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This Slow Cooker cinnamon raisin rice pudding is creamy, Cozy, and easy to make without standing over the stove. Just add the rice and milk mixture to the Slow Cooker, then let it cook into a warmly spiced dessert while the house fills with cinnamon and vanilla. You’re going to love how little effort it takes for such an old-fashioned, comforting bowl.
Why You’ll Love It
- Hands-off Slow Cooker method — no standing over a bubbling pot or fancy equipment required.
- Creamy texture — the unrinsed rice cooks right in the milk, releasing starch for a rich pudding.
- Warm cinnamon-raisin flavor — sweet without being candy-sweet, with plump raisins in Every bowl.
- Works for dessert or breakfast — serve it warm on its own or with fruit alongside.
Ingredient Notes
Use short-grain white rice here—Arborio or sushi rice are both good choices. Long-grain rice will cook, but it will not give you that same cozy, creamy, almost spoon-hugging texture. Arborio works especially well for this pudding.
Whole milk makes the pudding rich and mellow. Please do not use skim milk unless you absolutely have to; the result can have the personality of wet cardboard. If you want to make it richer, you can replace one cup of whole milk with half-and-half or evaporated milk, but the basic recipe is already plenty lovely.
Regular raisins are what I use because they are a pantry staple. Golden raisins work beautifully too, and they look cheerful. The cinnamon matters more than you might think—use one that still smells warm and alive when you open the jar, not the dusty cinnamon that has been behind the oregano for ages.
The little bit of kosher salt is optional, but I recommend it. It does not make the pudding salty; it just keeps the sweetness from getting bossy.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or neutral oil, for greasing the slow cooker (optional, but I do it because scrubbing dried rice pudding is nobody’s idea of a good time)
- 1 cup uncooked short-grain white rice, such as Arborio or sushi rice — do not rinse it
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, optional but recommended
- Extra ground cinnamon for serving, if you like
Instructions
Lightly grease the inside of your slow cooker crock with the butter or neutral oil, if using. You can skip this, technically, but I have skipped it and later found myself scraping at the sides with a silicone spatula while muttering things nobody needs to hear.
Spread the uncooked short-grain rice evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker in as close to a single layer as you can manage. Do not rinse the rice first—the starch is part of what makes the finished pudding creamy instead of just sweet rice floating in milk, and no one is aiming for that.
In a large mixing bowl or a big measuring jug, whisk together the whole milk, granulated sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, raisins, and kosher salt, if using. Whisk until the sugar is mostly dissolved and the cinnamon is distributed through the milk. The raisins will bob around like little swimmers; this is normal.
Carefully pour the milk mixture evenly over the rice in the slow cooker, making sure all the rice is under the liquid. Give everything one very gentle stir to loosen any clumps of rice, but do not scrape and churn around on the bottom like you are mixing concrete. Gentle. This is pudding, not a home-renovation project.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, until the rice is very tender and the mixture has thickened into a creamy pudding. Start checking at the 2 1/2-hour mark because slow cookers vary wildly. One slow cooker may run hot enough to qualify as a minor weather event; another may be much more civilized.
Once the rice is tender, stir the pudding well. It may look a little loose right after you stir it, and that can be alarming if you have company coming in twenty minutes—I’ve been there—but it thickens as it cools. If it seems thicker than you want, stir in a splash of extra milk until it looks right to you.
Turn the slow cooker to WARM and let the rice pudding sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving, or take the lid off and let it cool slightly if everyone is hovering with bowls in hand. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon if you like, then serve warm. A dollop of whipped cream, cold milk, vanilla yogurt, sliced bananas, or berries are all good ideas. Plain is good too. I contradict myself constantly on that point.
Variations
Golden raisins and a little extra cinnamon—up to 1 1/2 teaspoons total—make a cheerful variation.
For a more indulgent version, replace 1 cup of the whole milk with half-and-half or a can of evaporated milk. You can also stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter at the end for an especially silky finish. A cinnamon stick tucked into the slow cooker is nice if you happen to have one, though remove it before serving unless you want somebody fishing it out of their bowl with a puzzled expression.
Dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots can stand in for the raisins. I tried chopped dates once, thinking it would be “rustic.” It was not bad, exactly, but it turned the whole pudding brown with a muddy-oatmeal appearance.
For a less-sweet breakfast version, reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup and put honey or maple syrup on the table. People can sweeten their own bowls, and then nobody can complain it is too sweet or not sweet enough. Well, they can complain. They just cannot blame you.
If you need a dairy-free version, use a rich full-fat non-dairy milk, such as canned coconut milk mixed with almond or oat milk. It may thicken differently, so start checking a little early.
Storage & Reheating
Store leftover rice pudding in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. It will thicken considerably as it sits—almost shockingly so by the next morning—but that is not a problem. Stir in a little cold milk before reheating to loosen it up again.
For a single serving, microwave it in a bowl with a splash of milk, stirring once or twice, until warm. Do not blast it into oblivion. Rice pudding goes from cozy to lava-like in a hurry, and then you are standing at the counter blowing on a spoon like you are eight years old.
You can also reheat a larger amount gently in a saucepan over low heat with a little milk. I have eaten it cold directly from the container while looking for something else in the fridge, and I am not saying that is the best way—but it is not the worst way either.
Final Notes
There is something almost embarrassingly comforting about a slow cooker dessert. Maybe because it suits winter evenings when the house feels louder, messier, more alive. Or maybe it is just a recipe that does not ask much of you.
This pudding is humble. Rice, milk, sugar, raisins. Nothing trendy, nothing photographable in a dramatic way. But when the weather turns sharp and the day has been one long string of errands, emails, and misplaced shoes—well. A warm bowl of cinnamon rice pudding can take the edge off.
Not fix everything, obviously. We are talking about rice here, not magic. But it helps.
Slow Cooker Cinnamon Raisin Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or neutral oil for greasing the slow cooker; optional
- 1 cup uncooked short-grain white rice such as Arborio or sushi rice; do not rinse
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt optional but recommended
- ground cinnamon extra for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Lightly grease the inside of the slow cooker crock with the butter or neutral oil, if using.
- Spread the uncooked short-grain rice evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker, keeping it in as close to a single layer as possible, and do not rinse it.
- In a large mixing bowl or measuring jug, whisk together the whole milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, raisins, and kosher salt, if using, until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
- Pour the milk mixture evenly over the rice, making sure all the rice is under the liquid, then give everything one gentle stir to loosen any clumps.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, starting to check at 2 1/2 hours, until the rice is very tender and the mixture has thickened into a creamy pudding.
- Stir the pudding well once the rice is tender, and add a splash of extra milk if it is thicker than desired.
- Turn the slow cooker to WARM and let the pudding sit for 10 to 15 minutes, or cool it slightly with the lid off, then sprinkle with extra cinnamon if desired and serve warm.