Arroz con Dulce

5 from 5 votes

This arroz con dulce recipe is creamy, thick, and perfectly sweet. A classic Puerto Rican coconut rice pudding with raisins that can be enjoyed cold or warm.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Puerto Rican

Servings:

Calories: 716kcal

Author: Julie Maestre

Ingredients

2 cups short-grain rice
8 cups water
2 cans unsweetened coconut milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 can cream of coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cups brandy optional
1 cup raisins
4 tbsp salted butter
3 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
12 cloves
2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Place the raisins and brandy in a bowl and set it aside.
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Add the rice and 6 cups of water to a large pot and cook for 20 minutes or until tender over medium heat. Stir frequently.
While the rice cooks, prepare the spice-infused tea. Add 2 cups of water, ginger, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and cloves to a pot and cook for 20 minutes over medium heat. Once the 20 minutes are up, strain it and discard the spices except for the cinnamon sticks.
Once the rice is tender, add the spice-infused tea, cinnamon sticks, cream of coconut, coconut milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until well combined. Cook for 30 minutes, while stirring frequently. If you don't stir frequently, the arroz con dulce may burn and stick to the bottom of the pot.
Once the 30 minutes are up, the arroz con dulce should be nice and creamy. Turn off the heat. Finally, stir in the butter, brown sugar, salt, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and raisins. Mix well. The arroz con dulce will thicken alot more as it cools.
Taste the arroz con dulce and add more salt if needed. Garnish with ground cinnamon, if desired. Allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving and enjoy.

Notes

Make sure to stir the arroz con dulce frequently while it cooks and don't cover it.
Top it with whipped cream and shredded coconut for extra flavor.
Serve it in individual jars and refrigerate it once it cools completely.
Place some plastic wrap on top of the rice pudding to avoid a skin forming.

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