Arroz con Leche (Cuban Rice Pudding)
Creamy rice slowly simmered in milk with lime peel, cinnamon and a little salt, sweetened with condensed milk and dusted with ground cinnamon. Warm or cold, it's pure comfort.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Cook the rice in water
Rinse the rice, then put it in a medium pot (2-3 L) with the water, cinnamon stick, lime peel and salt. Bring to a boil, lower to medium-low heat and simmer 10-12 minutes until the water is almost absorbed.
- 200 g rice
- 500 ml water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 lime peel
- 1 pinch salt
✅ Done when: rice is tender and most of the water has been absorbed
Add the milk
Pour in the milk and bring back to a gentle simmer over low heat. Cook 25 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't stick, until the rice is very soft and the mixture is creamy.
- 1 litre milk
✅ Done when: rice is very soft and the liquid looks creamy
Sweeten
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Finish
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Serve
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Cook the rice in water
Rinse the rice, then put it in a medium pot (2-3 L) with the water, cinnamon stick, lime peel and salt. Bring to a boil, lower to medium-low heat and simmer 10-12 minutes until the water is almost absorbed.
- 200 g rice
- 500 ml water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 lime peel
- 1 pinch salt
✅ Done when: rice is tender and most of the water has been absorbed
Add the milk
Pour in the milk and bring back to a gentle simmer over low heat. Cook 25 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't stick, until the rice is very soft and the mixture is creamy.
- 1 litre milk
✅ Done when: rice is very soft and the liquid looks creamy
Sweeten
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Finish
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Rice pudding travelled from the Arab world to Spain and then to the Americas with the Spanish. In Cuba, where rice is eaten every day, arroz con leche became the most comforting of home desserts.
The Cuban touch is lime peel, which perfumes the milk, and condensed milk, which makes it extra rich and creamy.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Warm, creamy and scented with cinnamon and lime, it's the dessert of grandmothers' kitchens.
💡 Fun Fact
There's a famous Spanish-language children's song, 'Arroz con leche, me quiero casar', sung across Cuba and Latin America.
Spain, beloved across Cuba
23.11°N, -82.37°W
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