Arroz Con Leche

The other day, the hubs and I were in the kitchen, and I asked him to grab me some cumin from the spice cabinet. He said, “All I see is cinnamon.” He counted 4 different containers of ground cinnamon and 8 whole sticks of cinnamon. I’m not going into a cinnamon addiction program… yet. My fellow Mexicans understand my obsession. I love the stuff! I put it in my coffee. I put it in my pork dishes. I even put it in Arroz con Leche because I’m all about (no, not that base) 😉 but easy Mexican desserts.

Rice in dessert? I know. It sounds weird, right? This is not complicated either like incredibly delicious flan or pastel de tres leches. Arroz con Leche, or Mexican rice pudding, is creamy and milky. It’s sweet, but not overly sweet. It’s a simple dessert, a classic in our Latin cuisine. Just like tamales and salsa, I can tell you stories of when…

My grandma used to take Arroz con Leche up a notch. She would make thin pancakes almost like crepes. Stuff them with leftover Arroz con Leche from the day before and roll them up like a burrito.

Discard the cinnamon stick and anise. Then drain the liquid. From here, people will add rum or egg yolks. Some people add orange rind, some people don’t. It varies from Latin country to Latin country. You will even see differences between Mexican states and Mexican regions. The recipe below is the way my grandma and my mom make it. That means: raisins! They plump up nicely and burst in your mouth as you bite into them. Yum!

You can’t go wrong with Arroz con Leche. It’s easy-to-make, creamy, and so yummy. Hope you enjoy!

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Arroz Con Leche

Arroz con Leche is a classic Mexican dessert. Creamy, sweet, and delicious. It will have you saying, mas por favor, or more please.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 6

Author: Maggie Unzueta

Ingredients

• 1 cup white rice
• 6 cups water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 whole star of anise
• 2 cups milk
• 1 4- oz evaporated milk can
• 1 7- oz sweetened condensed milk can
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon for topping

Instructions

• To a large stockpot, add the rice, water, cinnamon, and anise.
• Cook for 18 minutes.
• Drain any excess water and discard the cinnamon sticks and anise.
• Add milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla to the rice pot.
• Stir to mix.
• Bring to a simmer on low heat.
• Add raisins.
• Mix and turn heat off.
• Serve and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

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