Arroz con Leche [Instant Pot]

Arroz con Leche. Boy do I love Arroz con Leche. It is the epitome of a Hispanic dessert. I mean, we even have a song for it!

“Arroz con Leche, me quiero casar, con una muchacha, que sepa cocinar.”

I’ve literally known this song since I was little. It translates to, “Arroz con Leche, I want to get married, to a woman that knows how to cook.” It’s not as pretty in English. ?

Arroz con Leche = Rice Pudding

For those of you that aren’t familiar with the term, Arroz con Leche means rice with milk! Basically, Arroz con Leche is the Hispanic version of Rice Pudding.

My mom is an expert at making Arroz con Leche. She made it often when I was growing up, and still makes it at least once every few months. It’s a laborious task, which takes her quite a while.

Arroz Con Leche Can Be Intimidating

I have always wanted to learn how to make it, but to be honest, it’s a bit intimidating for me because I’ve seen her while she’s making it, and it’s tough to get it just right. You can’t mix the rice too much, you can’t mix the rice too little, you can’t put too much of one ingredient or the other, she doesn’t have set measurements either, and it seriously seems like you can’t even look at the rice the wrong way, or it might not come out right! ?

There Are Many Variations of Arroz Con Leche

There’s so many versions of Arroz con Leche in the world! There are some people who put lemon in it, some who add cinnamon, and some who even add raisins! My mom kept it simple and always put cinnamon on top of every serving. My older son, Ryan, absolutely loves it. When my mom makes it she always sends him a bowl that he is unwilling to share with anyone! ?

I Faced My Fears and Made Arroz Con Leche for the First Time

Well, I finally tried my hand at making Arroz con Leche last week! No, I didn’t spend a long time over the stove, being careful not to look at the rice the wrong way, making this delicious dessert. I used my Instant Pot!!

Oh. My. Gosh.

I can’t begin to tell you how easy it was! I decided to make it with sweetened condensed milk and no sugar, which is definitely not the way my mom makes it.

The flavor?

Unbelievable! My husband Ryan, who is not a huge fan of Arroz con Leche (don’t tell my mom!), loved my version! He served himself an extra helping quite a few times. He even made me make an extra batch, just to make sure the recipe was just right! Sure Ryan, we’ll call it “research”! ?

My Second Batch Came out Better – Here’s the Secret

I’m actually glad he made me make it twice. The first time I made it, I didn’t rinse the rice. The flavor came out perfect, but the texture wasn’t as perfect as I wanted.

The second time, I rinsed the rice until the water was clear. It made all the difference! So the moral of the story is, you don’t HAVE to rinse the rice if you really don’t want to, but it will make for a better texture in the end. 

How to Make Arroz Con Leche in the Instant Pot

I used white, long grain rice. I like the brand Mahatma. Also, to measure my rice I used the rice cup that came with my instant Pot. It is not exactly the size of a regular cup, it’s smaller! I used whole milk, which is what we always have in the house. Also, I add one and one-quarter cup of water to make this recipe Instant Pot friendly.

I put just a little bit of salt in it. I filled my ¼ teaspoon about half way. If you have a ⅛ teaspoon, use that one to measure the salt. My set only goes down to ¼.

I poured the milk and water into the Instant Pot liner, and added the rinsed, wet rice and salt.

I gave it just enough of a stir for the rice to spread out. That’s it! Then I put the lid on my pot and made sure it was locked.

Setting the Instant Pot for Arroz Con Leche

For Arroz con Leche, you’ll want to use the Porridge setting. It puts the timer on 20 minutes. Also, make sure your pot is set to Sealing.

I then walked away! When it was done cooking, I let it do a Natural Pressure Release (NPR) for 10 minutes. I then released the rest of the pressure until the float valve popped down. I opened the pot and perfect! Now for the yummy part!

Adding the Final Ingredients

I added one can of sweetened condensed milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mixed it all together, and bam! Arroz con Leche!!

The texture in my second batch was definitely improved. The only thing I did differently, like I said above, was rinse the rice.

The Best Arroz Con Leche, Ready to Serve in No Time

Sprinkled a little bit of cinnamon on top and it was perfection!

This may not be the traditional way to make Arroz con Leche, but let me tell you, it’s a new and improved way! So easy and so crazy delicious!

I hope you’ll give my Arroz con Leche a try! I know that from this point forward, I will be making a lot more Arroz con Leche! Oh, and my son Ryan, he totally approved!!