This is the original, easiest Instant Pot rice pudding recipe. So easy! Instant Pot Arroz con Leche is creamy and aromatic. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, or any of your favorites. The best part? This pressure cooker rice pudding recipe is ready in just 30 minutes. This is the best Instant Pot rice pudding easy recipe and one of my all-time favorite instant pot recipes,

Plus, you probably already have the ingredients for this pressure cooker rice pudding in your pantry.

This is not only the BEST Instant Post Rice Pudding; it’s the ORIGINAL Instant Pot Rice Pudding Recipe.

The Best Instant Pot Rice Pudding

Instant Pot Rice Pudding is one of the easiest ways to make the most delicious and creamy rice pudding!

Seriously, in 30 minutes, you are rewarded with rice pudding with perfect texture, sweet, fragrant, and Oh! so good!

When I lived in Miami decades ago, I came to love the food.

One of my favorites is Arroz Con Leche (or Rice Pudding).

I asked my mother-in-law, and she gave me her old-fashioned classic rice pudding recipe made on the stovetop.

It took a long time, and there was a lot of standing at the stove.

Thanks to the Instant Pot, my favorite dessert is now easy.

It is creamy and delicious.

It’s rice pudding. Rice pudding!

It’s the ultimate comfort food. It’s creamy, sweet, and the perfect dessert.

It’s the dessert that you roll your eyes and sigh as you count all your blessings!

It’s like coming home.

It seems just to warm the soul.

Why make Rice Pudding in the Instant Pot?

After realizing I was only getting to partake of this treat if Abuelita was making it, I took matters into my own hands and asked for the recipe.

I was young and had buckets full of rice after my first attempt, and the hours it took standing in front of the hot stove had me rethinking my love affair with rice pudding.

Things have changed, and now I make Arroz con Leche in the Instant Pot.

It takes about 35 minutes from start to finish and is really easy, yielding the delicious creamy texture I have come to love.

 

What goes good with rice pudding?

We love it with generous amounts of sprinkled cinnamon.

But I encourage you to personalize it with your own flavors.

Try coconut milk or Sweetened Condensed Coconut.

I’m partial to adding coconut manna (about a tablespoon) to the rice before cooking.

It is creamy and sweet and is a great foundation for different flavors.

Try adding:

• toasted pecans
• sliced bananas
• cinnamon
• chocolate chips
• apple slices
• traditional raisins (You can add raisins to the electric pressure cooker while you cook the rice).

Some like theirs with butter, dates, jam, nuts, and maple syrup.

The Spanish use raisins, cinnamon, coconut, and orange zest.

Try pumpkin spice, and coconut.

Experiment with different flavors of condensed milk.

Add more sugar or less sugar.

I love mine served with heavy cinnamon and a little brown sugar on top.

When that sugar melts, it’s delicious! 

Experiment with different liquids…milk: coconut, almond, whole, skim, or try tea for a different taste.

Don’t use heavy cream; it will curdle.

Yuck!

 

Check out this dessert recipe using Earl Grey Tea: Earl Grey Amira Rice Pudding with Wine, Lemon and Vanilla Nectarines Recipe

You may also want to check out my Pinterest Instant Pot board for more great recipes like this pressure cooker rice pudding!

This easy instant pot rice pudding recipe is a basic recipe.

It is quick to make, and by adding toppings, you can customize it to your own liking.

It makes enough for the four of us to indulge and still have some leftover.

We love it warm.

Trust me; it’s so good warm.

We love it cold.

If it’s a special occasion or we have guests, we sometimes serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The hot and cold really makes it quite spectacular and it’s an easy dessert.

Please note that when you store it in the refrigerator, it will come back out “dry”… add a splash of milk (or other liquid) and stir back to your desired consistency.

 

I love that the ingredients are my pantry’s basic staples.

Like, seriously…you probably already have everything you need to make this Instant Pot Rice Pudding Recipe.

Start to finish it’s about 35-minutes. I can wash dishes from dinner and have dessert done at the same time.

When you take the lid off, it will look “mushy.”

Don’t panic

Just start adding the condensed milk and stirring.

It is going to get thicker the longer it sits.

Make a complete Spanish Meal that includes Abuela Approved Black Beans and Arroz con Pollo for a complete meal!

 

Here is the Instant pot version of my mother-in-law’s rice pudding.

Easy Instant Pot Rice Pudding Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups milk (I use whole milk, but it’s up to you. Almond milk, coconut milk, or a combination of milk also works)

1¼ cups water

1 cup long-grained rice (you can use short-grain rice, jasmine rice, or arborio rice if you like)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

⅛ cup sugar (optional)

⅛ teaspoon sea salt (table salt works too)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)

1 teaspoon Cinnamon (more for garnish)

How to Make Rice Pudding in the Instant Pot:

Rinse rice well using a fine mesh colander (You don’t have to, sometimes I’m wild and throw it in without rinsing)

Add milk to the  Instant Pot

 

Now add sugar to the electric pressure cooker (this is optional).

 

Next, add a pinch of salt to Instant Pot.

 

Pour the water into Instant Pot.

 

Now mix the rice with the milk mixture.

This is where you would add a cinnamon stick, lemon zest, fresh fruits (like raisins), or dried fruit if you wanted.

 

Stir

Place lid on Instant Pot, seal lid, and close vent.

Press the Porridge button.

If you don’t have a Porridge button, Manual high-pressure works.

The rice will take 20 minutes to cook time to cook in this setting.

When the timer beeps, allow Natural Pressure Release (Natural Release-NR) for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, press the Cancel button and Quick Release (open the vent to release pressure).

When depressurized, open the lid.

Add the sweetened Condensed milk and vanilla.

Stir until well mixed.

 

 

Serve in small bowls with optional toppings and additional milk if you like.

 

 

Enjoy this Easy Instant Pot Rice Pudding Recipe!

This sweet rice, an easy dessert, is the sweet stuff dreams are made from!

Why not give your Instant Pot a deep clean when you’re finished? 

Leftovers:

You can serve your rice pudding immediately or let it cool to room temperature and store it in the fridge in an airtight container for a cold, breakfast (top it with fruit and add extra milk) or snack.

The pudding will keep in your fridge for about four days.

Unlike that other plain-cooked rice bowl, it probably won’t last that long.

Can I freeze Rice Pudding:

This fuss-free dessert can also last for up to three months frozen.

Thawing in the refrigerator overnight or in the microwave on defrost is usually the easiest way to thaw rice pudding that has been frozen.

I find it best to portion the rice pudding so I can defrost one serving at a time.

You can place them in airtight containers or thick freezer bags (the latter allows better placement in the freezer). Just remove any excess air from the freezer bags, seal, and store.

Pressure Cooker Rice Pudding Tips Tricks and FAQs

• Don’t use Heavy Cream
• We like it sweet, but you may want NOT to add the sugar the first time and try it with just the condensed milk. 
• Instant Pot Coconut Rice Pudding: You can use creamy canned coconut milk, sweeten the rice with sugar, and skip the condensed milk for a vegan rice pudding and lower fat version. 
• If you put this in your refrigerator (or let it sit), the rice will absorb all the liquid. Just stir in warm milk to bring it to the consistency you prefer.

What Rice Is Best for Rice Pudding?

While I think this is subject to taste, I’ll share some observations I’ve made over the years:

Medium grain rice –This rice creates a creamy rice pudding with rice grains that are soft but not mushy. The rice melds with a creamy sweetness.

Arborio Rice (Risotto rice)-We buy this rice usually, so it is usually my go-to; it may require a bit more liquid.

Jasmine rice & short-grain rice – If you want softer rice, then short-grain white rice or jasmine rice delivers the best results.

Long-grain rice – If you want firm rice grains, use long grain white rice. You’ll find more textural contrast using long-grain rice.

Brown rice- For myself, brown rice is too firm, it works, but for me, it just misses the mark.reall

Basmati rice – Delivers similar to long-grain rice.

You MUST use UNCOOKED Rice– Cooking loosens the starch in the rice, making that thick, creamy milk mixture that coats the grains of rice. 

Cooked Rice doesn’t deliver the same creamy texture and will be more like mush instead of the texture rice pudding deserves!

What I’ve Learned About the Other Ingredients:

• Milk – it’s all good. Dairy, non-dairy like coconut milk, hemp milk, almond milk, and oat milk. They all work and are easy ways to change the flavor profile. 
• Butter – I didn’t add this to the recipe, but try smearing your serving bowls with butter. It adds a nice flavor and ensures you get every grain!
• Sugar – The sweetened condensed milk offers sweetness. Adding any extra is optional. My family likes it extra sweet, but it’s not for everyone. 
• Raisins (Sultanas) – You don’t have to soak the raisins if you add them to the pressure cooker. Try 1/2 cup of your favorite raisin variety!

Recipe Tips:

• I use white, long-grain rice in this recipe. Basmati or sushi rice is also a good choice. Jasmine rice and Basmati rice are less chewy than Arborio Rice.
• You may want to wait to add the sugar; condensed milk may add enough sweetness.
• Splurge on the nutmeg and cinnamon, even if it is just a dusting. It elevates the flavor incredibly.
• Add raisins to the pot if you want a more complex flavor, or you can add them at the end if you prefer a more chewy texture.
• Canned coconut milk is a delicious substitute if you prefer a more low fat version.

Is rice pudding served warm or cold?

It is really up to you how you enjoy your rice pudding. Latin American countries prefer it warm–we do too…it’s creamy and delicious. We also like it the next day, cold–we just add milk to bring it back to the creamy texture. 

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About Julee:

Julee Morrison is a blogger and mother of six living in Virginia’s foothills with their four dogs.
Her first book The Instant Pot® College Cookbook: 75 Quick and Easy Meals that Taste Like Home, celebrates her family recipes and making quick meals everyone will love.
Her writing has appeared on The Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, Pop Sugar, SheKnows, Yahoo Shine, Love What Matters, and Ellen Nation. Her recipes have been featured on Bon Appetite, SparkPeople, and The Huffington Post.