Rice Pudding with Salted Caramel and Raspberries

Looking for a dessert to impress? This Rice Pudding with Raspberries and Salted Caramel is a sweet and creamy rice pudding that is served with fresh raspberries and a homemade salted caramel sauce for an impressive yet easy dessert.

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“Fancy” dessert at home doesn’t have to be hard! This Rice Pudding recipe is a perfect example of that. For more easy date night in desserts, try this Chocolate Mousse, Raspberry Creme Brulee, or Butterscotch Budino.

When it comes to Valentine’s Day, we are all about spending the night at home. Especially when that means avoiding the crowds and the increased prices. Make a nice meal at home, put the kids down for bed early, and enjoy a fancy looking dessert that is actually pretty easy.

So, since it’s the holiday of love and all, I figured I might as well make a dessert that I know my husband will love.

And as luck would have it, this is actually a pretty perfect Valentine’s Day dessert.

I especially love that the components can be made a couple days ahead of time. No stress = a perfect Valentine’s Day dessert.

And did I mention that this is pretty much amazing? I’m not even usually a huge rice pudding fan, but I was definitely a fan of this!!

Ingredients

Rice: In my opinion, the best rice for rice pudding is arborio rice. This is the same rice that you would use if you were making risotto. It gets nice and creamy and soft. You should be able to find it pretty easily, but if you are looking for an alternative to the arborio, you could use another long grain rice. Jasmine and basmati are both great choices. Do not use a short grained rice.

Milk: Whole milk would be ideal, but I don’t keep whole milk on hand so I’ve always made this with 2% and it has worked perfectly!

Vanilla Bean: I love the vanilla flavor a vanilla bean gives this pudding. I do not recommend buying vanilla beans at the grocery store, though. They are always extremely overpriced and usually dried out. I have always had good luck buying vanilla beans on amazon or at a local kitchen supply store.

Sugar: I use granulated sugar.

Salted Caramel: I like to make my own salted caramel. You can use store bought, if desired, but homemade is so, so good!

Raspberries: You can replace these with another berry of your choice, if desired.

How to Make Rice Pudding with Salted Caramel and Raspberries

1: Rinse the rice in a fine mesh sieve. You want to rinse some of the starch from the rice.

2: Cut your vanilla bean in half, then slice into it lengthwise. As the rice cooks, the seeds will work their way out of the pod, but sometimes I will scrape the seeds out before I remove the bean from the mixture.

3: Pour the milk into a large saucepan, then add the rinsed rice.

4: Add the vanilla bean, and turn the heat on to medium.

5: Bring the mixture to a simmer. Let it cook, stirring often.

6: As it continues to cook, it will start to thicken up.

7: Cook until you reach your desired thickness and the rice is as tender as you’d like it. (See notes below for more on this!)

8: Remove the pot from the stove and remove the vanilla bean. Stir in the sugar. Transfer the rice pudding to a new container and refrigerate until cooled completely.

Assembly

To assemble the rice pudding, start by layering about 1 tablespoon of the salted caramel in the bottom of 4 serving dishes. (I like to use a half pint jar.)

Top that with some of the rice pudding, then a few fresh raspberries. Layer on another layer of rice pudding, then add another tablespoon of salted caramel. Add a few fresh berries to the top to finish it off.

Rice Pudding Texture

For the rice pudding, I prefer a little bit of a firmer texture, with a little more bite to the rice. But my husband likes it softer and looser. The good thing is that you can make it according to your preferences!

For a firmer rice pudding, use 2 1/2 cups of milk, or for a looser pudding, use the 3 1/2 cups of milk. Cooking it longer will break the rice down more, as well, but you don’t want to take it too far or it will end up gummy.

Make Ahead Instructions

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that both the rice pudding and the salted caramel can be made in advance. The rice pudding can be made up to 3 days before serving, and the caramel should be good for up to a week.

Before assembling, you’ll want to heat the caramel slightly, as it will firm up as it is refrigerated.

For this reason, you don’t want to assemble your final dessert too early. If you have to put the pudding back in the refrigerator, the caramel will firm up, making it a little harder to eat.

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, but again, the caramel will firm up and the berries may become mushy.

More Recipes with Raspberries

Raspberry Muffins with White Chocolate Chips
Raspberry Lemon Breakfast Biscuits
Raspberry Banana Pie
Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling
German Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling

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Rice Pudding with Salted Caramel and Raspberries

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Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Refrigeration Time: 2 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 4 hours hours

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

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Looking for a dessert to impress? This Rice Pudding with Raspberries and Salted Caramel is a sweet and creamy rice pudding that is served with fresh raspberries and a homemade salted caramel sauce for an impressive yet easy dessert.

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1/2 cup Arborio rice
• ▢ 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups milk*
• ▢ 1/2 vanilla bean halved lengthwise
• ▢ 6 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup salted caramel
• ▢ 1/2 pint (1 cup) fresh raspberries

Instructions

• Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse for a minute or two.
• In a large saucepan, combine the rice with the milk and vanilla bean. Place the pan over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the rice is very tender and the mixture is creamy. This will take anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour.
• Remove the pan from the heat and remove the vanilla bean. Stir in the sugar. Transfer the pudding to another container and refrigerate until cooled.
• To assemble, drizzle 1 tablespoon of caramel into the bottom of 4 serving cups. Top with a layer of the rice pudding, then a few raspberries. Add another layer of rice pudding, another tablespoon of caramel, then top with the remaining raspberries.
• Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes:

*I like my rice pudding a little more on the al dente side, so I like to use 2 1/2 cups of milk. My husband likes his softer, though, so if I’m making it for him, I’ll add up to 3 1/2 cups of milk.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Arborio rice will work the best, but if you don’t have any, another long grain rice will work. I would not use short grained rice. I have not tested with brown rice, but if you do try, the liquid will most likely need to be increased, as well as the cook time.

MAKE AHEAD: The rice pudding and the caramel can be made ahead of time, but I would suggest waiting to assemble the dessert until right before you are ready to serve.

STORE: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The caramel will harden up some, and the raspberries will get mushy, so this is best enjoyed right as it is assembled.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/4 of recipe, Calories: 419kcal (21%), Carbohydrates: 68g (23%), Protein: 8g (16%), Fat: 12g (18%), Saturated Fat: 8g (50%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 43mg (14%), Sodium: 219mg (10%), Fiber: 5g (21%), Sugar: 48g (53%)

Keywords: rice pudding, rice pudding recipe