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This Creamy Vegan Coconut Rice Pudding is simmered gently until it is impossibly thick and creamy and is served warm with sweet and sticky caramelised bananas and toasted coconut flakes. It is a dreamy dessert combination that you’ll want to make again and again.
Welcome back to A Vegan Visit, where we explore the world of vegan cuisine, one delicious dish at a time. If you’re seeking a dreamy dessert that’s both comforting and indulgent, you’ve come to the right place.
Our Creamy Vegan Coconut Rice Pudding is deliciously creamy, served warm with gorgeously sticky caramelised bananas and crisp, toasted coconut flakes. It’s absolutely dreamy!
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What is rice pudding and where did it originate?
Rice pudding is a timeless dessert that has captured the hearts and taste buds of people around the world. But where did this delectable dish originate, and what makes it so special?
Rice pudding, in its simplest form, is a comforting creation that combines the humble ingredients of rice, milk, and also sugar. While it’s celebrated globally, its roots are deeply intertwined with various culinary traditions, including British, Chinese, and Indian cuisines. Traditionally, rice pudding was a source of solace, made with minimal ingredients, yet delivering maximum flavour.
Our creamy coconut rice pudding recipe pairs the classic elements of a rice pudding with a tropical vibe with the addition of coconut and banana.
Why you’ll love this Coconut Rice Pudding
Easy to Make. This recipe is straightforward, with the most challenging part being your patience as it simmers away on the hob.
Using Simple Ingredients. We’ve crafted this recipe with just 8 readily available ingredients like pudding rice (you can also use arborio rice or short-grain), almond milk, tinned coconut milk, caster sugar, vanilla, coconut flakes, bananas, and a touch of coconut oil for frying the topping.
Warming and Comforting. This dessert is perfect for cooler evenings, offering the comforting embrace of a creamy, coconut milk rice pudding.
Incredible Flavour. The richness of this creamy rice pudding, paired with the sweetness of caramelised bananas and the nutty crunch of toasted coconut flakes, makes this dessert a true flavour sensation.
How to make this Coconut Milk Rice Pudding
Gather your ingredients, ensuring you use full-fat coconut milk from a tin for that creamy consistency, like this one. Here’s a brief overview of the process (head to the recipe card below for the full recipe):
Add the dry uncooked rice, almond milk, and sugar to a large saucepan. Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat and then immediately reduce to a medium heat and simmer gently for 25 minutes.
Incorporate the tinned coconut milk and vanilla extract. Continue simmering for another 20-25 minutes until the mixture thickens and achieves that perfect, creamy texture.
Once the rice pudding has finished cooking, set it aside to thicken further whilst you make the topping. Create the topping by frying banana chunks and coconut flakes in a little coconut oil, with a sprinkle of sugar in a saucepan.
Serve the rice pudding warm in small bowls, topped with the caramelised banana and crispy golden coconut flakes.
Top tips
- Recommended Ingredients. Use tinned full-fat coconut milk for that perfect creamy consistency and opt for a rice variety that thickens during cooking, such as pudding rice, arborio rice, or short-grain.
- Simmer Gently. Keep the heat on the lower side once the mixture begins to simmer to prevent overflow and burning. Gently does it!
- Variations. If you’re not a fan of bananas, try caramelising diced mango, which pairs beautifully with the coconut flavor and adds a fresh, fruity twist. You could also try adding orange zest, vanilla bean paste or a cinnamon stick into the rice pudding for a twist. Or what about a handful of chocolate chips on serving? Yummy!
- Serving. Take the rice pudding off the heat while you prepare the topping. During this time, the pudding will thicken even more and reach the ideal serving temperature.
FAQs
- Do I Have to Use Almond Milk? Almond milk works best due to its neutral flavour that doesn’t interfere with the pudding. You could use oat milk, but expect a hint of oatiness. While we haven’t tried coconut milk from a carton, it should work well for this dairy-free rice pudding. Feel free to let us know your results with other varieties of non-dairy milk!
- Do I Have to Use Tinned Coconut Milk? Ideally, yes. Canned coconut milk adds both a thick, creamy texture and a mild hint of coconut flavour from the coconut cream. Substituting it with dairy-free cream, such as soya cream, will alter the rice pudding’s flavour.
- Can I Use a Different Type of Rice? A white rice such as arborio rice, risotto, or short-grain rice can replace pudding rice. We don’t recommend using brown rice, long grain rice or jasmine rice as these grains tend to stay separated which isn’t the result we’re looking for.
- Can I Use a Different Sweetener? Cane sugar is our recommendation (caster or granulated) as it has the most neutral flavour. Whilst we haven’t tried this recipe with alternative sweeteners, we think you could substitute the caster sugar for maple syrup, agave nectar, brown sugar or coconut sugar. Each will add it’s own unique flavour to the dish.
- Can I Double the Recipe? Absolutely! Just use a larger saucepan and keep it simmering until the mixture achieves that rich, creamy consistency.
- Can I Bake This Vegan Rice Pudding in the Oven? Absolutely not! This recipe is designed for stove top cooking, and the oven won’t deliver the same results. We tested this extensively and rice pudding simmered gently on the hob resulted in a much creamier rice pudding than oven-baked, which did not deliver the proper creaminess.
- Can I Use a Different Topping if I Don’t Like Banana? Caramelised banana beautifully complements the coconut in this pudding, but if you prefer an alternative, try caramelising diced mango chunks. It’s equally delightful and adds a fresh, fruity dimension.
- Can I Reheat This Rice Pudding? For best results, we recommend enjoying it freshly cooked. Reheating rice can be challenging from a food safety perspective, and the pudding will become thicker on cooling, diminishing the enjoyment if you eat it the next day.
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Loved this Creamy Vegan Coconut Rice Pudding recipe? Here are some more delicious vegan desserts to try
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The Written Recipe:
Creamy Vegan Coconut Rice Pudding (Easy Recipe)
Ingredients
For the rice pudding:
- 150 g pudding rice (substitute: arborio rice)
- 800 g almond milk
- 50 g caster sugar
- 400 g tin of coconut milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
For the topping:
- 30 g coconut flakes
- 2 bananas (cut into large chunks (approx 3cm thick))
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Add the rice, almond milk and sugar to a large saucepan.150 g pudding rice, 800 g almond milk, 50 g caster sugar
- Bring to the boil and then turn the heat down and simmer gently, stirring often, for around 25 minutes. Don’t have the heat too high otherwise the pan could boil over.
- Add the coconut milk and vanilla and simmer for another 20-25 minutes, stirring often, until the milk has developed a thicker, cream-like consistency. It will thicken more once it is off the hob. Remove from the hob and set aside to thicken more whilst you make the topping.400 g tin of coconut milk, 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the banana chunks and sprinkle them with 1 tbsp of sugar. To the other side of the saucepan add the coconut flakes and fry both over a medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring the coconut flakes occasionally during that time but turning the banana only once halfway through.30 g coconut flakes, 2 bananas, 1 tbsp caster sugar, 1 tsp coconut oil
- Serve the rice pudding warm topped with the caramelised banana and crispy golden coconut flakes.
Notes
Nutrition
Tara
Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.
