By Nik, founder of 東歐嚴選｜kefir.link and former chef · Updated 2 November 2026
Rice pudding has been cooked in Britain for more than 400 years: rice simmered slowly in milk until the grains are soft and the pot turns creamy. This one is scented with cardamom and cinnamon and finished with fresh orange and chocolate-covered pistachios. Milk kefir goes in once the pudding has cooled, adding a gentle tang to the sweet rice.
From a boiled pudding of 1615 to the Victorian nursery
A rice pudding printed in an English household book in 1615 looked nothing like today's spoonable bowl. Rice was mixed with egg yolks, thick cream, currants, dates and beef suet, packed into intestine casings and boiled. By Victorian times, rice pudding was counted among the nursery puddings of the children's table. A spoonful of jam on top is still a common way to serve it, whether strawberry, raspberry or sour cherries in syrup.
Why short-grain rice turns milk creamy
Short-grain rice gives off plenty of starch as it simmers, and that starch thickens the milk into a creamy pudding. Long-grain rice works too, but the result is less creamy. The rice goes into the pot unrinsed, because the starch on the surface of the grains helps as well. The grains keep absorbing liquid as the pudding cools, so it will be thicker in the bowl than in the pot, and a splash of milk loosens it again.
Kefir at the end, and other ways to top the bowl
Kefir has the consistency of thin yogurt and a fresh, sour taste. Stirred into the cooled pudding, it brings a gentle tang to the sweet rice. For a chilled version, serve the pudding cold with a honey and blackberry compote. For other toppings, add banana or mango once the pudding has cooled, drizzle over salted caramel or condensed milk, or scatter chopped hazelnuts and coconut flakes.
Kefir rice pudding with fruit
Ingredients
Rice pudding
- 100 g short-grain white rice Use uncooked short-grain white rice.
- 500 ml whole milk Have a little extra milk ready if the rice needs longer to soften.
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 5 cardamom pods Use whole pods.
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 tbsp orange marmalade Choose finely cut marmalade.
- 100 ml plain milk kefir Vanilla-flavoured milk kefir also works.
Orange and chocolate topping
- 3 large oranges Use both the zest and flesh; blood oranges also work.
- 100 g chocolate-covered pistachios Use whole pistachios coated in chocolate.
You will need
- Medium heavy-bottomed saucepan
- Spatula
- Fine grater
- Knife and chopping board
- Shallow bowls
Instructions
- Finely grate the coloured outer peel of the oranges into a bowl and set aside.
- Peel the oranges and slice the flesh crosswise into rounds.
- Roughly chop the chocolate-covered pistachios and set aside.
- Bring the rice, milk, sugar, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick to a boil in the saucepan.
- Simmer over low heat for about 25 minutes, stirring regularly across the bottom of the pan, until the rice is soft with no hard centre and most of the milk is absorbed.
- Stir the marmalade into the cooked rice until evenly mixed.
- Remove the pan from the heat and lift out the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods.
- Divide the pudding among shallow bowls to cool for about 10 minutes; if it is still hot, allow more cooling time before adding the kefir. Refrigerate promptly if not serving straight away.
- Divide the kefir and orange zest equally among the bowls of cooled pudding and stir until evenly mixed.
- Finish each bowl with orange rounds and chopped chocolate-covered pistachios, and serve.
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