Cherry Almond Rice Pudding (gluten-free + vegan)

I don’t know about you, but pudding (especially rice pudding) is one of my favorite desserts. They’re comforting, lightly sweet, creamy, delicious and best of all, easy to make gluten-free and vegan. In fact, my kids would always request rice pudding on the regular (and still do even though they are big now). You can even call it breakfast as well as dessert, because hey, it’s got milk, rice, and in this case fruit…

This recipe is a twist on my regular diner-style rice pudding from my Vegan Diner cookbook (with cinnamon and raisins), made with almond or coconut milk, a touch of almond extract, sour cherries and a plume of CocoWhip on the top. It’s pure love in a dish! I’ve even been toying with the idea of turning it into an ice cream (in Italy they seriously make rice pudding gelato!), so stay tuned for more rice pudding yumminess to come.

One of the tricks I’ve learned over the years with making rice pudding is using Cal Rose rice. It has a perfect starchiness to it and makes the pudding nice and creamy without eggs. It also holds its shape well and doesn’t break, since it’s short and sturdy in size. Think of it as the athletic cousin to the long and lanky long grain or basmati rice (which doesn’t hold up as well to constant stirring without breaking). Don’t get me wrong, as basmati rice can make a delicious rice pudding, but it’s more delicate and works better in rice pudding when it’s already cooked and stirred into a cooked custard. At least that’s my experience with it.

I go through a lot of Cal Rose rice in my house, and use it for making everything from sushi to congee, fried rice, rice pudding, rice bowls or any dish where you want a quick cooking nice with a great texture. I get it in big bags at Costco, so it’s always at the ready. If you’re gluten-free, you know what a staple rice is! My husband laughs because I have a bunch of different varieties of rice on hand from purple, brown short grain, white and brown basmati, to Cal Rose sushi rice. Hey, it’s what we do! You can take away my bread and pizza, but leave my rice and corn alone: )

Anyway, here’s the recipe. Let me know if you make it, and tag me if you post a photo online (#julieskitchenette). I love to see what everyone makes!

xo Julie

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Coconut Almond Rice Pudding with Sour Cherries
This rice pudding is so delicious, it’s going to be one of your go to recipes! Feel free to change the fruit you top the pudding with (like apricots, peaches or fresh raspberries), or even swap almond extract with vanilla. Also, you will need a total of 1 3/4 to 2 cups of milk/creamer in this recipe. It really depends how thick you like your pudding.
Makes 4 servings

2 cups water
1 cup medium grain Cal Rose rice
1-1/2 cups So Delicious refrigerated coconut milk (or almond or soy milk), or more as needed
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup canned coconut milk or So Delicious coconut creamer
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/2 cup sour cherries, frozen defrosted or jarred (drained)
Coconut whipped cream (such as CocoWhip)

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine water and rice, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the cover.

Add 1 cup of the milk and the sugar to the cooked rice, stirring until combined. Return the saucepan to stove. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until it starts getting thick. Stir in the coconut creamer (or coconut milk). Continue adding more of the milk, stirring as needed, as the pudding cooks and thickens. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the pudding is very thick and creamy. If the pudding is too thick, stir in a little more milk as need to thin slightly, and remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the almond extract. Let the pudding cool a bit and scoop into serving dishes, top with the sour cherries and then a dollop of CocoWhip.

Gluten-Free + Vegan

Copyright © 2017 Julie Hasson
www.juliehasson.com