Photo of Gretchen's Christmas Rice Pudding
Dessert · Holidays

Gretchen's Christmas Rice Pudding

Creamy Arborio rice simmered in milk with orange zest, lemon zest and vanilla. Gretchen makes it for the family every Christmas and it is one of my favorites!

  • Dessert
  • Holidays
  • Serves 4
  • Stovetop, medium heat
  • About 30 min
Gus' Family Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups Arborio rice (don't rinse it)
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • Zest of 1 orange (or 1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried orange peel)
  • Zest of 1 lemon (or 1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried lemon peel)
  • 1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
  • 1/4 tsp salt (optional)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

Steps

  1. Zest the citrus: wash and dry the orange and lemon. With a Microplane or the fine side of a box grater, grate off just the colored outer layer. The white pith underneath is bitter.

  2. Prep the vanilla: if you're using a bean, split it lengthwise with the tip of a small knife and scrape out the tiny seeds with the back of the knife. Keep the pod; it goes in too.

  3. Combine: in a heavy-bottomed saucepan (about 3 quarts), stir together the rice, milk, sugar, both zests, the vanilla seeds and pod (or the extract) and the salt, if using.

  4. Bring to a simmer: set the pan over medium heat and stir often until the milk is steaming and small bubbles form around the edge. Don't let it come to a hard boil; milk foams up and boils over fast.

  5. Cook: keep it at a gentle simmer, turning the heat down a little if needed, and stir every couple of minutes, scraping the bottom and corners of the pan. It's done when a grain of rice is soft all the way through and the rice has soaked up much of the milk, about 20 to 25 minutes in all. It should look like loose porridge; it thickens a lot as it cools.

  6. Finish: take the pan off the heat, stir in the cream, if using, and fish out the vanilla pod.

  7. Serve warm, or chill it and serve it cold.

Cook's Notes

  • Why Arborio? It's the short, starchy rice used for risotto. Its starch thickens the milk into a creamy pudding with no eggs or cornstarch, which is also why you don't rinse it.
  • Stir and scrape. Milk scorches easily on the bottom of the pan. A heavy-bottomed pan and regular stirring, more often toward the end, keep it from sticking.
  • Using vanilla extract? For a stronger vanilla flavor, stir it in at the end with the cream instead of at the start.
  • Make it ahead: it keeps covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. It firms up when cold, so stir in a splash of milk or cream to loosen it, warm or cold.