Creamy Vegan Rice Pudding is easy & delicious. Enjoy as a snack, breakfast, or sweetened for dessert! Dairy-free, vegan, oil-free gluten-free, nut-free.
Have you ever made vegan rice pudding?
I used to love snack pack puddings as a kid. Anyone remember those rice and tapioca puddings with the pull tabs, kind of like this?
Gosh I loved those! Even as a teen I loved eating them, the rice and tapioca were my favorites, but I enjoyed all sorts of puddings.
Fast forward to raising my own kids – no commercial vegan rice pudding to be found. That’s okay, it’s easy to make at home!
This BREAKFAST VEGAN RICE PUDDING is now in Plant-Powered Families. But, a few years ago, I showed how to make it in a “Dreena and Daughters” video!
Sidenote: please be forgiving of video production… one weegan is eating cereal and clinking her spoon on the bowl , and the videographer weegan got adjustment-happy with the tripod. 😆
The key to this rice pudding recipe is batch-cooking rice.
Whenever I cook rice, I make more than I need. It keeps well in the fridge for 4-5 days. Then, it can be reused for other meals, such as this breakfast rice pudding!
You can make the version with the pureed banana for natural sweetness, or add some other healthier sweetener options to taste.
Chocolate lovers hang tight, I have a cocoa-infused version for you too, see the recipe notes.
Hope you enjoy this one, guys!
x Dreena
Creamy Breakfast Vegan Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 cups precooked brown rice loosely packed (reserve 1/2 cup)
- 3/4 – 1 cup non-dairy milk your choice, see note
- 1 ripe banana about 1/2 – 3/4 cup, sliced (optional, see note) OR 1-2 tbsp pure maple syrup, coconut sugar, or chopped dried fruits
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- few pinches nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- grated orange or lemon zest optional
- optional: 1-2 tbsp cocoa powder see note
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add 1 1/2 cups of the cooked rice (rough measure), and the remaining ingredients starting with 3/4 cup of milk (omit banana if you prefer, see note – and except the zest). Puree the mixture using a handblender (alternatively, you can puree in a blender before adding to the saucepan, but I find the handblender is quicker and easier for clean-up)! Add the remaining 1/2 cup of rice, and turn heat to medium-low. Let the mixture thicken and warm for several minutes. Add the remaining milk if desired to thin. Taste, and adjust with sweetener and orange/lemon zest if desired, and stirring through add-in’s if you like! Serve.
Notes
- Banana and Sweetener Note: The banana adds natural sweetness, and so if using it, you may not need the maple syrup or coconut sugar- it’s up to you. However, also note that if adding the banana, the mixture will turn a darker color with the banana oxidizing and being cooked – so it’s best to eat straight away rather than save leftovers. If you don’t use the banana, try adding a touch of pure maple syrup or coconut sugar. Or, you can add chopped dates or other dried fruits to sweeten.
- Milk note: If using a vanilla non-dairy milk, you may not need any additional sweetener. If using an unsweetened variety, you will probably want to bump up the sweetness with the pureed banana or other options.
- Chocolate version: Make this pudding chocolate-y with the addition of 1-2 tbsp of cocoa powder. You will need extra sweetener to balance the bitterness of the cocoa, so adjust to taste.
- Add-in’s: To add some variety and extra nutrition to this pudding, try adding in a few tablespoons of hemp seeds, a tablespoon of ground chia, 1-2 tablespoons of nut or seed butter (ex: cashew, almond, pistachio, sunflower), 2-3 tablespoons almond meal, a sprinkle of dried fruit (ex: chopped dates, goji berries, raisins, dried blueberries, etc), or some fresh fruit (ex: chopped apples/pears in the winter, fresh berries in spring/summer).
How do you enjoy rice pudding? For breakfast or a snack? Chocolate or not?!
images credit: Nicole Axworthy
Brandi says
I just made this but with some changes I’d like to share. First I blended the ingredients- 3/4 of a banana, 3/4 of a cup or so vanilla almond milk, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and the nutmeg and salt as described. After adding to the saucepan, I added 1/4 tap cinnamon and 1/4 cup almond milk along with the rice. I decided to try a trick I learned from watching the show hungry girl for growing oatmeal- I added 1/2 cup of water and let the mixture simmer over medium heat until the water gets absorbed, making your bowl of food ( in this case rice) HUGE!!! Then I added 2 tbsp of chia seeds and another 1/2 cup of water, stirring frequently until it reached the consistency it had at the beginning, before all my extra changes. At the end, I added a mixture of honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar to taste (couldn’t make up my mind which one i wanted to use!) and a few more dashes cinnamon, some vanilla, and the rest of the banana, sliced. This is now big enough for two breakfasts or breakfast and a post-workout snack.
Dreena says
Nice! Great tips, thanks for sharing, Brandi.
Amber says
How many servings does this make?
Dorothy R says
My Mom made this when we were kids, Have you tried ABC pudding, avacodos, bananas, and cococa, blend together with vanilla and small amt of maple syrup. My husband loves it and really tastes like Choc pudding.
TomH says
How many servings does this recipe make? I’m just beginning to explore the world of a vegan diet.
Dreena says
Hi Tom, it’s about 2-3 servings, depends on the person and the appetite! Enjoy trying many new recipes, the world of vegan food is exciting!
Lenore says
what are the “Natural Flavours ” in almond milk?
Dreena says
Lenore, I’m not sure, it depends on the brand. You’d need to contact the specific companies and ask them what is used specifically.
mj says
This looks like EXACTLY what I’m looking for! Variation question: Has anyone tried a different starch than rice? I’m thinking pre-cooked oatmeal or quinoa. Anyone had success with those?
Dreena says
mj, I haven’t, but if you try with quinoa you may want extra sweetener/banana, b/c the quinoa has a natural bitter flavor – whereas rice is a little naturally sweeter. Good luck!
Imola says
I’ve had great success with millet in puddings. Mild flavor, and if overcooked (I use my Instant Pot) it’s a blast whipping it up with some coconut cream, honey, and an endless variety of ingredients – carob, strawberries, vanilla, bananas, strawberries, etc
Yulca says
I just made this (the cocoa version, sweetened with dates, no banana, with 1.5 tbsp of hazelnut butter) with mixed grains (rice, spelt, millet & quinoa). It’s delicious! It did need a bit more liquid though, maybe 1.5 cups of nondairy milk in total.
Will be serving this cold to my family later – what a brilliant way to get tons of grains into a toddler! Thanks Dana, this will go into our snack rotation for sure.