Instant Pot Rice Pudding
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Instant pot rice pudding is an easy and hassle-free recipe for this classic rice dessert. Raisins and star anise are added for extra flavor.
Pressure cooker rice pudding is a great dessert to make when you are stuck for time or need to make something quick!
It’s one of the Instant Pot drop-and-go recipes where you literally throw everything in, stir, close the lid, set the time and let the pot do its magic!
Another quick pressure cooker recipe is Instant Pot Baked Apples. This dessert is also ready in no time, especially in comparison with the oven version.
What is the best rice to use for rice pudding?
Medium-grain or short-grain rice is the best as it absorbs the liquid better and is perfect for this Instant Pot rice pudding recipe. So you can use sushi rice, risotto rice, or paella rice (these can be also used to make Instant Pot Chicken Risotto).
If you have long-grain rice on hand and looking for ways to use it, try making Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup. This soup is perfect for cold winter days!
Do you eat rice pudding cold or hot?
I’d say it depends on what you are used to and/or what you like. You can eat it either warm or cold.
Note: This Instant Pot rice pudding will thicken a lot when chilled so if you like eating it cold, I would suggest adding more liquid when making it.
How to make rice pudding in instant pot
Place all the ingredients except for the butter into the inner pot of your Instant Pot and stir. I like using a whisk to break any cinnamon lumps that tend to form on the surface of the milk.
Then close the lid. Make sure it is locked. Cook it on MANUAL (which is pressure cooking) on high pressure.
Once done and you have released the pressure (you can also wait until it drops naturally – it shouldn’t take long when using the amounts stated in the recipe), stir the butter in and you are done!
Tips for making Instant Pot rice pudding
- Toppings – there are endless options when it comes to toppings and it is entirely up to you what you like. You don’t need to use any and you and your guests will still enjoy this simple dessert. Berries, compote, chocolate shavings, ….
- For a richer taste, you can use 3 cups of milk instead of a combination of milk and water.
- The amount of sugar you add is entirely up to you. If you are trying to reduce your sugar intake, add about half of the amount that is stated in this Instant Pot rice pudding recipe and taste it at the very end. If not sweet enough, you can either use your favorite fruits or honey/maple syrup to add the extra sweetness.
- This Instant Pot rice pudding is a basic recipe and can be adjusted to your needs and liking.
- The active cooking time can be somewhere between 3-6 minutes depending on how you like your rice pudding. If you like the rice a little crunchy, then try cooking it for 3 minutes.
Want to see how to make Instant Pot Rice Pudding? Watch the video!
Instant Pot Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked rice (see note 1)
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 star anise (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup raisins
- salt (a pinch)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Recommended Products
Instructions
- In the inner pot of your instant pot pressure cooker combine the rice, milk, water, sugar, anise, cinnamon, raisins and salt.
- Mix well – make sure there are no large lumps of cinnamon.
- Close the lid and lock it into its position. Press MANUAL (pressure cooking) and adjust the time to 5 minutes.
- When the cooking cycle is finished, wait about 7 minutes before releasing the pressure manually.
- When the pin has dropped, open the lid and give it a good mix. Now stir in the butter. Taste it and add more sweetener, if needed.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Rice – The best is to use short-grain rice or medium-grain rice. Any risotto rice (e.g. Arborio), paella rice or sushi rice will work just fine.
- You can reduce the amount of raisins to ¼ cup or increase if you prefer more. They can also be omitted but I recommend using them.
- You can adjust the amount of sugar to your liking.
- The rice pudding may appear liquidy at first but will thicken once cooled.
- This recipe was developed for a 6-quart/6-liter instant pot pressure cooker. If you use a different brand or size, the recipe may turn out differently.
- The overall time does not include the time needed for the pot to come to its pressure (count with at least 10 minutes) nor the time that you wait for the pot to decrease its pressure (add extra 7-10 minutes).
- This is a basic recipe that can be easily adjusted to your liking. If you like your rice harder, you can cook it for 3 minutes only, if softer than what I made, then cook it for 8-10.
Brilliant and so quick nice simple recipe and tastes good
I made this using basmati rice and non-dairy milk. I didn’t have star anise so I left that out. It turned out great.
Hi Kathryn. Thanks so much for your feedback and rating! Happy Instant Pot Cooking! :)
Do you use high pressure?
Yes.
I only have long grain and jasmine rice. Which one would work. I’m craving this terribly.
Hi Denise. This recipe calls for short-grain rice which is the best. The options are in the recipe card. Using long grain rice may result in a different outcome (texture, cooking time…).
Looking for IP rice pudding recipe & tried out yours w/a few tweaks. I used medium grain rice. I didn’t have whole milk, so i used 1 cup evaporated milk + 2 1/2 cups water. Reduced sugar to 6 Tbs, because I had planned to add shredded coconut at the end. Replaced star anise w/ 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. High pressure for 10 min & 7 min NPR. i tempered 2 whisked eggs back into IP, added shredded coconut. After everything, the rice pudding was on the stiff side, so I added 1/2 cup coconut milk + 1/2 cup water. The end result was a creamy coconutty RP w/golden raisins. Thanks for your recipe. It’s a great base.
Hi Gina. Thanks for your feedback and your version of the recipe! Happy Instant Pot Cooking! :)
Not sure why but we got the burn notification very quickly so have had to run the cycle three times! I put all the right amount of liquid but it keeps sticking. I’m sure it tastes nice but not a great start.
Hi Erika. That is strange. I wonder if it is not down to the rice – some might be more starchy than others and so the burn notice might come up? Another thing is that the new versions of IP are more sensitive and show the burn notice a lot which can be frustrating. I will try to test it again to see if adding more liquid will help.
Same here, I’m going back to making it on the stove like my grandma always did.
Just made this and it came out great. Omitted the raisins and added 1/2 of a vanilla bean pod, then split the pod and scraped the beans into the pudding. I let it sit for abut 15 mins after the cook, keep warm on. Was almost perfect at that point. Also used calrose rice.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Chris! Hope you try some other recipes from our blog. Happy Instant Pot Cooking! :)
perfect. I wanted something to cook fast for dessert. Everything in the pot. Excellent. I did halve the recipe. Worked out just right
Thank you for your feedback, Pam! Happy Instant Pot Cooking! :)
I measured everything carefully and it came out very runny, but the taste was ok.
Hello Barbara. Every rice brand can be different and some absorb liquid more than others (avoid using long grain rice!). Now, next time it if you feel it is runny, after you open the instant pot, let it cook off some of the liquid (using the SAUTE function) until you achieve the consistency you like. Also it thickens more as it cools.
I sprinkled it with nutmeg. It was just like my Grandma used to make! (although I used plant based milk),
That’s great to hear, Maggie :)!
Love this recipe! New instant pot yesterday tried out this as my first bake. Omitted the spices and stirred through vanilla extract after cooking instead
Yay! :) It’s so good to hear, Kerry!
Worked out great! Thank you!
You are welcome! :)
Best rice pudding for the instant pot on the internet!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Clare. It means a lot! :)
Great, simple, fast recipe when we needed it. Hubby and i just wanted something sweet and this only took 15 minutes from start to finish. I added some butterscotch flavoring and it was delicious. Thanks! Will make again and again!
Mmm, butterscotch flavoring sounds like a great idea! Thanks so much for your feedback, Sharon. I am so happy to hear you will be making it again :)
Brand new instant pot user, i made hard boiled eggs and now rice pudding. I put extra cinnamon in because i like It but It’s really good. Thank you for this simple recipe.
You are welcome, Donna and thanks so much for your feedback!
This was a big success with my children – I had to hide the pudding from the youngest one, after she asked for a third serving!
I really like the addition of star anise, I never thought about using it in rice puddings.
:) I am so happy to hear that you and your little ones enjoyed this rice pudding. Thank you for you feedback!
Hi there,
I’ve just cooked the recipe with 3 cup milk and short grain brown rice, after the cooking time it was easy too fluid then I’ve put it back again for 1 minute pressure cooking and 7 minute natural release and it was just like in your picture.
What would be rude right cooking time? 10-12 minutes?
Thanks for helping
Hi Katalin. I have not tested this recipe for brown rice, so I am afraid I am no able to help.
Just made your rice pudding and it is excellent! Quick, easy, wonderful! Definitely a keeper.
Thanks for your feedback, Cynthia. It means a lot! Hope you try some more recipes from our blog :)
Was really gorgeous ! Maybe a little too sweet for me but the rice was cooked perfectly and was really tasty !! A new favorite recipe for my instant pot ! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it is really amazing and really easy to follow :)
Thank you so much for your feedback!
Yummy and quick recipe. Prepared as written, only differences were adding pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract.
Hi Monika. Thanks for your feedback! Pumpkin spice sounds like a great substitution :)