This vegan rice pudding with rosewater is easy to make, the perfect balance of flavours, creamy hug in a mug style recipe.
There’s something really comforting about eating something out of a cup, mug, glass or small bowl. Especially a rice pudding that’s silky smooth, and not too overpowering. With the added pistachio crunch on top, you can enjoy it for breakfast, dessert, or even as a snack.
The best part is that you can make a batch and keep it in the fridge. You can pack it for an afternoon snack or treat for work, school or road trip.
I can’t believe it has taken me so long to start experimenting with rice puddings!
I’ll try a few other flavours, like walnut, rum and raisin or chocolate and orange. Or something fresh like raspberry and coconut. Oh, the options are endless! Do you have any suggestions of what flavour combinations you’d like to see? Or a one that you have made in the past that you love?
I did grow up eating rice puddings. They’re called Sutlijaš in Serbian, and my dad made them for us for breakfast quite often for my siblings and I.
I remember it being mainly dried fruit like sultanas, nuts like walnuts or almonds, and seeds like sunflower or sesame seeds. He made the rice pudding with milk and sugar. And of course lots of cinnamon.
I wanted to try something different, and I love the idea of using rose in a dessert. When I think of rose flavoured anything, I think of Turkish delight. Something that I also grew up eating. My dad would have a box of if in the house most of the time.
A creamy dairy-free rice pudding
You might be wondering how you can make creamy rice pudding and it be dairy-free? Well, rice has enough starch in itself to make it creamy and the added base of plant milk, in this case, coconut, is enough to make it thick and creamy.
If you are dairy-free or vegan, you will enjoy the beautiful delicate flavours this rice pudding has to offer. With it being so versatile, you can’t really go wrong!
Hope you enjoy this creamy and light rice pudding with rosewater and pistachios.
Recipes you’ll also love:
- Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding with Cashew Cream
- Rose and Chocolate Raw Slice
- 5 Ingredient Vegan Baklava
- Easy Rose and Pistachio Chocolate Truffles
- Coffee Chia Pudding Breakfast Parfait
- Vegan Persian Love Cake (Almond, Orange, Cardamom & Rose Cake)
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Creamy Rice Pudding With Rosewater and Pistachios
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4
Description
This creamy vegan rice pudding with rosewater and pistachio is the perfect dessert, snack or breakfast option.
Ingredients
- 5 cups / 1.25 litres coconut milk (not from a can)
- ½ a vanilla pod, cut in half and seeds scraped out
- ¼ cup / 80ml maple syrup (plus extra for drizzling – optional)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup Arborio rice, washed (or medium grain white rice)
- 1 tablespoon rose water
- ⅓ cup pistachios, toasted* and crushed (can be done in a food processor by pulsing)
- Edible rose petals, for decoration (optional)
- Dried cranberries, for decoration (optional)
Instructions
- In a saucepan on medium-high heat, add the milk, vanilla pod and seeds, maple syrup, and salt, bringing to a gentle simmer.
- Once it starts simmering, reduce the heat, and add in the rice. Stir for a couple of minutes and semi-cover the saucepan, cooking for a further 25-30 minutes. Make sure to stir every few minutes to avoid it sticking to the bottom and so it cooks evenly. As it cooks, the rice will expand and will thicken.
- Once the rice is cooked, add in the rose water and stir well. Remember that the pudding will be a bit runny, but as the rice cools, it will thicken even more.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for around 5 minutes.
- Take out the vanilla pod, being careful not to burn yourself.
- Serve 4 separate portions in small mugs, cups or glasses and sprinkle with pistachios and rose petals. Add the cranberry in the middle to give it a nice pop of colour and drizzle with maple syrup – if desired.
- You can enjoy this rice pudding warm or cold.
Notes
Pistachios: You can toast the pistachios just in your frying pan. No oil, just toast them until they release an aroma for a couple of minutes.
Note: If you don’t plan on eating it straight away, add a little more milk to the pudding at the end as the rice absorbs the liquid quite quickly. So before you turn it off, add around another ¼ cup of liquid to the pot. It will be looser at the beginning, but trust me, it will be soaked up over time.
- Diet: Vegan
Can you use vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean?
You sure can!
I’m curious — why does the recipe specify the coconut milk shouldn’t come from a can? Should it be full-fat or reduced fat?
This is because you want it to be the kind from a tetra pak as it’s diluted with water and serves more like a “milk” than a “cream”. As you would use any other plant-based milk. I hope that helps.