Coconut Rice Pudding Made in a Rice Cooker

by Gemma S. on January 12, 2017

To me, rice pudding is serious comfort food. Growing up in Ireland, rice pudding was often a dessert that would warm you up on a freezing Winter’s evening, and many times Fall and Spring evening too. This Coconut Rice Pudding is easy to make in a rice cooker, and a luscious, creamy non-traditional dessert made with coconut milk and topped with sweet, juicy strawberries, mango and lime salsa.

I thought I would put more of a tropical twist on this rice pudding dessert that is normally spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. I am taking some of my favorite flavors which are Asian inspired and marrying them all together in this one decadent dessert that you can make in a rice cooker!

A creative twist on the norm is replacing the regular milk and cream for coconut milk. Still rich and creamy, coconut milk adds its own unique flavor without the dairy to this rice pudding recipe. It is still "fatty" like cream so you still get that richness.

The fruit salsa on top is the icing on the cake. Once you pair it with a spoonful of the rice pudding it will all make sense. It’s like a tropical explosion that you can’t believe you never had before. In my opinion it’s the combination of texture, temperature and the lime zest that makes this simple dessert stand out. For easy zesting, invest in the original Microplane, they are a lifesaver. It's incredible and makes the labor of zesting a thing of the past. Also, if you were admiring my cutting board I used, it is from Boos, the masters in cutting boards. This board is so durable and well made, it will last you a lifetime.

I made my rice pudding in a rice cooker. It doesn’t only cook plain rice like you might think Rice cookers have multiple uses. What I like about rice cookers is you can add in all of your ingredients, mix it, set it and forget it. This rice cooker is an inexpensive piece of kitchen equipment that has multiple uses. All tools in my kitchen have to do more than one job otherwise I don’t have space for them.