Mary Berry’s classic rice pudding has a nostalgic quality to it. There is something truly magical in its creamy simplicity that is both heart-warming and stomach warming. Moreover, it is perfectly sweet and made with a simple list of pantry staples. It’s one of those desserts that’s great to have simmering on the stove in the fall and winter.
Additionally, you will find the rice pudding recipe easy and simple enough to throw together at the last minute and make a satisfying dessert after any meal. Furthermore, it requires few ingredients and little prep time, and the pudding cooks without your intervention, yet it yields one of the most delicious traditional British desserts you’ll ever eat.
Mary Berry’s Rice Pudding provides the body with essential vitamins such as B1 and B2 and potassium, magnesium, and other minerals. Additionally, it also contains vitamins A, B, D, E, and K and calcium, iodine, and zinc if the rice is cooked with cow’s milk.
Mary Berry’s Rice Pudding has about 223 calories per serving. Despite the high carbohydrate content (around 50 grams), it is almost entirely long-chain starch, which causes blood sugar levels to rise slowly and thus saturates well in the human body.
This recipe calls for short-grain white rice, but what if you don’t have any? In general, the shorter the grain, the higher the starch content…and starch is what helps thicken and cream this pudding. However, long-grain rice holds its shape better than shorter grain rice, which is not ideal for rice pudding since you’re looking for a bowl of starchy rice.
You can make rice pudding with any rice that would work well for risotto. You wouldn’t normally make rice pudding with basmati, jasmine, or brown rice because you wouldn’t make risotto with it. Calrose, a short/medium grain rice, is ideal for this recipe because it cooks soft and sticky. However, you can use brown rice, but the pudding will be less creamy, it will take a long period to cook, and you will most likely need to add more liquid.
Below are the ingredients required:
The Core Rice Pudding Ingredients
The following are the five main ingredients for rice pudding:
- Rice: Uncooked long-grain or short-grain white rice can be used in this recipe, but not uncooked brown rice, which requires more cooking liquid than white rice. However, if you start with cooked rice, you can use either white or brown rice.
- Milk: Any milk will do, but the higher the fat percentage, the creamier the results. Do you want to eat dairy-free or vegan? Use unsweetened non-dairy milk: cashew milk and oat milk would be delicious. You can alternatively use canned coconut milk but expect a strong coconut flavour.
- Sugar: Begin with 1/3 cup granulated sugar and add more at the end if desired. Feel free to experiment with different brown sugars or liquid sweeteners, but start with a few tablespoons and add more as desired.
- Salt: Just a pinch of salt brings out all the flavours, so do not skimp on it.
- Vanilla: You can add vanilla bean paste or half a vanilla bean right at the start to infuse the rice pudding or stir the vanilla extract at the end.
Mary Berry’s Rice Pudding can be flavoured with ingredients such as ground cinnamon or raisins. Feel free to experiment with different warm spices or dried fruits.
How to Make and Serve Rice Pudding
Mary Berry’s Rice Pudding is as simple as combining all ingredients in a saucepan and simmering them till the rice is tender and the mixture thickens. Remember to stir it occasionally to prevent the bottom from scorching. However, some rice pudding recipes call for tempering egg yolks for richness, but it’s a time-consuming step that risks scrambling the eggs. Instead, stir in a tablespoon of unsalted butter at the end to make the Mary Berry’s Rice Pudding extra rich — I find it takes it to the next level.
Measure out the rice and milk
Combine 1 cup of uncooked short-grain or long-grain white rice in a large saucepan or 3 cups of cooked rice. For uncooked rice, use 4 cups milk; for cooked rice, use 3 cups milk.
Add the flavourings
Add a third of a cup of granulated sugar and a quarter teaspoon of kosher salt. Scrape the seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean and add the seeds and pod to the saucepan if used. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste if using, and insert any desired plug-ins.
Bring to a simmer
Have the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently and scraping the pan’s bottom with a rubber spatula or alternatively a wooden spoon to prevent the rice from sticking.
Simmer until the rice is tender
Regulate the heat to a low simmer and cook while uncovered until the rice is very tender and the mixture begins to thicken. It takes 20 to 22 minutes for uncooked rice and 10 to 12 minutes for cooked rice.
Add the butter and vanilla extract.
Withdraw from the heat and stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter until melted, if using. If necessary, remove the vanilla bean pod. Taste and adjust the amount of sugar as desired.
Serve the rice pudding.
As it cools, the rice pudding will thicken further. Thin with additional milk if necessary, and serve warm or cold.
Bottomline
Mary Berry’s classic rice pudding is one of the simplest recipes. It requires few ingredients, little prep time, and the pudding cooks without your intervention, yet it yields one of the most delicious traditional British desserts you’ll ever eat.