in the 3 L bowl. Cover with a vent and microwave at 1000 W full power for 3–4 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes, until bubbling. Reduce to 50% power and cook for 12–15 minutes, stopping every 4 minutes to stir. The rice should be nearly tender with some moisture still present. If the bottom dries while grains are firm, add 30 ml/2 tbsp reserve water at a time, up to 90 ml total, and continue in 1-minute bursts.
- Stir in all the milk and sugar. Leave uncovered so the milk is visible. Heat at full power for 3–4 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes, until it begins to simmer gently. Pause immediately if it rises toward the rim.
- Reduce to 50% power and cook uncovered for 15–20 minutes, stopping every 3 minutes to stir the bottom and edges. Keep a gentle bubble; if it stops simmering entirely, use 60% power for the next attended cycle. Continue until the rice is fully tender through the center and the milky liquid lightly coats the spoon. Additional 1-minute bursts or a little of the remaining reserve water may be needed; do not taste a hard grain as a way to skip its full cook.
- Stir in the vanilla. Stand for 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes, while the pudding thickens. Divide the whole batch equally among four shallow bowls and serve warm. For the cold option, portion into the heatproof pots promptly after the stand and refrigerate, allowing about 2 hours more until 40°F/4°C or colder; the endpoint controls and may take longer. Do not leave the large bowl on the counter to cool.
Dry rice is the starting weight
The 60 g is uncooked grain. Ready-to-eat rice or a different long-grain variety is not an equivalent ingredient in this liquid and timing.
Use the small pots for chilling
Four shallow portions cool more readily than one deep 3 L cooking bowl. The refrigerator stage is part of the cold plan, not an optional counter rest.
Ingredient labels
Milk contains milk; vanilla extract and rice labels should still be checked. The soy-drink variation contains soy. No coconut, cinnamon or fruit topping is included.
A useful detail
The 70-minute warm-service plan allows 8 minutes of preparation, up to 43 minutes of sequential heating, the 10-minute final stand and 9 minutes for repeated stirring and portioning. The baseline is 1000 W. The optional cold route reserves up to 190 minutes total including roughly 2 hours of refrigeration; actual 40°F/4°C cooling, not that clock alone, determines readiness. A slower rice product or extra water can extend either route.
Another way
- Replace 5 ml/1 tsp vanilla with 1 g/about ½ tsp finely grated unwaxed lemon zest, stirred in after heating. This changes the aroma without adding a separate syrup.
- Use 400 ml/about 1⅔ US cups unsweetened soy drink instead of milk. Soy becomes an allergen; the thickening texture can differ, so retain the fully tender rice and spoon-coating endpoints.
Keep it well
Refrigerate reserved pudding promptly in the four shallow portions, ideally within 1 hour after the continuous rice-pudding cook, at 40°F/4°C or colder. Use within 24 hours of that original cooking. It may be eaten cold or reheated only once: loosen a portion with 15 ml/1 tbsp water, cover with a vent, stir between short bursts, stand 2 minutes and verify 165°F/74°C throughout. Mixing in milk does not reset the rice clock.