Greek rice pudding is a traditional dessert made with subtle flavors like cloves, cinnamon, vanilla and orange zest to infuse you with warmth and flavor.
Greek rice pudding may be one of the most understated Greek desserts! Growing up Greek, I’ve inhaled every dessert: baklava, kataifi, galactoboureko, melamacarona and more. One of the ones that often gets left by the wayside by its sweeter competitors is rice pudding and I suppose I can understand why.
As a kid, I tended to gravitate towards the much sweet options. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to appreciate other tastes on the palette: less sweet, more delicate. These softer flavors intertwine and weave to create nuanced combinations that delight in such a subtle way; far different from a thick and rich chocolate cake that overwhelms and submerges you in its intense and bold flavors or the sugary sweet syrup that a baklava is drenched in.
Modifying tradition
Traditionally, rice pudding is made with loads of milk and sugar. Naturally, we’re “veganizing” things here on The Whole Scoop but we’re also working to reduce the amount of sugar we’re using. While I haven’t completely eradicated sugar from our diet (I don’t think a little here and there is bad!), I’ve definitely been striving to not need it as much or not need my foods to be as sweet. It’s amazing what your taste palette can get used to when you apply changes for a consistent period of time!
The Ingredients:
Milk. In lieu of cow’s milk, we’re going with a dairy-free and vegan plant milk. Personally, I love using oat milk. It’s a delicately nutty yet softer than a coconut milk. Also, for someone who has a tree nut allergy, oat milk makes a great substitute. For a slightly heavier nutty presence, you can opt to use almond milk as well. Importantly, you’ll want to make sure that the milk option is not low-fat but rather full fat. The fat of the milk helps with the texture and roundness of the liquid in this dish.
Sugar. The traditional family recipe called for a lot of sugar. However I cut back on the amount of sugar to focus on really bringing those subtle flavors to the forefront: savory cloves, a hint of orange, a taste of cinnamon and the creaminess of the plant milk. That fusion of flavor wrapped in warm milk is truly the center of this Greek rice pudding.
The Rice
It’s important to note that the rice you choose absolutely does have an impact on this Greek Rice Pudding. First, not every type of rice cooks the same. Some require a lot of liquid and in contrast, some require a lot less. This determines how much milk you need and how thick your rice pudding will be. Second, not every rice tastes the same. White rice is the best option in this dessert because it soaks up the flavors of the cinnamon, cloves, orange and vanilla. Brown rice isn’t as absorbent, is chewier and has a more earthy taste to it.
I personally love to use Arborio rice for this rice pudding because it retains its shape and texture the best. Oftentimes, when overcooked, rice becomes mushy. With arborio, we can avoid that mushy result. You can also use jasmine rice.
In addition, something I do differently from my family is that I actually don’t preliminarily cook the raw rice in the milk. I first cook it in water and then transfer the cooked rice to the milk. What I have found is that cooking the rice in milk takes much longer and oftentimes, if one isn’t careful, can result in the burning of the milk.
Toppings
In regard to toppings, you can pretty much add anything you want on top!
– extra cinnamon
– dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, etc
– nuts like sliced almonds, walnuts, pecans
– seeds (pumpkin, hemp, chia, poppy)
– a drizzle of maple syrup or date syrup for a touch of added sweetness
This is a perfect fall dessert and hope you enjoy this family recipe with a plant-based twist! We love to serve this in individual ramekins, especially on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. We use these ramekins here.
Greek Rice Pudding (Rizogalo)
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup arborio rice
- 2 cups full fat oat milk (or almond)
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 whole cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole cloves
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp orange zest
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- In a saucepan, cook your rice according to package instructions. Usually bringing water to a boil, adding rice, and then reduce heat to low and cover, simmering until all the water is absorbed.
- In a separate larger saucepan, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil. Stir in the sugar until it dissolves into the water.
- Then add the cinnamon sticks, the cloves, and the orange zest. Simmer on medium-low heat for about 7 minutes so that the flavors can reduce into the water.
- After the 7 minutes, remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves from the water. Then add the maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon powder. Stir in until well combined.
- Then add the milk. Turn heat on high and bring to a bowl. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and then add the cooked rice. Simmer on low, uncovered, for about 15-20 minutes or until it has thickened to a creamy texture and not runny. Make sure you stir frequently as the rice can stick to the bottom.
- Once thickened, remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes. It will gradually continue to thicken. Sprinkle on your toppings of choice and serve!
Notes
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