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Hi Bold Bakers!
To me, Rice Pudding is serious comfort food. Growing up in Ireland rice pudding was often a dessert that would warm you up on a freezing Winter’s evening, and many times Fall and Spring evening too. This rice pudding is a luscious, creamy non-traditional dessert made with coconut milk and topped with sweet, juicy strawberries, mango and lime salsa.
I thought I would put more of a tropical twist on this dessert that is normally spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. I am taking some of my favorite flavors which are Asian inspired and marrying them all together in this one decadent dessert.
A creative twist on the norm is replacing the regular milk and cream for coconut milk. Still rich and creamy, coconut milk adds its own unique flavor without the dairy. It is still “fatty” like cream so you still get that richness.
The fruit salsa on top is the icing on the cake. Once you pair it with a spoonful of the rice pudding it will all make sense. It’s like a tropical explosion that you can’t believe you never had before. In my opinion it’s the combination of texture, temperature and the lime zest that makes this simple dessert stand out. For easy zesting, invest in a Microplane, they are a lifesaver. It’s incredible and makes the labor of zesting a thing of the past. Also, if you were admiring my cutting board I used, it is from Boos, the masters in cutting boards. This board is so durable and well made, it will last you a lifetime.
I made my rice pudding in a Panasonic Rice Cooker. It doesn’t only cook plain rice like you might think Rice cookers have multiple uses. What I like about rice cookers is you can add in all of your ingredients, mix it, set it and forget it. This rice cooker is an inexpensive piece of kitchen equipment that has multiple uses. All tools in my kitchen have to do more than one job otherwise I don’t have space for them.
I created this recipe for The Inspired Home website. It’s a place where I go to find out what new products are coming out along with tips and fantastic recipes. The Inspired Home’s mission is to inspire, inform and encourage you to make your house into a home, lead a balanced and healthy lifestyle and to create moments to celebrate and connect with your friends and family. Make sure you check out the Coconut Rice Pudding recipe and video there.
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Coconut Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (6oz/170g) arborio rice
- 1 can (14oz/414ml) coconut milk
- 1/2 cup (4floz/115ml) water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (4 oz/115g) sugar
- a pinch of salt
Fruit Salsa
- 1 ripe mango, cubed
- 10 strawberries, cubed
- Zest of 1 Lime
Instructions
- Place rice, coconut milk, water, vanilla extract, salt and sugar in your rice cooker. Turn on and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked and the liquid has been absorbed.
- Alternatively you can place them in a heavy bottomed saucepan on medium-low heat and cook for the same amount of time. Stir frequently to avoid sticking.
- The rice should be soft and cooked at this point. Turn off the heat and leave it to stand.
Fruit Salsa:
- To make the fruit salsa - Mix together the strawberries, mango and lime zest. I like to let it sit and marinate for 15 minutes before topping my rice pudding. This gives the flavors time to marry together. While still warm and steaming, top your tropical rice pudding and enjoy straight away. It can also be enjoyed cold but I prefer it warm. There is something more comforting about it.
I made this to the instructions and rice isn’t cooked enough. It tastes delicious though and smells amazing. Maybe next time I will used cooked rice.
Far too sickly sweet and caused my rice cooker to boil over
Unfortunately, the proportions as stated in the recipe boiled over in my rice cooker (even though there was plenty of room.) I then continued simmering it stovetop but quickly realized the ratio of liquid to rice is simply insufficient. I think it ended up being more like 4:1 in the end by the time the rice finally cooked through and it took about 1:30 hours!
Do I need to rinse my Arborio rice, until the water runs clear, like I do with other rice recipes? Thanks, Karen
Hey love, since I can’t have coconut, would it work okay to use evaporated milk instead? I also like to use brown sugar in my rice pudding sometimes, would that be alright also?
Ummmmm how many servings does this make?
I tried to make this in my rice cooker, but when the reservoir was empty and the appliance switched off, I was left with half cooked Arborio rice with a lot of liquid on top. So I put it in a saucepan and cooked it again. After all was said and done, it was delicious. Perhaps the problem was my (older) rice cooker. I was using the settings for white rice, but presumably some other settings were required.
Hi I was wondering if this could be made in the slow cooker? If so how long does it cook for? How about an instant pot? Thank you. Ps love your recipes
Gemma, I noticed that you slice your mango with a knife. Have you ever tried the mango spliter gadget? It’s similar to the apple corer (the kind you push down over the apple). It is a life changer! We use an angled serrated knife (ours was purchased from Dole- so many uses!) to scoop it from the skin once it’s cored.
Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Thank you.