Description
Vegan Portuguese sweet rice is an easy sweet pudding! Made even thriftier than the traditional with no extra time & all the tasty comfort!
Ingredients
- 1 cup arborio or short grain Italian style rice
- 2 cups water
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 2 cup soy milk + 2 tbsp (for the starch slurry)
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest (can use frozen)
- 1/3 cup cane sugar (or more to taste)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
- Pinch of turmeric (for a bit of yellow colour)
- 1 tsp cinnamon (for the topping)
*All the ingredients for this recipe are from our pantry and freezer tips!
Instructions
- Add the rice, water and salt to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to low and simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and stir in vegan butter (I find this helps give a richer taste to the rice in lieu of the traditional egg yolks). Then, slowly add the milk ½ cup at a time and stir until evenly combined. Stir in the lemon zest (alternatively, use long strips of lemon peel and remove them at the end of the cooking time).
- Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture back up to just before it boils. Then lower the heat again and simmer with the lid on for another 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Put the lid back on and simmer for another 2-5 minutes to get the rice really tender. Carefully taste the rice and double check that it is soft.
- Keep the rice over low heat and prepare the slurry. Whisk the starch and a pinch of turmeric in a small dish. Then add 2 tbsp soy milk and whisk until it makes a smooth slurry with no starch visible and no clumps.
- Slowly add the slurry to the rice, a little at a time, while you quickly stir with your other hand. This will ensure that it’s evenly incorporated and won’t clump. *I find that arrowroot starch can activate at a lower temperature but cornstarch needs to be brought up to a boil and then reduced to a simmer in order to activate.
- Stirring constantly, bring the rice back up to a boil then reduce to a simmer and allow to thicken for 2-3 minutes. The rice is thick enough when it doesn’t immediately slide off the spoon. Instead, it should stick to the spoon for a moment before dropping off. *If you can still taste the starch, cook for another minute or so to reduce that starch flavour.
- Immediately spread the rice about 1 ½ inch thick on serving plates or in shallow bowls (you can serve it in individual pudding cups if preferred). You can enjoy it right away but it is traditionally served chilled. Set it to fully cool on the counter for about 1 hour.
- Once cool, decorate your rice by making a criss cross pattern with the cinnamon. Pinch the cinnamon between two fingers and sprinkle it on the rice. (The cinnamon may melt into the rice if added when the rice is warm). Slice or scoop portions from the serving plate to serve!
- Store in the fridge and serve cold or reheat if desired. Lasts 3-4 days in the fridge.
Notes
Approximate Cost: CAD $3.47 ($2.47 without purchasing a fresh lemon, we love to use frozen citrus zest! Anytime you’re not using the zest of a lemon, lime, or orange – zest it anyway and freeze it in a little container for recipes like this one!)
Cost Comparison: CAD $3.47 vs. $5.07 if we use dairy milk, dairy butter, white sugar, and 3 egg yolks.
For a soy free version you could substitute with another plant milk. Alternatively, I tried a version substituting the soy milk and the starch slurry with 1 ¾ cup cashew cream (3/4 cup soaked cashews blended with 1 cup cashew milk). The cashew cream added in place of the milk was enough to thicken the rice right away. The taste was very similar to the traditional but the texture was much more grainy. If you don’t mind a grainier texture you can give that a try. Full fat coconut milk could be another nut and soy free option.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Portuguese