No more tossing out leftover rice from dinner the night before. Make this Leftover Rice Pudding instead. It’s inexpensive, healthy and absolutely delicious!
I usually make a big batch of rice in my rice cooker once or twice a week, so I always have some on hand in the fridge to quickly heat up and serve with beans, stir fry, or any of my favorite mains like Asian Sautéed Shrimp or Orange Chicken. Although I love the Creamy Rice Pudding recipe that I make all the time, this quick Leftover Rice Pudding is a fantastic alternative to the real thing without sacrificing any of the flavor. Just plop all the ingredients in a pan, let the rice absorb most of the milk and, “ta-da”, rice pudding that everyone in your house will think took you hours to make.
How to Make Leftover Rice Pudding
It’s super simple (and efficient) to make rice pudding using your leftover cooked rice. Here’s how:
- Gather your ingredients: cooked rice, milk of choice, vanilla extract, cinnamon and honey (or agave nectar). Feel free to add any spices you want like pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg!
- Combine in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken up.
- Serve in bowls with desired toppings such as chocolate chips, banana slices, hemp seeds, berries and more!
The best part about this recipe is since it’s such a simple base you can add whatever toppings you have on hand to it. I did some pomegranate seeds and chocolate chips, but fresh berries, honey, bee pollen, hemp seeds, or anything you might use to put on top of oatmeal would do the trick too! It’s even a great way to get your kids involved in the kitchen by asking them what toppings they want on their Leftover Rice Pudding.
My kids could eat rice morning, noon and night, so I’m constantly trying to come up with new recipes using this great grain. I’m thankful that they love rice so much because it’s affordable, easy to prepare and healthy. So next time you’ve misjudged and made way to much rice for dinner, Leftover Rice Pudding has got to be your go-to. It’s a super comforting, delicious and hearty breakfast the next day or even have it for lunch or dessert. There’s no wrong way to enjoy it!
Recipes That Use Leftover Rice
I hate for any food to go to waste, so I’ve developed several recipes to use up that cooked rice that didn’t get eaten the night before.
Let me know what you think of this recipe by tagging me on social media!
Leftover Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked white or brown rice
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until it starts to thicken up.
- Place in bowls, cool slightly and serve with desired toppings such as chocolate chips, sliced banana, berries or anything else you have on hand.
It didn’t thicken. Was there supposed to be an egg in the recipe?
Hi Julianne – I’m sorry you were having trouble! I would try cooking longer and allow the pudding to sit for a bit off the heat to help it thicken. Hope that helps!
My leftover rice was with turmeric, my granddaughter calls it the “yellow” rice. I made this pudding even though it is ‘yellow’ and put some berries, bananas, and apples. My husband loves it. He said he didn’t think I could use rice with turmeric. I did and it was delicious. Love it.
I had some rice to use up and found your recipe. I used 2T. Honey and after it was cooked, had the inspiration to add some apple, so I cut up 1/2 an apple and microwaved it. Then added to the rice mixture. Yummy! We are out of raisins.
My girls LOVE rice! As does their mother…and their father. This recipe is SO simple and SO delicious!
I used to make this when my youngest was just starting solids and haven’t made it in a couple years. I had some leftover rice in my fridge and my son was asking for pudding so I’m trying it again. This time I am just using dark chocolate almond milk and the rice (similar to what I do with your tapioca recipe). We’ll see how it turns out, but it smells good.
We detliifeny need more smart people like you around.