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.
Charlotte
Erica,
I just finished up making the arroz con leche. This is a wonderful recipe and it has amazing flavor. I'm a culinary student and enjoy learning about cuisine across different cultures. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe!
~Charlotte
Susan
Thank you so much for the recipe~ Muy Deliciosa!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just returned from Colombia 2 weeks in Bogota and 2 weeks in Manizales; I found your website and am so very happy for you Gracias por todos recetes y la comida buena 🙂 I did add raisins and cloves as my sister did in Manizales.....very perfect recipe thank you! ~Susan
pautricia
i have a quick question y do people use evaporated milk is that just substituting the milk for the evaporated
Olga
This rice pudding was so creamy and delicious everyone..You have to make this recipe...it is the best rice pudding!
Joamary
Hello Erica I been looking for a Colombian recipe for awhile now that was very similar to my mom's and I found yours. I wanted to know if am making a lot of Arroz con leche (bag of 3 LB pack) what's the amount of the ingredients that I should put in the Rice Pudding for it to be Perfectly Delicious please answer back 🙂
Arlex y Sofia
Love this site, we are both colombian and regretfully we were not thought any of the great dishes we love from colombia. Thank you so much for brining the colombian flavor back into our taste buds 🙂
Adriana
I just made the arroz con leche and I'm tasting it now. It is way too sweet. I realized that most condensed milk comes in 14 oz can and the recipe calls for 12oz. If you only have the 14oz can you can omit some of the sugar.
Also, the temperature I thought was too high for low-med on my electric range. I found I needed to stir frequently otherwise the rice sticks at the bottom. So to remedy the sweetness I added some half n half, ran out of milk, and I reduce the temp setting to low. The rice doesn't stick as much and it's cooking thoroughly, less crunchy rice. I will make this again for sure.
Beast
Hi, I have to make this recipe for class and it needs to be typed in spanish . Do you know where I can get this exact recipe but in spanish ?
Thank you
Robert
Just Google translate it (but maybe check it first, they're sometimes wrong.
Danielle
thanks erica
that's what i will do the next time i make it. it is a little too sweet for my husband. thanks so much for the speedy reply.
Danielle
Danielle
hey erica,
so i made the arroz con leche yesterday and my husband really likes it however he says it is really sweet and i had to add more milk to his serving and heat it to make it not so sweet. and i remember my suegra making it the same way but not putting in any sugar just adding the sweetened condensed milk. could i follow your recipe and just leave the sugar out so it is not too sweet for him???
other than that it was so easy to make and looks exactly how my suegra made it. thanks
danielle
Erica
Danielle- You can omit the sugar!!! I like it sweet, like my grandmother's recipe.
Anonymous
Thank you for your recipe. It was fantastic....I soaked the rice for 30 minute, before I cooked it. Great flavor!
Anonymous
I made this rice pudding and it was fantastic.Delicious flavor.
Misha
I found that putting a lid on the saucepan (step 2, rice and cinnamon water) helped to ensure the rice softened enough within 5 minutes. Yes, amazing flavor! Favorite variations include substituting cardamom pods for 1 or 2 of the cinnamon sticks (my Colombian boyfriend loves this), or substituting a can of coconut milk for the condensed milk which makes it less sweet but just as rich!
Gracias, Erica!
Erica
Misha- thank you so much for the feedback and the your comment!! 🙂
Anonymous
I made this rice pudding yesterday and I loved it, The flavor is amazing!
christina
ur awesome! thanks so much. i will do this tonight! by the way, i made the hogao tonight with our steak...the hubby went nuts! he loved it! thanks so much...
christina
need ur help!!! just finished making the arroz con leche. followed every direction to the "T". the rice is still kinda hard. what should i do? i dont want to throw it out cuz that will be a waste of money. the sauce has already thickened...is there any tips i can do to soften it up a bit?
Erica
Christina- add more milk, stir really good and simmer. Add more milk until the rice is cooked!