Oatmeal has earned its place at the breakfast table, but if you’d like to mix up your morning routine, try a creamy Rice Cereal instead.
Creamy rice simmered in milk or coconut milk and flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and honey makes a satisfying, warm, nourishing start to the day. Enjoyed by kids and adults alike, it can easily be customized to each person’s preferences.
Delicious Use of Leftover Rice
Rice Cereal is a great way to use leftover rice from yesterday’s dinner, and that’s how it got its start in our house. After dinner, I pour milk or coconut milk over the leftover rice, add the spices I like, and allow it to soak in the refrigerator overnight.
The next morning, simply reheat with additional milk and add your toppings of choice.
What type of rice to use for rice cereal?
You can use any type of rice that you like as long as it was not cooked with broth or cheese: white rice, brown rice, basmati, jasmine, arborio. We use them all, depending on which type I’ve made for dinner the night before, but each will create a subtly different rice cereal.
Our family favorites
Basmati: I often make Basmati rice to accompany curry so we frequently use basmati brown rice or white basmati rice for Rice Cereal the next morning. This is one of my favorite rices to use with coconut milk. The Basmati rice has a naturally nutty flavor which gets enhanced beautifully by the coconut milk.
Pair Basmati with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla or almond extract. Top with raisins and chopped pecans, sliced peaches and blackberries, or slivered almonds and chopped apricots.
Jasmine: This has a more light and floral flavor which is awesome with a sprinkle of ginger, orange zest, and cardamom. Then top it with fresh berries, sliced pear, pomegranate seeds, almonds and apricots, or shaved apple.
Arborio: This one is a special treat that I usually make just for breakfast. It makes the creamiest, dreamiest rice cereal due to the starch content of the rice grains. It has a neutral flavor so it pairs well with all the spices and toppings. For extra decadence, use coconut milk.
The Sweet Stuff
I love honey drizzled on my rice cereal for delicate sweetness, but my kids are crazy for brown sugar in theirs. White sugar, agave, or your preferred sweetener will all work, so use what you like.
Milk Substitutions for Rice Cereal
Cow’s milk, coconut milk, almond milk or oat milk all work well for rice cereal. Each has a slightly different flavor but all will result in creamy, delicious cereal.
There are endless variations for this recipe, but here is one of our favorite renditions:
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Grown Up Rice Cereal
Description
Make way, oatmeal, for Creamy Rice Cereal! Warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and coconut milk turn leftover rice into a delicious breakfast that kids and grownups will all enjoy.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups cooked Basmati rice
1 ½ cups milk (cow, coconut, almond, oat)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Sprinkle of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg)
Toppings:
Teaspoon of honey or brown sugar
Raisins
Chopped pecans
Instructions
- Place the rice, milk and spices in a small saucepan and stir.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, add ½ cup milk or water if the Rice Cereal has become very thick.
- Reheat over low heat until bubbling.
- To Serve, ladle the rice cereal into bowls and top with honey, brown sugar, raisins, chopped pecans or your favorite toppings.
Looking for other delicious breakfast recipes? Here are some of our favorites!
- Cottage Cheese Pancakes
- French Toast Casserole
- Breakfast Pie with Hashbrown Crust
