Step 1

Add some water into a large pot followed by some cinnamon and bring to a boil

Step 2

Once boiling, add some rice. Be sure to wash your rice a few times before adding. I typically wash my rice about 2-3 times.

Step 3

After you add your rice, be sure to mix it altogether. Arroz con leche is somewhat of a tricky dish to make because you have to stir constantly. You want to make sure that the rice never sticks to bottom of the pot.

Step 4

Continue stirring the rice until the rice softens. If the water dries up before the rice is soft, then add more water. You can also use leftover white rice and skip these first initial steps completely.

Step 5

Once your rice has softened, add the evaporated milk and stir.

Step 6

Then  add the cloves which will compliment to the cinnamon really well followed by the vanilla extract, a lime wedge and a pinch of salt. The salt it going to balance out all of the flavors, especially the sweetness. Mix together.

Step 7

After mixing, let the milk, rice, and seasonings come to a simmer. Just to be safe, lower flame to medium low and continue to stir so that the cream doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom.

Step 8

Once it begins to simmer, add the sugar to your liking. You can even add sweetened condensed milk.

Step 9

Once you add the sugar,  continue to stir it constantly making sure that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Step 10

Now let your arroz con leche thicken to how you like it.  There are some people who like their rice pudding runny but I like it thick. Cook it to the thickness that you like.

Step 11

Once the arroz con leche reaches your desired thickness,  add some butter. This step is optional but I like to add it because it evens out the texture of the dish.

Step 12

In the end, turn off Arroz con Leche and feel free to add more cinnamon! The more the merrier :)