Black Rice Pudding with Coconut Milk

Chinese desserts treasure nutritious ingredients such as whole grains, nuts and fruits. They are usually not as sweet as Western desserts and have a very different texture. 

Black rice pudding is one of those popular desserts that you often see in dessert shops from Hong Kong and Taiwan. They may have very different names and different presentations depending on the particular shop. But it’s usually made with tender gooey black rice, served in creamy coconut milk, and topped with fun ingredients such as fruit, tapioca pearls, mochi, and / or red bean paste. 

Today I want to share the one I love the most – black rice pudding topped with mango. It’s as simple to make as cooking rice, too, giving you a wonderful dessert that is utterly refreshing and sublime on a summer’s day.

Black rice pudding ingredients

What is black rice

Black rice is also called purple rice (紫米, Zi Mi) or forbidden rice. It gets that name from ancient times, as it is so nutritious that it was once reserved for royalty.

Now everyone can get their hands on it, and they should because black rice has more protein than other types of rice, plus it gives you plenty of iron. With antioxidants including anthocyanin, which is what gives it that spectacular hue, you’re fueling your body with incredible nutrition. I also have it in my pantry and throw a small handful of it into my brown rice before I steam it. 

Once cooked, black rice has a nutty taste and a slightly chewy and gooey texture that is truly amazing. 

Ingredients you need

Black rice pudding only requires five ingredients.

• Black rice
• Coconut milk
• Mango
• Sugar
• Salt

How to make black rice pudding

Making black rice pudding requires a few simple steps:

1. Soak the rice (Optional)
2. Cook the rice with water
3. Steam the rice once it’s cooked
4. Mix the black rice with sugar
5. Blend the coconut milk with sugar and ice
6. Assemble everything together 

Do I need to soak the rice?

If you’d prefer your black rice to have a stickier texture, you’re going to want to let it soak for at least an hour at room temperature, or even overnight in your fridge. But if you prefer a chewier texture, you can skip the soaking process.

To make black rice pudding in your rice cooker, you should use the brown rice setting on the cooker. And you can skip the soaking in this case.

How to store black rice pudding?

Like most dishes, black rice pudding tastes the best when it’s made fresh. If you plan to cook it ahead of time, you should store everything separately. The ingredients will stay well in the fridge for 2 to 3 days (but don’t cut the mango until the day before or the day you serve it).

To serve the pudding, you should gently heat up the black rice either in a steamer or in the microwave, to bring back its soft texture. Then you can wait until it has cooled to room temperature before serving it. Do not directly serve refrigerated black rice, because it will have a very tough texture.

Black rice pudding is an elegant dessert choice if you are having dinner guests or if you just want something that’s sweet without using tons of sugar. Either way, you’re going to love the simplicity of it with every bite.

More delicious dessert recipes

• Mango Sticky Rice
• Chinese Pumpkin Cake (南瓜饼)
• Vegan Mango Pudding
• Easy Candied Walnuts with Spice
• Mango Sago (杨枝甘露)

Black Rice Pudding with Coconut Milk

By Maggie Zhu

4.50 from 2 votes

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

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Black rice pudding is a healthy dessert made from ingredients you wouldn’t expect! Gooey rice soaked in sweetened coconut milk and paired with fresh summer fruit is a tantalizing treat that will refresh you on the hottest days! {Gluten-Free, Vegan}

Ingredients 

Rice

• 1 cup (7 ounces / 200 g) black rice
• 2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Dessert bowl

• 2 cans (18 oz / 540 ml) coconut milk
• 4 tablespoons sugar (or syrup)
• 20 ice cubes (about 1 1/2 cup)
• 4 mangos , cubed (*Footnote 2)

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Instructions

• Rinse and drain the black rice. If you prefer a stickier texture, add water to cover the rice and soak for 1 hour at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge. Drain well.
• Add the rice to a small saucepan with 2 cups of water. Cook over medium heat until it boils. Reduce to medium-low heat. Cover the pot. Cook covered for 35 minutes. Do not uncover the lid during cooking. Once done, turn off the heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle the sugar and salt onto the rice while it is still hot. Fluff the rice and mix until the sugar has mixed in and dissolved. Taste the rice. You can add more sugar, if needed, and mix again. Set aside to cool.
• Combine coconut milk, ice cubes and sugar in a food processor or blender. Mix until the ice is chopped into small pieces but not melted completely.
• Add about 1/2 cup rice and 1/2 cup coconut milk into small serving bowls. Divide the mango evenly among the bowls. Serve immediately. (*Footnote 3)

Video

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. You can use a rice cooker to cook the black rice. Use the brown rice setting on your rice cooker and add water accordingly (your rice cooker should have a measurement line for brown rice).
2. You can use other seasonal fruit as well. I find that strawberries work nicely here.
3. You can store the cooked rice and the blended coconut milk in the fridge for up to 3 days. To serve, reheat the rice in the microwave until warmed through and tender before assembling the bowls.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 324kcal, Carbohydrates: 36.7g, Protein: 3.5g, Fat: 20.8g, Saturated Fat: 18.1g, Sodium: 115mg, Potassium: 363mg, Fiber: 3.5g, Sugar: 28.1g, Calcium: 25mg, Iron: 2mg

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