Ask someone if they like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and chances are they’ll look at you blindly as if you didn’t already know the answer to that question. It’s one of those cereals that just tastes good any time of day (Tip: try subbing eggnog for milk during the holidays for a crazy amazing treat, but that’s a different story).
And then there’s rice pudding which is quite the rich dessert. So taking this classic cereal and topping it over a rice pudding that is inspired to taste like this magnificent cereal is just the icing on the, well, rice.
Oh, I forgot to tell you. It’s also so quick and easy to make in your Instant Pot it’s practically ridiculous. See for yourself!
Here’s How I Made It!:
Begin with pouring some Arborio rice in the Instant Pot…
…along with some water…
…salt…
…and a bay leaf.
Stir well and then secure the lid and cook on high pressure.
While the rice is cooking, we’ll create our egg custard mixture by taking a couple of eggs…
…some milk…
…ground nutmeg…
…ground cinnamon…
…and vanilla extract.
Whisk it all together…
…until smooth and set aside.
Once the rice is done cooking, remove and discard the bay leaf…
…and then add in some milk…
…sugar…
…and maple syrup.
Stir it all together well and give the pot some heat.
Now, taking a fine mesh strainer, pour the egg custard through it…
…and stir it constantly for about 3-5 minutes.
After about 3 minutes, the rice will begin to thicken nicely…
…and after about 5 minutes it will begin to bubble and boil. As soon as this happens, remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot and set on the countertop to cool.
Let is cool for about 5 minutes and it will thicken even more!
Then, transfer that yummy rice pudding to a serving bowl, cover with a lid…
…and pop in the fridge for 2-3 hours until it sets and chills.
When ready to eat, it will have really thickened!
Put some in a bowl for serving and feel free to add just a little milk, half & half or heavy cream (or my secret obsession, eggnog) to thin it out some if you like it like that.
Grab a box of that magical cereal we all love…
…and sprinkle as much as you wish on top, mix in and serve!Enjoy!
Instant Pot Cinnamon Toast Crunch Rice Pudding
Rice pudding is critical to the dessert roster. And who doesn't love Cinnamon Toast Crunch?! Just make sure you use arborio rice (the same for risotto) when making this satisfying dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of Arborio rice (the same rice used for risotto)
- 1 1/2 cups of water
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups whole milk, divided into 1 1/2 cups and 1/2 cup
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon (plus more for topping)
- 1/8 tsp of ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp of maple syrup
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, for topping
- Optional: About 2 tbsp of eggnog for adding after serving and mixed in with the rice pudding
Instructions
- Add the rice, water, salt and bay leaf (in that order) to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid, hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 3 minutes. When done, perform a 10 minute natural release followed by a quick release
- While the rice is cooking, prepare the egg custard mixture by placing the cracked eggs, 1/2 cup of milk, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and whisk together until beaten and combined. Set aside
- Once the lid comes off the Instant Pot, discard the bay leaf and add in the other 1.5 cups of milk, the sugar and maple syrup and stir it in with the rice, deglazing (scraping) the bottom of the pot to ensure no rice is stuck to it and mixes in with the milk, sugar and syrup
- Now, taking a fine mesh strainer that you can rest on the lid of the pot, add in the egg custard mixture (we use the strainer so it catches the excess gooey parts of the egg that will compromise this amazing rice pudding’s texture). As soon as you pour in the egg mixture, hit the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button and then hit “Sauté” and Adjust so you’re on the “More” or “High” setting.
- Stir everything in the pot constantly for about a good 3-5 minutes. As you do this, everything will gradually begin to thicken. Check intermittently for bubbling and then continue to stir – remember, dairy likes to stick to stainless steel pots! Once it begins to REALLY begin to bubble and boil, turn the pot off and remove the inner pot and set on a burn-resistant surface (like a cutting board) immediately. This step should take about 5 minutes from start to finish
- Let the pot cool and then transfer to a serving bowl, cover with a lid and pop in the fridge for a good 2-3 hours so that the rice pudding becomes nice and chilled (you can eat it warm too, but I prefer it cold)
- When ready to serve, top with as much Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal as you wish and a pinch of cinnamon and mix it in with the rice pudding. If you want the rice pudding a little thinner after it thickens in the fridge, just add a little more milk, half & half, heavy cream (or, my favorite, eggnog if you want it even more decadent! You can even make it more grown-up by adding in a little Rumchata or Bailey’s just before serving!)
- ENJOY!
Jeffrey's Tips
Rice is one of those things that never stops absorbing the liquid that engulfs it. That means if you have this in your fridge for a bit, it may get SUPER thick (which is just the way I like it). If you’d rather a thinner rice pudding, just add a little more milk (or even half & half or heavy cream) right after serving a portion in a bowl and mix it in with the rice pudding to thin it out some!
Want to make it incredibly decadent? After the rice pudding has chilled and is plated, add about 2 tbsp of eggnog and mix it up!
Want to make it more grown-up?! Try adding in a little Rumchata or Bailey’s just before serving!
Try topping it with French Toast Crunch too for some variety!
Linda
My first time making this. Delicious. Was curious about the bay leaf but used it and didn’t taste it. So not sure what it does but I made it exact, according to the recipe.
Beth
This is the first time using my new Insta Pot and I found this recipe easy to follow. And, the rice pudding tastes amazing! I will definitely be using this recipe all the time! Thanks for sharing.
Jeffrey
So glad!
Leif
I substituted egg nog in place of the milk entirely and it is AMAZING. Thanks Jeff.
Jeffrey
Sooooo good!
ad
how well would this scale? would you make any changes for a double or a quadruple?
Erica Kleri
Jeff, I’ve never liked rice pudding. I make it for my husband, cause I obviously want him happy. I made this today, tried a bite, and holy hell. I may be a convert. I didn’t have whole milk or anything, so I tried sweetened condensed (then omitted the sugar called for) and it worked really well! thank you again, as always!
Jeffrey
Fantastic!!!!