Portions: 6 servings Calories: 642kcal |
This eye-popping coconut milk rice pudding brûlée is a new take on an old classic. I substituted coconut for dairy in my family's rice pudding recipe – which made it vegan – and added a bit of French flair with the sugar crust for a dish that is simple, yet refined.
Why I ❤️ it • Recipe • Ingredients • Preparation
Spiced coconut rice pudding brûlée.
Why I ❤️ it
A simple creamy coconut milk rice pudding with a caramelized sugar crust and a simple rum sauce, this marvelous dessert combines three of my loves: Dominican arroz con leche (rice pudding), Dulce de coco (coconut and milk fudge) and Crema catalana (crème brûlée) all in one.
By the way, credit where credit is due, I first tried rice pudding brûlée at one of my favorite local restaurants, so it is hardly an original idea. I just took it one step further by adding coconut. Maybe not original, but irresistible, I promise.
Coconut milk rice pudding recipe
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Utensils and tools
- Large saucepan 3-quart [3 lt] or medium pot
- Large bowl
Ingredients
- ¾ cup long grain rice
- 4 cups of coconut milk
- 2 cups of unsweetened coconut cream
- 1 ½ cup of brown sugar (see notes below the recipe)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 3 cinnamon sticks or 1½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- Seeds of 1 vanilla bean, or 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
- A pinch of freshly-grated nutmeg
- A pinch of lime or orange zest
- ½ teaspoon clove powder
- 1 cup freshly-grated coconut or dry coconut (see notes below the recipe)
- ⅓ cup of cane sugar, for the caramel
Preparation
Before starting, please make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils ready.
Step 1: Combine the ingredients
In the saucepan, combine rice, 4 cups of water, coconut milk, coconut cream, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon powder or sticks, vanilla, nutmeg, lime zest, and clove powder and grated coconut.
Let it rest covered for an hour.
Step 2: Cook
Take the saucepan to the stove and boil covered over medium-low heat until the grains of rice have nearly tripled in size or until the liquids have reduced and it's creamy and thick.
Stir often while cooking to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom and scorching.
Step 3: Remove from the heat
Remove from the heat and pour into a glass bowl, stir until it has cooled to room temperature.
Pour the rice pudding into a broiler-safe baking pan, cover with aluminum foil and chill in the refrigerator (the aluminum foil will prevent it from over-drying in the fridge.
Step 4: Serving
Remove the aluminum foil. Sprinkle cane sugar on top and burn the sugar with a torch, or place in the broiler over high heat until the sugar caramelizes.
Serve immediately.
Top tips
- If you use dry coconut, add an extra cup of coconut milk.
- If you only find sweetened coconut cream, reduce the sugar by half.
- If you have leftover rice, you can use it to make this recipe quicker, just combine a 2 cups of leftover white rice as in step 2, but do not add the water and cook until the rice is creamy and fluffy.
- You can adapt this to your preferences quite easily, so if there are any of the spices you dislike, leave it out.
Variations
If you wish, you do not have to add the sugar crust. It's still a very good rice pudding without it.
Traditional arroz con leche has raisins (in my neck of the woods), so if you love raisins, add ⅓ cup raisins when you add the grated coconut.
If you want to try another similar dessert, this limoncello crème brûlée is wonderful too.
Nutritional information
Calories: 642kcal - Carbohydrates: 70g - Protein: 11g - Fat: 38g - Saturated Fat: 33g - Cholesterol: 15mg - Sodium: 515mg - Potassium: 422mg - Fiber: 2g - Sugar: 46g - Vitamin C: 2mg - Calcium: 69mg - Iron: 5.6mg
FAQs
What makes rice pudding thicken?
Rice pudding is thickened by the rice starch. Different rices will make thicker or more liquid pudding. Long grain rice has a medium starch content, short grain rice has more starch, and Basmati has less starch than long grain rice.
Is coconut milk unhealthy?
Depends on your definition of healthy, but yes, coconut milk has many nutritional advantages and can fit any balanced diet.
Print card
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Coconut Rice Pudding Brûlée Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup long grain rice
- 4 cups of coconut milk
- 2 cups of coconut cream
- ½ cup of brown sugar or more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 3 cinnamon sticks or 1½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- Seeds of 1 vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
- A pinch of freshly-grated nutmeg
- A pinch of lime or orange zest
- ½ teaspoon clove powder
- 1 cup freshly-grated coconut
- ⅓ cup of cane sugar for the caramel (optional)
Instructions
Step 1: Combine the ingredients
- In the saucepan, combine rice, 4 cups of water, coconut milk, coconut cream, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon powder or sticks, vanilla, nutmeg, lime zest, and clove powder and grated coconut.Let it rest covered for an hour.
Step 2: Cooking
- Take the saucepan to the stove and boil covered over medium-low heat until the grains of rice have nearly tripled in size or until the liquids have reduced and it's creamy and thick. Stir often.Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom and scorching.
Step 3: Remove from the heat
- Remove from the heat and pour into a glass bowl, stir until it has cooled to room temperature.Pour into a broiler-safe baking pan, cover with aluminum foil and chill in the refrigerator (the aluminum foil will prevent it from over-drying in the fridge.
Step 4: Serving
- Remove the aluminum foil. Sprinkle cane sugar on top and burn the sugar with a torch, or place in the broiler over high heat until the sugar caramelizes.Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
By , published Jan 2, 2017 on Tia Clara
Sasha
I am in love with this dish! And your dishes and utensils! Where did you get them? Please let me know. 🙂
Thanks!
Tia Clara
Travels, Etsy and second hand stores. 🙂
Jared
Love the extra sugar on top. In Puerto Rico we always added coconut milk to ower rice pudding. In fact the recipe my grandmother was taught from her grandmother is the same as your but with add raisins, rum and ginger.
Tia Clara
That's awesome, I just learned something new.
Cooking Jar and Happy Accidents
Such simple ingredients but a lot of hard work put into preparing this...there's definately a lot of love involved when making it. I love the shots and the blurb too!