We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Food

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is Arroz Con Leche?

Tricia Christensen
By
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 12,295
Share

Arroz con leche translates literally in Spanish to rice with milk, but typically the term refers to a delicious version of rice pudding, popular in Spain and in many Latin American countries. It is often thought the ultimate comfort food, and you’ll find numerous bloggers who sing its praises and share fond memories of the food as prepared by wonderful mammas, grandmothers and aunties when they were small and growing up in Mexico, Venezuela or Cuba, to name just a few of the countries where it is loved.

Unlike American rice pudding, arroz con leche tends to be thicker. Sometimes American rice pudding recipes cheat by adding cooked rice to cooked pudding. With true arroz con leche, uncooked rice is slowly simmered with milk and sugar (or condensed milk). It may contain raisins, and may be cooked with a cinnamon stick or sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg when finished. A few recipes call for adding a lemon or orange peel during the simmering process, and preference is often to eat arroz con leche just after it is cooked with pats of butter on top.

Recipes for this delicious dish do vary but most are quite easy to prepare. The biggest mistake seems to be not stirring the rice and milk mixture every minute or two to make sure that rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan, and keeping the heat down very low to avoid burning it. Some recipes also make suggestions on the type of rice to use, recommending that you use short grain white rice like Arborio rice for best results. A few recipes also call for adding vanilla or a splash of brandy to make the dish more flavorful.

You may be able to find arroz con leche in Latin American restaurants, and it is definitely worth trying. If you want to boost its health value, try making it at home with brown rice as a snack that is not only good but also good for you, though it does contain a little sugar. Brown rice will alter the consistency slightly because it is not as glutinous as white rice but it does give you a healthy serving of fiber.

One variant of arroz con leche that is popular is called arroz con dulce. Instead of using cow milk, rice is simmered in coconut milk. If you’re looking for a way to make a vegan variant of this rice pudding, arroz con dulce or arroz-doce can yield creamy and excellent results.

Share
DelightedCooking is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a DelightedCooking contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.
Discussion Comments
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a DelightedCooking contributor, Tricia...
Learn more
Share
https://www.delightedcooking.com/what-is-arroz-con-leche.htm
Copy this link
DelightedCooking, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

DelightedCooking, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.