Growing up whenever my mom would make rice for dinner she would always leave the rest of the pot sitting on the stove and cover it with a lid. We were then free to make one of our favorite “snacks” which was a big scoopful of rice covered in cinnamon and sugar and then you cover it with milk. I always looked forward to having this for breakfast the next day. It was something I loved and is kind of a comfort food for me.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago and on a whim I decided to grab a couple of these….

Rice pudding. I had never had it before and honestly didn’t have the highest hopes for it, but it sounded kinda good (probably since I was shopping on an empty stomach. We all know how that goes!) so I decided to give it a whirl. Little did I know I was about to taste a new staple for me! I took a bite and was hooked instantly! It was a much BETTER version of the cinnamony sugary rice concoction of my youth. Because hello…..rich, creamy pudding! And I’m talking the good stuff that tastes homemade. It’s not like a Snack Pack or anything. It tastes homemade like something your sweet little old grandma would make.

And one of the coolest things about it too is that it’s gluten free. I know so many people who eat gluten free so what a wonderful treat for them!

Anyway, I was going through the stuff like crazy. I couldn’t keep them stocked in the fridge! It was all about the rice pudding in this house all the time. We went from never having it ever to it becoming the new pre-bedtime ritual. I went searching for a good recipe that would yield the same result as my new good pal Reynaldo’s so I could quite going to the grocery store just for these!

Reynaldo’s recipe has just a few, real ingredients, which I love. I’m so happy to say that II found a real winner! Now I can whip up a big batch myself and save money while I’m at it. And it’s really easy and pretty quick too.

This recipe is from the Food Network, but many reviewers were saying this is actually the Uncle Ben’s original arroz con leche recipe, so I’m not sure which one came first. Apparently people eat it warm when it’s done cooking but because the only way I ever was introduced to it was straight from the fridge, I like it cold and without raisins. But you can make it your own :)

Have you ever eaten rice pudding? I always think it’s fun to discover a new (to me) recipe that I just fall in love with! Have you found a new dessert lately that you have fallen in love with? I’d love to know in the comments below!

Mexican Rice Pudding (Arroz con Leche)

Total: 43 min

Prep: 5 min

Cook: 38 min

Yield: 4 servings

Level: Easy

Ingredients:

7 cups water

1 cup long-­grain white rice

One 4­inch cinnamon stick

One 12­ounce can evaporated milk

One 14­ounce can condensed milk

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup golden raisins

Ground cinnamon, for dusting

Directions:

Put the water, rice, and cinnamon stick in a medium ­size heavy saucepan set over medium ­high heat. Bring to a boil, uncovered, and cook until the rice is tender, about 18 minutes. Strain out the liquid, discard the cinnamon and reserve the rice. Return the rice to the saucepan. Stir in the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk. Continue cooking over medium­ high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick, about 20 minutes. Add the raisins, and stir well. Transfer the pudding to a serving bowl. Dust the top of the pudding with ground cinnamon and serve.

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