Best 7 Authentic Italian Rice Pudding Recipes

CREAMY RICE PUDDING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF (175ºC)
• Butter the inside edge (no need to do the bottom) of a baking dish, then add the rice and the milk and cream (if using).
• Now add the sugar, and stir until it dissolves.
• Add a pat of butter, and a little sprinkle of nutmeg.
• Place the dish in the center of the pre-heated oven, and set the timer for 30 mins.
• After 30 minutes, take the dish out of the oven, stir well, and return it to the oven. Set the timer for another hour.
• Check the pudding after an hour, and you may have to break the skin to check the rice. Continue to cook for up to another half hour, if necessary. The rice pudding is ready when it has started to thicken (it won't be runny).
• Remove the rice pudding from the oven, and let cool slightly before serving. Spoon into dishes, and serve with a dash of cinnamon, if desired. Rice pudding is also delicious when served cold. Add some chopped fruit, raisins, or coconut. It's a very easy dessert to make, and to serve. You can even serve it to look like an egg, as they do in Italy-just place a peach half on top.

ITALIAN (ARBORIO) RICE PUDDING

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan; add rice, butter, and salt. Place a cover on the saucepan, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook rice at a simmer until the rice is tender and the moisture is mostly absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Stir half-and-half and sugar into the rice until the sugar dissolves; add cinnamon stick and lemon peel. Bring the mixture to a boil and remove from heat.
• Place a large stainless steel bowl atop a pot of simmering water. Pour the rice mixture into the top of the double boiler and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 45 minutes.
• Pour rice pudding into a serving dish. Remove and discard cinnamon stick and lemon peel from pudding; let cool slightly before garnishing with cinnamon to serve.

CHEF JOHN'S CLASSIC RICE PUDDING

Steps:

• Place rice, salt, and water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat; sprinkle with sugar and pour in milk. Stir with a whisk until until the thin layer of cooked-on starch at the bottom of the pan is cleared and incorporated into the mixture, 2 or 3 minutes.
• Place pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it reaches your desired of level of doneness and creaminess, 8 to 10 minutes. The longer it cooks, the thicker and stickier it will be. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and cinnamon. Very quickly whisk in the egg yolk (to prevent it from cooking). Whisk for about 1 more minute. Add butter and dried cherries; stir thoroughly.
• Transfer warm pudding to serving dishes. Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, 3 to 4 hours.

ITALIAN RICE PIE

Steps:

• Read through all directions before starting!
• In a large bowl, add the sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, lemon zest, and cubed butter. Using your hands, cut/squeeze the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand
• In another bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and then pour into the dry sandlike mixture and stir until all of the egg has been incorporated
• Press down and form into a dough and then turn out onto counter and knead a few times until there are no dry bits remaining.
• Form into 2 flat disk shapes, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour (this makes enough for 2 pies, so you can opt to use the extra to decorate the top, or save for another pie).
• I like a thicker crust so I split the dough unevenly; that is, I use about 60% for the bottom and 40% for the top crust - no need to be too accurate just "eyeball" it when you divide the dough.
• Butter and flour an 8-inch pan. After the dough has chilled, roll it into a circle that is about 12 to 13 inches wide and then carefully transfer it over to the prepared pan and line it with the dough. Use PLENTY of flour under and on top of dough before and while rolling and also on your rolling pin. Return dough to fridge if it gets too warm or sticky.
• If the dough falls apart you can simply pinch it back together in the pan. Use plenty of flour on both sides of the dough when you are rolling out the dough to prevent sticking
• After you line the pan with the dough, you can freeze the pan with crust for an hour or so or place in fridge for at least an hour or overnight. This helps to prevent shrinkage.
• If you want to top the pie with pie crust lattice, roll out the crust using plenty of flour on both sides and the rolling pin, and cut into strips. Place strips on baking sheet or dish and chill until ready to use.
• Begin by adding the rice, milk, and lemon peel to a gentle boil over medium low heat. You MUST stir often or the mixture will definitely stick to the bottom of the pan!!
• After the rice has begun to slightly bubble, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until most of the milk has absorbed (it's okay if rice is a bit undercooked as it will keep cooking in the oven). Set aside to cool
• You can also bring to small gentle boil for 2 or 3 minutes, cover, and then remove from heat and let the rice absorb all the liquid for about 30 minutes or so.
• In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, sugar, eggs, grated lemon zest, and vanilla extract and beat until creamy (I mixed by hand using a whisk)
• Once the rice mixture is cooled (to the point where it won't cook the egg in the ricotta mixture), add it to the ricotta mixture and stir to combine.
• Use the prepared pie shell from earlier step and price the dough several times all over with a fork
• Pour the rice-ricotta filling mixture into the pie shell
• If using top crust, top with second pie crust or the lattice strips and top the pie. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle sugar.
• Place the pie on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F on the center rack until the filling is set (about 50 to 60 minutes).
• Check the pie about 20 minutes and 10 minutes before finished and if crust is browning too much, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top very loosely.
• Once pie is cooled, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.
• Cool pie completely before eating and store in the refrigerator. Pie is best enjoyed at room temperature (otherwise, rice tends to harden too much).

CLASSIC MINUTE® RICE PUDDING

Steps:

• Combine milk, rice, sugar, raisins and salt in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Beat eggs and vanilla lightly in a small bowl. Stir small amount of hot mixture into eggs. Stirring constantly, slowly pour egg mixture back into hot mixture. Stirring constantly, cook on low heat 1 minute until thickened. DO NOT BOIL.
• Remove from heat. Let stand 30 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve warm. Store any remaining pudding in refrigerator.

OLD FASHIONED CREAMY RICE PUDDING

Steps:

• Combine cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir remaining 1/2 cup milk, golden raisins, beaten egg, and white sugar into the rice mixture; stirring continually. Continue cooking until egg is set, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat; stir butter and vanilla extract into the pudding.

OLD-FASHIONED RICE PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place first four ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Transfer to a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. , Bake, covered, 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Stir in raisins and vanilla; bake, covered, until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.