Cuban Rice Pudding (Arroz con Leche)

About This Recipe

Arroz con leche is one of Cuba's most comforting desserts, a rice pudding built by simmering rice low and slow in milk sweetened with sugar and perfumed with cinnamon stick and lemon or lime zest. Unlike custard-based puddings, the creaminess here comes entirely from starch released by the rice as it cooks -- patience is the main technique, not any thickener. The rice is first simmered briefly in water to soften it before the milk goes in, which prevents the milk from scorching over the long cooking time ahead. From there it's a slow simmer, stirred often, as the rice swells and the milk reduces into a thick, spoonable pudding. A pinch of salt in the mix -- easy to forget -- is what keeps the sweetness from tasting flat. Served warm or chilled with a generous dusting of ground cinnamon on top, this pudding is standard fare at Cuban family gatherings and is often one of the first desserts Cuban home cooks learn to make, since it uses only pantry staples and rewards a slow hand rather than precision.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 cupshort-grain white rice
• 2 cupswater
• 0.25 tspfine sea salt
• 4 cupswhole milk
• 1cinnamon stick
• 1 striplemon or lime zest
• 0.75 cupgranulated sugar
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 0.5 tspground cinnamon(for dusting)

Instructions

1. 1

   Parboil the rice

   Combine rice, water and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered 10 minutes until most water is absorbed.

2. 2

   Add the milk

   Stir in milk, cinnamon stick and zest strip. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.

3. 3

   Simmer slowly

   Cook uncovered, stirring every few minutes, for 30 to 35 minutes until the mixture thickens into a loose, creamy pudding.

   Stir from the bottom often -- this is where scorching starts, especially in the last 10 minutes as it thickens.

4. 4

   Sweeten and finish

   Stir in sugar and vanilla during the last 5 minutes of cooking, once the rice is fully tender.

5. 5

   Cool and serve

   Remove the cinnamon stick and zest. Spoon into bowls, dust generously with ground cinnamon, and serve warm or chilled.

Variations

• •

  Coconut arroz con leche: replace one cup of milk with coconut milk for a Caribbean twist.

• •

  Raisin version: stir in a third cup of raisins during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

• •

  Dairy-free: use full-fat oat or coconut milk in place of whole milk, adjusting sweetness to taste.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days. The pudding thickens significantly when cold -- stir in a splash of milk when reheating gently on the stovetop or serve chilled as-is.

Frequently Asked Questions