How to Make Arroz con Leche

Arroz con Leche is a rice pudding made by cooking the rice with 3 milks and cinnamon for a sweet taste of Mexico everyone will love!

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I tried learning how to make Arroz con Leche a few years ago in my pressure cooker, but I never could quite get it right. The end result always turned out a tad too thick for my liking. So, this year I set out to really perfect my recipe… And here it is! 

This dessert is popular in Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Spain, Peru, and so many other countries in Central and South America. I imagine that they make a similar dessert in Honduras.

It is made with milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk (sound familiar? Just like this Tres Leches Cake!) and can be topped with raisins and cinnamon. Keep reading for the recipe, topping ideas, potential adjustments, and more. 

Why Make this Recipe

1. Taste of Mexico: If you love Mexican food and want to taste a typical Mexican dessert, this is a great option! 
2. Easy to Prepare: Though rice pudding takes a while to cook, it is relatively easy to prepare. And very forgiving!  

What Do I Need to Make this Recipe? 

Ingredients

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

1. Rice: Use Long Grain White Rice if you can. You can also sub Jasmine rice if necessary. Wash your rice before adding it into the pot. 
2. Milk: I use 2% milk. You can also use whole milk if you’d prefer! I would not recommend using skim or lowfat milk, as it will make the final dish too thin. 
3. Evaporated Milk: This comes in a can, normally in the baking aisle.

Tools 

1. Large Pot & Lid
2. Wooden Spoon

How to Make this Recipe

Step 1: Cook the Rice

Add water, rice, 1 cinnamon stick, and salt into a pot. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Add the Milks

Add the milk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and the other cinnamon stick into the pot. 

Cover again and cook on a low heat for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep stirring so that the milk does not burn on the bottom of the pot. 

Remove the lid and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the desired consistency is reached. Continue stirring so that the milk does not burn. 

Step 3: Serve and Enjoy 

Let the rice cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm or refrigerated, topping with raisins if desired. 

Expert Tips

• There shouldn’t be much extra water left over after the first 15 minutes of cooking the rice. Tilt the pan to make sure that most of the water is absorbed. There should only be a few tablespoons of water left if there is any at all. If there is more than this, cover the rice again and cook for a few more minutes. 
• If there is still a little bit of extra water in the rice, do not drain it before adding the milk. 
• For even more cinnamon flavor, let the cinnamon stick boil in the water by itself for a few minutes before adding the rice (almost like you’re making Cinnamon Tea!)
• Don’t skip the resting step at the end of the recipe! It is important for the texture of the dish. 

Adjustments

Adding Raisins

If you are serving your arroz with raisins, you can soak the raisins beforehand (in rum, water, etc) to rehydrate them a bit before adding them back into your pudding. You can also add them in as is. 

Other Flavors

I have seen recipes prepared with cloves and nutmeg simmered into the rice as well. Feel free to do this if the tastes appeal to you!

I have also seen some recipes adding a lime peel into the boiling water with the rice, which will keep the rice from getting TOO sweet. I have never personally tried this, but it is an option if you’d like. 

Make it Sweeter

If you have a huge sweet tooth (like me!), feel free to add some extra sugar into your recipe to make it even sweeter.

Add the sugar, ¼ cup at a time, around the same time you add the milk into the pot. As you taste the Arroz con Leche, you can add more sugar if you think your recipe needs it. 

Topping Ideas

This recipe is delicious on its own, but adding more toppings to it will just take it up to a whole other level. Here are some great topping ideas for you to try out: 

• Ground cinnamon 
• Nutmeg 
• Raisins
• Honey 

Let me know if you try anything else! 

Troubleshooting: If Your Recipe Is…. 

Too Thick 

If your Arroz is too thick, feel free to add more milk into the pot as it is cooking. You can add as much milk as you’d like in order to reach your desired consistency. 

Too Thin

If it’s too thin, you can continue stirring it on the stove with the lid off until it reaches your desired consistency. 

Putting your dessert in the fridge overnight also allows the rice to soak up a lot of the extra liquid, leaving your rice pudding thicker than the day before. 

Recipe FAQs

Did you enjoy this article on How to Make Arroz con Leche? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you: 

• Caakiri (Couscous Pudding) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Muhammar Sweet Rice from Bahrain
• Pineapple Coconut Agua Fresca Recipe

If you make this recipe at home, leave a review/comment on this post letting us know what you thought!

And don’t forget to share a photo of your finished product on Facebook and Instagram and tag @TheForeignFork and hashtag #TheForeignFork.