Coconut Milk Rice Pudding

Vegan coconut milk rice pudding, made with brown rice and plenty of fruit for a healthier, cozy dessert. The ultra creamy dairy-free base is a perfect background for all the toppings you can think of.

I don’t know if you can see the rice peeking out from under all those toppings, but it’s there! If you haven’t had coconut milk rice pudding before, it’s a revelation, especially if you’re looking for a really creamy and rich vegan option. I’ve always made rice pudding with leftover rice, which is what my mom does, but I started using full-fat coconut milk a few years ago to replace regular milk and cream. It became my favourite even before I quit eating dairy, and anyone I’ve given it to has loved it just as much, even my cow-cream loving, coconut hating mama.

To make things a touch more interesting, there’s a little orange zest and ginger mixed in with the standard cinnamon and coconut milk. If oranges are out of season it’ll still be good without – I often mix in a little cardamom and nutmeg to spice things up a bit, or just use vanilla if I’m topping it with strawberries or raspberries. As long as the coconut cream base stays the same it’ll taste good. If you want to make things even richer, instead of using leftover rice you can cook the rice right in coconut milk, just with a little more liquid than you usually need to achieve the same creamy consistency. Rice pudding is all about the toppings, so don’t skimp! I had to keep adding coconut to my bowl because it wouldn’t stop turning purple and I ended up with more coconut than rice (kidding, sort of) but sweet spices, frozen or fresh berries, coconut, and nuts are all great options.

This is a simple recipe, but a great way to use up leftover rice of any kind, though it’s best with short grain if you have it. I always get short grain brown rice and I know there are special rice pudding varieties, but we like whole grains around here. It probably should serve four people but I hate more than half of it in one go so you can judge the serving size for yourself! This is a perfectly acceptable breakfast and at least equally as good as porridge, even fancy porridge.

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