Indulge in Creamy Black Rice Pudding with Coconut Milk: A Dairy-Free Delight

Embark on a culinary journey to create the most delectable black rice pudding with coconut milk. This enchanting recipe offers a unique, naturally sweet, and incredibly satisfying dairy-free dessert experience, whether you prepare it on your stovetop or with the convenience of an Instant Pot black rice method. Get ready to transform humble grains into a tender, flavorful treat that everyone will adore.

You might wonder why this particular easy dessert holds such a special place in our hearts. While its striking dark hue may seem unfamiliar, the truly irresistible quality lies in its delightful texture. Black rice pudding offers a wonderful chewiness and a heartier consistency compared to puddings made with conventional long-grain rice. It’s an experience that truly must be savored to be understood. Prepare to fall in love with its distinct character!

Discovering Black Rice Pudding: A Unique Dessert Experience

If you’ve already enjoyed our Instant Pot Rice Pudding, you’ll find a familiar comfort in this recipe, yet with an exciting twist. The core principle remains the same: gently cook the grains until tender before infusing them with a luscious sweetness. The magic truly begins with the star ingredient: black rice.

Our recipe specifically calls for rich canned coconut milk, and there’s a good reason for this choice over regular dairy milk or almond milk. Canned coconut milk lends an exceptional sweetness and creamy body, reminiscent of the authentic flavors found in our favorite Thai restaurants. For those seeking an alternative that still offers a delightful creaminess, vanilla cashew milk would be a close second, though it won’t replicate the distinct richness that only coconut milk provides.

It’s important to understand the inherent texture of black rice. Unlike softer grains, black rice has a robust, slightly firm quality, akin to wild rice. It requires a patient cooking process to achieve tenderness, and even then, it will never become as soft and sticky as traditional glutinous white rice used in recipes like our white rice in slow cooker, or even brown rice. This unique chewiness is precisely what makes black rice pudding so captivating and distinct.

The Health Benefits of Forbidden Rice

Beyond its incredible taste and texture, black rice, often referred to as “forbidden rice,” is celebrated for its impressive nutritional profile. The deep, dark color of black rice is due to powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins, the same compounds found in blueberries and acai. These antioxidants play a crucial role in protecting the body from oxidative stress and inflammation, potentially supporting heart health and reducing the risk of certain chronic diseases. This makes black rice pudding not just a delicious dessert, but a wholesome one too!

Essential Ingredients for Black Rice Pudding

Crafting this delightful dessert requires only a handful of readily available ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make your own batch of homemade black rice pudding:

• Black Rice: Start with uncooked black rice. Various lengths are available, but long-grain black rice works beautifully for this pudding. While we haven’t yet experimented with Thai black glutinous rice specifically for this recipe, other varieties of black rice yield excellent results.
• Water: The primary liquid for cooking the rice until tender.
• Sweetener & Seasoning:
  • White Sugar: Provides the classic sweetness. Feel free to experiment with coconut sugar or brown sugar for different flavor notes – both should work well.
  • A Pinch of Salt: Essential for balancing and enhancing the overall flavors of the pudding.
• Coconut Milk: Canned full-fat coconut milk is highly recommended for its richness and authentic flavor. For an even thicker and sweeter pudding, coconut cream can be used. Evaporated milk is another option that will contribute to sweetness and creaminess, though it won’t be dairy-free.
• Optional Toppings: Enhance your pudding with delicious garnishes like toasted shredded coconut or fresh slices of ripe mango for a tropical flair.

The instructions below outline the traditional stovetop method for preparing this pudding. For best results, use a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, preferably non-stick, to simplify cleanup since the pudding will naturally become quite sticky. You have full control over the sweetness level; if you prefer a less sweet dessert, opt for unsweetened coconut milk. However, for a truly indulgent treat, we recommend embracing the full richness!

Crafting Your Pudding: Stovetop Method

Making black rice pudding on the stovetop is a simple yet rewarding process. Follow these steps for a perfectly cooked, creamy dessert:

• Step 1: Cook the Rice. In a sturdy saucepan, combine the black rice, water, and salt. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover the saucepan with the lid, and let it cook for approximately 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and ensure even cooking. The rice should be tender but still retain its characteristic chewiness.
• Step 2: Add Sweetness and Creaminess. After the initial cooking time, remove the lid. Stir in the sugar and coconut milk until thoroughly combined.
• Step 3: Thicken the Pudding. Continue to heat the pudding, uncovered, over medium heat. Stir frequently to prevent scorching at the bottom. The goal here is to allow the liquid to be absorbed and for the pudding to thicken, developing a delightfully sticky consistency. This process usually takes an additional 10-15 minutes, depending on your desired thickness.

Once your black rice pudding reaches the desired consistency, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. As it cools, it will thicken even further, enhancing its rich texture. Serve warm or chilled, topped generously with shredded coconut for an extra layer of sweetness and texture, or with fresh fruit like mango slices.

Black Rice vs. Forbidden Rice: Understanding the Name

You may have encountered the term “forbidden rice,” and indeed, it refers to the very same grain as black rice. The captivating name originates from ancient China, where this highly nutritious and rare grain was reserved exclusively for the Emperor and the imperial family. Its consumption was strictly forbidden for common people, hence its mysterious moniker. Today, thankfully, everyone can enjoy its unique flavor and health benefits!

While similar in concept to our pressure cooker coconut rice pudding, this black rice version offers a distinctively chewier bite. The Instant Pot (or a Crockpot Express or Ninja Foodi) provides an efficient way to achieve perfect results, though it requires a very precise liquid-to-rice ratio for the initial cooking phase.

Effortless Instant Pot Black Rice Pudding

The Instant Pot streamlines the cooking process, delivering tender black rice with minimal effort. Here’s how to make a luscious Instant Pot black rice pudding:

1. Initial Pressure Cook. Combine 1 cup of black rice, 2 cups of water, and 1/2 cup of sugar in your Instant Pot. Stir these three ingredients together briefly to help dissolve the sugar granules.
2. Pressure Cooking. Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot to cook under high pressure for 20 minutes. Once cooking is complete, allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes before carefully opening the lid.
3. Creating Creamy Pudding. After lifting the lid and fluffing the cooked black rice, prepare your thickening agent. In a small separate bowl, whisk together 1 egg and 1/4 cup of evaporated milk until smooth.
4. Thickening on Sauté Mode. Set your Instant Pot to the “Sauté” function (on normal or medium setting). Pour the egg and evaporated milk mixture into the pot with the rice. Continuously stir the pudding, ensuring it doesn’t stick to the bottom, for about 2 minutes once it begins to bubble. This brief boiling and stirring will help reduce the liquid and thicken the pudding to a consistency similar to a creamy Thai sticky rice dessert.
5. Cooling and Serving. As soon as the pudding has thickened to your liking, turn off the Instant Pot immediately. Promptly transfer the mixture into a heat-safe bowl to prevent the bottom from burning or sticking further. This Instant Pot method takes roughly 20 minutes for active cooking and about 30 minutes total time. Serve your black rice pudding warm, or let it cool completely, then portion into smaller bowls and refrigerate to enjoy chilled.

Is Black Rice Pudding Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free?

One of the fantastic aspects of this black rice pudding, similar to our Slow Cooker Rice Pudding, is its inherent dietary versatility. By utilizing canned coconut milk, this recipe becomes naturally dairy-free, making it a wonderful dessert option for those with lactose intolerance or dairy allergies, including my husband who absolutely loves it! Furthermore, black rice is naturally gluten-free, which means friends and family who follow a gluten-free diet can also safely indulge in this delicious treat.

Should You Rinse Black Rice Before Cooking?

The question of rinsing rice often comes down to personal preference. For both the stovetop and Instant Pot methods, we’ve found that pre-soaking the black rice is unnecessary. While some cooks rigorously rinse their grains, we typically just give the rice a quick swish with water. Many believe that skipping an extensive rinse allows the rice to retain a bit more of its natural starch, contributing to a slightly stickier and creamier pudding – a texture we particularly enjoy. We encourage you to try it both ways to discover your personal preference!

Storing and Reheating Leftover Black Rice Pudding

Proper storage is key to enjoying your black rice pudding leftovers. Once the pudding has cooled to room temperature, transfer it to airtight containers. It will keep beautifully in the refrigerator for approximately 3 days. When storing, remember that rice pudding tends to thicken and firm up considerably in the fridge, so you’ll want to have some extra coconut milk or evaporated milk on hand for later reheating.

Reheating leftover black rice pudding is straightforward. You can use either your microwave or a pot on the stovetop. To restore its creamy consistency, add about 2 tablespoons of your preferred milk (coconut or evaporated milk) to the top of the pudding and gently fold it in. This will reintroduce moisture and loosen the pudding. For microwave reheating, warm for 30 seconds, stir, and then heat for additional 30-second intervals until warmed through to your liking. On the stovetop, warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally and adding more milk as needed to reach your desired consistency. Be careful not to overheat, as this can cause the pudding to dry out.

Black Rice Pudding Recipe

Black Rice Pudding

By
Justine

Homemade black rice pudding with coconut milk recipe on stove or Instant Pot turns out great. How to cook so it’s sweet and tender.

Prep:

5 mins

Cook:

50 mins

Servings:
6

Comment
Print Recipe

Equipment

• 1 pot (or Instant Pot for alternative method)

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 c black rice, uncooked
• 3 c water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 c coconut milk, or evaporated milk (not dairy-free), coconut cream is even thicker and sweeter
• 1/2 c sugar

Instructions

Stovetop Method:

• Add rice, water, and salt to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
• Remove the lid, then stir in the sugar and coconut milk until well combined.
• Continue to heat, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally until all the liquid is absorbed, and the rice begins to thicken and get sticky.
• Remove from heat and let stand to cool, which will help it thicken even more. Serve topped with shredded coconut or fresh fruit.

Instant Pot Method:

• Add 1 cup of black rice, 2 cups of water, and 1/2 cup of sugar to the Instant Pot. Stir gently to incorporate the sugar.
• Cook under high pressure for 20 minutes, followed by a natural release for 10 minutes.
• Once done and the lid is lifted, fluff the black rice in the pot.
• In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg and 1/4 cup of evaporated milk.
• Set the Instant Pot to “Sauté” mode. Pour the egg mixture into the pot and stir continuously to prevent burning for about 2 minutes once it starts bubbling. This helps reduce the liquid and thickens the pudding.
• Turn off the pot and immediately transfer the pudding into a heat-safe bowl to prevent sticking. Serve warm or refrigerate to cool.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving: 1oz
,

Calories: 217kcal
,

Carbohydrates: 31g
,

Protein: 4g
,

Fat: 9g
,

Saturated Fat: 7g
,

Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g
,

Monounsaturated Fat: 1g
,

Sodium: 207mg
,

Potassium: 169mg
,

Fiber: 1g
,

Sugar: 0.3g
,

Vitamin C: 0.4mg
,

Calcium: 19mg
,

Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course:
Dessert

Cuisine:
American, Thai-inspired