This toasted coconut rice pudding gets its lovely nutty flavor from the addition of a homemade toasted coconut milk. A simple sauce made of thawed frozen blueberries, orange zest, and vanilla tops this delicious gluten free and vegan dessert.
I’ve had mad fruit cravings lately. It always happens at the end of winter when I’ve had to subsist on citrus for far too long. Last week it was tropical mango and pineapple, and this week it’s berries. Since it’s still technically winter, berries aren’t quite in season yet at the market. There’s citrus for miles but to be honest, I think I’ve eaten my weight in satsumas the past couple of months so I’ve been hankering for something different. I realized a couple of weeks ago that I had a giant bag of frozen blueberries in my freezer. So, I’ve been leaving them to thaw either on the counter or in the fridge overnight to enjoy with my granola.
How to Make Saucy Blueberries
As frozen blueberries thaw, they naturally release some of their juices making their own indigo-hued sauce. For this recipe, I took advantage of that hands-off process. To make the saucy blueberries, you’ll simply combine the frozen blueberries with the orange zest, vanilla, and maple syrup and let them hang out. As the berries thaw, they’ll release some of their juices. Thus, you have a lovely blueberry sauce for your pudding with minimal effort!
The Key to Getting a Delicious Toasted Coconut Flavor
The key to the delicious nutty flavor of this rice pudding lies in the homemade toasted coconut milk. Ever since Heidi of 101 cookbooks posted about it, I’ve been making it weekly. It’s so darn good! It really elevates the pudding and gives it a toasty added depth of flavor that is rather spectacular. All you need to make it is toasted flaked coconut and water! If you don’t want to go to the effort of making it, you can always use regular coconut milk in its place.
If you find yourself with a plethora of frozen blueberries, too, try this rise & shine smoothie or these melon boats with blueberry mango n’ice cream.
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Toasted Coconut Rice Pudding with Saucy Blueberries
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This toasted coconut rice pudding gets its lovely nutty flavor from the addition of a homemade toasted coconut milk. A simple sauce made of thawed frozen blueberries, orange zest, and vanilla tops this delicious gluten free and vegan dessert.
Ingredients
for the pudding:
- 1/2 cup cooked rice (I used jasmine)
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup toasted coconut milk, or regular coconut milk
- tiny pinch of sea salt
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 2–3 crushed cardamom pods
- maple syrup (to taste)
for the saucy blueberries:
- 1/4 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/2 tsp orange zest
- splash of maple syrup (optional)
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Mix the ingredients for the blueberries together in a small bowl and set it aside to thaw on the counter.
Combine the rice, 1/2 cup of the toasted coconut milk, and the rest of the ingredients for the pudding in a small sauce pan. Bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid and is thick. This will take about 7-10 minutes. Add more milk during cooking if needed. Before serving, remove the whole spices. The pudding can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Top the pudding with the saucy blueberries just before serving.
Makes 1 large serving.
Notes
- You can use whatever milk you like in place of the toasted coconut milk.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: dessert
Cake: because sometimes both the body and soul need a little something sweet when the rest of the world seems topsy turvy. There’s a reason our bodies crave comfort foods in times of sickness and stress. They provide a sort of mental healing you can’t get from a bowl of raw kale (unless of course that’s your comfort food…). Perhaps they even evoke fond memories of childhood or other times in your life. With one bite you can be transported to a place in time where you felt joy or love or contentment. It’s sort of magical how something as simple as a piece of cake (or bowl of kale) can elicit such a response in both mind and body.
