Apple Rice Pudding Recipe
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This apple rice pudding is homey, old-school Autumn comfort food that can be served as breakfast, brunch or even as dessert! It is a great way to use up leftover white rice. This apple rice pudding is so satisfying and will make you feel like a big-time homemaker! P.S. this is the EASIEST recipe!
Apple rice pudding is loaded with apples, cinnamon and a browned butter crunchy topping that just takes it over the top. Your house will smell like freshly baked apple pie and that is an aroma I can get used to!!
My husband discovered this apple rice pudding in an old (out of print) cookbook called “Traditional Ukrainian Cookery” (Amazon affiliate link,) which we paid like $100+ to get ahold of – and that was considered a deal! Ha! Anyway, this recipe is a keeper – so simple and yummy. What can I say? I just really like eating it and my husband is quite smitten with it also.
Ingredients for Apple Rice Pudding:
4 Tbsp (1/4 cup unsalted butter)
1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs such as Panko crumbs*
4 medium (1 1/2 lbs) granny smith apples, peeled, cored and diced 1/2″ thick
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups cooked white rice such as Jasmine (from 2/3 cup uncooked) **see below
1/4 cup raisins (white or brown raisins)
3 Tbsp milk
*Use gluten free bread crumbs to make this gluten free
How to Make Apple Rice Pudding:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13x2″ baking casserole dish.
1. Place a medium skillet over medium heat and melt in 4 Tbsp butter. Once butter has finished bubbling and is slightly browned, add 1/2 cup bread crumbs and stir constantly until lightly toasted and golden brown then immediately remove from heat and set aside to prevent scorching.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine diced apples, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, then stir in 2 cups cooked white rice and 1/4 cup raisins. Reserve 2 Tbsp bread crumbs for the topping and stir remaining bread crumbs into the apple/rice mixture and stir. Drizzle 3 Tbsp milk over the mixture and stir until combined.
3. Spread the mixture into the buttered casserole dish and sprinkle reserved 2 Tbsp of bread crumbs over the top. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350˚F for about 35 minutes or until apples are tender.
This apple rice pudding is not too wet and not too dry but just right.
**To Cook the white rice:
Option 1: In a medium saucepan with well fitting lid, combine 1 cup rice, 2 cups water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp butter. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and cook at a simmer 20 minutes (you should here faint hissing with the lid on).
Option 2: Follow rice maker instructions – typically combining 1 cup white rice with 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp butter, cover with lid and turn on the white rice setting.
⬇Print-Friendly Apple Rice Pudding Recipe:
Apple Rice Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, (1/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup Panko crumbs*, (plain dry breadcrumbs)
- 1 1/2 lbs granny smith apples (4 medium), peeled, cored and diced 1/2" thick
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 cups cooked white rice such as Jasmine, from 2/3 cup uncooked **see below
- 1/4 cup raisins, white or brown raisins
- 3 Tbsp milk
Instructions
Prep: Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter bottom and sides of 9x13x2" baking casserole dish
- Place medium skillet over medium heat and melt in 4 Tbsp butter. Once butter is done bubbling and slightly browned, add 1/2 cup bread crumbs and stir constantly until lightly toasted and golden brown then immediately remove from heat and set aside to prevent overcooking.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine diced apples, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, then stir in 2 cups cooked white rice and 1/4 cup raisins. Reserve 2 Tbsp bread crumbs for topping and stir remaining bread crumbs into apple/rice mixture. Drizzle 3 Tbsp milk over the mixture and stir until combined.
- Spread the mixture into the buttered casserole dish and sprinkle reserved 2 Tbsp bread crumbs over the top. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350˚F for about 35 minutes or until apples are tender.
Notes
**To Cook white rice:
(Option 1): In a medium saucepan with well fitting lid, combine 1 cup rice, 2 cups water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp butter. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and cook at a simmer 20 minutes (you should here faint hissing with the lid on).
(Option 2): Follow rice maker, typically combining 1 cup white rice with 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp butter, cover with lid and turn on the white rice setting.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
I hope you and your family love this recipe and that it brings everyone together this Autumn. Enjoy this my friends!
Love apple recipes? Check out all of our favorite apple recipes here!
Hello, Can this be prepped overnight? Or will the apples turn too brown?
Hi Lily, I haven’t tried prepping this overnight but I do think the apples might get discolored.
How ironic. I was looking for a recipe for apple rice pudding and this popped up. When I saw that the recipe came from “Traditional Ukrainian Cookery” I was blown away since my wife and I are both Ukrainian and have inherited that cookbook from my mother in law. Your recipes are great.
Wow! That’s so awesome! I’m so happy you discovered our blog. Welcome!
Good looking out by your husband. Another place to look for old cookbooks is at estate sales.
My husband dislikes rice pudding. I told him he would like this one because it does not have a pudding consistency. I was right, he has went back for seconds. Thank you. We eat as a side dish and sometimes as dessert.
I’m so happy to hear that!! thank you for sharing this with me Lily!
I have to try this tomorrow, I’m going to get all the ingredients, thank you so much.
I even have tonight’s rice ready to use.
That’s so great! Enjoy!
I’ve been craving apple pie for so long but gluten free pie crust is just not quite the same & quite hard to manage as well. This satisfied that craving! Too good!!! Do you know how long it’s been?! The only change I made beside the gluten free panko was a little extra sugar. Absolute perfection! Made me so happy, I did a little dance around my kitchen. TFS & God bless you!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Gale! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Love it..will definitely try it
I hope you do! Please let me know what you think of the recipe!
Hello!! I have a couple of questions about this recipe. Could you add nuts and could you substitute brown rice for white rice?
Thanks
Hi Lisa, I think both of those changes would work and are worth experimenting! I hope you love the recipe 🙂
Natasha,
I made this recipe last night and it turned out amaaazing!!! Reminded me so much of my childhood as my mom made a very similar dish 🙂 I used a little more sugar (maybe 2 tbsp more) because I like it a bit sweeter. Also, I forgot to add the milk in the end but it tuned out good anyway. Thanks again Natasha!
Hello Galina! I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review!
My russian/ukrainian caregiver make mushroom, potato soup for me. She loved the recipe. We use your site to make a Russian meal every Wednesday. Thank you for your time and work. I especially love your friendly coments. Zelma
My pleasure Zelma! I’m glad to hear you are both enjoying the recipes! Thanks for following and sharing your thoughtful comments!
I loved it! It tasted like dessert but wasn’t actually very sweet. And SO easy. Natasha, did your cookbook give a name for this dish in Ukrainian?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! “Запечений рис з яблуками” is what the author named it and they translated it to “Apple and Rice Pudding”
Can we use Fuji apples instead of Granny Smith ?
Hi Ameena, yes that should still work fine, it will just be a little sweeter using fuji apples 🙂
This apple rice pudding is absolutely wonderful! I made it with golden delicious apples instead of granny smith ones and they were amazingly tender and juicy at the end. Will make it again and again. Thank you for the recipe, Natasha.
You’re welcome Irina! I’m glad to hear how much you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review!
So awesome, my Mom always made this for us as kids and still does occasionally! 😀
What a sweet memory!! I love that and thank you for sharing 🙂
I have the cookbook mentioned – had no idea it was worth so much! lol. What are you serving with this? cream?
Oh that’s awesome! You have yourself a treasure :). I just serve it by itself to keep it lighter 🙂
Is it better when still warm or cold?
Hi Jessica, I prefer it warm and it is even great at room temperature but I think it’s better warm than cold.
Natasha did you find any other great recipes in this book?
Hi Jessica, we have gotten a good amount of inspiration but have also modified the few that we have tried. It’s a nice reference to have and came highly recommended from a couple of readers so we purchased it :).