This Arroz con Leche, an utterly lovable and desirable Dominican-style rice pudding, is made by cooking rice with milk, infused with citrus and cinnamon. It is creamy, comforting, and unlike any other you’ve ever tried. The pudding is wonderful for dessert or breakfast, served hot or straight from the fridge.

I have a very delicious treat for you to enjoy over the holidays. You may already be familiar with rice pudding, so many versions out there. You may also have had many rice puddings that tasted watery and bland. Well, prepare yourself. This Dominican-style arroz con leche is nothing like that. Made by cooking rice with milk that has been infused with citrus, cinnamon, and cloves, it is creamy, comforting, and unlike any other you’ve ever tried.

In our household, Christmas isn’t Christmas without arroz con leche making an appearance at some point throughout the holidays. It’s simply heavenly and impossible to stop eating. I hope you love it as much as we do.

As I take a break over the Christmas holiday, I’d like to thank you for sharing this space with me and allowing me into your kitchen. Despite this year being so excruciatingly hard and different, it’s my sincere hope that the simple act of taking time to cook, whether lavishly or simply, will bring you some comfort and solace. I wish you a very blessed Christmas and the happiest of holidays.

What is Arroz con Leche?

Arroz con leche is simply a sweetened rice pudding that is beloved all throughout Latin America. Every country, and every household, seems to have their own traditions on how to make it. Arroz con leche is a common sight in Dominican homes served as dessert or even for breakfast. It is also almost never absent from buffet tables, particularly during the holidays.

This Dominican-style arroz con leche is a very humble dish, yet as a child I always felt very grown up eating it. To me, it seemed like a very sophisticated way to eat rice. Years later, it still evokes the same sense of comfort and pleasure I remember from my childhood. Arroz con leche may look and sound sophisticated, but aside from a little stirring, making rice pudding requires zero skills and minimal effort. If you’re looking for something sweet, delicious, and easy to wrap up your meal during the holidays, this could be the answer.

Ingredients You Will Need

Arroz con leche is a treat loved by anyone and everyone that tries it. Best of all, it is easily made with just a few simple ingredients.

Here is what you will need:

Rice – This arroz con leche is made with long grain rice. It also works well with a short grain rice such as arborio.
Milk – Whole milk works best.
Evaporated milk – I have tried making arroz con leche with just milk, it’s not bad. But I do miss the custardy texture and flavour the evaporated milk gives the pudding. If you prefer to not use it, you could add an additional cup of milk and one egg.
Sugar – I don’t like my rice pudding very sweet so I use only 1/4 cup sugar to sweeten it. Once it’s finished cooking, you can add a little more if you prefer it sweeter. Keep in mind, the sweetness mellows once the pudding is chilled.
Cinnamon stick(s) – The sweet warm flavours of cinnamon are essential to this pudding. It is really best to use cinnamon sticks as opposed to cinnamon powder for this arroz con leche. I use only one, most recipes call for 2-3. Use the amount you like depending on how much you like cinnamon, or the age and strength of your cinnamon stick.
Lime zest – One strip of lime zest lends a mellow complex flavour to the rice pudding. Don’t worry, it will not have a sharp citrus flavour. You could also use an orange zest, or both lime and orange. I happened to have an orange leaf which you can see in the photos, but this certainly is not necessary.
Cloves – Cinnamon and cloves make a gorgeous festive combination. Rice pudding is always so much better with its inclusion.
Raisins – We love our rice pudding with raisins but of course the are totally optional.
Vanilla – It adds a beautiful background flavour to this creamy dessert.
Salt – Very necessary to balance the sweet flavours of this dessert.

How to Make Arroz con Leche

This blissfully indulgent arroz con leche is almost as easy as making plain rice. It is delicious served warm, but we also love it chilled served straight from the fridge.

Rinse and soak the rice. Give the rice a quick rinse in a strainer. Place the rice in a large heavy-bottomed pot and add water cinnamon, lemon zest, and cloves. Soak for about 30 to 60 minutes.

Cook rice. Bring the rice mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce to the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for 10 to 12 minutes or until most of the water has been absorbed.

Add the milks and sugar. Stir in the evaporated milk, whole milk, vanilla, sugar, and raisins, if using. Bring to a gentle simmer over very low heat and cook, stirring often, until sauce has thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Taste. Once the rice pudding has finished cooking, taste it. Add a little more sugar if you like it sweeter and a pinch of salt, if needed. At this point, you can add a tablespoon of rum, if you’d like. So good.

Chill the rice pudding. Remove the cinnamon stick and zest. Serve warm, or transfer to a large bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap right on top of the pudding. This will prevent a dry, crusty layer from forming on top. Chill for a few hours or overnight. Note that the rice pudding will thicken considerably as it cools and chills.

Tips

Watch the pot closely when bringing the sauce to a boil. The milk can boil over quickly and make a big mess. Not good. As soon as the milk is gently boiling, reduce the heat.
Simmer the rice pudding on the lowest heat possible and stir often. Otherwise, it will stick to the bottom of the pan and dry out before it has finished cooking.
If you like a thinner arroz con leche, pull it off the heat as soon as soon as it starts to thicken. That will be after about 15 minutes.
Depending on your burner, and the amount of heat you use, the arroz con leche might thicken too quickly for you. If this happens, remove the pot from the heat. Add a generous splash more milk, and return to cook over very low heat for just a few more minutes.
If you’re in a hurry to make the rice pudding, you can skip the rice soak and go straight to cooking. The rice will just take a bit longer to cook.
Leftovers can be stored in a tight-lid container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.

Other Dominican Recipes You May Enjoy

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