How To Make The Best Vegan Rice Pudding

This easy and healthy vegan rice pudding is thick, perfectly spiced, and incredibly tasty! Luscious and creamy, the sweetness comes from the maple syrup and the non-dairy milk makes it creamy. The perfect dessert, everyone will love this homemade rice pudding, regardless if they are vegan or not!

Jump to:

• ✔️ Quick Recipe Overview
• ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
• 🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
• 🍚 Different Varieties Of Rice
• 📋 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
• 💭 Expert Tips
• 🍽️ More Vegan Recipes
• Cinnamon Rice Pudding (Vegan)

If you've never made a rice pudding recipe before, then this is the perfect recipe for you to make. Not only is it delicious, but it's really easy to make. While it's similar to this homemade coffee pudding, rice pudding is a dessert made with rice, milk, and a variety of spices. It's a well known global recipe and there are a lot of different variations out there including recipes that can either be made on the stovetop, baked, in a slow cooker, or in an Instant Pot.

To make this vegan rice pudding recipe, all you need are several ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry and refrigerator and about 45 minutes of your time. This version is made on the stovetop and that's all it takes to make this delicious and creamy rice pudding.

🛒 Ingredients You'll Need

One of the things I love about this recipe is that the ingredients are so simple and healthy. To make vegan rice pudding, you can use either Jasmine or a medium-grain white rice and a non-dairy milk, such as rice milk and coconut milk. Another good alternative you can use is almond milk. The sweetness comes from real maple syrup so there is no need to use sugar. Adding ground cinnamon and nutmeg combined with a little bit of vanilla extract and salt provides the most amazing flavor you'll taste in every single bite.

🍚 Different Varieties Of Rice

I've had great success when making this easy rice pudding recipe using both Jasmine and Basmati rice. Any long grain white rice, like Jasmine and Basmati, works great due to the structure and texture. The texture turns out amazing because the rice helps ensure the pudding texture isn't too thick. But you can definately taste more of the starch.

Arborio rice is also a good option. It has a softer texture, but tends to be on the thick side and can be a bit chewy. If that's the texture you like, then this is a great option. Brown rice can also be used if you want more nutritional value. The texture tends to be a bit more firm, but still nice and creamy.

My preference is to use a medium grain white rice. It provides that perfect creamy texture and has a natural sweet flavor. Don't use instant or parboiled rice. It tastes processed and the texture is more firm. Also, don't use pre-cooked or leftover rice for this recipe. It will turn out mushy.

📋 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions

Cooking rice pudding is so incredibly simple! Once the ingredients have been measured, put everything, except the vanilla, into a saucepan. Heat the stovetop burner to medium-high until the mixture boils, then reduce the temperature to low. It needs to simmer uncovered for approximately 40-45 minutes. Ensure you are stirring or whisking the mixture periodically to ensure it's not sticking to the bottom of the saucepan or burning.

Expert Tip: At about the 40 minute mark, look to see how thick the mixture is and determine if it needs to cook longer. If there is a lot of liquid left, let it cook for another 5 minutes. If it is already thick enough, remove it from the heat. I remove it from the stovetop when it is similar to the consistency of yogurt.

Stir in the vanilla extract and then place the warm mixture into bowls or pretty serving glasses. I prefer to place mine into martini glasses because it looks so pretty! Place the pudding into the fridge to cool and thicken further.

I like to refrigerate mine for at least 6 hours and then top it with some of my favorite toppings and a bit more cinnamon! Made from all natural ingredients, this is about to become your new favorite treat!

💭 Expert Tips

• You can use different medium-grain white rice varieties, but I recommend Jasmine rice for its naturally sweet flavour.
• Your cooking time will vary depending on how thick your non-dairy milk is. I used ⅔ rice milk and ⅓ coconut milk for a non-dairy milk of medium consistency.
• Use real maple syrup for the best results. Artificial syrup is not the same and will affect your final results.
• While this has been traditionally served as a dessert, I enjoy it for breakfast!

🍽️ More Vegan Recipes

If you're looking for more vegan recipes, you will really enjoy this Pan Fried Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce. We're talking amazing flavor in every bite! For a vegan and dairy free sweet treat, try making these strawberry popsicles! They are easy to make and only requires 2 ingredients!

Update Notes: This post was originally published in February 2019, but was republished with new photos, step-by-step instructions and tips in October 2021.