Instant Pot Rice Pudding

Instant Pot rice pudding is warm, creamy, lightly sweetened, and so satisfying. It’s the reliable dessert on a cold winter evening.

At a glance

What stands out: Rice pudding is wholesome and filling, and is made with simple ingredients. It’s straightforward on the tummy and not overly sweet.

How long it takes: just over a half hour, allow some time to cool
Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot pressure cooker
Servings: 8

Call us a pudding fan. There’s something about from-scratch vanilla pudding or chocolate pudding that is so enticing. It’s like a cuddly blanket or a gentle hug. It’s sweet, but not too sweet, and so creamy. Pudding is a comforting dessert that makes us feel happy.

Rice pudding brings back memories of our grandpa and his version of rice pudding. He simply prepared white rice with milk instead of water. He threw in a lot of raisins because he loved raisins. We would spread the rice out on a plate, slather butter on it, and then sprinkle it with brown sugar and cinnamon. It was a special grandpa treat! You know, now we're thinking that would be great with coconut rice.

About This Recipe

Anyways, back to Instant Pot rice pudding. Stovetop recipes call for constant stirring as the rice cooks and absorbs the milk. The process is similar to making risotto and it takes a little patience and time.

Your Instant Pot simplifies the process drastically. It’s pretty much hands off until the end when you stir for a couple of minutes. We've found that a pressure cooker is the ticket for recipes that traditionally take a lot of stirring. Try Instant Pot risotto and Instant Pot polenta and you’ll see what we mean.

What You’ll need

• Basmati Rice: This long grain white rice is the reliable choice for rice pudding. See more about rice in the FAQ section below.
• Milk: For the richest, creamiest pudding, use whole milk. Lower fat milk tends to separate. Since rice pudding is basically rice and milk, using the right milk is important.
• Brown Sugar: This rice pudding isn’t heavily sweetened, with only a half cup of sugar. Some recipes are made with sweetened condensed milk which makes a sweet pudding.
• Heavy Cream or Half-and-Half: Either one is fine. Heavy cream makes a richer pudding but we found that half-and-half did the job just as well. In case you’re wondering, half-and-half is simply a 1:1 blend (hence the “half and half” name) of heavy cream and whole milk.
• Eggs: You’ll need 2 large eggs. It’s best if they are at room temperature before adding them to the pudding. Simply take them out of the fridge when you begin cooking the rice. By the time the rice is ready, the eggs will be warm enough.
• Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste are both good choices. Vanilla bean paste adds a bit more sugar but it does have those tiny brown specks of vanilla bean that are nice in rice pudding. Both products can be found in baking aisle, usually next to the spices.
• Nutmeg: Freshly grated nutmeg has a standby flavor but ground nutmeg is evenly acceptable.
• Raisins, optional: Traditionally, rice pudding is made with raisins. Any type of raisin is fine. If the raisins are dried out, soak them in hot water ten to fifteen minutes to plump them up before adding them to the pudding. If you don’t care for raisins, feel free to leave them out.

Don't Have An Instant Pot?

We find this small kitchen appliance useful for everything from straightforward main dishes to food prepping. Check out our list of more than sixty Instant Pot recipes if you’re uncertain whether you need one or not. We think you’ll be convinced.

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How it comes together

Get your Instant Pot out and let’s get cooking! Remove all the ingredients you’ll need from the refrigerator: milk, eggs, half-and-half. Although you won’t be using everything right away, it’s best if they come to room temperature while the rice is cooking.

If your raisins are not-quite-fresh and are looking a lot like dried pebbles, pour a cup of hot water over them and let them plump up for a while. Be sure to drain them well before adding them to the rice pudding.

We like to lightly spray the inside of our Instant Pot with nonstick spray. It helps when it comes to cleanup.

Measure out a cup of rice and add it to the Instant Pot, along with the water, a cup of milk, and a bit of salt. Lock on the lid and set the cooker to Pressure Cook for five minutes. Some models have different settings, such as Manual, High Pressure.

It will take about 10 to 11 minutes to come to pressure.

When the timer goes off, leave the cover on and wait for ten minutes. This is a natural release of pressure and means that you don’t do anything except maybe set a timer to keep track of the time.

Once ten minutes has elapsed, release the remaining pressure and carefully remove the lid. Stir in the brown sugar. The pudding won’t look much like pudding yet but don’t worry.

Whisk together the milk, cream, and eggs. Choose a mixing bowl that has a little extra room. Scoop out a half cup of the hot rice mixture from the Instant Pot and slowly add it to the egg mixture, whisking as you go. By warming up the egg mixture slowly, you avoid the risk of “scrambled eggs” when you add the eggs to the pudding.

Now, go ahead and slowly add the bowlful of milky eggs and rice to the rice mixture in the Instant Pot. Turn the Instant Pot on Sauté mode. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a simmer. Let the pudding cook for a few minutes as it begins to thicken.

Turn off the Instant Pot and stir in the raisins, vanilla, and nutmeg. At this point, the rice pudding will still look pretty thin. Don’t despair, it’s okay. Pour (or scoop) it into a large bowl to cool, or into individual serving dishes. Do be careful; the pudding is extremely hot.

Let the pudding cool for fifteen minutes or so before serving it. While it can be eaten either warm or cold, we think it’s best warm. Enjoy! If you want to sprinkle a little cinnamon on top, that’s always nice, too.

Before you start

Make It Your Own

• If you prefer, long grain white rice or jasmine rice can be substituted for basmati rice.
• Looking for a dairy-free, gluten-free, no egg recipe? Try vegan rice pudding from One Lovely Life.
• If you’re more into chia pudding than rice pudding, try our chia seed pudding or chocolate chia pudding.

Keeping leftovers

Cool rice pudding for an hour or so at room temperature. Spread it out so it cools more quickly. Cover and refrigerate the pudding for up to three days. It doesn’t freeze well.

Rice pudding is best served warm. Because it tends to thicken as it sets, you’ll probably want to stir in a splash of milk or half-and-half. Warm individual portions in the microwave at medium power in 30 second increments, stirring each time.

Leftover Love

Enjoy leftover rice pudding for breakfast. Warm it up and top it with sliced bananas and a sprinkle of cinnamon, warm apple compote, or fresh berries.

• Yield: 8 servings
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 15 minutes
• Total: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 ½ cups whole milk, divided
• 1 cup water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup half-and-half or heavy cream, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, beaten, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ cup raisins, optional

Method

1. If desired, spray inside of Instant Pot with nonstick spray. Combine rice, 1 cup milk, water, and salt in Instant Pot. Close and lock the lid. Set for Pressure Cook (or Manual on High Pressure, depending on your model) for 5 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure. When timer goes off, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes (that is, do nothing for 10 minutes). After 10 minutes, release remaining pressure and remove lid.
2. Stir in brown sugar.
3. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together half-and-half, 1 ½ cups milk, and eggs. Temper the egg mixture by gradually stirring in a half cup of the hot rice mixture. With Instant Pot on sauté function, gradually stir in the egg mixture.
4. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly and cooking for 2 to 3 minutes or until pudding begins to thicken. It will thicken much more as it cools.
5. Stir in vanilla, nutmeg, and raisins (optional). Immediately transfer pudding (be careful, it's very hot) to a bowl so that it doesn’t burn on the bottom.
6. Serve warm or cold.

Notes

Nutrition information is calculated for a half cup serving, using half-and-half, and including raisins.

If your raisins are rather hard and dry, soak them in a cup of hot water while the rice cooks. Drain well before adding to the pudding.

Leftover rice pudding can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. Enjoy it cold or reheat single portions gently in the microwave. If the pudding seems too dry or thick, stir in a splash of milk or cream.