Slow Cooker Creamy Rice Pudding

This creamy slow cooker rice pudding is soft, sweet, and full of warm cinnamon flavor. With only five simple ingredients, it’s an easy dessert that almost makes itself. Just pour milk over rice, add a few pantry items, and let your slow cooker do all the work. Perfect warm or cold, any day of the week!

This slow cooker rice pudding uses just five ingredients, and it brings back that cozy, homemade feeling many of us remember from childhood. All you do is pour whole milk over dry white rice, toss in three more simple items from your pantry, and let the slow cooker take care of the rest. Rice pudding is loved all over the world. You can find versions of it in Latin American kitchens, where it’s called arroz con leche, and in old British desserts too. This recipe brings that same cozy, old-fashioned feeling you might remember from a Midwest potluck. It’s creamy, a little sweet, and tastes great whether you eat it warm or cold.

Try serving this warm rice pudding in small bowls with a little extra cinnamon sprinkled on top. Or, pop it in the fridge to chill—it gets thick and creamy, almost like a custard, once it’s cold.

You can add fresh berries, banana slices, or a spoonful of jam on top for a fresh, fruity taste. Want something even sweeter? Add whipped cream or caramel sauce on top. Enjoy it with a warm cup of coffee or tea for a cozy treat at night, or serve it next to eggs and toast for a sweet breakfast treat.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw white rice (medium or long grain), rinsed
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (plus extra for topping, if you like)

Slow Cooker Creamy Rice Pudding: Directions

1. Get the slow cooker ready. Rub a small amount of butter or cooking oil inside your 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. This step is optional, but it makes cleanup much easier later.
2. Rinse the rice. Place the raw rice in a strainer and rinse it under cool water. Keep rinsing until the water looks clear instead of cloudy. Then let the rice drain well. This step washes away extra starch so your pudding turns out smooth and creamy, not sticky or gluey.
3. Add rice to the slow cooker. Spread the rinsed, drained rice out evenly across the bottom of the slow cooker.
4. Mix the milk mixture. In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the whole milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir well until the sugar mostly dissolves and the cinnamon spreads evenly through the milk.
5. Pour the milk over the rice in the slow cooker, adding it a little at a time. Make sure every grain of rice gets covered by the milk. This is the most important step, since the pudding forms as the raw rice slowly cooks in the milk.
6. Cook on low heat. Cover the slow cooker with its lid and cook on LOW for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours. You’ll know it’s done when the rice feels very soft and the pudding looks thick but still a little soupy. Since every slow cooker heats differently, start checking your pudding around the 2 1/2-hour mark.
7. Stir partway through. About halfway through cooking, lift the lid and stir the pudding well, scraping the bottom and sides of the slow cooker so nothing sticks. Put the lid back on and keep cooking. If your slow cooker tends to run hot, give it one more quick stir later on.
8. Turn off the heat. Once the rice is soft and the pudding looks creamy, turn off your slow cooker. Don’t worry if it still looks a bit loose or runny—it will keep thickening as it cools down.
9. Let it rest. Keep the lid on and let the pudding sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. This helps it set up a little more. If it gets too thick for your liking, just stir in a splash of extra milk to loosen it back up.
10. Serve and enjoy. Spoon the pudding into bowls while warm, and sprinkle a bit more cinnamon on top if you’d like. To serve it cold, spoon the pudding into a shallow dish, press a piece of plastic wrap right onto the surface (this stops a skin from forming), and place it in the fridge until fully chilled.