Spanish Brown Rice Pudding (Arroz con Leche) Recipe

Is there any dessert more versatile than rice pudding? If so, keep it to yourself. Because when it comes to Spanish desserts, arroz con leche (Spanish rice pudding) is just about my favourite thing in the world.

It’s a dish that can be made in a thousand ways, a thousand places, with millions of flavour combos. Anywhere where people like rice, they love rice pudding. And who wouldn’t? It’s got the cozy comfort of rice, with the extra fun of sugar.

And in Spain, a country obsessed with rice dishes like paella, things are no different. Here, arroz con leche is a classic! You’ll find it old school taverns as well as Michelin-starred restaurants. But best of all, you can make it yourself!

Even if you’re the type of person who burns a salad or boils toast, you can make arroz con leche. Only a handful of ingredients, one saucepan, and very little technique —this is Spanish cooking as it’s meant to be.

The Kingdom of Spanish Rice Pudding

The home of arroz con leche in Spain is Asturias. This is Spain, but not as you know it!

When I took a foodie road trip through Asturias this year, my first thought was “this looks like the Lord of the Rings”. Because it totally does!

There are huge, dramatic mountain ranges that look like they were carved by supernatural forces, and a calm steel-blue ocean that just makes you want to dive in no matter how cold the water is!

This is about as far north as you can get in Spain, and the food here is not what you might expect. Leave your thoughts of paella, olive oil, and red wine at home—this is green and rainy country.

Asturias is the kingdom of Spanish cheeses, with the best milk in the country. Even as far south as Seville, you’re going to see that Asturian milk is a sought after commodity. And this white gold is the reason Asturian arroz con leche is as good as it is!

What is Arroz con Leche?

As with a lot of Spanish cuisine, the story of arroz con leche starts in Arabic Spain. In the time of the Moors, many different foods were brought from the Muslim world to Spain.

Some of the most “Spanish” foods in the country share these roots! Paella, espinacas con garbanzos, turrón, the Arabic cuisine of Spain has one hell of a legacy.

Although the recipes change from region to region, the core ingredients stay the same across Spain. Take rice, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and either lemon or orange peel. Cook ’em up, and you’ve got arroz con leche! While other recipes ask for cream or condensed milk, the Spanish stuff is a bit simpler.

In my version, I like to use brown rice (arroz integral). I feel better eating it and it helps me cut down the dairy, too! The extra starch adds creaminess, and the nuttier flavour of the rice goes nicely with the baking spices.

Print Recipe

Spanish Brown Rice Pudding (Arroz con Leche)

A sweet Spanish classic! I use brown rice for extra flavour, and the added starch means using only about half the normal amount of milk.

Course

Dessert

Cuisine

Spanish

Keyword

rice pudding, spanish food

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Servings

serves

Ingredients

• 2 cups brown rice
• 2 large strips lemon peel
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 4 cardamom pods
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 pinch salt
• 2-4 tablespoons brown sugar to taste
• powdered cinnamon to serve

Course Dessert Cuisine Spanish Keyword rice pudding, spanish food Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Servings serves Ingredients 2 cups brown rice 2 large strips lemon peel 1 stick cinnamon 4 cardamom pods 4 cups whole milk 1 pinch salt 2-4 tablespoons brown sugar to taste powdered cinnamon to serve

Instructions

1. Rinse the rice under cold water. Then add to a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat with just enough water to cover the rice, along with the lemon peel, cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick.
2. Once the water is absorbed into the rice, start adding the milk 1/2 a cup at a time. Stir constantly, adding more milk as the liquid starts to be absorbed into the rice.
3. When you've added the last of the milk and the rice has reached the desired creaminess, take the pan off the heat. Add the pinch of salt.
4. Start adding the brown sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired level of sweetness.
5. Serve either hot or cold, garnished with powdered cinnamon to serve.

Recipe Notes

If you want to use white rice, you'll be best off adding extra milk. This will help keep things creamy even with less starch in the rice. Depending on how creamy you want it, you can add an extra cup or two of whole milk. And if you'd prefer to make it fully vegan, you can sub out the whole milk with an equal amount of a creamy oat milk such as Oatly.