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    Home • Desserts • Instant Pot Arroz con Dulce

    Instant Pot Arroz con Dulce

    Published: Dec 10, 2018 · Last Modified: Sep 29, 2022 by Beyond Mere Sustenance with 8 Comments· This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads ·

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    Two glass trifle bowls with rice pudding, several Christmas ornaments and a Christmas gift bag.
    2 glass trifle bowls with instant pot arroz con dulce garnished with candied fresh cranberries and cinnamon stick.

    Fragrant with warm spices and ginger, this Instant Pot Arroz con Dulce (Puerto Rican Rice Pudding) gets its creamy richness from coconut milk and eggs, and it's gluten and dairy free. Your Instant Pot/pressure cooker saves you the time spent stirring at the stove, and the resulting pudding will rival the best!

    2 glass trifle bowls with gluten free and dairy free Instant Pot Arroz con Dulce (Puerto Rican Rice Pudding) with cinnamon sticks, candied cranberries, and Christmas decorations.
    Jump to:
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks - About Rice Pudding Variations
    • 📋 Ingredients You'll Need
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 💭 Tips
    • ❓ FAQ
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 🎄 More Christmas Desserts
    • 💬 Comments

    👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks - About Rice Pudding Variations

    You'll find rice pudding variations all over the globe. In India you may find doodh pak - a sweet rice dessert with milk, saffron, cardamom, and almonds. In New England, your rice pudding may feature maple syrup. An Arabic muhalibiyya features milk, rice flour, sugar, and rose water. This is just "the tip of the iceberg"...

    What rice pudding variations will we find in Latin American countries? A Mexican Arroz con leche may include tequila soaked raisins, orange peel, cinnamon, even chocolate, and some may be thickened with egg. Arroz con leche in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica includes spices like anise and star anise. So. Many. Options.

    I landed on Puerto Rican inspired arroz con dulce (at least in part) because of the coconut milk. We are cutting back on dairy, and I love all things coconut. Making a dairy free rice pudding seemed a natural choice.

    I knew I wanted to make my rice pudding in my pressure cooker (aka Instant Pot). I borrowed the technique for this recipe from my friend Barbara at Pressure Cooking Today. If you love your Instant Pot, head over and give her blog a look!

    Instant Pot Arroz con Dulce (Puerto Rican Rice Pudding) with snowflakes and jingle bells.

    📋 Ingredients You'll Need

    Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

    • whole spices - Cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cloves are typical.
    • fresh ginger
    • arborio rice - This arroz con dulce recipes requires short-grained rice.
    • coconut milk - This is the coconut milk found in a can in the Asian foods section of your market. It adds the coconut flavor that makes this rice pudding "Puerto Rican."
    • non-dairy coconut milk - This the non-dairy coconut milk found in the "Dairy" section of your market. You can substitute dairy or other non-dairy milk.
    • eggs
    • sugar
    • vanilla
    • dried fruit - Dried cranberries, dried cherries, or raisins are great options!

    🔪 Instructions

    1. Make the spiced cooking liquid - YES, this step is worth it! Add water, spices, and ginger to a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a gentle boil. Reduce water to about 1 ½ cups. If you need to add a bit of water to bring it to 1 ½ cups, that's fine.
    2. Prepare the rice - Pour spice infused water through a strainer into the IP/pressure cooker. Add arborio rice and salt. Lock lid in place. Set to 3 minutes. Keep in mind the time to full pressure varies. If you start with hot water, it reduces the time. After 10 minutes natural pressure release, open to release any remaining pressure. 
    3. Prepare the coconut milk - While the rice cooks, whisk together the coconut milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla together.
    4. Add the coconut milk and egg mixture - When the pressure is released, whisk in the coconut milk and eggs mixture. Select sauté setting and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture starts to boil. Turn off pressure cooker. Remove pot from the pressure cooker. Stir in dried fruit.
    5. Finish the arroz con dulce - Mixture will thicken as it cools. Allow to cool about 20 minutes to serve warm, or refrigerate and chill. Garnish as desired with whipping cream (non-dairy if dairy is a problem), cinnamon or fresh grated nutmeg, etc. If you really want to get fancy, garnish with candied cranberries.
    Instant Pot Arroz con Dulce (Puerto Rican Rice Pudding) bird's eye view with cinnamon sticks.

    💭 Tips

    Don't confuse coconut milk (in a can) with non-dairy coconut milk (in a carton). You need the coconut flavor from the coconut milk. You can substitute nut milk (or even dairy milk) for the non-dairy coconut milk.

    If you're not concerned about dairy, by all means, use real whipped cream! There are some decent non-dairy options, or you can omit.

    ❓ FAQ

    How long can I keep my rice pudding?

    I recommend keeping the rice pudding about 4 days. Do not freeze the pudding, as it messes with the consistency and texture.

    What kind of rice should I use?

    I use arborio rice, but some recipes call for sushi rice if you want to give that a try.

    More Festive Desserts

    • Mexican Chocolate Trifle with Orange Curd and Pomegranate Pudding
    • Mexican Chocolate Mousse with Ancho and Orange
    • Gluten Free Streusel Baked Apples with Bourbon Vanilla Mascarpone Cream
    • Gluten Free Eggnog Cookies  from A Tipsy Giraffe
    Signature

    📖 Recipe

    Instant Pot Arroz con Dulce (Puerto Rican Rice Pudding) in small glass trifle dishes.

    Arroz con Dulce - Puerto Rican Rice Pudding

    Tamara Andersen
    A spice infused, thick non-dairy rice pudding made in the IP/pressure cooker with no stirring necessary!
    Dairy Free
    Gluten Free
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Save RecipeSave Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 3 mins
    Additional Time 15 mins
    Total Time 48 mins
    Course Instant Pot and Slow Cooker
    Cuisine Latin
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 300 kcal

    Useful Equipment

    • Instant Pot LUX60V3 V3 6 Qt 6-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker
    • Anchor Hocking Presence Mini Trifle Bowl, Set of 8

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups water
    • 3 cinnamon sticks - 3-4" each
    • 3 star anise
    • 8 cloves
    • 4-5 thin slice fresh ginger
    • 1 cup arborio rice
    • 1 ½ cups spice infused water
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup coconut milk - see notes
    • 1 cup non-dairy coconut milk - see notes
    • 2 eggs - beaten
    • ½ cup sugar
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla
    • ½ cup dried cranberries - dried cherries, or raisins
    • non-dairy whipped cream - see notes for garnish
    • cinnamon or fresh grated nutmeg for garnish

    Instructions

    • Add water, spices, and ginger to a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a gentle boil. Reduce water to about 1 ½ cups. If you need to add a bit of water to bring it to 1 ½ cups, that's fine.
    • Pour spice infused water through a strainer into the IP/pressure cooker. Add arborio rice and salt.
    • Lock lid in place. Set to 3 minutes. Keep in mind the time to pressurize varies. If you start with hot water, it reduces the time.
    • While the rice cooks, whisk together the coconut milk through vanilla together.
    • When the pressure is released, whisk in the coconut milk and eggs mixture.
    • Select sauté setting and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture starts to boil. Turn off pressure cooker. Remove pot from the pressure cooker. Stir in dried fruit.
    • Mixture will thicken as it cools. Allow to cool about 20 minutes to serve warm, or refrigerate and chill.
    • Before serving, garnish as desired.

    Notes

    Don't confuse coconut milk (in a can) with non-dairy coconut milk (in a carton). You need the coconut flavor from the coconut milk. You can substitute nut milk (or even dairy milk) for the non-dairy coconut milk.
    If you're not concerned about dairy, by all means, use real whipped cream! There are some decent non-dairy options, or you can omit.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g

    NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

    Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and/or star rating! Email us with any questions: tamara@beyondmeresustenance.com

    🎄 More Christmas Desserts

    • Mexican Chocolate Trifle with Orange Curd and Pomegranate Pudding
    • Gluten Free Baked Apples
    • Mexican Bread Pudding with Boozy Chocolate Sauce
    • Spiced Tequila Poached Pears with Orange Pomegranate Sauce

    More Desserts and Sweets

    • Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse Without Eggs
    • Peruvian Alfajores Cookies
    • Spiced Kumquat Confit
    • Coconut Lucuma Ice Cream

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nydia says

      November 25, 2019 at 12:02 pm

      OMG! I just bought my first instant pot and the first thing I thought of is Puerto Rican rice pudding! I did a search and came across this recipe. I love it! I don't get my pot for a few more days, in the meantime, I'm heading to the store to get what ingredients I'm lacking so I'll be ready when my pot arrives! Thank you so much, very excited. I will come back and write a review once I make it. Thanks again!

      Reply
      • Tamara says

        November 26, 2019 at 7:40 am

        I'm sure you'll love your Instant Pot, and find many great ways to use it... I have 2, plus a stove top pressure cooker! I hope you enjoy the pudding as much as we do, and I'd love to hear back!

        Reply
    2. Restaurants in Baguio by Mae says

      April 10, 2019 at 8:00 am

      Honestly, I have a sweet tooth. This recipe looks very delicious and healthy rice pudding. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It's another dessert recipe that I would definitely try.

      Reply
      • Tamara says

        April 15, 2019 at 2:54 pm

        Thank you for taking time to comment! I hope you'll give it a try. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Dana Desonie says

      January 01, 2019 at 10:20 pm

      Omg, this was a delicious dessert and the best rice pudding ever! I used full fat coconut milk, whole milk and a full cup total of cranberries and raisins. Perfect for New Years Day.

      Reply
      • Tamara says

        January 02, 2019 at 6:56 am

        I so appreciate the fact that you take the time to let me know. Most people don't. I'm so glad you enjoyed it Dana! Happy New Year to you both!

        Reply
    4. mjskitchen says

      December 13, 2018 at 9:19 pm

      A good southern rice pudding and Indian rice pudding are a couple of my favorite treats, but this Puerto Rican pudding could top them both! Such wonderful spices and textures. Fabulous! Wishing a very happy holiday season to you and yours!

      Reply
      • Tamara says

        December 14, 2018 at 6:58 am

        Thank you MJ! Variety is the spice of life, right? Happy holidays back at you lovely!

        Reply

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