This is the best arroz con leche or rice pudding recipe. Creamy, sweet and easy to make this recipe is my all time favorite dessert and a holiday classic in my family!
What is Arroz con Leche?
There are different variations of arroz con leche in Latin America, this is my family recipe and it is simple and very easy to make. It's basically a dessert made with rice, milk, sugar and cinnamon. It will be the highlight of any meal.
This Colombian-Style arroz con leche is sweet, creamy and delicious. The rice pudding will thicken more as it cools, so be careful not to overcook it. The best part of making this rice pudding recipe for a dinner party is that you can make it the day before and it will taste even better after chilled in the fridge overnight.
This is one of my favorite Colombian desserts. I hope you enjoy making my simple and easy Arroz con Leche recipe!
To make this rice pudding you will need
Long-grain white rice, cinnamon sticks, water, whole milk, pinch salt, butter, vanilla extract, sugar and sweetened condensed milk. The exact amounts, tips, and cooking instructions are listed in the printable recipe card below, you can also find the step by step video to make this arroz con leche below the recipe.
This rice pudding recipe is sweet, if you prefer your rice pudding less sweet, just add less sugar, but don't skip the sweet condensed milk, because it adds a wonderful flavor and texture to the dish.
Here are other Colombian desserts you may want to try:
Coffee Mousse (Esponjado de Café)
Colombian Fruit Cocktail (Salpicón de Frutas)
Fried Bananas (Bananos Calados)
Arroz con Leche Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain white rice washed
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 2 cups water
- 4 cups milk
- Pinch salt
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 12 oz can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- In a small pot, add water and cinnamon sticks, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Set aside and discard cinnamon sticks.
- Place the rice and the cinnamon water in a large saucepan, over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add salt, butter, vanilla extract, 2 cups of milk, and sugar. Stir well to mix and cook uncovered for approximately 15 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium low. Add the remaining milk and condensed milk. Stir with a wooden spoon. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the rice pudding thickens to desire consistency.
- Stir well and remove from heat, and let it cool at room temperature. The consistency should be very creamy. Refrigerate for a least 1 hour or overnight.
Video
Notes
- Arroz con Leche can stay in the fridge up to 4 days.
- I like to use long grain rice to make this arroz con leche recipe
- If your rice is still hard or crunchy when all the liquid has been absorbed, add ¼ cup of more milk and ¼ of water and return to a simmer with the lid on.
- This rice pudding recipe is sweet, if you prefer your dessert less sweet add less sugar.
Glenda Juarez Watson
I have made this recipe several times and I love it!! Sweet creamy and satisfying. I tend to add less sugar as leche condensada is super sweet
Alan bowman
We NEVER add canned milk and we use short grein pudding rice. Like my late grandmother, I like to add a slice each of lemon and orange peel. We cook ours in a slow cooker and add raisins and sultanas about 30 minutes before serving.
Alejandra
This is an easy arroz con leche recipe. It's sweet and creamy.
Alex
The original authentic recipe is meant to use regular milk and it's by no means "fit" at all or appropriate for lactose intolerant people. So sure, you can try modifying the type of milk but it will not taste the same. I lived in Colombia for 18 years so speak from experience
Connie
Want to do arroz con leche but instead of regular milk .. will almond milk work too ??
Erica Dinho
I don't know!
Claudia
I think you can try with almond milk. I believe it will be delicious. I will try too.
Alex
I tried this recipe today and it came out amazingly good. I'm Colombian so I added some raisins to topped it off and it's sensational. They key for cooking the rice is to leave it covered for at least 1 hour in a very low setting. The slow cook effect is the secret for a delicious dessert.
Emily
This rice pudding turned out way too sweet. I also noticed the rice was a bit “al dente“ not fully cooked. I’ll make a smaller batch, 1/2 the recipe and definitely cut the sugar. I think sugar plus condensed milk is way too much sweet. I also cut the cooking since the final product was too thick.
Galen
I add a tsp of white distilled vinegar, a pinch of salt and the cinnamon sticks to the pot as I start to boil the rice. The turns out nice & fluffy and with cinnamon flavor. I also add ground cinnamon while adding the milk and
gently stirring it in.
Julissa Rodriguez
My mom is from Cali and this is how she makes it. First of all we let the rice SoCal over night (2cups) then the next day we put one cup of water with two cinnamon sticks to boil. Once the water is brownish we add 10 cups of milk. Once that gets foamy or boils we add the rice. After it gets a little heavy we add coconut shavings(optional) and leche condensada. Then keep mixing for another 10-15 mins. We also believe that only one person should be mixing the pot *with a wooden spoon too!
paula
hii, i lovee this receipe i used jasmine rice it turn out prrtty good and a bit f waaaster!
Pat
I found this recipe today. Omg! This is so good. I microwaved the rice in water while the water and cinnamon sticks were boiling. It worked out perfect. Rice was very soft not crunchy at all.
Thank you for posting