I credit my mother for my love of rice pudding. Taught to make it by slowly working a sweet creamy mixture into the rice as it cooks, it was always a labor of love. But what if you could have the love without all the labor and you could work in the flavors of your favorite tea as well?
Then you'd be reaching for your Instant Pot and grabbing your secret weapon - a can of sweetened, condensed milk - to make perfect chai-flavored rice pudding in a half hour. Now, if you want to enjoy it hot, it really only takes that long. If you prefer it chilled, let the finished rice pudding cool to room temperature and move it to a resealable container and chill it further in the refrigerator. The 30 minutes described in the recipe below describes the time involved in making it ... not completely cooling it as desired.
Now if you want a more tradition rice pudding, skip the step where you infuse the water with tea and use cinnamon in place of the pie spice. However, if you are at all a fan of chai, give this version a try ... I adore it!
Instant Pot Chai Rice Pudding
- 2 chai tea bags
- 1¼ cups water
- 1 cup rice
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon Penzeys pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
Microwave or heat the water in an electric tea kettle until just shy of boiling. Add the tea bags to the hot water and allow to steep for 5 minutes before removing and discarding the tea bag (I compost mine).
While the tea steeps, rinse the rice well, using a fine mesh colander; let it drain well.
Add the milk, tea-water, and pie spice to the Instant Pot. Add the rinsed rice to the Instant Pot and stir to combine.
Place the lid on the pot, seal, and make sure to close the vent valve. Pressure cook for 10 minutes.
After the pressure cooking cycle has completed, wait 10 minutes, then press Cancel to turn off the Instant Pot and open the vent to release the remaining pressure.
Once depressurized, open the lid and add the vanilla extract and sweetened condensed milk. Stir well until fully combined and creamy. Serve hot or cold.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes