Homely, comforting and extra creamy! Greek rice pudding (rizogalo) is a no butter, egg-free traditional Greek recipe, which looks more like a thick custard than a pudding and is flavored with vanilla, lemon peel or orange zest. Perfectly served warm, at room temperature or straight out from the fridge, this extra creamy Greek rice pudding recipe (rizogalo) is a definite must-try treat for you and your family!
Rizogalo (Greek rice pudding) takes it’s name from the two basic ingredients used in its preparation (rizi=rice and gala=milk), which are combined and simmered until thick and velvety.
If you haven’t tried a Greek rice pudding before you will be surprised by the deliciousness of such humble ingredients when cooked together. A word of warning: it takes quite a bit of stirring for the pudding to thicken but the result will definitely reward you!
Some Greek rice pudding recipes use cornstarch to thicken the cream, but actually it is not necessary as the rice releases its starch giving rizogalo its creamy consistency and acting as a thickening agent. The traditional recipe for Greek rice pudding calls for a kind of rice called ‘glase’, which is usually used in soups; the next best thing is to use Arborio rice.
Serve this traditional Greek rice pudding as a delicious dessert, breakfast or mid-day snack with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy!
Homely, comforting and extra creamy! Find out how to make the perfect Greek rice pudding with this traditional, egg and butter free recipe, flavored with with vanilla, lemon peel or orange zest and garnished with fragrant cinnamon!
To prepare this delicious Greek rice pudding recipe, heat the milk and rice in a large heavy bottomed saucepan. Simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to just below boiling point. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently cook, stirring occasionally, for 30-40 minutes until the pudding is thick and the rice is tender. (If you like to add some extra flavour to your Greek rice pudding, add some lemon peel or orange zest)
When preparing a Greek rice pudding, it is very important to simmer at low temperatures and to stir the mixture, so that the milk doesn’t burn and the rizogalo doesn’t stick on the bottom of the pan.
Remove the pan from the stove and add the sugar and the vanilla extract, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. (If the rizogalo needs to thicken a little bit more, dilute 1 tsp cornstarch in some water, add in the mixture and cook for a few more minutes.)
If you don’t serve the Greek rice pudding right away, it will form a crust. A little trick to avoid that is to pour the mixture in a large bowl and place over a bowl filled with ice cubes. Then stir the mixture until cold. Spoon the rizogalo into individual bowls and store in the fridge.
Serve this traditional Greek rice pudding as a delicious dessert or mid-day snack with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy!
Is it really supposed to be 1200ml milk and not 120? I haven’t made it yet, but 1200ml seems like a lot, and I don’t wanna waste that much milk if it’s a typo
I made this tonight so delicious. Wash the rice then grind it using hand or electric grinder to make a smooth not chunky rice pudding. Add all the 1200 milk and stir while cooking so rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. You will see the whole thing becoming creamy after 30minues or so
Yes it is correct – you need about 1 to 1.2 litres of milk for every 100 grams of rice. Alternatively you can reduce some of the milk by substituting for water. However it won’t taste as creamy!!
I have made this quite a few times but I reduce the milk down to 1000ml which I find is more than enough. Love this recipe and it is so easy to adapt. I like to add a touch of rosewater some times
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Is it really supposed to be 1200ml milk and not 120? I haven’t made it yet, but 1200ml seems like a lot, and I don’t wanna waste that much milk if it’s a typo
I made this tonight so delicious. Wash the rice then grind it using hand or electric grinder to make a smooth not chunky rice pudding. Add all the 1200 milk and stir while cooking so rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. You will see the whole thing becoming creamy after 30minues or so
Hi Anatoli
Yes it is correct – you need about 1 to 1.2 litres of milk for every 100 grams of rice. Alternatively you can reduce some of the milk by substituting for water. However it won’t taste as creamy!!
Ok update. – the cornstarch did the trick and I poured the rice in small bowls! It’s quite perfect! But next time I would use 1 litre of milk not 1.2
This has a great taste but wow it was soupy. I’d either add 1/2 cup of rice or more or reduce the milk quite a bit.
I have made this quite a few times but I reduce the milk down to 1000ml which I find is more than enough. Love this recipe and it is so easy to adapt. I like to add a touch of rosewater some times
Perfect recipe! thanks so much