Baked Coconut Rice Pudding
Baked Coconut Rice Pudding
A slow-baked rice pudding made rich with coconut milk and scented with lime and a hint of star anise, baked to a golden skin.
Prep: 5 minutes · Cook: about 2.5 hours
What Is Baked Coconut Rice Pudding?
A baked coconut rice pudding: short-grain rice slowly oven-baked in coconut milk and milk with lime rind and a pinch of star anise until creamy under a golden skin.
Why Make Baked Coconut Rice Pudding?
- Coconut milk makes it richer than a classic rice pudding
- The long slow bake builds a prized golden skin
- Lime and star anise give it a fragrant, tropical edge
- Five minutes of mixing, then the oven does the work
- Lovely warm or chilled with fruit
Unico Products Used in This Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Italian style rice (short-grain)
- 2 1/2 cups coconut milk
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1 strip lime rind (large)
- 1/4 cup superfine sugar
- butter (a knob, for dotting)
- ground star anise (a pinch, optional)
- fresh or stewed fruit (to serve)
Instructions
- Lightly grease a shallow flameproof dish (about 2 1/2 pint capacity).
- Mix the rice with the coconut milk, milk, lime rind and superfine sugar until well blended, then pour into the dish and dot the surface with a little butter.
- Bake at 300F for about 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, discard the lime rind, stir the pudding well and add a pinch of ground star anise.
- Return to the oven and bake 1-2 hours more, until almost all the milk is absorbed and a golden skin has formed; cover with foil if the top browns too quickly.
- Serve warm or chilled with fresh or stewed fruit.
Cooking Tips
- Use a short-grain rice — it releases the starch that makes it creamy
- Stir once partway to break up the skin and redistribute the rice
- Watch the top near the end; foil it if it browns too fast
- Fold in a little cream or coconut milk if serving cold
- Serve with fresh or stewed fruit to cut the richness
Frequently Asked Questions About Baked Coconut Rice Pudding
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1. What rice should I use?
A short-grain rice releases the starch that makes baked pudding creamy.
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2. Why bake it so slowly?
The long, low bake thickens the pudding and forms the prized golden skin.
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3. Can I make it dairy-free?
Use all coconut milk in place of the dairy milk for a fully coconut version.
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4. Why did my pudding thicken after cooling?
That's normal — fold in a few tablespoons of cream or coconut milk to loosen it.
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5. Can I leave out the star anise?
Yes — it's optional; the lime alone still perfumes the pudding nicely.
Cooking Guides & Tips
Baked Coconut Rice Pudding Made Simple
Baked Coconut Rice Pudding is the patient, fragrant cousin of the nursery classic. Unico Italian style rice gives it a creamy, tender body.