This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)
Arroz con leche PALETAS are a creamy treat for the summer!
Unless you live in places like Argentina or Antarctica you are probably sweating right now. Yup, summer heat is out and about and our main concern is keeping cool. That’s how I thought: why not turn a beloved Hispanic dessert, arroz con leche (rice pudding), into popsicles?
Usually, we eat this sweet dish warm or room temperature. It is a very common treat among several Latin American countries, Spain, and even India (where they call it “Kheer”) so you bet there are many ways of preparing it.
A different way to enjoy traditional arroz con leche
Arroz con leche can be creamy, sticky, liquid-y, it can contain egg yolks, lemon zest or even almonds; made with Basmati, long-grain rice, short-grain rice, Bamboo rice, you name it!
I decided to go for a simpler version and first made an easy Mexican-inspired rice pudding recipe that isn’t too dry nor too liquid-y, cooks the rice first in water and then adds the flavorful milks, and has a touch of lemon zest. I then mixed in more sweetened condensed milk diluted in whole milk, to allow the popsicles to set.
You can see the easy recipe video here:
Y si prefieres verlo en español, también está la receta aquí.
Boy, turning rice pudding into paletas was such a great idea! You can lick the popsicle and then munch on the rice! It kinda reminded me of Honduran “vasitos” and “charamuscas’, which are also sometimes made with “munchable” ingredients.
If you want to make the regular arroz con leche, I also made a recipe video some time ago. Watch it here!
How do you keep cool in the summer? Or do you have a special ingredient that could make these better? Let me know in the comments and be on the lookout for more paletas!
Arroz con leche (rice pudding) paletas
Equipment
- Popsicle mold
Ingredients
- ½ cup of water
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- A bit of the peel of a lime
- ½ cup of white long grain rice
- 1 cup of whole milk
- ½ cup of evaporated milk
- ¼ cup of condensed milk
- ½ vanilla bean
To decorate
- ½ cup of condensed milk diluted in ½ cup of whole milk
- Shredded and toasted coconut (to decorate)
Instructions
Traditional arroz con leche
- Put water to boil at high heat along with a cinnamon stick. Once the water boils, remove the cinnamon stick and add the rice with the whole milk for a creamier base.
- Low the heat without moving the rice and add a bit of peel of lime for a special touch. Then, let it cook until the rice is almost done when there is still some milk on top. When it reaches this point, add the evaporated and the condensed milk.
- Once you mix everything thoroughly, carve the creamy inside half of a vanilla bean and add it to the mix. Mix very well and add half of a vanilla bean.
- Move the mixture with a spat, so all the ingredients are well incorporated.
Transforming into popsicles
- Mix the arroz con leche with the diluted condensed milk in the whole milk and mix.
- Fill the popsicle molds with the mix and cover them carefully.
- Place the popsicle molds in the freezer for 3 hours.
- Once they're ready, you can decorate them with condensed milk and shredded and toasted coconut. It'll add a tropical, delicious touch!
Video
Notes
If you liked this Arroz con Leche Paletas recipe, you might like some of my other dessert recipes too. You can check them here.
And remember, if you try this recipe and want to share your pictures, remember to tag me @lacooquette on Instagram. I’d love to share your pictures on my IG stories.
Note: this article was published originally in July 26, 2017
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