This rice pudding starts with rice that is already cooked. It is folded into a custard of sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter and baked in an oval dish until thick and just trembling in the middle.
The top is sprinkled with sugar and slid under the broiler for a minute or two, just long enough to form dark caramelized patches. There is no cinnamon, nutmeg or raisins.
Why This Recipe Works
- Sweetened condensed milk gives the custard sweetness and body without a pan of sugar syrup.
- Starting with cooked rice means the oven only has to set the custard around it.
- A thin sugar layer under the broiler caramelizes fast, before the pudding underneath overcooks.
Ingredient Notes
- Cooked short-grain white rice
- Three cups, cooked ahead; soft rounded grains suit the creamy custard.
- Sweetened condensed milk
- One 14-ounce can, the main sweetener in the pudding.
- Granulated sugar for the top
- Two tablespoons, scattered thinly and evenly before broiling.
How to Make It
Oven heated, dish buttered
Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 2-quart oval baking dish.
Custard whisked
Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, eggs, vanilla, salt and melted butter until smooth.
Rice folded in
Fold in the cooked rice and pour the mixture into the baking dish.
Baked to 160°F
Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until thick and creamy, set at the edges and gently trembling in the center; the custard should reach 160°F.
Sugar top broiled
Sprinkle the sugar over the surface and broil for 1 to 3 minutes, watching the whole time, until dark caramelized patches form. Cool slightly before serving.
Baking, Then Broiling
Two heat stages give a soft custard underneath and a caramelized top.
Bake at 350°F45 to 50 minutes
The custard sets gently around the rice until the edges firm and the center reaches 160°F.
Broil with sugar1 to 3 minutes, watched constantly
A thin layer of sugar melts and darkens in patches under direct heat.
Cool slightly
The molten sugar hardens and the pudding firms a little before serving.
Success Tips
- Scrape every bit of condensed milk from the can with a spatula; it is thick and clings to the sides.
- Move the oven rack so the rice pudding sits a few inches below the broiler, not right against it.
- Pull the baked rice pudding while the middle still trembles; it keeps setting as it cools.
Serving Ideas
Spoon it warm from the oval dish so everyone gets some of the crackly caramelized top.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Cool, cover and refrigerate leftovers. The caramelized top softens in the refrigerator, but the pudding is good cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know the custard is baked?
The edges are set, the center gently trembles and a thermometer in the middle reads 160°F.
Is there cinnamon or nutmeg?
No. The flavour is condensed milk and vanilla, with a caramelized sugar top.
