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Sweets · British

Rice Pudding

Stir it together, slide it in, and let a slow oven turn it creamy under a golden skin.

Hands-on
15 min
Hands-off
2 h 15 min
Total
2 h 30 min
Makes
8 servings
Serves
8

Preheating overlaps the prep. Total = 15 min active (greasing, measuring, one quick stir) + 135 min hands-off in the oven (2 1/4 hours). The recipe it's based on lists 2 1/2 hours cooking in its summary but 2 1/4 hours in the method; we follow the method.

Oven 150 °C · 130 °C fan (300 °F)

Pan 1.4 litre ovenproof dish (US: 2 pint (about 6 cup, 1 1/2 quart) baking dish)

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • gluten-free
  • comfort-food
  • budget
  • british
  • pantry

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Rice Pudding
Amount
Units
Oven

Ingredients

You need: 1.4 litre (2 pint / about 6 cup) ovenproof dish · baking tray · spoon · grater · oven mitts

Contains: milk

Method

  1. Heat the oven, grease the dish

    Heat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan, 300°F, gas 2). Grease the 1.4 litre (2 pint) dish with a little butter and set it on a baking tray.

    Ready when: The oven has fully reached temperature (the preheat light is off, or an oven thermometer agrees) before the dish goes in.

  2. Fill the dish

    Put the 150 g (3/4 cup) pudding rice and 50 g (1/4 cup) sugar in the dish. Pour in the 410 g evaporated milk, 900 ml (3 3/4 cups) whole milk and 1 tsp vanilla, and stir. Grate a quarter of a nutmeg over the top and dot the 25 g (2 tbsp) butter over the surface in small pieces.

    Otto tried this firstOtto carries the full dish to the oven with no tray and sloshes milk across the floor. On a baking tray, it's steady and any drips land on the tray.

  3. Bake, with one stir

    Carefully slide the tray onto the middle shelf and bake for 2 1/4 hours. After about 45 minutes, give it one stir, then leave it alone for the rest of the time.

    Ready when: A golden skin covers the top and it's very creamy underneath. Taste a few grains from under the skin: they should be completely soft. If they aren't, give it a little longer.

  4. Serve

    Take the tray out (it is very hot, so use thick mitts) and serve the pudding warm.

Swaps

  • Instead of the oven: a slow cooker on HIGH for 3 1/2 hours Same ingredients.
  • Instead of freshly grated nutmeg: a pinch of ground nutmeg
  • Instead of vanilla extract: vanilla bean paste, same amount

Make ahead, store & reheat

Storage
This is a cooked rice dish, and food-safety guidance is strict about rice. Cool leftovers as quickly as possible (ideally within an hour; smaller portions cool faster), refrigerate them and eat within 24 hours. It can be eaten cold straight from the fridge.
Reheat
Reheat only once, until it is steaming hot all the way through.

If something goes wrong

  • You don't like the skin Why: The skin forms as the top bakes uncovered.
    Cover the dish with foil while it bakes.
  • Top is browning before the rice is soft Why: The top is drying out in the oven.
    Lay foil over the dish for the rest of the baking time.

Good to know

  • The skin on top is part of the classic. Some people love it, some stir it in.
  • Setting the dish on a baking tray makes it easier and safer to get in and out of the oven.

Safety

  • The dish comes out at oven heat and the pudding stays very hot inside for a long time. Use oven mitts, let it stand a few minutes before serving, and kids should leave the oven to an adult.
  • Cooked rice can carry Bacillus cereus spores that survive cooking. Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate them and eat within 24 hours.
  • Contains milk. Not suitable for anyone with a milk allergy.