This Macadamia Rice Pudding recipe is flavored with a homemade toasted macadamia praline paste and is a nutty, caramelly take on the traditional rice pudding. The individual rice puddings also get topped with extra macadamia praline and chopped toasted macadamia nuts for even more macadamia nut flavor.
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Rice pudding is having a moment in the baking and recipe development community. Bronwen Wyatt of Bayou Saint Cake dubbed it an “IN” for 2024, and ever since then I couldn’t stop thinking about how to put an alt flavor spin on this classic dessert. And when Milkadamia sent me an abundance of their macadamia nut milk to try, it was serendipity.
If you can believe it, I used to hate any and all nuts as a kid. Now my palette has grown to accommodate and appreciate them. If you are also into nutty desserts, but not macadamias, I recommend my Pistachio Tiramisu or Peanut Butter Molasses Cookies.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- This can be easily made entirely dairy-free by swapping the butter for vegan butter.
- This rice pudding dessert is quick to make and requires no chilling time.
- The sweetness level is customizable, use as much or as little of the sugar and praline paste to sweeten.
Ingredients
- Long grain rice serves as the base and starch of this recipe.
- Macadamia nuts provide flavor and richness.
- Macadamia milk provides moisture and creaminess.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the praline and rice pudding.
- Water is essential to cook the rice before adding flavorful stuff.
- Vanilla extract and kosher salt balance the overall flavor profile.
- Unsalted butter provides a rich mouthfeel.
- Lemon juice prevents the sugar from recrystallizing when making the caramel for the praline.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here’s how to customize this rice pudding dessert to your liking:
- Sweetness — omit or decrease the additional granulated sugar in the rice pudding to fit your taste. Or use an alternative sugar, like coconut sugar. I do not recommend altering the type or amount of sugar for the praline.
- Dairy-free — swap unsalted butter for vegan butter.
- Another milk — instead of macadamia milk, use dairy milk or another non-dairy milk.
- Another nut — swap for hazelnuts or almonds in the praline.
- Spices — add spices like cinnamon, ginger or cardamom.
- Serving — serve hot, room temperature or cold.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make macadamia rice pudding
Step 1: Toast the nuts at 350°F for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Set aside ¼ cup for later. In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan combine the sugar, water and lemon juice. Cook over medium-high heat and stir gently with a wooden spoon, until an amber color develops. Turn off the heat, add the salt and stir to dissolve it. Pour the caramel directly on top of the toasted nuts on the lined baking sheet. Let rest at room temperature until completely cooled and hardened.
Step 2: Break apart the praline and put the pieces into a food processor. Process for 15 to 20+ minutes until it turns into a smooth, runny paste.
Step 3: Wash the rice in cold water three or four times to remove excess starch. Bring the rice, water and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer covered until water has been absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the milk, granulated sugar and a little over ½ cup of the praline paste (setting the rest aside for assembly). Make sure to scrape the bottom to remove any stuck on pieces. Cook uncovered over medium heat for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently, especially towards the end of cooking. The pudding is done when the rice and milk have amalgamated into a thick porridge-like consistency. Do not overcook or the pudding will be solid instead of creamy once cooled. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla, until the butter has melted in fully.
Step 4: Pour the rice pudding into ramekins or serving glasses. Top each one with a bit of the remaining praline paste. Sprinkle with the reserved toasted and chopped macadamia nuts.
Hot tips
- Use a heavy bottomed saucepan when making the caramel. Heavy-bottomed pans will conduct and hold heat more evenly than flimsy or non-stick pans.
- Use a light-colored saucepan when making the caramel so you can see the color better and be able to tell sooner when it needs to come off the heat.
- Check your rice for doneness on the lower end of the time scale. You do not want to overcook your rice to begin with, as it will continue to cook later, otherwise you may end up with no visible grains and/or a mushy texture.
Recipe FAQs
I used unsweetened Milkadamia macadamia milk, but you can use any other nut milk or regular milk.
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Omit or decrease the additional granulated sugar in the rice pudding to fit your taste. Or use an alternative sugar, like coconut sugar. I do not recommend altering the type or amount of sugar for the praline.
More recipes you’ll love
Lastly, if you make this Macadamia Rice Pudding recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Macadamia Rice Pudding
Ingredients
Macadamia praline paste
- 1 ¼ cup macadamia nuts (182g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 2 tablespoon water (30ml)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Rice pudding
- ¾ cup rice long grain (170g)
- 1 ½ cups water (354g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups macadamia milk* (32 oz)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ tablespoon unsalted butter cold (swap for dairy-free butter, if desired)
Instructions
Do ahead
- The nuts can be toasted ahead of time and stored in an airtight container until ready to use. If you like cold rice pudding, this can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Toast the macadamia nuts
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out the macadamia nuts on top. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown. Keep an eye on them so they do not burn.
- Let cool and then set aside ¼ cup of the nuts for chopping and topping. Leave the rest on the baking sheet for later.
Make the macadamia praline paste
- In a heavy-bottomed, light-colored medium saucepan combine the sugar, water and lemon juice. Place the pan over medium-high heat and stir gently with a wooden spoon to combine.
- Let heat, stirring occasionally and gently, until an amber color develops. Turn off the heat, add the salt and stir to dissolve it. Remove from the heat promptly.
- Pour the caramel directly on top of the nuts on the lined baking sheet. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes or until completely cooled and hardened.
- Break apart the praline and put the pieces into a food processor. Process for 15 to 20+ minutes, depending on how powerful your food processor is. It will become a crumbly powder and then eventually turn into a smooth, runny paste. If your food processor starts to overheat, stop and let it cool down before starting again.
Make the rice pudding
- Wash the rice in cold water three or four times to remove excess starch. Bring the rice, water and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer covered until water has been absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and whisk in the milk, granulated sugar and a little over ½ cup of the praline paste (setting the rest aside for assembly). Make sure to scrape the bottom to remove any stuck on pieces. Cook uncovered over medium heat for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently, especially towards the end of cooking.
- The pudding is done when the rice and milk have amalgamated into a thick porridge-like consistency. Do not overcook or the pudding will be solid instead of creamy once cooled.
- Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla, until the butter has melted in fully.
Assemble
- Pour the rice pudding into ramekins or serving glasses. Top each one with a bit of the remaining praline paste. Sprinkle with the reserved toasted and chopped macadamia nuts. Serve now or chill if you like yours chilled before eating.
