A Vegan Rice Pudding That’s Just As Creamy and Delicious

I feel like rice pudding is the kind of dessert you’ve either eaten since childhood or never tried before. The latter was the case for me until recently and, you guessed it, I fell in love. 

Before I go any further, I would like to clarify that I’m not actually vegan. That said, I do have an egg allergy, so I know how it feels to have limited options when it comes to dessert. Imagine my disappointment when I tasted this particular dish for the first time, fell in love with it, and realized I couldn’t eat an entire serving without hating my life afterwards. If you have any sort of dietary restriction, you know the feeling. 

You might be thinking, “Well, why not just leave out the egg?” And you’re right! There are plenty of rice pudding recipes that don’t call for eggs. But where’s the fun in that? If I’m going to dedicate an entire blog post to a more dietary friendly recipe, I might as well fully commit to the bit. So for all of our vegan, lactose intolerant, or egg-free readers, this post is for you!

Vegan Rice Pudding

Yield: 4 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Inactive time: 1 hour 

Total time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

1 cup jasmine rice

1 cinnamon stick

2 cups water 

1/2 cup coconut cream

3 cups non-dairy milk of your choice (oat, almond, soy, etc.)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

This particular recipe is based off of the mango and jasmine rice pudding featured in The Chopping Block's Trip to Thailand cooking class. To keep this recipe simple and versatile, I omitted the mango and lime, but I’ve attached the original recipe at the bottom of this post as a reference for those who would like to get more creative with their flavor profiles (or for any non-vegans who may have read this far). 

You’ll want to start off by soaking the rice, cinnamon stick, and water in a heavy saucepan for one hour. I recommend using a Dutch oven, if you have one. 

After the rice has soaked, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes, or until the water has mostly evaporated. 

While the rice simmers, whisk together the coconut cream, milk of your choice (I used oat), maple syrup, cornstarch, and vanilla. If you’re not sure which milk to choose, this blog post offers some great insight!

Once the water is nearly evaporated, add the milk mixture to the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer again and cook, stirring frequently, until the rice pudding thickens slightly, about 25 minutes. The frequent stirring is important here, as that helps the pudding become creamy!

Pretty easy, right? The creaminess that would have come from the dairy is imparted by the coconut cream and natural starch of the rice, while the cornstarch serves as the thickening agent that otherwise would have come from the egg yolk. I will admit that the egg yolk does add some richness that is not quite evident in this recipe, but it’s not something I would have missed if I hadn’t first tasted the original version. 

If you’re looking to add some richness and are up for a bit of experimentation, the internet offers a plethora of suggestions for egg substitutes, which someone with a vegan diet may already have on hand. But since I’m not vegan, I wanted to stick to ingredients that wouldn’t get shoved to the back of my pantry after being used once. In this economy? No, thanks!

If you really wanted to get creative, you could try adding flax or chia seeds, silken tofu, or even cashews to try to replicate the richness from the egg yolk. Or, if you’re like me and don’t have time for all that, you can follow this recipe and be just as satisfied. 

If you or someone you know is looking for more vegan friendly recipes for the holidays, I would highly recommend our Vegan Holiday Dinner class happening on Monday, December 15th. 

We’re also hosting a one-day Vegan Boot Camp in January, where you will spend the entire day learning the fundamentals of plant-based cooking!

Mango Jasmine Rice Pudding (Original Recipe)

1 cup jasmine rice

1 cinnamon stick

2 cups water

Zest of 1 lime

1 egg yolk

3 cups whole milk

One 12-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup fresh or frozen mangoes, cut into medium dice

1 lime, juiced

Toasted coconut, for garnish

1. Soak the rice, cinnamon stick and water in a heavy saucepan for 1 hour. 
2. Bring the rice mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until the water has almost evaporated. 
3. Whisk together the lime zest, egg yolk, whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. 
4. Add the milk mixture to the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the rice pudding thickens slightly, about 25 minutes. 
5. Stir in the mangoes and lime juice.
6. Spoon the warm pudding into bowls and garnish with a sprinkling of toasted coconut.