Arroz con Dulce or Puerto Rican rice pudding is creamy and delicious with a touch of warm spices. In Puerto Rico, we love adding raisins to the rice pudding with a dusting of cinnamon on top. This dessert is typically served during the holiday season along with other favorites like coquito, tembleque, and budin de pan.
When I was growing up, I remember eating arroz con dulce at family gatherings or church parties. Eating this treat as an adult stirs up so much nostalgia. Now I enjoy making it for my kids. My daughter Ella loves it, while my son Cameron refuses to eat it. But he’s only four years old and I think he’ll change his mind in a few years, haha!
Arroz con dulce ingredients:
Spiced tea
- Water
- Cinnamon sticks
- Cloves
- Star anise
- Ginger
Rice pudding
- Medium or short-grain rice
- Evaporated milk
- Coconut milk
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Brown sugar
- Raisins
*Find the full recipe below! You can also click the Jump to Recipe button at the top of this page.
How to make arroz con dulce?
Make the tea
Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add the spices and ginger. Boil for 5 minutes and remove from heat.
Make the rice pudding
Place a large pot over high heat. Add coconut milk, evaporated milk, spiced tea, salt, and rice. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low. Continue to stir the rice until the milk thickens. Keep stirring to prevent the rice from sticking to the pot and burning. This process will take about 25-30 minutes. Stirring constantly is tedious but it’s an important step you can’t skip.
Once the rice is fully cooked, add the vanilla, sugar, and raisins. Stir to combine and remove from heat. If you prefer smooth and creamy rice pudding, make sure the pudding is still runny when you remove it from the heat. As it chills, the texture will firm up.
Place the rice pudding in serving dishes and refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours or overnight. If the rice pudding is too firm after chilling, add some cold milk and stir to loosen the texture. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon before serving and enjoy. ¡Buen provecho!
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Arroz con Dulce (Puerto Rican Rice Pudding)
Ingredients
Spiced tea
- 1 cup water
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 6 cloves
- 1 star anise
- 1 tsp fresh ginger crushed
Rice pudding
- 1 cup medium or short-grain rice soaked in water at least 3 hours or overnight
- 1 can evaporated milk 12 oz
- 2 cans coconut milk 13.5 oz each
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup brown sugar or sugar of choice
- 1/3 cup raisins soaked in water at least 3 hours or overnight
- ground cinnamon for garnish
Instructions
Make the tea
- Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add spices and ginger. Boil for 5 minutes and remove from heat.
Make the rice pudding
- Place a large pot over high heat. Add coconut milk, evaporated milk, spiced tea, salt, and rice. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Continue to stir the rice until the milk thickens. Keep stirring to prevent the rice from sticking to the pot and burning. This process will take about 25-30 minutes.
- Once the rice is fully cooked, add the vanilla, sugar, and raisins. Stir to combine and remove from heat. If you prefer smooth and creamy rice pudding, make sure the pudding is still runny when you remove it from the heat. As it chills, the texture will firm up.
- Place the rice pudding in serving dishes and refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours or overnight. If the rice pudding is too firm after chilling, add some cold milk and stir to loosen the texture.
- Sprinkle with ground cinnamon before serving and enjoy. ¡Buen provecho!
Notes
Tips:
It’s best to soak the rice in water overnight. That will help speed up the cooking process and prevent the pudding from becoming too sticky. Remember to soak the raisins in water too. If you prefer to soak the raisins in rum or whiskey, you can do that too! Stir the rice pudding continuously. It is a bot tedious but a necessary step to ensure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. If you prefer smooth and creamy rice pudding, make sure the pudding is still runny when you remove it from the heat. As it chills, the texture will firm up. If the rice pudding is too firm after chilling, add some cold milk and stir to loosen the texture.Shop my kitchen faves on Amazon:
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