Rice and milk are a wonderful combination that has become popular in many parts of the world. Rice pudding is very easy to prepare and makes the perfect dessert for any occasion. Let me show you how to make Arabic rice pudding at home.
Contents
What’s Special about Arabic Rice Pudding
Rice pudding is a dish consisting of rice cooked in milk. It’s a popular dessert in many countries across the world, from India, the Middle East, Europe to the US. And that’s for a good reason. Rice and milk are staple ingredients in most cuisines. Combining them will give you a wonderful dessert that can be enjoyed warm or cold, as a dessert or for breakfast.
Every cuisine and region has their own way of making rice pudding. In the Middle East, rice pudding is known as riz bi haleeb (rice with milk) and is wonderfully creamy, sweet and floral. Middle Eastern rice pudding doesn’t just have sugar to make up for the sweetness and flavor. In fact, authentic Arabic rice pudding will have a combination of sweetness and fruitiness. This is achieved with rose water and/or orange blossom water which are two staple ingredients in Middle Eastern cuisine.
Ingredients
Below are the ingredients for Arabic rice pudding following my family’s recipe.
- Rice: Obviously, rice is the key ingredient to rice pudding. Short grain rice is traditionally used. In Middle Eastern stores, ask for Egyptian rice. If you’re in the US, Calrose rice works well as it’s soft and sticky.
- Milk: Milk is the second key ingredient, preferably whole milk, not semi-skimmed or low fat.
- Sugar: Sugar will make your rice pudding sweet, which is what most people prefer. The amount of sugar is entirely up to you. The amount of sugar in my recipe is on the low side. You can add more sugar for a sweeter taste.
- Salt: A tiny pinch of salt is the secret ingredient for the best rice pudding. It’s a natural flavor enhancer and helps bring out the flavors and balance sweetness.
- Cornstarch: For a creamier texture, we’ll need a bit of cornstarch.
- Rose water & orange blossom water: Two ingredients that are special in Arabic rice pudding are rose water and orange blossom water. You can find them in any Middle Eastern grocery store as well as online. I usually go for a combination of both waters as they compliment each other really well. If you don’t like the taste or don’t have them available, you could use vanilla instead. That’s not Middle Eastern, but it’s a good alternative.
- Pistachios: Last but not least, nuts (especially pistachios) are used for garnish. If you don’t have them, you can leave them out.
Quantities can be found in the recipe card at the end of this recipe and can be adjusted according to the amount of servings you’d like to make.
How to Make Arabic Rice Pudding (Step-by-Step Recipe)
If you have explored some of the other rice recipes on my food blog, you might remember that always say that it’s important you wash the rice. For rice pudding, it’s the opposite. It’s better to not wash it as the starch contributes to the creamy texture.
Step 1: Boil rice and milk
Start by adding the milk to a saucepan, but set aside about 100 ml (half a cup) for later. Add the rice to the milk, along with the secret ingredient: a pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Adding a pinch of salt to the milk and rice mixture at the beginning of cooking will enhance the sweetness and balance the flavors. Cook the rice and milk mixture for about 20-25 minutes, or until the rice becomes very soft.
Keep a close eye on the process as milk boils fast. For the first few minutes, you can cover the saucepan with a lid to help the milk heat faster. If the milk starts to rise in the saucepan, immediately reduce the heat or briefly remove the saucepan from the stove to prevent it from overflowing.
Once the milk is hot, remove the lid and continue cooking without it so you can stir frequently.
Step 2: Prepare cornstarch slurry
After the rice and milk have cooked for about 20-25 minutes, it’s time to prepare the cornstarch slurry using the reserved milk from the first step.
In a small bowl, combine the reserved cold milk with the cornstarch. Stir thoroughly until the mixture is smooth. Preparing the cornstarch slurry separately, rather than adding the cornstarch directly to the saucepan, helps ensure a smooth and creamy texture without any lumps.
Step 3: Add cornstarch slurry and aromatics
Add the cornstarch slurry to the saucepan and stir well to combine. Then, add the other aromatics: sugar, rose water, and orange blossom water. Increase the heat slightly to medium-high. For the cornstarch to activate and thicken the pudding, the mixture must reach boiling point. You’ll notice the rice pudding starting to thicken as the cornstarch works. Cook the mixture for a couple of minutes until it achieves a beautifully creamy and thick consistency.
We add the aromatics at the end for two reasons. Sugar interacts with the starches in the rice and milk, creating a barrier that makes it harder for the rice to absorb liquid. If added early, the rice will take longer to soften and cook fully. By waiting, you ensure the rice is tender which is very important for good rice pudding.
As for the rose water and orange blossom water, they deliver a stronger, more aromatic flavor when added later. If you prefer them to be more subtle, you can add them earlier.
Once the pudding is ready, turn off the heat and let it sit in the saucepan for 5–10 minutes. As it rests, the texture will thicken further. So, if the pudding seems less creamy than expected right after cooking with the cornstarch, don’t worry – it will become creamier as it rests.
Serving Suggestion
You can serve your rice pudding warm, at room temperature or chilled. Garnish with finely chopped nuts such as pistachios, walnuts or pecan nuts. If you prefer chilled rice pudding, fruit such as strawberries, raspberries or blueberries make for a wonderful combination.
Although riz bi haleeb is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert, you could even serve it for breakfast. In that case, fresh fruit and nuts are a great pairing.
Storage & Make Ahead
Rice pudding can be perfectly made ahead of time. In fact, it makes perfect sense to prepare a larger portion to consume over several days, especially if you have a small family.
If you’d like to keep your rice pudding to eat over multiple days, let cool completely after cooking. Transfer into an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to a week. It can be enjoyed chilled, at room temperature or warm (briefly warm up in the microwave).
Note that the consistency will change if you refrigerate your rice pudding. It will be very creamy and a bit runny right after cooking and thicken when cooled. Both taste great. If you like it more runny, you can add a bit of milk or water when warming it up.
Freezing is not recommended, as the consistency won’t be the same.
Any Questions or Feedback?
If you liked this recipe, I’d appreciate it if you could leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. In case you’ve any questions or feedback, please leave me a comment (down the page). I’m happy to help you make delicious Middle Eastern food at home.
Learn Middle Eastern Cooking
Are you a new to Middle Eastern cuisine? Then this Middle Eastern cookbook is what you need! In addition to a varied choice of recipes, the cookbook offers plenty of insights on ingredients, cooking techniques and Middle Eastern food culture.
Arabic Rice Pudding (Riz bi Haleeb)
Ingredients
- 100 g (0.5 cups) short grain rice e.g. Egyptian rice or Calrose rice
- 1 litre (4 cups) whole milk
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp rose water
- 1/2 tsp orange blossom water
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 40 g (0.33 cups) pistachios for garnish
Instructions
- Add milk to a saucepan (keep about 100 ml / ½ cup aside for step 3). Add rice and a pinch of salt. Heat over medium heat. Keep an eye on the process (milk boils fast)!
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes on low-medium until the rice is very soft. Stir frequently to prevent the rice from sticking and the milk from overflowing.
- Towards the end of the cooking time (20-25 mins), prepare the cornstarch slurry: pour the milk (cold milk!) that you set aside (step 1) in a mixing bowl and add the cornstarch. Stir well to combine (this is to avoid lumps).
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the saucepan. Stir well. Add the other aromatics: sugar, rose water and orange blossom water and stir to combine.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the rice pudding for another 5 minutes, until the pudding thickens and the consistency is creamy.
- Turn off the heat. Put the lid back on and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. During that time, the texture will further improve.
- Pour into small bowls to serve. Garnish with chopped pistachios (or walnuts/pecans) and/or fresh fruit.
Video
Notes
- Use short grain rice (Egyptian rice or Calrose rice).
- Don’t wash your rice as you’d usually do. For rice pudding, it’s important to preserve the starch.
- Milk-rice-ratio: A good milk-rice ratio for a slightly creamy but rather thick consistency is 1:8 (half a cup of rice for 4 cups of milk). If you prefer a runny consistency, use more milk or add some cream.
- Sweetness: This recipe calls for a rather low amount of sugar, meaning that the sweetness will be low-moderate. You can add more sugar if you prefer.
The sugar is added towards the end. That’s because sugar interacts with the starches in the rice and milk, creating a barrier that makes it harder for the rice to absorb liquid. If added early, the rice will take longer to soften and cook fully. By waiting until the rice is tender before adding sugar, you ensure the cooking process is efficient. - Be sure to use whole milk as this will make your rice pudding creamier.
- Rose water & orange blossom water: Two ingredients that are unique in Arabic rice pudding are rose water and orange blossom water. You can find them in any Middle Eastern grocery store or order them online. If you don’t like the rose and orange blossom water or can’t find them, you could add some vanilla instead. That’s not Middle Eastern, but it’s a good alternative.
- Garnish with nuts (pistachios, pecans, walnuts…) or fresh fruit (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries…).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is only a rough estimate and may vary depending on factors such as the cooking method, exact weight, type, and brand of ingredients used.
