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I think there’s a shortage of warm desserts for these cozy winter days, so this is why I’m writing this recipe for yuzu rice pudding. I love curling up by the fire/heater with a good book and a hot cup of cocoa. Add some rain pouring outside or the fog rolling in and it’s all amazing.

Add a dish of fresh yuzu rice pudding and it’s a perfect autumn or winter evening.

ingredients

  • Japanese medium grain rice (any short grain rice works, but I feel the Japanese variety gives the rice more texture and integrity)
  • 1 yuzu
  • white sugar
  • vanilla extract
  • milk

Yuzu is more fragrant than the traditional lemon, so it adds flair to the recipe. It’s currently illegal to import yuzu into the United States, so all the yuzu I’m seeing is locally farmed! This citrus fruit is a foodie favorite and having a moment in the culinary scene.

Can’t find yuzu anywhere? Some Asian specialty grocery markets sell yuzu. I might even try growing my own and selling them because the little yuzu fruit smell sooo good.

Another name for yuzu is the Japanese citron. Do yuzus grow on trees? They do! Resembling the typical orange tree, yuzus are quite similar except for their thorny branches. The peel is packed with flavor and fragrance, commonly made into preserves.

This recipe is refreshing and cozy at the same time–it’s absolutely sublime.

I hope you enjoy it.

yuzu lemon rice pudding with yuzu, flower petals, and cinnamon stick
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Yuzu Rice Pudding

Super easy rice pudding recipe with an Asian twist on the traditional rice pudding dessert featuring the fragrant notes of yuzu. It's all done in four steps.

Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine asian, asian fusion
Keyword dessert, lemon, rice, yuzu
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Japanese medium grain rice
  • 1 yuzu
  • 2 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup white sugar

Instructions

  1. Heat up 2 3/4 cups of milk and 1 tsp of vanilla extract in a pot over medium flame. Stir. Your house is about to smell delicious.

  2. When the milk is steaming, add the rice. (If you're Asian– I mean, if you like to wash your rice, you may do so)

  3. Let the rice cook for about 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking.

  4. Once the rice softens and appears to have absorbed most of the liquid, turn off the heat and zest the yuzu into the mixture. Add the sugar (do you like it really sweet? You can go overboard here, but 1/4 cup of sugar does the trick for me!)

  5. Enjoy

Did you think about using brown rice? After making this recipe, I wondered if brown rice would be a nice substitute. Next time, I’ll make an update if I come across brown rice at the grocery market.

Need a backyard first, though.

Give the recipe a try and let us know in the comments below how it went. Stay tuned for a youtube video in the future.

Check out more of our dessert recipes here.