Classic Rice Pudding vs. Rosewater Rice Pudding!

Think you love rice pudding now? Give it a try with this perfectly classic rice pudding recipe and then compare it to this beautiful rosewater rice pudding! This is a comparison to try today!

Classic rice pudding

The original recipe was sourced from https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/creamy-old-fashioned-rice-pudding/#tasty-recipes-47143

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup (52g) white or light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 cups (480ml) whole milk
• 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup (65g) short-grain white rice (I used arborio)
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Whisk together the egg, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Add the milk, cream, rice, and salt to a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes. Stir frequently to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
4. Slowly add about half a cup of the hot rice mixture to the egg mixture, whisking quickly, to temper the egg mixture.
5. Add the egg mixture to the saucepan with the remaining rice mixture. Stir everything together and continue heating on low heat for about another 5-10 minutes, or until thickened. Don’t boil. It will thicken quickly. Keep in mind that the mixture will continue to thicken as it cools, so you don’t want it to be too thick before you take it off the heat. A touch soupy still is ok.
6. Remove from heat and serve warm.

Rosewater rice pudding

The original recipe was sourced from https://www.thespruceeats.com/rice-pudding-with-rosewater-2355445

Ingredients

• 1 cup long-grain rice, such as basmati (uncooked)
• 5 cups whole milk, plus 3 tablespoons
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
• 2 tablespoons rosewater
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Rinse the rice well with cold water to remove any starchy coating from the grains.
2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine rice and milk. Bring the liquid to a low boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer.
3. Simmer until creamy, approximately 45 minutes. Stir the mixture occasionally to ensure the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of milk, sugar, cardamom, salt, and cornstarch to rice and stir thoroughly. Add rosewater and bring to a boil for 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes to thicken and transfer to serving bowls.
6. Serve immediately or refrigerate for at least one hour.

Expert Tips

1. Top the pudding with another dash of ground cardamom and a mint leaf before serving.
2. Serve the rice pudding immediately for a warm dessert, or chill it for at least an hour a cold dessert.

Recipe Variations

1. Make a baked rice pudding by cooking the rice in 2 cups of milk until tender. Combine the cooked rice with the remaining ingredients in a prepared casserole dish and bake it in a 350 F oven for 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle of the dish comes out clean.
2. To decrease the number of calories and grams of fat in the dessert use 2 percent milk instead of whole. However, the dish will not be as creamy and rich as the lower-fat milk.
3. To add more texture to the recipe, you can chop up pistachios and crumble them on top of the pudding. Other additional ingredients could include vanilla extract or cinnamon mixed into the pudding or a drizzle of honey or raisins on top of the dessert.