Swedish Rice Pudding with Cinnamon (Risgrynsgröt)
By Middagsarkivet
- Easy
- 4 servings
Risgrynsgröt is the Swedish answer to the question of what to eat before the julbord, and in many households it is the first thing on the table on Christmas Eve. It is also eaten on the thirteenth of December, on ordinary winter Thursdays after pea soup, and in school cafeterias all year. The Swedish version is richer than the Norwegian risgrøt: more milk, often a splash of cream at the end, and always a bowl of cinnamon sugar on the table.
The almond is the part everyone remembers. One blanched almond goes into the finished pot, and whoever finds it in their bowl is said to be married within the year, or at minimum gets a marzipan pig. Tell your guests the almond is in there before they start eating, and leave it out entirely if small children are at the table.
Short-grain rice is what you want, sold in American stores as pudding rice, arborio, or sushi rice. Long-grain will not release enough starch and you end up with rice floating in warm milk instead of pudding.
How to make it
- 1
Swell the rice
Put the rinsed short-grain rice, water, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and let the rice absorb almost all the water.
- 2
Add the milk
Pour in the whole milk and add the butter. Bring back to a bare simmer, stirring so the rice does not settle on the bottom.
- 3
Simmer
Cook uncovered at the lowest simmer that still shows a bubble or two, stirring every five minutes and scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon. The pudding is done when the grains are soft and the milk has thickened to a loose, glossy porridge; it tightens as it cools.
- 4
Finish
Stir in the sugar and the heavy cream, if using. Taste for salt. Drop in the blanched almond and stir once so no one can see where it went.
- 5
Rest
Cover and let the pudding stand off the heat so the starch settles and the texture evens out.
- 6
Serve
Mix the sugar and cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar in a small bowl. Ladle the warm pudding into bowls, top each with a knob of butter and a heavy spoonful of cinnamon sugar, and pass cold whole milk at the table.
A couple of tips
Use the heaviest pot you own and keep the heat low. Milk scorches on the bottom of a thin pan long before the rice is done, and the burnt taste goes through the whole batch.
If the pudding gets too thick on the stove, loosen it with a splash of milk. It should pour slowly off the spoon, not stand up in it.
Say out loud that the almond is in the pot before anyone picks up a spoon, and skip the almond if there are small children eating.
What you need
- A heavy-bottomed saucepan
Serving
Serve warm in deep bowls with butter and cinnamon sugar, with cold milk on the side for pouring over. In Sweden it comes before the julbord on Christmas Eve, and the leftovers are turned into ris à la Malta: cold pudding folded with whipped cream and served with orange or jam.
Storing it
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 3 days. The pudding sets firm when cold; eat it that way with milk, or reheat gently with a splash of milk, stirring until creamy again. It does not freeze well, the texture turns grainy.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 480 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 16 g |
| of which saturated | 10 g |
| Carbohydrates | 70 g |
| of which sugars | 31 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Salt | 1 g |
Questions and answers
- Can you freeze risgrynsgröt?
- Not with good results. Freezing breaks the starch and the pudding thaws grainy and watery, so keep it in the fridge and eat it within three days.
- What rice can I use instead of short-grain rice?
- Arborio or sushi rice both work and are easy to find. Avoid long-grain and basmati, they stay separate instead of releasing the starch that makes the pudding creamy.
- Can I make it ahead for Christmas Eve?
- Yes. Cook it in the morning, refrigerate, then reheat over low heat with extra milk stirred in until it loosens back to a pourable porridge.
- Can I make it with plant milk?
- Oat milk works best and gives a slightly sweeter pudding; use oil or vegan butter in place of the butter. Skip the cream or use an oat-based cooking cream.
- What is the almond for?
- Whoever finds it is supposed to marry within the year. Warn the table first, and leave it out if children are eating.
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