Lebanese Rice Pudding (Riz bi Haleeb)

A classic Lebanese rice pudding, riz bi haleeb is creamy, comforting and so simple to make. Rice pudding with rose water is a very common Middle Eastern dessert, and this is my foolproof method on how to make it with only 15 minutes of active prep time and a handful of ingredients.

Jump to:

• What is Lebanese rice pudding?
• Why should I make Middle Eastern rice pudding?
• Ingredients you need for riz bi haleeb:
• How to make Riz bi Haleeb:
• Recipe tips and tricks:
• Recipe FAQs:
• Lebanese Rice Pudding

What is Lebanese rice pudding?

A simple, comforting rose water rice pudding that’s lightly sweetened and infused with Middle Eastern flavors. The rice is cooked in milk to give a creamy and comforting dessert.

Rice pudding is also common in Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Egypt. It’s commonly served for a light dessert, or even a breakfast or snack.

Rice pudding in Arabic is referred to as “riz bi haleeb” which translates literally into rice with milk.

Why should I make Middle Eastern rice pudding?

It’s such a simple easy dessert to throw together. You just need a handful of ingredients and about 15 minutes of active prep time. Rice pudding on the stove is one of the simplest desserts you could make!

The fragrant additions of rose water and orange blossom water really up the flavor of what would otherwise be a simple rice pudding. Exotic but still comforting!

It’s kid friendly, and easy to swallow for younger kiddos.

My version isn’t overly sweet, but just sweet enough as well as utterly comforting.

You can use leftover rice to make this, so it’s a great way to use up a big batch of cooked rice.

Rice pudding can be easily customized to include any toppings or mix-ins you like, and I’ve included some suggestions below.

Ingredients you need for riz bi haleeb:

Egyptian Rice (calrose rice): a short grain rice that will give the rice pudding the ultimate soft texture throughout. I have a recipe post on how you’d typically cook Egyptian rice here, if making it as a side dish to any Middle Eastern dish.

Short grain rice is the best rice to use for rice pudding, so you can also substitute Arborio rice and use it the same way.

Water: to cook the rice

Whole Milk: full fat milk will give you the creamiest result. You don’t even need to use heavy cream, the combination of the starches from the rice and milk give the perfect texture.

Cornstarch (cornflour): to thicken the rice pudding

Sugar: I add just a little for a touch of sweetness, feel free to adjust and add more if you’d like a sweeter rice pudding.

Rose water and orange blossom water: two commonly used flavoring agents in Middle Eastern desserts, you’ll find these in any Middle Eastern supermarket or online. Alternately, you can leave these out and just add vanilla extract.

Mastic Gum or mistika: a plant resin with a really distinct flavor (what Arabic gum is made of). It really gives the rice pudding such a lovely Arabic flavor. You’d find this in Middle Eastern supermarkets or online. If you can’t find it, you can leave it out.

How to make Riz bi Haleeb:

1. Soak the rice for 10-15 minutes, then rinse until water runs clear.
2. Add this drained rice to a saucepan along with water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed and rice is tender and cooked.
3. Add most of the milk, then to the remaining bit of milk add the cornstarch, and stir to mix. Add this cornstarch slurry too, as well as the sugar and mastic gum. Stir.
4. Bring to a slow boil, and continue to cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mixture is the thickness of a thick soup, and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
5. Off the heat, add the rose water and orange blossom water and stir. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes, then place in individual serving bowls. Garnish with pistachios and dried rose petals if you like. Let the rice pudding cool completely, then refrigerate for at least a few hours. It’ll thicken as it cools.

Watch how to make it in the video in the recipe card!

What to top Lebanese rice pudding with:

For a Middle Eastern style of rice pudding, we usually top ours with pistachios, either slivers or crushed pistachios.

You can also add cinnamon powder, cardamom powder, dried rose petals for visual appeal, and maybe even desiccated coconut and golden raisins.

For extra sweetness, you can drizzle with honey, rose water sugar syrup, or even a caramel sauce like honey caramel or orange blossom salted caramel. You could absolutely dollop on some jam, like fig jam, rose petal jam, or berry jam.

For an extra indulgent dessert, try topping with poached plums or pears. Delicious!

How to prevent rice pudding from getting a skin:

I really don’t mind the skin that forms on top of rice pudding as it cools, I find it satisfying to break through it and get to the creamy inside.

If you do prefer your pudding without a skin, the easy way to prevent that from happening is putting a small circle of parchment paper (less sticky) or some plastic wrap (will stick more) directly on the surface of each rice pudding as they cool at room temperature.

Recipe tips and tricks:

• Make sure rice is tender and cooked through before adding the milk. Soft, tender rice will give this rice pudding its signature creamy texture.
• Don’t add rose water and orange blossom water until the pan is off the heat, otherwise the heat will make the flavors and aroma evaporate.
• If the rice pudding is too thick, add some more milk. If it’s too runny, add a little more cornstarch and cook for another minute or so.

Recipe FAQs:

Related Middle Eastern Dessert Recipes:

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