Joy the Baker

Eggnog Rice Pudding

by 50 Comments

Eggnog Rice Pudding

My December food-brain (because that’s totally a thing) is in overdrive. By overdrive I mean that exactly all I want to consume is that which is creamy, gooey, warm, and satisfying. I’ll take a pot pie of any and every sort. I’ll take dumplings in everything. Can we put cream cheese in everything from now until next May? I thought so.

Rice pudding fits perfectly into these creamy, gooey, warm, satisfying December needs. It’s ultra/ultimate/extreme/everything ever. By adding eggnog, well… now I’ve gone and done it. Christmas game ovah.

Eggnog Rice Pudding

I’ve never been one to sit down and enjoy a nice tall glass of eggnog. It’s feels like sipping melted ice cream. BUT! Something about the rich texture and pale yellow hue still has me smitten. Adding eggnog to rice pudding, adds the luscious holiday flavor and skips the too-thick for sipping situation. See? We smart.

Eggnog Rice Pudding

Jasmine rice is long-grain and delicate.  Perfect for rice pudding.  

Cooked, just so in water with a bit of salt and a few strips of lemon zest.  

Eggnog Rice Pudding

Lemon zest is removed and sugar, nutmeg, milk, and vanilla extract are added to the cooked rice.  

I cooked the milky rice over low heat until the mixture thicken to the consistency of… almost a thick rice stew.  

Eggnog Rice Pudding

The eggnog is stirred in after the pudding is thickened.  Cook it a bit more over low heat until it feels dreamy.  You’ll know when things get dreamy.  

I leave my rice pudding a little loose.  The rice will absorb more liquid as it cools in the refrigerator.  

Eggnog Rice Pudding

A little extra ground nutmeg and here we are a comfort perfection.

These bowls are for show, rice pudding is best eaten directly from the pot with the biggest spoon possible.   

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Eggnog Rice Pudding

Rich, creamy, holiday-spiced rice pudding. Ultra festive and comforting.

  • Author: Joy the Baker
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 45
  • Total Time: 60

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup Jasmine rice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 strips lemon zest
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus more for garnish
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup eggnog

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in rice, salt, and lemon zest. Turn the heat to low and simmer the rice, covered, until all of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the lemon zest.
  2. Over low heat, add 3 cups of milk, nutmeg, sugar, and vanilla extract to the cooked rice. . Bring to a low boil, stirring often so the milk doesn’t burn. Stir often, until the milk cooks down and the rice is creamy, about 20 minutes. Add the eggnog and cook for 10 minutes more, until thickened. Place in a large bowl or serving dishes to cool. Serve cold or at room temperature. Garnish with ground nutmeg.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4

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Comments

  1. Christian

    I’ve never seen long-grain rice used for rice pudding before – in Britain we always use short-grain (actually sold as ‘pudding rice’) for rice pudding. It’s like arborio but a bit smaller.

    Reply

  2. Charlsey G

    Hey there!

    Did you have to rinse the rice before cooking it? Or did you just throw it into the boiling water?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  12. Angelica

    I’m always looking for ways to use up eggnog (to justify buying it in the first place since I never end up drinking the whole thing :) )I’ll have to try this.

    Reply

  13. mikaela

    this recipe made a delightfully creamy rice pudding, but I wish I’d lessened the milk in order to increase the egg nog for a more intense flavor profile.

    Reply

  14. Joanna

    Rice pudding is my Death Row Meal. I would eat it every.single.day if I could. But, I make it with two handfuls of special pudding rice (that’s what it’s called here in the UK), a pint of full fat milk and a handful of sugar. I’d love to try this with eggnog though!

    Ohhellojo.blogspot.com

    Reply

  17. George Mulvaney

    I used to have a recipe for real French eggnog until my Mac’s hard drive crashed last year. I’ve been trying to recreate it without access to enough source material (I’m living in Quito). I do remember in Quito — hey! You live in a place with a large French influence! Maybe you could post an eggnog recipe that had character. Heh . . .

    Reply

  18. Catmattia

    I made a triple batch of this tonight for one of our desserts on Christmas Day. I am not sure it will make it through the next two days-we could barely stop eating it directly from the pot as it finished thickening. Delicious!

    Reply

  19. Catmattka

    I made this tonight-it is supposed to be one of our desserts on Christmas Day, but we could barely keep ourselves from eating it right out of the pot as it boiled. It is delicious!

    Reply

  20. chilebeanz

    A few months ago I made vanilla extract with brandy as the alcohol base. Now is the time to put it to use in this recipe, methinks. What say you?

    Reply

  27. christinaschueler

    Love a properly made rice pudding. The lemon zest is such a perfect addition to cut through the creamy texture!

    Reply

  28. Kelly

    I am making this on Christmas eve! Thanks for the recipe! (I hate to do this but just a note that there are a few typos in the first line of the recipe’s written instructions – pretty sure you didn’t mean “stir the die” with the salt and lemon zest :)

    Reply

  36. Jaclyn

    I’m not a huge fan of drinking eggnog straight either, but put it in anything, and I have a hard time resisting! This rice pudding is no exception. Can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

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