Budino di Riso
A creamy Italian rice pudding of short grain rice cooked in milk with lemon zest and vanilla for 40 minutes.
Photograph credit: Budino di riso by Anonimo camminatore · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
How to Cook Budino di Riso
Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.
-
Simmer the rice in the water in a heavy pan for 5 minutes.
-
Add the milk, lemon peel, vanilla and salt and bring to a gentle simmer.
-
Cook for 35 minutes over low heat, stirring every minute or two, until the rice is tender and the mixture is creamy.
-
Remove the peel and vanilla pod, stir in the sugar and serve with the cinnamon.
Related guide: Choosing rice.
Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.
Things to Watch For
- Keep the heat low and stir often.
- Use a short grain rice.
- Add more milk if the pudding thickens too far.
Good to Know About Budino di Riso
Stir it often and watch the heat. A rice pudding made on the hob will catch and burn in a minute if you leave it, so keep the flame low and stay close. Budino di riso is an Italian rice pudding with lemon zest, and it is thicker and less sweet than the British kind.
Use a short grain rice such as arborio, which gives up starch and thickens the milk. Start by simmering the rice in water for 5 minutes, which softens the grains so they do not stay chalky. Then add the milk, a strip of lemon peel and a vanilla pod, and cook for about 35 minutes. Stir every minute or two, scraping the bottom of the pan.
The pudding is ready when the rice is tender and the mixture is the consistency of loose porridge, as it thickens a good deal as it cools. Stir in the sugar at the end and take out the peel. Serve warm, with a dusting of cinnamon or a spoonful of jam, or chill it and eat it cold.
To Go With It
Jam · Stewed fruit · Cinnamon
Leftovers
Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Loosen with milk before serving.
Budino di Riso Nutrition Facts
No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
You Might Also Like
More Italian cooking and desserts ideas from Weekly Delight.
Zeppole
Choux buns fried rather than baked, split and filled with pastry cream, and topped with an amarena cherry. Made for…
Zuppa Inglese
Sponge fingers soaked scarlet in alchermes, layered with two custards. Emilia's answer to trifle, and older than the…
Cassata Siciliana
Sponge, sweetened ricotta and marzipan under a white glaze and a riot of candied fruit. Palermo at its most baroque…
Panna Cotta with Berries
Set cream flavoured with vanilla and sugar, turned out and served with a sauce of macerated berries.
Torta della Nonna
A shortcrust tart filled with lemon-scented vanilla custard, topped with pastry and pine nuts and dusted with icing…
Lemon Gelato
An Italian-style gelato made with milk, a little cream and fresh lemon, chilled for 4 hours, churned and frozen for…