Name: Instant Pot Rice Pudding
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: About 4 cups
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon light oil (like vegetable or avocado oil); 1 cup short grained white rice; 1 1/2 cups water; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3/4 cup sugar; 2 cups whole milk, divided; 2 eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 3/4 cup raisins (optional)

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This sweet and simple Instant Pot rice pudding has just the best texture, flavor, and is ready in under an hour! It’s the perfect dessert in my book.

And I promise it’s super easy in the Instant Pot! You barely have to lift a finger for this sweet, cinnamon-y treat.

An Easy Rice Pudding Recipe

Rice pudding is one of those recipes that I BEG you not to knock until you try it! I know, unless you’ve had it your whole life, the concept of rice plus pudding is a little… foreign. And maybe not the most appetizing. But the blessing of rice is that it takes on the flavors around it. So it’s actually a perfect contender for a sweet dessert, if you’re using the right ingredients alongside it!

I like my rice pudding on the sweeter side, but if you’d like it less sweet, try using 1/2 cup of sugar instead of 3/4 cup. It’s so creamy, cushiony, and velvety with the right amount of sweet from the sugar balanced with some spice from cinnamon and a little tang from the raisins. Plus, the Instant Pot helps it to come together with almost ZERO effort, or time, and it’s super simple to make in under an hour with this lovely recipe! I cannot wait for you to try this magical easy rice pudding.

What is Rice Pudding?

Rice pudding is a sweet recipe made using white rice mixed with milk and other ingredients like sugar, cinnamon, and raisins. It’s a recipe that’s been around for hundreds of years and is thought to have originated in China. (Other historians argue it began in India — both countries have an ancient rice culture, so maybe forms of it started in both places.)

Old Fashioned Rice Pudding Ingredients:

Light oil (like vegetable or avocado oil): this ensures the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot while cooking in the Instant Pot.
Short grained white rice: the key to rice pudding! Short grained is a denser, smaller grain of rice that makes the pudding more fluffy.
Water: to cook the rice with.
Salt: a little salt helps the rice not stick together.
Sugar: for a sweet flavor.
Whole milk: this is what makes the pudding creamy and velvety.
Eggs: to bind and thicken the rice pudding.
Vanilla extract: for a little hint of vanilla flavor in each bite.
Ground cinnamon: to balance the sweet from the sugar with a little bit of spice.
Raisins (optional): they add a little more sweetness and added texture to the pudding.

How to Make Rice Pudding

Add the oil to the Instant Pot. Use a pastry brush to spread it around the full bottom of the pot.
Add the rice, water, and salt.
Lock the lid in place, select High Pressure and 4 minutes cook time. When the cook time has passed, let the pressure cooker rest at natural pressure release for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, release any remaining pressure with a quick pressure release.
Add the sugar to the cooked rice and stir to combine.
Whisk together the milk, eggs, and vanilla. Slow pour the egg mixture, while stirring the rice, into the cooked rice.
Select sauté and cook. Stir constantly, until mixture starts to boil. Once it starts to boil turn off pressure cooker. Remove pot from the pressure cooker. Stir in cinnamon and raisins (if using).
Serve warm or pour into serving dishes and chill.

Topping Ideas for Homemade Rice Pudding:

Sprinkle with additional cinnamon, raisins, nuts, ground nutmeg, brown sugar, or granola.

How to Store and Reheat Rice Pudding:

Store cooled rice pudding in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can enjoy it cold, or to reheat, add leftovers to a Dutch oven with 2 to 3 tablespoons of whole milk over medium heat, and stir regularly until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the Best Rice to Use?

Short grain rice is best for rice pudding because short grain is starchier than long grain, meaning the end product will be thicker and creamier when the starches release as it cooks.

Can I Make Rice Pudding with Leftover Cooked Rice?

You definitely can! Just add the cooked rice to a large pot over medium heat, and follow steps 4 through 7 in the recipe directions below.

What Spices Can I Add to Rice Pudding?

Cinnamon is the most common spice used in rice pudding, but you can also add nutmeg or cloves for another kind of warming spice flavor.