Do you put eggs in your rice pudding recipe? I recently realized that this is not a common ingredient, but it’s the only way I’ve ever made it. If you haven’t tried it, you should put this recipe on your to-do list asap (vanilla bean version here). The addition of eggs is magical; it suspends the rice in a custardy, creamy base and makes it extra-rich. Personally, it feels like something is missing without the custard made from the egg and milk; it’s just rice cooked in milk!
A healthy scoop of pumpkin puree, a little honey, and some classic fall spices makes this pumpkin rice pudding recipe perfect for the season. You could also use maple syrup as a sweetener, or top with chopped roasted chestnuts.
Conversely, I also discovered that a lot of people (who aren’t Italian) put eggs in their risotto to bind it better. Shocked!
Where do you stand? Eggs in rice pudding? How about in risotto? Let me know in the comments!
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup short-grained rice, such as Arborio or Carnaroli
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 cups water
- 1 c pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- optional for serving: whipped cream, extra honey for drizzling, and extra cinnamon for dusting
- Place a medium, heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Melt the butter. Add the rice and toast, stirring often with a spatula, until it just begins to turn brown. This will take about 4 minutes.
- Add the milk, water, pumpkin, honey, and brown sugar. Stir to combine.
- Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the beans from the center. Add the beans and the pod to the pot. Add the vanilla extract, spices and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer, stirring often with a spatula, until the rice is tender and cooked through. Be sure to scrape the bottom frequently so the rice doesn't burn and stick to the bottom of the pot. This should take about 25 minutes, and may take longer if your rice is older (you may also need to add more water or milk if the mixture gets too dry). Turn off the burner but leave the pot on the stove. We're going to use the residual heat to make it more custardy by adding the eggs.
- Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. Now we're going to warm the eggs so that they don't scramble when we add them to the hot pot. While whisking, slowly add 1 cup of the hot rice mixture. Slowly add another cup.
- Pour the egg mixture into the pot on the stove. Stir well to incorporate the egg. Cover and let sit off the heat for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm or cold. Top with whipped cream and dust with cinnamon (if using).
- Refrigerate and eat within 4 days.
Two years ago: DIY etched gifting jars, cinnamon chewies
How much of the vanilla bean is used?? It says to cut in 1/2 and scrape from the inside.
Hi Kurt, you use the whole vanilla bean. Cutting it in half just gives you easier access to the seeds inside 🙂