Oven Baked Rice Pudding for Two
Oven baked rice pudding is my favourite British dessert, and my version has been scaled back to be the perfect serving size for two people.
The dish takes a shade over an hour and a half to cook, but it is very easy, chuck some stuff in a bowl, stir it, throw it in the oven and go about your day.
Creamy Rice Pud
This recipe is a bit of a collector's piece here on Krumpli... a dessert!
I don't present desserts here very often, not because I don't like them, but because they are something that I choose not to eat very often.
As a result, they take a long time to develop and get it right.
My latest sweet street is a traditional baked rice pudding, and like almost all of my desserts, it is fuelled by nostalgia.
I've got everything from mini Bakewell tarts and bread and butter pudding to mini lemon meringue pies and sticky toffee pudding.
One of the main themes of my site is food for two, so surprise, surprise, this rice pudding recipe is made for just two people.
It's gloriously simple to make, and it is by far the easiest dessert you can make, in my opinion.
It takes a little over 90 minutes to make, but you spend less than 10 minutes doing anything for it, how's that for efficiency?
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do you get pudding rice from?
When I returned to the UK a few years ago, I was taken a little by surprise at how difficult it was to find pudding or short-grain rice.
I have found Asda to be a pretty reliable source. Both Morrisons and Tesco have it online, but I've never found it in any store that I have been in.
It is also widely available online, and it will last for ages in the cupboard!
What if I don't like the skin?
Shhhhhhh, you are not allowed to say such things in these parts... sorry... or am I?
If the skin is not for you, simply cover the bowl with tin foil before baking it!
Do I have to use cream?
No, but it does make this dish gloriously rich, and I think it is worth it.
But if you want to scale back the calories, you can omit the cream and use the same total amount of milk (400ml).
Can I use vanilla essence or extract?
Yes, depending on the quality of what you are using, you will need to use between a quarter and a half of a teaspoon.
Although I do think that fresh vanilla or vanilla bean paste is much better.
Serving Suggestions
It may seem odd to have a serving suggestions section for a baked rice pudding, but stick with me.
There are a few bits that you can and maybe should have with rice pudding to take it to the next level.
The most obvious is a big dollop of jam; I prefer either a raspberry jam or a strawberry jam.
But a big spoon of cherry jam works well too. If you are doing that, then try toasting off some flaked almonds too; it works wonderfully.
I'm sure that my next section will raise eyebrows, but I loved school dinner rice pudding with prunes in syrup. As I said, my dessert dishes are almost always about nostalgia.
If you want something completely out there, a sprinkling of sweet granola as a topping works really well.
Equipment Used
I only mention brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Oven.
- 500ml (2 cup) baking dish.
- Stirring spoons.
- A paring knife and cutting board are only required if you are using fresh vanilla.
- Grater.
- A combination of weighing scales, measuring jug, cups and spoons.
Oven Baked Rice Pudding Recipe for Two
Ingredients
- 60 g Pudding Rice ¼ Cup
- 275 ml Milk 1 Cup + 2 tablespoon
- 125 ml Double Cream ½ Cup (heavy cream in the US)
- 3 tablespoon Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Paste (or seeds from 1 small vanilla pod)
- Fresh Nutmeg grated)
- Butter (to grease the bowl)
Instructions
- Grease a 500ml (2 Cup) baking dish with butter.
- If you are using a vanilla pod, cut it in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds.
- Pour the milk, cream, and sugar into the baking dish, grate in a little fresh nutmeg and add the vanilla seeds. Then give everything a stir to distribute the ingredients evenly and begin to dissolve the sugar.
- Add the pudding rice, give everything another stir, then place it in the oven and bake at 170°C or 340°F for 80-90 minutes.
This is my husband's favourite dessert so I have to try this!
Enjoy 🙂
I have just looked everywhere on your site... Is there anywhere I can sign up to get notifications for your uploads? I've never seen a site that is built for catering to just 2 people and I'd love a weekly or twice-weekly reminder to check in on your new recipes! I am starting to cook more but I struggle a lot with how to find realistic portions for one person, and I hate waste but also don't want to be eating the leftovers for a whole week, and one's freezer has only so much space after all! Much love from New Zealand ^_^
Hi Sophia...
I think in many ways my site was set up because of that lack, I cook for myself and my wife, and the mental gymnastics to turn dishes made for 4-6-8 into a viable dish for two that does not fill up the freezer frustrated me.
Sorry, I do not have an active sign up at the moment, but I can add you to the list if you give me permission 🙂
All the best
Brian
Just a note... If you are going to be cooking or baking something, many of the flavour compounds in real vanilla are destroyed, to the point that many bakers really suggest that you keep the real vanilla for anything uncooked and the imitation stuff for anything going in the oven.... curious what others think of this, tbh.
Cooking is full of people with grand ideas, but the main flavour compound of vanilla is unaffected by temperature, some of the complexities fall off, but we are talking about a very small percentage here. But using extract is a perfectly valid choice in this dish 🙂
All the best.
Brian
Definitely a try!
Enjoy
Hi, I just came across this (HE asked for rice pudding). I've craisins and plan to put them in also. Wish me luck 🤞.
Hey Shelley, no luck is needed, you got this.
Enjoy
Brian 🙂
This looks truly scrumptious Brian and one of my husband's favourite puddings! Thanks for including my jam recipes.
You are welcome Camilla, you can't beat an old school rice pud with a big dollop of homemade jam 🙂
Rice pudding brulee is such a genius take on the classic pudding! I'd love to crack the caramelised sugar 🙂
I love the fact that it serves only to. You are right, most desserts are way too big for a family of two.
I'm the total opposite - I'll take sweet over savoury any day! And I never thought you'd be able to make something as beautiful as this in the InstantPot.
Your food is always so inspiring and right up my alley! This is another awesome dessert, which for some crazy reason I have not made in ages. Thanks for sharing!
HI. The rice was moist like risotto. Sounds like it did turn out correctly. Guess I was imagining it was to be more like a pudding with the rice surrounded by the custard after cooking. I did not do was the sugar on top and put under the grill and bruleed. Thanks for the help.
Like most dishes our expectations of what they are very much depend on where we are from... For me a baked rice pudding was always thick and creamy with very little 'custard', however on my travels have discovered a whole world of differences with everything from something almost like a hot milk shake with a little rice to the full on almost set and mouldable Indian rice pudding.
HI I tried the rice recipe today. I cooked all in one pot. I cooked in my pressure cooker for 40 minutes.And let it cool down on its own. All of the liquid was soaked up by the rice. Since there was no liquid I did not sprinkle the sugar on top as directed.
I did pour some cream on top, mixed it thru and added whipped cream on top as I would do for pudding or jello. My question: should there be liquid once it is cooked? If so, I may have cooked it too long and will need to try once again next week.
If not, I must have cooked it properly. Thanks.
Hi Nancy...
Great to hear from you again, I am sure there are some differences in kit at play here, but lets see what I can do to help. First of all the rice should not be dry when it comes out but also it should not have liquid in it either, if there we liquid then the sugar would sink through meaning you are unable to crisp the top it, should be a little like a risotto, creammy but quite firm. If you let it cool then the sugars and carbohydrates will firm up a little again making it drier, it should be served hot and the sugar sprinkled over immediately and flashed under the grill and 'bruleed'.
Hi Thanks for answering back. I just bought an electric combination slow cooker (crock pot) and pressure cooker and just learning to use it. Once I try the recipe I will let you know how it turns out. Not sue that I could fit 2 bowls in it. May need to use 1 bowl. Since it is just for myself the 2 person size would be perfect.
No problem, if you pressure cooker is electric then the thing to check is the pressure that it cooks at, it may take a little longer than my Instantpot which operates in the higher levels for Electric pressure cookers... I have never cooked this in a larger single pot but will look forward to hearing your experiences 🙂
Is your pressure pot a regular pressure cooker we have in the US? I would love to try this recipe. Thanks.
Hey Nancy, thanks for asking... It is kinda like a regular pressure cooker, however it has it's own power source. It does not get to the same pressures as a regular pressure cooker though so a regular pressure cooker cooks a little quicker, typically somewhere around the 10-20% mark, so for this recipe that would convert to around 35-40 minutes on low pressure on a standard stove top pressure cooker. Although please bare in mind I have not tested this but would love to hear how you get on 🙂
Rice pudding brulee is such a genius take on the classic pudding! I'd love to crack the caramelised sugar 🙂
Thanks Kate... I have no idea where the idea came from, I guess I just wanted a replacement for the skin that forms on top of a trad rice pudding 🙂
I love the fact that it serves only to. You are right, most desserts are way too big for a family of two.
I know right? I can understand portion sizes for 4 but often see them sized up for 8 or even 12, definitely something I can't justify making or even begin trying to scale down for 2.
Oh gorgeous. I love savoury and sweet both, though if there's a choice to be made, I do choose starter over dessert! I love the look of your rice pudding with the brulee topping!
Thanks Kavey... I reckon I could go into any restaurant and be happy if I could just order all of the starters 😉
I'm the total opposite - I'll take sweet over savoury any day! And I never thought you'd be able to make something as beautiful as this in the InstantPot.
The Instantpot can makes all sorts of pretty things, definitely not just a dump and run wonder 😀
Your food is always so inspiring and right up my alley! This is another awesome dessert, which for some crazy reason I have not made in ages. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Helene, always good to tune into some food that is right up your alley, glad you enjoy 🙂