RIZOGALO – GREEK RICE PUDDING (+ Vegan Option)

Rizogalo Greek rice pudding is a classic, creamy Greek dessert! This recipe is really easy to make with just a handful of ingredients. 

Rizogalo (pronounced ree-ZO-ga-lo) gets its name from the two main ingredients: rizi, which means rice and gala, which means milk. 

Growing up, rizogalo was such a comfort food! It still is, actually!

My family loves this rice pudding! In the summer, we have it cold, straight out of the refrigerator. In the winter, we have it warm, straight out of the saucepan. We even have it for breakfast sometimes!

Greek rice pudding is very creamy, but not too thick or sweet. There aren’t any eggs or cream, either, so it’s not that heavy or rich like a custard. Instead, it’s very light and velvety.

Love Greek desserts? Try my Ladokouloura Greek olive oil cookies, my Galaktoboureko Greek custard dessert, and my Portokalopita Greek orange phyllo cake!

Here’s what you’ll need to make Rizogalo.

HOW TO MAKE RIZOGALO IN 5 EASY STEPS

STEP 1: 

Wash the rice.

STEP 2: 

Boil the water & salt. Add the rice and cinnamon sticks and simmer until rice is done, about 20-25 minutes.

STEP 3: 

Pour ¼ cup of the milk in a bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch and whisk together. Set aside.

STEP 4: 

Pour the remaining milk into the rice mixture and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture and whisk continuously until it thickens, about a minute or so.

STEP 5: 

Ladle into small bowls.

Press some plastic wrap on the pudding (to prevent a film from forming) and store in the refrigerator.

Or serve immediately with lots of ground cinnamon on top!

CUSTOMIZABLE VEGAN OPTION

You can easily make this recipe vegan by replacing the regular milk with any other plant-based milk. I’ve tried both and they work great!

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

• I suggest using short-grain white rice with a high starch content, like Arborio rice. This is important because it’s starchy and it makes the rice pudding thick and creamy. Long grain rice won’t give the same results.
• The trick to getting rizogalo right is to keep tasting the rice to make sure it has cooked through.
• After adding the milk, stir continuously until it thickens, otherwise the rice may burn and stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
• When done, keep the rice pudding covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

MORE GREEK DESSERTS!

• How to make ancient Greek sesame bars (Pasteli)
• Koulourakia (Greek Easter Cookies) 
• Greek Halva Cake
• Greek Baklava Rolls (Saragli) - Refined Sugar Free

 Let me know how this Rizogalo turned out for you in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!

~Voula