Meyer Lemon Rice Pudding

I love rice puddings, but they just remind me so much of winter. I’ve had enough of this winter. With spring just around the corner, I’m yearning for lighter flavors and brighter colors! So, as soon as I saw a few Meyer lemons in my fridge, I knew where this recipe was headed. This dessert is perfect for this time of year. It’s warming, the way you’d expect rice pudding to be, but the flavor is so bright, fresh and really wonderful.

As desserts go, I’m always revamping to create healthier versions. This recipe may be one of my lightest desserts! It’s very low in fat and low in sugar. It’s also gluten free, dairy free and vegan! Amazing, right? It’s really just about replacing some ingredients with healthier ones. If you follow my blog regularly, you know how much I use almond milk. I use it in all my smoothie recipes because the results are so delicious. I’ve got my own personal reasons too…

I’ve never been able to drink a glass of milk. I don’t know why…I just find it terribly unappealing. About a year and a half ago, I bought my first carton of almond milk in an effort to eat a more plant-based diet. I’m a huge label reader and after finding that almond milk is much lower in calories, has no sugar, no cholesterol and is higher in calcium and vitamin D compared to regular milk…I was sold nutritionally. But, I wasn’t sure about how this was going to taste or if I’d actually be able to drink it as is. I started using the almond milk in my smoothies and recipes. I found that the flavor was creamy, a bit nutty and really delicious. Then, one day, I poured myself a glass. Straight almond milk, folks. After a few sips, I downed the entire glass! It was delicious! Since then, I try to drink a glass every single day.

It’s the unsweetened vanilla almond milk in this rice pudding that gives it a creamy taste. It pairs so nicely with the nuttiness of jasmine rice. Be prepared with a spoon in hand…you’ll need to “taste-test” this for yourself!

Meyer Lemon Rice Pudding

Serves: 4 - 5

Ingredients

• 3 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup jasmine rice
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• juice of one Meyer lemon
• zest of two Meyer lemons
• additional almond milk for serving

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of almond milk to a light boil. Stir in the jasmine rice and the sugar. Cover and bring the rice to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Continue to simmer lightly for 30 minutes or until most, but not all, of the milk is absorbed.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the Meyer lemon juice and the zest.
• Serve warm or cold with just a bit of almond milk poured over the top.

Notes

I use jasmine rice in this recipe because it's more flavorful than most rice and because it remains soft and creamy when cold. So, if you like to eat your rice pudding chilled, you'll still get that creamy texture.

If you are new to Meyer lemons, you'll find that their flavor is a cross between a lemon and mandarin orange. They are so fragrant!

Use a light hand when zesting your lemons. You just want the very outer yellow skin.  The white layer (the pith) is very bitter.

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