Baked Rice Pudding (step-by-step) | A traditional German recipe

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This traditional German recipe for baked rice pudding with apples and raisins might be the best baked rice pudding out there! Old fashioned and super comforting on a cold rainy day! 

This traditional German recipe for Baked Rice Pudding is the ultimate comfort food!

Are you ready for some sweet fall comfort food? Trust me, this baked rice pudding with apples and rum raisins will take your fall coziness game to the next level! I know what I am talking about because I basically grew up with this Old Fashioned Baked Rice Pudding recipe and just the smell of it takes me to a happy place.

Seriously, a bite of this and I am back at my granny’s kitchen table in rural Bavaria. I can literally hear the cowbells ringing. Just joking. Not.

But seriously, you will find this kind of baked rice pudding on German menus quite often. Kids simply love it and adults will order it for their kids knowing that they get to gobble up the leftovers (and discarded raisins). There are many slight variations, but this recipe is the best. Or shall I say “zeee bäst” (German accent, got it? ).

It is a creamy rice pudding studded with raisins and grated apples with a nice cinnamon and butter flavor that just screams “granny loves me the mostest” .

Why this is the BEST baked rice pudding recipe:

Obviously, there are many baked rice pudding recipes out there but believe me, this one is special! First off, it’s bursting with fall flavours – vanilla, apple, cinnamon – and BUTTER! Yes, this is more than a rice pudding baked instead of cooked on the stovetop. This is rice pudding extravaganza and clearly a “don’t count the calories” kinda dessert.

We start out with a super creamy rice pudding, then fold under a creamy sugar-butter mixture that our stand mixer whips up for us in no time. We could stop here, but to make the baked rice pudding even fluffier, we also add some whipped egg whites to the “batter”.

The rum raisins are totally optional for you but for me, they are a must add-in. I love the little fruity-boozy bursts paired with the creamy baked rice pudding.

Tips for making the best Baked Rice Pudding:

• Don’t rush the cooking process. It’s going to take a good 8 minutes for the rice mixture to come up to a boil on medium-low heat.
• Cook your rice pudding on the stove top until al dente and the liquid surrounding the rice is thick and creamy.
• Use real vanilla beans for the most outrageously delicious vanilla flavour!
• I used two small apples for this recipe, so if your apples are big, one might be just enough.

Variations on this traditional German Baked Rice Pudding Recipe: 

• My gran used to make this baked rice pudding all year long with any fruit available in her garden. Cherries, raspberries, rhubarb, apricots and peaches work really well. If using canned fruit, please drain. If using frozen cherries, let them thaw and discard liquid.
• To make this a dairy-free baked rice pudding, substitute milk for coconut milk and use vegan butter instead of butter.
• The alcohol should evaporate during baking. Still, if you want to skip the rum, soak your raisins in orange juice.
• Don’t like raisins? Use cranberries or dried cherries instead.

How to make the best Baked Rice Pudding: 

Preheat the oven to 160 Celsius (320 F)and line a casserole dish with some butter. Have all your ingredients ready.

Add milk, rice, salt, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon to a pot on medium heat. If using a vanilla bean,  scrape it out, and add the pulp as well as the pod to the pot.

Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and let cook on low for about 20 minutes or until the rice is just cooked and the pudding has a creamy thick consistency.

As your rice pudding starts to thicken, stir in the soaking liquid from the raisins.

This is the consistency we are looking for! The rice shoult be al dente and the pudding thick and creamy.

Take rice off heat and transfer onto a shallow plate to allow for quick cooling. You can also put it into the fridge to chill.

Zest the lemon right into the sugar and rub it into the sugar with your fingertips. Separate the eggs and add yolks to the bowl of your stand mixer along with the lemon sugar and softened butter. Whisk until light and fluffy for about 7 minutes.

Peel and core the apples and grate them coarsely. Drizzle with lemon juice to prevent browning.

Fold rum raisins, then whisked butter mixture into cooled rice pudding.

Start whisking the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff.

This is the consistency we want!

Fold egg whites into the rice pudding mix carefully and just until combined.

Pour half of this mix into your casserole…

and top with grated apples, then the rest of the rice mixture.

Bake for 50 minutes, covering the casserole with aluminum foil towards the end.

FAQ:

Which rice is best for making baked rice pudding?

Common types of rice used for rice puddings are

• Basmati
• Arborio
• Jasmine
• Japanese short grain (i.e. sushi rice)
• Regular long grain

Here’s the thing. In Germany, we use exclusively round short grain rice for sweet dessert-like recipes. If you want the full-on German Granny old-fashioned baked rice pudding experience, go with short grain rice, like Japanese sushi rice or arborio. Basmati rice and jasmine rice are a bit too flavorful for this particular recipe, which should be a celebration of fall-flavours like cinnamon, vanilla and apples.

How long does this baked rice pudding keep and how do I store it? 

I like to store my leftover baked rice pudding in an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid. When chilled in the fridge, it keeps for about a week. It tasted delicious straight out of the fridge but I like to reheat it in a 300 F (150C) hot oven for about 8 minutes.

For more traditional German recipes, check out my Rustic German Apple Cake or my Granny’s Red Wine Chocolate Cake or maybe an old-fashioned German Fruit Cake?

★ Did you make and love this baked rice pudding recipe? Give it your review below! And make sure to share your creations by tagging me on Instagram!