If you like rice pudding, you'll love creamy, comforting Slow Cooker Rice Pudding - a one-step recipe that takes 5 minutes to prepare and cooks all day.
Slow Cooker Rice Pudding
Why use a slow cooker for puddings anyway?
I've been a bit sceptical about puddings in the slow cooker because, for me, the point of a slow cooker is to make life easier and I'm not always convinced that it makes much difference with puddings. The exception is Rice Pudding, which takes about 2 hours to cook in the oven.
That is the worst sort of timing for me because I'm rarely in the kitchen thinking about pudding 2 hours before eating. On the other hand, I can spend 5 minutes in the morning chucking five or six things in the slow cooker and leaving it to cook all day.
And if I'm really short of time - or just not that great in the mornings - the dry ingredients can be weighed out into the cooker the night before and the liquids measured into a jug in the fridge ready to be poured into the pot in the morning.
Key ingredients in Slow Cooker Rice Pudding
What sort of rice do you use?
You need short-grain rice, often labelled as pudding rice, for any kind of rice pudding. The grains are short (hence the name) and starchier, so they stick together better and produce a creamier dish.
You can also use this rice for sushi (as if I'd be making that!) or risotto, so it needn't sit in the cupboard for months (or years) if you don't make many rice puddings.
Why is there evaporated milk in rice pudding?
You could just use milk - and for a milk pudding, whole milk gives the best flavour. Adding some evaporated milk gives the creamy flavour and texture that you would get from cooking rice pudding in the oven, where some of the milk evaporates during the cooking, but which doesn't happen in the slow cooker.
Evaporated milk is just milk that has had about 60% of its liquid removed, so substituting some evaporated milk gives you the traditional flavour.
What about condensed milk?
It's easy to confuse evaporated milk with condensed milk, which has a lot of sugar added. If you've done that, just reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe.
What else do you need to know?
- If you like the skin on a rice pudding, you do get one here, so that's good news. If not, give it to someone who does like it.
- I've cooked this on LOW for about 8 hours and on HIGH for 4 hours, and I reckon the longer, lower cook is marginally better. Both are good, but if you've got the choice, put the pudding on in the morning and leave all day
- When the rice pudding is done, it can look a bit milky. Just stir it all up together and that goes away.
- Slow Cooker Rice Pudding is brilliant with raspberry jam - or try grating some nutmeg over it before cooking.
Helpful Tools
- Slow Cooker – If you’re bewildered by which one to buy see 5 tips for Buying a Slow Cooker.
If you like this...
...Why don’t you try:
Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding
Blackberry and Apple Crumble
Black Forest Meringue Pudding
Recipe
Slow Cooker Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- 25 g butter
- 1 small can evaporated milk (170g)
- 850 ml milk, approximately
- 100 g short grain pudding rice
- 50 g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5ml)
Equipment
Instructions
- Pour the evaporated milk into a measuring jug. Pour in milk to make 1 litre of liquid
- Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker and stir.(Combined milks, butter, rice, sugar, vanilla extract)
- Put the lid on and cook for 6-8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH
- Serve with your favourite jam.
Notes
- Milk. You could use all milk if you don't have any evaporated milk. Whole milk gives a creamier flavour and texture.
Jessy Brown says
Can you cash you use sweetener instead 9f sugar
Jim Crooke says
Hi Jesse, I use something called 'half spoon' which is just like sugar but you only use half the amount (or less) as its very sweet. Most supermarkets in UK sell it. Sweetener can make it very sickly.
I also use a little extra vanilla paste and a large shaving off a fresh lemon skin (make sure its wax free) which adds to the sweetness. I find a bit of nutmeg also means you don't need as much sweetener.
Irene Ross says
Hi, can you freeze the rice pudding? I live alone
Helen Evanson says
I have a slow cooker with metal none stick pot, ive done this recipe loads of times but it clogs at the bottom any ideas how I can prevent this from happening. Recipe is beautiful by the way
Susie Collings says
Hi Helen, You could try melting the butter first and stirring the rice in to coat the grains. Or easier - grease the bottom of the pot with butter. Glad you like the recipe 🙂
Sara says
My grandmother use to butter the pan, then add rest of ingredients plus plenty of grated nutmeg 💕💖💕
Susie Collings says
That would work too. Loving the nutmeg idea. I'd forgotten that option 🙂
Mick says
So easy to make
Suz says
Just made this to the exact recipe. Put in the slow cooker on low for 7 hours and is the best rice pudding I've ever tasted.
Susie Collings says
Hi Suz. Thank you 😊
Pat says
Will this recipe store overnight in the fridge and what is the best way to reheat it
Susie Collings says
Hi Pat, The rice pudding will be fine in the fridge overnight. I would reheat in the microwave.
Lorna says
I absolutely loved this recipe& the way it turned out... Tastes just the way rice pudding should..."Yummy!"
I had a large can of evaporated milk in cupboard, so I poured that into jug& topped rest of way up with skimmed milk..(All I had)..This recipe is a keeper!
So easy in the slow cooker, I stirred every hour..(Did 2hrs on high& then about 3 on low..)
Susie Collings says
Hi Lorna, Glad you like the recipe. Best time of year for rice pudding 🙂
Mrs Peel says
A bit too sweet for my taste and rather oily with all that butter but I will make it again and again and just reduce the sugar and use a large knob of butter instead the slow cooker certainly makes a lovely pudding!
Susie Collings says
I guess it's a matter of taste. This is an easy pudding to adjust to what you like 🙂
Lauren says
Hey! Can you use a larger evaporated milk/milk ratio? Like 2 tins of evaporated milk and take off the equivalent of milk? I love evaporated milk so would want it to taste more or evaporated milk 🙂 I hope that makes sense.
Susie Collings says
Hi Lauren, I don't see why that wouldn't work. I know what you mean about that flavour, so I might try it myself 🙂 Cheers - Susie
Pat Hepburn says
Can you use condensed milk for this as I have some to use up?
Susie Collings says
Hi Pat. Usually I wouldn't recommend using condensed milk for evaporated because of the high sugar content. But in this case, I reckon you could use condensed milk instead. If you're using about 200g, reduce the sugar to 25g. You may need to add a little more sugar when it's cooked but I doubt it. And if you serve it with jam anyway, it'll be fine!
Cheers - Susie