Rizogalo – Greek Rice Pudding with Cinnamon Recipe
Rizogalo is a thick, creamy rice pudding served warm or cold, often sprinkled with cinnamon. In Greece it’s eaten both as a dessert after lunch and as a sweet evening meal for children. The taste is similar to Polish rice pudding, but it’s smoother and often less sweet.
In Greece, rizogalo is a typical homemade dessert, often served to children instead of heavy cakes, and sometimes even for breakfast. It’s eaten both warm and chilled from the fridge, usually just with cinnamon and no extra sauces.
This Greek rice pudding is extra creamy and smooth thanks to slow cooking and a touch of starch, with a delicate citrus note and cinnamon that make it comforting yet light. It’s simple, inexpensive and works both as a dessert and a sweet meal.
Why this version works
- Par-cooking the rice in water shortens the time it needs in milk and lowers the risk of burning.
- Starch added at the end thickens the mixture evenly, giving it a smooth, custard-like texture.
- Mixing the sugar into a slurry prevents it from caramelizing on the bottom of the pot and turning bitter.
Chef's tips
Stir the rice often, especially towards the end of cooking, to prevent it from catching at the bottom. Adjust the sweetness to your taste – traditional rizogalo is usually less sweet than classic Polish rice pudding. If you like a very smooth texture, use short-grain rice and cook it gently so the grains release their starch.
How to serve
Serve in small bowls, sprinkled generously with cinnamon. For a more indulgent version, add a drizzle of honey or a spoonful of fruit compote. In summer, pair it with fresh seasonal fruit; in colder months, serve it warm with stewed apples or plums.
Watch out for
- Don’t let the milk reach a vigorous boil – it will quickly catch and burn on the bottom.
- Towards the end of cooking, stir more often, because the thickening mixture sticks easily even over low heat.
- If the mixture thickens like glue, you added too much starch or cooked it too long after adding the starch.
Ingredients
- rice short-grain, e.g. risotto rice - 120 g
- milk cow’s milk or plant-based milk with a neutral taste - 1 l
- sugar or to taste - 4 tablespoons
- lemon zest thinly peeled, without the white pith - 1 strip
- salt - 1 pinch
- cornstarch optional, for thickening - 1 tablespoon
- water for pre-cooking the rice - 150 ml
- cinnamon ground, for sprinkling - 0.5 teaspoons
Preparation
- Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water, moving it around with your hand until the water is almost clear. The grains should move freely without a sticky, cloudy coating.
- Pour 150 ml of water into a pot, add the rinsed rice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for about 5 minutes, until most of the water is absorbed, a thin layer of liquid remains on the bottom and small holes appear on the surface.
- Pour in the milk, add a strip of lemon peel and a pinch of salt. Stir and bring just to a light boil, then lower the heat so the surface of the milk only gently “blinks”, without large bubbles.
- Cook over very low heat for 25–30 minutes, stirring often, especially along the bottom of the pot with a silicone spatula or spoon. The mixture should gradually thicken and the rice should become soft but still slightly al dente.
- When the rice is soft, remove the lemon peel. Put the sugar and starch into a small bowl, add 2–3 tablespoons of hot milk from the pot and mix thoroughly until you get a completely smooth slurry with no lumps.
- Pour the sweet mixture back into the pot, stirring all the time. Cook for another 2–3 minutes over low heat, until it thickens to the consistency of a thick custard and runs off the spoon in a thick, continuous ribbon, leaving a trace on the surface.
- Remove the pot from the heat and leave it for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice so a thick skin doesn’t form. The texture should be creamy and slightly pourable – once ladled into bowls, the mixture should slowly spread rather than sit in a firm lump.
- Pour the rizogalo into small bowls, tapping them lightly on the counter to level the surface and release air bubbles. Serve warm or chilled from the fridge, dusting with a thin layer of cinnamon and, optionally, a little fresh lemon zest just before eating.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
Rizogalo reminds me of homely, simple desserts that don’t require special ingredients, just a bit of time and patience at the stove. It’s perfect when you feel like something warm and comforting, but not too heavy or overly sweet.
