Arroz con Leche

Arroz con leche: rice with milk.

It’s an unusual dessert to Americans, but quite popular in Latin America.

It also happens to be my husband’s favourite dessert, so let’s just say I’ve made it a few times.

This is my Argentine mother in law’s recipe, which has been passed down through the generations. Enjoy!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 litre milk
• 100 grams rice, rinsed (organic)
• Cinnamon stick, orange rind, or vanilla bean
• 150 grams sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon

The Process:

In a large pot, heat milk over high heat until it’s hot (not boiling). There should be tiny bubbles along the edge of the pan. Add in the rice and cinnamon stick/vanilla bean/orange rind. Reduce heat to medium. Stir constantly.

When the mixture starts to bubble, reduce heat to low. Stir occasionally (about every 10 minutes).

After about 20 minutes, when small bubbles are starting to form again along the edge of the pan, try the rice. If it’s soft, add sugar while stirring. Now stir more frequently (every 4 or 5 minutes) for 10 to 15, until the mixture thickens. Remove cinnamon sticks/vanilla bean. Remove from heat. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Spoon into serving dishes, sprinkle with cinnamon, and refrigerate until serving. This dish is traditionally served cold, however we also enjoy it right after it’s been made, while its still warm.

Arroz con Leche Tips :

• For this dessert to turn out, you must use organic white rice. Any of the highly processed quick/one-minute rices will not work for this dish. You are never boiling the rice. It is cooked low and slow. You need an unprocessed rice that is able to soak up all the milk and get tender while being cooked slowly. If you can’t find organic white rice, you can try substituting arborio, which is meant to be cooked low and slow.
• Before cooking your rice, you’ll want to give it a quick rinse. This helps to remove arsenic, which is usually present in rice. However, do not soak the rice in water! While this does remove more arsenic, it won’t allow the grains to absorb all the milk used in this recipe, as they will have soaked in so much rice overnight. Just a quick rinse.
• Use full fat milk. This is a dessert, not a health food. Using skim milk to cut some calories will ruin the resulting dish.
• I once ran out of sugar while making this recipe, so I substituted the sugariest thing I had in my pantry: homemade marshmallows. The result was yummy and frothy.

If you make arroz con leche, let me know what you think! Feel free to share modifications you made or tips below to help other readers. I’m always trying to improve my recipes.

Arroz con Leche

Rice with milk, a traditional Argentine dessert

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Ingredients

• 1 liter whole milk about 4 cups
• 100 grams rice organic, unbleached (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, or orange rind
• 150 grams sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• In a large pot, heat milk over high heat until it's hot (not boiling). There should be tiny bubbles along the edge of the pan. Add in the rice and cinnamon stick/vanilla bean/orange rind. Reduce heat to medium. Stir constantly.
• When the mixture starts to bubble, reduce heat to low. Stir occasionally (about every 10 minutes).
• After about 20 minutes, when small bubbles are starting to form again along the edge of the pan, try the rice. If it’s soft, add sugar while stirring. Now stir more frequently (every 4 or 5 minutes) for 10 to 15, until the mixture thickens. Remove cinnamon sticks/vanilla bean. Remove from heat. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
• Spoon into serving dishes, sprinkle with cinnamon, and refrigerate until serving. This dish is traditionally served cold, however we also enjoy it right after it’s been made, while its still warm.

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