Arroz con leche is the dessert that makes a Dominican kitchen smell like home. Cinnamon sticks and cloves simmer with the rice, a strip of lime peel perfumes the milk, and what you end up with is a sweet, creamy pudding you can eat warm from the pot or cold from the fridge.

It shows up on Sunday afternoons, at family gatherings, and on the Nochebuena dessert table right next to the pudín de pan and dulce de batata. When I was a child, my aunt made the most delicious rice pudding, and whenever she made it, I was always the first in line for a bowl.

This version is adapted from the recipe in my cookbook, The Dominican Kitchen, doubled to make 8 servings so there’s enough for the whole family. It’s the classic Dominican arroz con leche, simple and honest, and the base for every twist I’ve shared since, like my Pumpkin Spice Rice Pudding (arroz con leche de calabaza).

Two gray bowls of arroz con leche topped with ground cinnamon, seen from above, with a spoon resting in one bowl.

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What Is Arroz con Leche?

Arroz con leche (rice with milk) is a stovetop rice pudding loved across Latin America and Spain, and in some places you’ll also hear it called arroz con dulce. (Puerto Rican arroz con dulce is its own dessert, made with coconut milk and ginger.) Every country, and honestly every family, makes it a little differently. The Dominican version is all about warm spice: whole cinnamon sticks and cloves cook with the rice first, then evaporated milk, sugar, nutmeg, vanilla, and a strip of limón (lime) peel turn it into something rich and fragrant.

It’s a year-round dessert, but it feels especially at home during the holidays. If you love creamy, spiced Dominican desserts, it lives in the same family as habichuelas con dulce, which comes out during Lent.

And the raisins? Classic, but optional. Some people pick around them, some people want extra. Your pot, your rules.

How to Make Arroz con Leche

Step 1: Simmer the rice with the spices

Add the rinsed rice, water, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and salt to a large pot over medium heat. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring now and then so nothing sticks, until the rice is tender and most of the water is absorbed. Then fish out the cinnamon sticks and cloves. They’re much easier to spot now than once the milk goes in.

Rice, water, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in a pot before simmering.

Tender cooked rice with cinnamon sticks after most of the water is absorbed.

Step 2: Add the milk and flavorings

Stir in the evaporated milk, sugar, nutmeg, vanilla, and lime peel. Bring it to a boil, stirring often, then add the raisins.

Evaporated milk being stirred into the cooked rice.

Raisins added to the simmering arroz con leche.

Step 3: Simmer until creamy

Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until it looks like a loose pudding. Turn off the heat, remove the lime peel, cover, and let it cool.

Close-up of a bowl of arroz con leche with a spoon, with two more bowls, cinnamon sticks, and blue towels in the background.

How to Serve It

Warm: straight from the pot, with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon on top.
Cold: let it cool to room temperature, then chill it covered for at least 2 hours. It firms up into a thicker, spoonable pudding.
For Nochebuena: set it out with coconut flan and a pitcher of coquito for a dessert table that disappears fast. You’ll find more ideas in my Dominican Holiday Recipes.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Reheat: Warm it over low heat with a splash of milk or evaporated milk, stirring, until loose and creamy again.

Freeze: Not recommended. The rice turns grainy once thawed.

Overhead view of arroz con leche in two gray bowls sprinkled with ground cinnamon, with cinnamon sticks and a blue napkin on the side.

Tips

Fish out the cinnamon sticks and cloves before adding the milk. They’re easy to find in the cooked rice and almost impossible to find in the creamy pudding.
Rinse the rice first. It removes extra starch so the pudding turns creamy, not gluey. Medium-grain rice gives you an even creamier texture if you prefer it that way.
Peel only the green part of the lime. In the DR, limón means lime. The white pith underneath is bitter.
Stir often once the milk goes in. Evaporated milk sticks and scorches quickly on the bottom of the pot.
Take it off the heat a little looser than you want it. Arroz con leche keeps thickening as it cools, especially in the fridge.

Arroz con Leche (Dominican Rice Pudding)

What Is Arroz con Leche?