Paletas de Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding Ice Cream)
These arroz con leche paletas (rice pudding ice cream) don't require any churning, and still turns out SUPER creamy!
Servings: 10 paletas
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup long grain rice uncooked
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 12 oz can evaporated milk or regular whole milk
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon optional
- 1 cup Mexican crema
- 1/8 tsp cellulose gum
Instructions
- Rinse the rice. A little starch is needed, but too much will make the overall texture gummy.
- In your smallest sauce pan, add 1 cup of water and a cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil.*Photo shows two cinnamon sticks because mine were lacking in fragrance. I recommend only using one!
- Add the rice to the pot, then cover and cook over low-ish heat for about 12 minutes. Careful not to let the rice burn at the bottom!
- Next add the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Continue cooking over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens slightly and the rice has absorbed some milk (about 10-15 minutes). Do not let it come to a rolling boil- just let it cook hot enough that there is steam, and make sure to stir frequently. Optional: add some ground cinnamon. There is enough cinnamon flavor from the stick in my opinion, but the ground cinnamon adds a stronger flavor and it also looks pretty with specks of cinnamon in the paleta.
- Remove the cinnamon stick, then pour the thickened mixture into a large measuring glass (you can instead put the rest of the ingredients straight into the pot if you want to, but it will take longer to cool down)
- Add the Mexican crema (preferably straight from the fridge and cold, to help bring down the temperature of the mixture faster)
- Using an electric hand mixer on high, slowly sprinkle in the cellulose gum while the mixer is ON, so that the powder distributes evenly and doesn't clump. The cellulose gum works as a stabilizer and gives you a paleta that is creamy, not icy. Since the rice already has starch (which helps with the texture), you only need a tiny bit of cellulose gum.
- At this point, taste test for sweetness. Keep in mind that once frozen, it will lose a little bit of sweetness, so make it a little sweeter than desired.
- Pour mixture into a sanitized popsicle mold. Slide in the popsicle sticks and freeze for at least 8 hours. To remove the paletas from the mold, place it in warm water for about 20 seconds to loosen. With a little wiggling and force, the popsicles will slide right out.
- Because there is rice in this paleta, I recommend letting sit out at room temp for a few minutes before eating it. The rice should be soft and chewy, not hard!
