Arroz con Leche (Cuban Rice Pudding)
Last updated on 11th January 2024
Are you craving for a delicious, easy-to-make dessert that can be equally enjoyed cold or warm? If the answer is ‘Yes’ (and I know it is), try “Arroz con leche”, the traditional Cuban rice pudding combining two types of milk, short grain rice, sugar and aromatic ingredients that will take your taste buds to a new level. This classic Cuban dessert has it all: it’s very creamy (with full fat and evaporated milk), zesty (from the orange and lemon peels), spicy (cloves and cinnamon) and perfectly sweetened. Make it once and you will wonder why aren’t you making it more often!
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What is “Arroz con leche”?
Arroz con leche translates as “rice with milk”, a clear giveaway of the two main ingredients of this dessert. A dish really simple to make, but so delicious that may remind you that ‘simple’ is sometimes the best way. So arroz con leche is the Latin version of the quintessential rice pudding: that creamy dessert that is so associated with grannie’s home cooking.
“Arroz con leche” vs. Rice pudding
As in the traditional rice pudding, the Cuban and other Latino versions combine one or more types of milk to cook the starchy short grain rice. The main difference strives in the cooking methods. Everyone I know back home cooks arroz con leche on a pan over the hobs. However, people like to cook the UK version of this pudding in the oven. Lashings of ground cinnamon decorate and aromatize the arroz con leche. In some rice pudding recipes, this is substituted for nutmeg. Oh, and is not as common to serve arroz con leche with fruit jam! Although you can do it if you prefer 😉.
How to make “Arroz con leche“
Soften the rice: Allow water to boil in a pan and then turn the heat to low. Add your short grain rice to make it soft enough before adding the milk. Adding an orange peel and a cinnamon stick will beautifully perfume the rice.
Infuse the milk with aromas: At the same time that the rice softens, heat the full fat milk together with a whole clove, another cinnamon stick and a lemon peel.
Add the infused milk to the rice: When the rice absorbs all the water, it is time to add the milk and allow to boil before start cooking at low temperature. It is important to keep the aromatic ingredients (except for the clove) whilst boiling, to add more of those spicy and zesty essences to our delicious arroz con leche.
Add the evaporated milk: After boiling, reduce the heat. Then add the evaporated milk, which incorporates richness to the preparation. It is also recommended to remove the aromatic ingredients as they already served their purpose. Also add a pinch of salt to balance the taste. Then, cooking perfect to creaminess starts!
Cook arroz con leche to perfect creaminess: We cook for about 45 minutes, with occasional stirring (every 5 minutes it’s ok) to avoid the preparation sticking to the bottom of the pan. After this time, it is almost impossible not to discover a heaven of creamy textures and irresistible aromas. But we are not there yet! We cannot forget to add and integrate our sugar very well to the preparation. We can add it before, but it is best at the end to save the sugar from burning and making the dessert bitter. An optional lash of unsalted butter mixed through at the end will make everything even more creamy!
Top tips and fat facts
Use short grain rice, preferably Spanish rice of the Valencia variety, or any other rice labelled as suitable for pudding.
Extract the pith or white tissue that remains under the citrus peel after peeled as it usually bitters the preparation if added.
In the step of softening the rice with water, watch out for the rice to stick to the bottom of the pan after it has absorbed all the water.
Use if possible a silicone spatula to stir the preparation every 5 minutes as it is easier to manipulate and does not scratch the pan.
The rice pudding will start to boil and become really creamy around the 25-35 min after the step where the evaporated milk is mixed through (depending on the size, shape and thickness of the pan, and the type of hobs).
Arroz con leche (Cuban rice pudding)
Not too complicated
Equipment
- 1 fine mesh sieve (to strain the milk)
- 1 deep saucepan (at least 2.5 L volume)
- 1 silicone spatula (to stir the rice pudding whilst cooking)
Ingredients
- 200 g short grain rice (ideally Valencia rice) rinsed
- 1 L full-fat milk
- 1 tin evaporated milk (410 g/350 mL)
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 whole clove
- 1 orange peel taken off in long stripes
- 1 lemon peel taken off in long stripes
- ⅛ tsp salt (a pinch)
- 140 g white granulated sugar
- 70 g unsalted butter (optional)
- ground cinnamon (to garnish)
Instructions
- Add a volume of water that is one and a half that of the rice (400-500 mL) to a deep-bottom pan. Bring the water to the boil and then add the rice, the orange peel, and one stick of cinnamon. Turn the heat to low to allow the rice to soften and to absorb the aromas (around 10-13 min). Leave the pan uncovered at all times.
- Whilst the rice softens, add to another pan the fresh milk, the lemon peel, the second cinnamon stick and the clove. Heat until near the boiling point and then reduce heat to keep it warm.
- When the rice is soft and has absorbed all the water, add the milk from the other pan using a fine mesh sieve to strain the solid ingredients. Then add the second cinnamon stick and the lemon peel from the milk as well. Dispose the clove. Increase the heat to allow boiling.
- When the preparation reaches the boiling point, reduce the heat to low or low-medium and extract all the remaining aromatic ingredients. Add the evaporated milk and a pinch of salt. Stir very well.
- Continue stirring every 5 minutes for a maximum of 45 minutes. Past this time, add the sugar and integrate it very well. At this point the rice should be creamy and has absorbed the milk well. Leave on the hobs for other 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Add the butter immediately and mix it very well. It’s almost done! Just leave it to cool down to ambience temperature and then place it in the fridge for at least two hours until set. Time to serve arroz con leche, creamiest rice pudding ever, better served with a generous sprinkle of ground cinnamon on top!