Arroz con dulce is Puerto Rico’s Christmas rice pudding: short- or medium-grain rice simmered in coconut milk that has been steeped with cinnamon, cloves and ginger, then sweetened and studded with raisins. It is richer and more spiced than a plain milk rice pudding, and it shows up on the island’s Christmas table from Nochebuena through Three Kings’ Day. Below you will find where it comes from, how our recipe compares with other Puerto Rican versions, and a make-ahead recipe that serves 12.
Arroz con Dulce at a Glance
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What is arroz con dulce?
Arroz con dulce means “rice with sweet.” It is a soft, spoonable pudding in which the rice cooks directly in coconut milk, so the grains absorb the coconut and spices as they swell. Ginger and cloves are what set it apart: they make it warmer and more aromatic than the cinnamon-and-lemon arroz con leche found across Latin America and Spain. Many versions also use cinnamon sticks, a little salt and raisins, and some add star anise or nutmeg.
In Puerto Rico it is a holiday dessert above all. Families make big batches for Christmas Eve, for the house-to-house parrandas of December and for the Epiphany on January 6, and it sits on the dessert table next to tembleque and a glass of coquito. It is one of the classic Puerto Rican desserts.
Where arroz con dulce comes from
Nobody knows exactly when Puerto Ricans started making arroz con dulce. Historian Cruz Miguel Ortiz Cuadra points out that none of its basic ingredients (rice, coconut, cane sugar, ginger and cinnamon) are native to the Caribbean, so the dish could only have come together after those crops were established in the region in the 16th and 17th centuries. He traces it to the culinary memories of Andalusian settlers, whose sweet rice dishes used almond milk, lemon peel and cinnamon, and of West Africans, some of whom grew and ate rice and knew coconut and ginger. In his reading, cooks on the island swapped in what the land gave them: coconut milk for almond milk, and later ginger for lemon.
The first written recipe appeared in 1859 in El cocinero puertorriqueño, the earliest Puerto Rican cookbook, where it was called arroz con coco and flavored with green lemon peel rather than ginger. The same name appears in Manuel Alonso’s poem Un casamiento jíbaro (1849), at a country wedding feast, and in Luis Bonafoux’s Carnaval de las Antillas (1882). By the early 20th century the cookbooks had settled on the name arroz con dulce.
Ortiz Cuadra also notes that the dish has always been tied to giving: a slow, laborious sweet made for weddings, baptisms, patron saint festivals and, above all, Christmas and Three Kings’ Day. In coastal towns such as Loíza, Río Grande and Humacao, some cooks still grate dried coconuts and press their own milk. Since 2021, the town of San Germán has held a festival dedicated to arroz con dulce and almojábanas.
For the rest of the holiday menu, see our guide to Nochebuena dinners across Latin America.
How our recipe compares
Puerto Rican recipes differ mostly in the liquid. Many simmer the spices in water and add one can of coconut milk or sweetened cream of coconut, while others, like ours, cook the rice almost entirely in coconut milk. We compared our card with six published recipes, from brands such as Goya and Puerto Rico’s Coloso to The Spruce Eats and Gran Receta. Per cup of uncooked rice, they use roughly 3 1/2 to 7 cups of liquid in total and up to about 1 cup of sugar, counting the sugar inside cream of coconut. Most add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of raisins and 4 to 6 whole cloves.
Our card sits in the middle of those ranges: 2 cups of rice cook in about 9 cups of coconut and evaporated milk, with 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of raisins and 12 cloves, so it is on the generous side for raisins and cloves. All coconut milk and no water makes it richer and creamier than a water-based version. If you prefer it lighter, swap one or two cans of coconut milk for an equal amount of water.
- Rice: medium- or short-grain white rice releases starch and gives a creamy result. Long-grain rice stays separate and changes the texture.
- Coconut milk: use unsweetened, full-fat canned coconut milk, not the coconut beverage sold in cartons. Shake the cans before opening.
- Spices: whole cinnamon sticks and cloves are steeped and strained out, so the pudding stays smooth. Our card uses ground ginger; many cooks use a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced.
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Ingredients
These are the ingredients from the recipe card. The full card, with print and save buttons, is further down.
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 5 fluid ounces evaporated milk
- Five 14-ounce cans unsweetened full-fat coconut milk, divided
- 2 cups uncooked medium- or short-grain white rice
- 12 whole cloves
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- Water, for soaking
- Ground cinnamon, optional garnish
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How to make arroz con dulce
These are the steps from the recipe card.
- Place the rice in a large bowl and cover with water by 2 inches. Cover and soak overnight in the refrigerator, about 8 hours, then drain.
- Reserve one can of coconut milk for the end. Combine the other four cans with the evaporated milk, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, salt, and ground ginger in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and steep over low heat for 15 minutes. Strain out the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves; keep the infused milk warm.
- Put the drained rice in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add about 2 cups of the warm, infused milk and stir gently until mostly absorbed. Continue adding the infused milk a ladle at a time until about half has been used.
- Add the rest of the infused milk, cover, and cook gently for 15–20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. The reserved fifth can stays aside.
- Stir in the sugar and raisins. Simmer for about 10–15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the rice is tender. If it becomes too dry before the rice softens, add a little of the reserved milk as needed.
- Add the remaining reserved coconut milk and cook uncovered, stirring, until creamy and softly set. Leave it slightly loose because it thickens as it cools. Allow about 90 minutes total stovetop time, including the spice infusion; rice and heat level affect timing.
- Divide among shallow serving dishes and allow about 30 minutes to cool before serving. Refrigerate promptly if serving later, within 2 hours of cooking. Ground cinnamon is an optional garnish.
Tips for creamy, tender rice
- Do not skip the soak. Soaked rice cooks more evenly in the thick coconut milk and is less likely to turn mushy outside while staying hard in the center.
- Stir from the bottom. Coconut milk and starch stick quickly, especially after the sugar goes in. Use a heavy pot, keep the heat low and run the spoon across the whole base.
- Taste the rice, not the clock. Bite a few grains from different parts of the pot. Rice that is still firm when hot only gets firmer in the refrigerator, so keep cooking, adding a little of the reserved coconut milk if the pot gets dry.
- Choose your texture. For a pudding firm enough to cut into squares, cook it a little longer and chill it in a buttered pan. For a spoonable pudding, stop while it is still loose, as the card does.
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Serving it at Christmas
Serve arroz con dulce cold or at room temperature, dusted with ground cinnamon, in small cups or cut into squares. At Christmas it follows a holiday dinner of pernil, arroz con gandules and pasteles, and it is a classic offering when a parranda arrives late at night. It pairs naturally with coquito, the island’s coconut eggnog, which shares its coconut, cinnamon and cloves.
Storing and reheating
Arroz con dulce contains milk, so refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking in shallow covered containers and use it within 3 to 4 days. It firms up in the refrigerator. To loosen it, warm portions in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of coconut milk, stirring, or eat it cold. If you reheat leftovers, heat them until steaming, to 165°F (74°C).
Arroz con Dulce Recipe
Puerto Ricans make rice pudding like no others. Instead of eating it plain, in the Puerto Rican culture they add cinnamon, ginger, coconut milk along with some Christmas spices. Arroz con Dulce is a staple in Puerto Rico during Christmas.
Ingredients
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 5 fluid ounces evaporated milk
- Five 14-ounce cans unsweetened full-fat coconut milk, divided
- 2 cups uncooked medium- or short-grain white rice
- 12 whole cloves
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- Water, for soaking
- Ground cinnamon, optional garnish
Instructions
- Place the rice in a large bowl and cover with water by 2 inches. Cover and soak overnight in the refrigerator, about 8 hours, then drain.
- Reserve one can of coconut milk for the end. Combine the other four cans with the evaporated milk, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, salt, and ground ginger in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and steep over low heat for 15 minutes. Strain out the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves; keep the infused milk warm.
- Put the drained rice in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add about 2 cups of the warm, infused milk and stir gently until mostly absorbed. Continue adding the infused milk a ladle at a time until about half has been used.
- Add the rest of the infused milk, cover, and cook gently for 15–20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. The reserved fifth can stays aside.
- Stir in the sugar and raisins. Simmer for about 10–15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the rice is tender. If it becomes too dry before the rice softens, add a little of the reserved milk as needed.
- Add the remaining reserved coconut milk and cook uncovered, stirring, until creamy and softly set. Leave it slightly loose because it thickens as it cools. Allow about 90 minutes total stovetop time, including the spice infusion; rice and heat level affect timing.
- Divide among shallow serving dishes and allow about 30 minutes to cool before serving. Refrigerate promptly if serving later, within 2 hours of cooking. Ground cinnamon is an optional garnish.
Notes
Use medium- or short-grain rice for this recipe. The total estimate includes 8 hours soaking in the refrigerator and about 30 minutes cooling; extra chilling time is not included. Coconut milk goes in two stages: four cans are infused with the spices, and the fifth is reserved for finishing. Refrigerate promptly in shallow covered containers, within 2 hours of cooking, and use within 3–4 days.
Arroz con Dulce FAQ
What is the difference between arroz con dulce and arroz con leche?
Arroz con dulce is cooked in coconut milk and spiced with ginger and cloves as well as cinnamon. Arroz con leche is cooked in cow’s milk, usually flavored with cinnamon and lemon peel, and is common across Latin America and Spain.
Do I have to soak the rice?
Soaking is strongly recommended. Recipes range from 1 hour to overnight; our card soaks the rice overnight in the refrigerator so it cooks evenly in the coconut milk.
Can I make arroz con dulce ahead?
Yes. It keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, covered. It thickens as it chills, so loosen it with a little coconut milk if you want it creamy.
Can I use cream of coconut?
Yes, but it is sweetened. Many recipes use one can of cream of coconut with water and spices. If you substitute it for some of the coconut milk in our card, reduce the sugar.
Is arroz con dulce served hot or cold?
Usually cold or at room temperature, sprinkled with ground cinnamon, although some people like it warm the day it is made.
More Puerto Rican dishes
Browse our Puerto Rican foods, or start with our guide to traditional Puerto Rican food. To stock up for holiday cooking, see our list of Puerto Rican pantry essentials, and for another old-fashioned holiday pudding, try majarete.
Shopping list: unsweetened coconut milk, cinnamon sticks and whole cloves.
Sources
- 80grados (Cruz Miguel Ortiz Cuadra): Arroz con dulce, ese histórico obsequio de Reyes
- Wikipedia (ES): Arroz con dulce
- Goya Foods: Arroz con Dulce, Coconut Rice Pudding
- Coloso: Arroz con dulce Coloso
- The Spruce Eats: Arroz con Dulce, Puerto Rican Rice Pudding
- Gran Receta: Arroz con dulce puertorriqueño
- Salima’s Kitchen: Arroz con Dulce (Coconut Rice Pudding)
- Bake It With Love: Arroz con Dulce
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety
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Jorge Garcia is the founder of AmigoFoods, where he has spent over 20 years helping readers discover authentic Latin American and Spanish cuisine. Raised in a Cuban-American household, Jorge learned to cook at the hands of his mother and grandmother, carrying forward generations of family recipes. That heritage, backed by his family’s four-generation history in the Latin food industry, inspired him to launch AmigoFoods in 2003. With more than 1,000 published articles on recipes, ingredients, and food culture, Jorge’s mission is simple: make authentic Latin cooking approachable for home cooks everywhere while honoring the traditions behind every dish.