Under Pressure: Easy Rice Pudding

If you’re like me, you’re a rice pudding fan: it’s creamy, rich, and lightly sweet, and just a little goes a long way. It’s a treat that, at least to me, epitomizes hygge – comfort in a bowl. Making it in an Instant Pot is quick and easy, too!

One of the best parts of having an electronic pressure cooker is that you can spontaneously decide that you have a craving for rice pudding and, in a relatively short period, be eating it. No planning needed.

This recipe starts by cooking a cup of jasmine rice with cinnamon and nutmeg – delightful, warming spices that capture the essence of the holidays and cold weather.  Once the rice is cooked, a mixture of egg, salt, vanilla extract, whole milk, and sweetener (I subbed powdered stevia for the sugar) is added and simmered until the pudding becomes thick and rich. I also chose to add the optional butter, of course. It doesn’t take long to get to that stage, and the pudding will continue to thicken as it cools.

The finished pudding was aromatic – redolent of vanilla and spices – and lightly sweetened by the raisins over which it was served. I used 1/8 tsp of powdered stevia, and would probably bump it up to 1/6 tsp the next time (and there will be a next time) I make this pudding for just a little more sweetness.

So, the next time you have a craving for rice pudding, forget about ripping the lid off one of those containers of the premade stuff and make it yourself – you control the ingredients and sweetness, and there’s no disposable plastic container left afterward to clutter the environment.