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Home » Sweet Treats

Rizogalo-Greek rice pudding

Published: Aug 1, 2023 by Vandana Chauhan. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Greek rice pudding rizogalo garnished with cinnamon powder.

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Rizogalo is a delicious creamy Greek rice pudding made with just seven basic ingredients. This easy dessert gets ready within 40 minutes and has a very pleasing and comforting taste of a home-cooked dish.

Greek rice pudding with powdered cinnamon in a bowl with spoon.

Rice pudding is one of the most common desserts that's eaten worldwide and almost every country has its own version of it.

I have already shared a couple of rice pudding recipes on my blog like Indian phirni, mango phirni, gur wali kheer, and Lebanese riz bi haleeb.

Today I am sharing the recipe for a Greek rice pudding called rizogalo. Rizi is the Greek word for rice and gala is for milk and these are the two main ingredients of this traditional Greek dessert recipe.

Like all the other rice puddings rizogalo is also a very simple but tasty dessert that has a very comforting taste.

Some people also add egg to this rice Greek-style rice pudding but I have made it without egg. I feel it tastes better without the eggs.

Jump to:
  • What's needed to make rizogalo?
  • Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions
  • How to make Greek rice pudding (step-by-step instructions)?
  • How to serve?
  • Storing tips
  • Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions
  • Frequently asked questions
  • More easy desserts from around the world
  • More easy Greek recipes
  • Recipe

What's needed to make rizogalo?

For this rizogalo recipe, you will need the ingredients that are shown below:

Ingredients needed for rizogalo recipe, labeled.

Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions

  • Rice: Use a short grain and starchy variety of rice like arborio rice or jasmine rice. Starchy rice gives a creamier texture to the pudding. Though long grain rice can be used too it won't give you the required creamy consistency.
  • Milk: Use full cream milk (whole milk) to make rich and creamy pudding.
  • Lemon: Rizogalo is generally flavored with lemon peel. Some people also use orange peel. You can use both or either of them.
  • Cornstarch: Cornstarch, also known as corn flour is used to make a thick and creamy pudding. Adding it is optional and if you want to skip it, you can. But, I personally feel cornstarch gives a better consistency to this rice pudding. Instead of cornstarch, you can also use rice flour to thicken the pudding.

Other ingredients list and nutritional information is given in the recipe card.

How to make Greek rice pudding (step-by-step instructions)?

To make this pudding recipe, just follow the easy step-by-step instructions given below:

Collage of images of steps 1 to 4 of Greek rice pudding recipe.

Step 1: From the total 1 liter of milk that will be used in this recipe, take out around ¼ cup of milk in a bowl.

Step 2: Add cornstarch to ¼ cup of milk and mix until smooth to make a cornstarch slurry. Keep it aside.

Step 3: Boil the remaining milk in a large pot.

Step 4: Rinse rice and add to the boiled milk.

Collage of images of steps 5 to 8 of Greek rice pudding recipe.

Step 5: Add lemon peel.

Step 6:  Mix and cook for around 25 minutes or until the rice is nicely cooked and the pudding starts turning creamy. Keep on stirring in between to make sure that the pudding is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Step 7: Add sugar.

Step 8: Add vanilla extract. Mix until the sugar gets dissolved in the milk.

Collage of images of steps 10 to 12 of Greek rice pudding recipe.

Step 9: Add cornstarch slurry and whisk continuously for 1-2 minutes.

Step 10: Cook until the pudding thickens. Turn off the heat.

Step 11: Transfer to the serving bowls.

Step 12: Garnish with powdered cinnamon and lemon zest. If you want to enjoy it chilled, allow it to reach room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Your delicious dessert from Greece-creamy rizogalo is ready to be enjoyed!

Rizalo with ground cinnamon served in a glass bowl.

How to serve?

You can enjoy this classic Greek rice pudding hot, warm, at room temperature, as well as chilled.

I prefer enjoying it chilled.

Before serving garnish it with powdered cinnamon and lemon zest.

Storing tips

Transfer the leftover pudding to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.

You can store it in individual bowls too. Cover the bowls with cling wrap, aluminum foil, or lids.

Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions

  • For this Greek recipe, use a variety of rice that has short grains and is starchy like arborio or jasmine rice.  It will help you to make creamy rice pudding.
  • Use a heavy-bottomed pot to make this dish and keep on stirring it after every few minutes. Also, cook on low heat. If the milk starts sticking to the pot, it will spoil the color and flavor of rizogalo.
  • You can also add full cream to this pudding to make it richer and creamier.
  • Instead of lemon peel, orange peel can be used too to flavor rizogalo.
  • Be careful to use only the thin lemon peel and not its pith as the pith is bitter in taste.
  • Instead of cornstarch, rice flour can also be used to thicken this dessert.
  • To make vegan Greek rice pudding, use plant-based milk like coconut milk, almond milk, or cashew milk. Also, make sure that the sugar you are using is vegan or use a plant-based sweetener to sweeten the pudding. All the other ingredients in the recipe are plant-based.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to soak rice before adding it to the milk?

You can soak rice in water for 15-30 minutes before adding to the milk if you want to fasten the process of cooking rice.

I don't prefer soaking rice for making any type of rice pudding. I feel the rice pudding tastes better when the rice gets slowly cooked in milk for a longer period.

What should be the consistency of rizogalo?

It should have the consistency of custard or a thick creamy kheer. However, you can adjust the consistency based on your preference.

To make a thinner pudding, add more warm milk to it and cook for a few minutes. You can also skip cornstarch if you want a thinner pudding.

To thicken it, either add more cornstarch or cook for a longer period on low heat until you get the desired consistency.

Can you freeze rice pudding?

Yes, rice pudding can be frozen in batch-size containers or zip-lock bags for up to 3 months.

Can brown rice be used in this recipe?

No, brown rice is not a good choice for this recipe.

More easy desserts from around the world

If you enjoyed this Greek dessert and looking for more easy dessert recipes from around the world then don't miss checking out the following recipes:

  • Tembleque on a red plate
    Puerto Rican Tembleque
  • A slice of peach cobbler served on a white plate
    Easy peach cobbler with canned peaches
  • Two cherry cream cheese Danishes on a white plate with some cherries and another danish in the background
    Easy Cherry Cream Cheese Danish
  • Chocolate Banana Spring rolls drizzled with chocolate sauce served on a white plate kept on a red table napkin
    Chocolate Banana Spring rolls

More easy Greek recipes

Want to try more easy Greek recipes in your kitchen? The following recipes are worth checking out:

  • Greek tomato orzo kritharaki garnished with chopped parsley.
    Greek tomato orzo(kritharaki)
  • Greek spinach rice in a bowl garnished with crumbled feta and chopped dill.
    Greek Spinach rice-Spanakorizo
  • Baked lima beans in tomato sauce garnished with chopped parsley and dill.
    Greek baked lima beans casserole
  • Greek style watermelon salad served in a grey bowl
    Greek watermelon feta salad
  • Greek potato salad in a black bowl with a fork.
    Greek Potato Salad
  • Vegetarian Greek spaghetti in a white bowl with herbs and lemon in the background
    Vegetarian Greek spaghetti
  • Greek Yogurt dip garnished with chopped dill served in a blue bowl
    Greek Yogurt Dip ( tzatziki)
  • Fasolada served in a black bowl with a spoon and two toasted bread slices.
    Fasolada-Greek white bean soup
A spoonful of rizogalo held over a bowl of pudding.

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Recipe

A bowl of rizogalo garnished with powdered cinnamon and lemon peel.

Rizogalo-Greek rice pudding

Rizogalo is a delicious creamy Greek rice pudding made with just seven basic ingredients. This easy dessert gets ready within 40 minutes and has a very pleasing and comforting taste of a home-cooked dish.
4.25 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 5
Calories: 261kcal
Author: Vandana Chauhan

Equipment

  • 1 large heavy bottomed cooking pot
  • 1 Spatula
  • 1 small grater

Ingredients

  • ½ cup short grain rice
  • 1 liter full cream milk (whole milk)
  • ⅓ cup sugar adjust to taste
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Peel of 1 large lemon
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  • From the total 1 liter of milk that will be used in this recipe, take out around ¼ cup of milk in a bowl. Add cornstarch and mix until smooth to make a cornstarch slurry. Keep the bowl aside.
  • Rinse rice well and keep it aside too.
  • Put the remaining milk in a large pot and boil.
  • After the first boil, add lemon peel and rinsed rice. Mix and cook for around 25 minutes or until the rice is nicely cooked and the pudding starts turning creamy.
  • Add sugar and vanilla extract. Mix until the sugar gets dissolved in the milk.
  • Add cornstarch slurry and whisk continuously for 1-2 minutes. Cook until the pudding thickens. Turn off the heat.
  • Transfer the pudding to serving bowls and garnish with powdered cinnamon and lemon zest.

Video

Notes

  • For this Greek recipe, use a variety of rice that has short grains and is starchy like arborio or jasmine rice.  It will help you to make creamy rice pudding.
  • Use a heavy-bottomed pot to make this dish and keep on stirring it after every few minutes. Also, cook on low heat. If the milk starts sticking to the pot, it will spoil the color and flavor of rizogalo.
  • You can also add full cream to this pudding to make it richer and creamier.
  • Instead of lemon peel, orange peel can be used too to flavor rizogalo.
  • Be careful to use only the thin lemon peel and not its pith as the pith is bitter in taste.
  • To make vegan Greek rice pudding, use plant-based milk like coconut milk, almond milk, or cashew milk. Also, make sure that the sugar you are using is vegan or use a plant-based sweetener to sweeten the pudding. All the other ingredients in the recipe are plant-based.
  • More recipe tips and tricks are shared in the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.
  •  

Nutrition

Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 79mg | Potassium: 326mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 335IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 257mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Tag me on instagram #greenbowl2soul

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Hi! Thanks for stopping by my blog. My name is Vandana Chauhan and I am on a mission to explore vegan/ vegetarian recipes from around the world. I am delighted to welcome you to join me on this exciting journey.

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