Slow Cooker Arborio Rice Pudding Recipe

Easy Slow-Cooker Rice Pudding From Eleni Vonissakou

Photo by Eleni Vonissakou

Author Notes

"This recipe was my nemesis. Out of the whole book, it's the one with the most test-runs. My very first try  was delicious and I thought I had it nailed. My mum, acting as recipe tester, found it great too. Then my other tester Constantina tried it. Oh, dear! The news was bad. I couldn't understand what the issue was. After hours of analyzing and agonizing, and after coming close to just rejecting the recipe from the list, we figured it out. My first version was thick and very rich, just the way Mum—who I remind you is English—likes it.

"Constantina, on the other hand, was expecting something like the Greek version. I suddenly realized that yes, the Greek version is also delicious, but different. It's not as heavy, not as rich and not as wintry. In fact, it's a favorite dessert for summer, eaten cold from the fridge. And when you want to eat rice pudding cold, this is definitely the best way to make it. So here it is, my Greek rice pudding, best enjoyed on a hot afternoon with a sprinkle of cinnamon." —Eleni Vonissakou

Reprinted with permission from The Greek Slow Cooker by Eleni Vonissakou, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Eleni Vonissakou and Constantina Papageorgiou. —Food52

Test Kitchen-Approved

Cook time 3 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients

²/₃ cup (140g) arborio rice
²/₃ cup (140g) sugar
4 cups (950ml) fresh whole milk
¹/₄ teaspoon freshly grated orange zest, tightly packed
¹/₈ teaspoon kosher salt
Powdered cinnamon, to serve

Directions

Combine the rice, sugar, milk, orange zest and salt in the slow cooker. Stir well and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours, or until the rice is soft and the milk has started to thicken. Stir well a couple of times during cooking.
The rice pudding will seem very runny with lots of creamy milk in the pot. As long as the rice is cooked and soft, the cooker should be turned off at this point. Continue to stir for a couple of minutes and then divide it into individual ramekins or little bowls. Chill in the refrigerator. The pudding will thicken when cold, but it's not supposed to set.
Serve with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.