I grew up eating “arroz con leche.” It is still one of my favorite desserts and it’s so easy to make. Every country has its own version of rice pudding, but I’m sharing the best and most simple one. This is our Salvadorian family recipe, Daniel Fast style. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 pinch of salt
• 4 cups almond milk
• 4 tablespoons agave syrup (or a little more)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, etc)
• cinnamon powder

Directions:

1. You are going to cook the rice a little differently than as if you were going to eat it as a side with something else. First, boil 4 cups of water with the cinnamon stick. Add the brown rice and salt and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Drain your rice. You don’t need to rinse it because the starch will give it a thick, creamy consistency and that’s what you want for this recipe. You can leave the cinnamon stick in the rice and remove it at the end.

3. Return the rice to the same pot you cooked it in and add the milk, agave, and vanilla. Bring to a very low boil, stirring often so nothing burns or sticks to the pot. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

4. You can mix in the dried fruit while it’s cooking but I prefer to use it as a garnish at the end. You can serve this warm, at room temperature, or cold. It’s great to serve it warm for breakfast or cold as dessert. Sprinkle some cinnamon on it and you got yourself a Daniel Fast treat.

*If you put the rice pudding in the fridge to eat the next day, you may need to add a little more milk or water to reheat it because the rice will absorb most of the liquid overnight. I don’t like my rice pudding too runny so it’s perfect for me the next day.