Hi friends! I have a delicious dessert recipe here for you today. I came up with this black rice pudding recipe for an assignment in one of my classes. We needed to use a gluten-free grain that we had never cooked with before to incorporate into a recipe that we came up with. I chose black rice and this black rice pudding turned out fabulous!

Black rice is of Asian origin and is also commonly known as “forbidden rice” – as the story goes, historically only those of the Ancient Chinese upper class could afford to eat it. It has a nutty, sweet flavor and is often used in rice-based desserts. A fun fact is that black rice exudes a vibrant purple color while cooking! This is due to its high anythocyanin content (anthocyanin is a pigment with antioxidant properties, also found in other purple-ish foods such as blueberries and cranberries). Now on to the recipe!

Black Rice Pudding

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Yields: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 cup black rice
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup coconut milk (full-fat)
2 cups almond milk (or other milk of choice)
Pinch salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Suggested toppings: sliced mango or pineapple, shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Stir together black rice, sugar, coconut milk, almond milk, and pinch of salt in a medium sized pan.
2. Cover the pan, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low to let simmer for about an hour (or until most liquid is absorbed, creating a pudding-like consistency).
3. Stir in vanilla extract.
4. Let cool to room temperature, top with desired toppings, and enjoy!

Notes:
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. Consume cold or warm to room temperature to enjoy again. I especially love enjoying this pudding served room temp after an Asian-inspired stir fry or curry dish!

Let me know in the comments if you give this recipe a try! Hope you have a wonderful weekend! I am off to watch more of the NCAA tournament for the rest of the evening – Go Blue!