Arroz con leche is the most ubiquitous home dessert in Argentina, brought by Spanish immigrants and adapted with the local touch of dulce de leche. Rice is simmered slowly in milk with sugar, cinnamon stick, lemon peel and vanilla until thick and creamy, then a spoonful of dulce de leche is stirred in at the end for extra richness. It is the dessert of grandmothers and childhood, eaten warm on winter afternoons or cold from the fridge in summer. Every Argentine has a recipe, and the debate between warm and cold is as fierce as the one about how thick it should be.
Creamy, sweet, cinnamon-perfumed rice with a sticky, dulce-de-leche richness, soft and comforting, with a wobble. Eaten warm or cold, it is the taste of Argentine childhood in a bowl.
The technique is a slow, patient simmer. Short-grain rice is rinsed, then simmered in whole milk with a cinnamon stick, lemon peel, sugar and vanilla for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and to release the rice starch, which thickens the milk naturally. No condensed milk or egg is needed; the starch from the rice and the reduction of the milk give the creamy texture. Toward the end, a spoonful of dulce de leche is stirred in, melting into the pudding for an Argentine touch. The cinnamon and lemon are removed before serving. The pudding sets further as it cools.
Variations
Some add coconut or raisins. A richer version uses condensed milk.
On the Palate
Where Arroz con Leche Argentino sits in the Argentinian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
4 steps · 5 min
- 14 min
Rinse 200g short-grain rice; combine in a pot with 1.5 litres whole milk, 150g sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, strips of peel from 1 lemon and 1 tsp vanilla.
- 28 min
Bring to a simmer, then cook on low heat 35 to 45 minutes, stirring frequently, until thick and creamy.
Watch outCook on low thirty-five to forty-five minutes, stirring often, until thick and creamy — the rice starch alone does the thickening, so keep stirring or it sticks and scorches on the bottom.
- 34 min
Remove the cinnamon stick and lemon peel; stir in 2 tbsp dulce de leche.
- 44 min
Pour into bowls; serve warm, or chill and serve cold dusted with cinnamon.
Watch outRemember it keeps thickening as it cools — pull it while it's still a touch loose, or a stiff pudding turns pasty once chilled.
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