Name: Quick and Easy Rice Pudding
Ingredients: 3 cups cooked rice; 3 cups 2% milk; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional); 2 tablespoons butter or margarine; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Quick and Easy Rice Pudding

Time25 to 30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the pudding

Combine rice, milk, sugar, salt and butter in saucepan.
Cook over medium heat until thickened, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often.
Add vanilla.

Serve

Pour into serving dishes.
Serve warm or cold.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

518Calories

12 gProtein

20 gFat

70 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,187 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Rice + milktop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,374 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Rice + vanillatop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,352 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Cooked rice: Forms the body of the pudding as its starch thickens in the simmering milk.
Milk: Provides the liquid that cooks into a creamy, thickened custard.
Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps give the pudding a smooth, soft texture.
Butter or margarine: Adds fat for richness and a smoother mouthfeel.

The step that matters

Cook until thickened, stirring often. Milk can scorch on the bottom of the pan over medium heat, and the starch in the rice needs steady stirring to thicken evenly without sticking. Stopping too early leaves the pudding thin, while overcooking makes it stiff as it cools.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Quick and Easy Rice Pudding