Naturally sweetened with pear and dates this easy baby rice pudding recipe is soft, creamy, and a baby led weaning recipe that kids and toddlers love too!
Rice pudding with pears is a healthy baby pudding idea that my son loved when he was 8 months old, has continued to enjoy through his toddler years, and now loves as a 4 year old, along with these other baby led weaning recipes with pear: banana pear muffins and pear sugar free flapjack.
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Why we love this recipe
- This sugar free rice pudding is a delicious recipe that can be served as a baby led weaning breakfast, snack, or dessert.
- It is a healthy rice pudding that the whole family loves, from toddlers and kids to adults.
- The recipe for this baby friendly rice pudding is ideal for babies with allergies as it is gluten free, egg free, nut free, refined sugar free, and can easily be made dairy free.
Ingredients note and substitutions
- Rice – white jasmine rice or white rice is best for this recipe, as it cooks down to a soft consistency, making it easier for your baby to eat.
- Milk – I use full fat cows milk, but you can use almond milk or another dairy free milk.
- Pear – use a ripe pear as it will cook quicker and mush down. I like to use Conference pears, beurre Bosc, Packham pears. Any ripe and juicy pear variety will work
- Dates – pitted dates or medjool dates. You can substitute with raisins or sultanas if you prefer.
How to make this recipe
- Place the rice, finely chopped pear, chopped dates, water and milk in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring every so often until the rice and pear are very soft. You might need to add a splash more milk or water, depending on how ripe your pear is.
- Mash with a fork or puree. Cool slightly before serving to your baby or toddler.
FAQ
Are pears good for baby?
Yes, pears are a healthy food for babies to eat. They contain an array of vitamins and help to relieve constipation.
Can babies eat pear skin?
Babies can eat pear skins, the skins are full of nutrients. However they can take longer to cook and the rice pudding won’t be as soft and smooth.
Is rice pudding better hot or cold?
This rice pudding can be enjoyed hot (or warm for baby!) and cold.
My recipe tips
- If you prefer a creamier rice pudding, use ¾ c (180ml) milk and ⅔ c (160ml) water.
- Stir the rice pudding every so often whilst it is cooking as it can stick to the bottom of the pan.
- If the rice pudding is looking a little dry, add a splash more milk or water. The exact amount depends on the ripeness of the pear and how the size of the pieces of pear.
- When serving this rice pudding as a healthy dessert for toddlers and kids, I like to top it with finely chopped slices of fresh pear.
Storage
Make sure you cool any leftover rice pudding quickly. The easiest way to do this is to spread any leftovers out on a plate to cool. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Add a little milk or water when heating it up as it becomes thicker in the fridge.
Variations
- Dairy free rice pudding: I have made the pear rice pudding using only water and it still tastes great! You can also use coconut milk or another dairy free milk such as almond milk.
- Smooth rice pudding: this rice pudding is very soft when cooked and I find mashing it with a fork is sufficient for making the texture easier for baby to eat, but if your baby prefers a smoother texture you can blitz it in your food blender or with a hand blender.
- Flavours: my son loves a touch of cinnamon added to his rice pudding. You can add a little vanilla, but the pastes and essences tend to be full of sugar and therefore aren’t the best when making rice pudding for baby.
- Apple: replace the pear with an apple, or stir through some apple puree.
More easy baby led weaning recipes
Baby Rice Pudding
Author: Robyn
Naturally sweetened with pear and dates, this baby rice pudding is not only a great baby led weaning recipe, but one the whole family enjoy!
Ingredients
- ¼ c (50g) rice
- ¾ c (180 ml) water
- ⅔ c (160 ml) milk
- 1 small pear peeled, cored and roughly diced
- 3 dates stones removed and roughly chopped
Instructions
- Place the rice in small saucepan with the chopped pear and dates.
- Cover with the water and milk, bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every so often to make sure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan, adding more milk or water if it gets too thick.
- Cook until both the rice and pear are very soft.
- Mash with a fork to get suitable texture – for younger babies almost to a puree, for older ones a little more texture if they are ready for it.
- Serve warm or cold, for breakfast or dessert.
Notes
Nutritional calculation is based on 6 baby led weaning servings.
Rice – white jasmine rice or white rice is best for this recipe, as it cooks down to a soft consistency, making it easier for your baby to eat.
Milk – I use full fat cows milk, but you can use almond milk or another dairy free milk.
Pear – use a ripe pear as it will cook quicker and mush down. I like to use Conference pears, beurre Bosc, Packham pears. Any ripe and juicy pear variety will work
Dates – pitted dates or medjool dates. You can substitute with raisins or sultanas if you prefer.
If you prefer a creamier rice pudding, use ¾ c (180ml) milk and ⅔ c (160ml) water.
Stir the rice pudding every so often whilst it is cooking as it can stick to the bottom of the pan.
If the rice pudding is looking a little dry, add a splash more milk or water. The exact amount depends on the ripeness of the pear and how the size of the pieces of pear.
When serving this rice pudding as a healthy dessert for toddlers and kids, I like to top it with finely chopped slices of fresh pear.
Nutrition
Calories: 73kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 14mgPotassium: 102mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 43IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 1mg
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Karen says
Please could you advise as to if this can be frozen if made in bulk?
Robyn says
Hi Karen, Yes you can freeze this rice pudding, for up to 2 months. I suggest you defrost it in the fridge overnight then reheat in a pan or microwave until heated through – you will need to add a little more water when heating. Hope this helps. Robyn
A says
Hi again Robyn!
I have another question. Can you make this with mango somehow to get a different dessert? If not, do you have any other ideas of fruits to use with this to increase variety of healthy desserts?
Thank you so much
Robyn says
Hi A,
You could try cooking it with mango, I haven’t tried myself but have seen mango rice pudding recipes. You can swap the pear for apple or plums, or stir through some strawberries, raspberries or blueberries a couple of minutes before the rice pudding is ready. Hope these ideas help!
A says
Hi again Robyn.
Would you be able to tell me if you can use a Cook Essentials perfect cooker to make this rice pudding, and if so, if you just do the same exact thing as your recipe, and add the egg in for 3-4 min. at the end for protein like you told me in the past? By the way, the egg for protein worked great for the person. They really enjoy it, and it has nutrition that they need!
Thank you so much for all of your help.
Robyn says
Hi A, So happy to hear the egg worked in the rice pudding and they enjoyed it 🙂 I have seen people make rice pudding in the Cook Essential perfect cooker so although I am pretty sure you will be able to make this rice pudding in it, I am unfortunately not able to try it myself to make absolute sure. You might need to add more liquid. With the egg, wait until the rice pudding has finished cooking, then add a small spoonful of hot rice pudding to the beaten egg to temper it and stop it from scrambling, then add this mixture back to the pan and cook until it thickens. Sorry I can’t be exact on timings and measurements, but I hope this helps. Robyn
A says
Hi again Robyn.
Is there anything that you know of that you can add to have protein in this recipe? Is there any way to add egg???! Thank you!
Robyn says
Sorry about delay in getting back to you – we have been moving house…! You can add egg to the rice pudding. I would add half a beaten egg (to avoid it tasting too ‘eggy’). About 5 minutes before the rice pudding is ready, add the beaten egg and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Hope this helps!
Shelby says
How do you think brown rice would do with this?
Robyn says
Brown rice would be lovely in this rice pudding! I suggest cooking the brown rice fully before adding it to the pear and dates. Cook the pear and dates in the water, then when soft add the cooked rice and milk and simmer until thick and the rice heated through (if you’ve let it cool.)
A says
Can you please tell me how many raisins I can substitute for the 3 dates?
Thanks a lot for your help
Robyn says
I would use a small tablespoon (not heaped) of raisins in place of the dates – approx 20 raisins. Roughly chop them before adding to the pan with the rice and pear, as raisins don’t break down as easily as the dates do. Hope this helps!
A says
Thank you Robyn! It sure does help. I had no idea how many raisins to put. Is that the usual equivalent for raisins and dates for all recipes? If you happen to have a chart that includes equivalents of dates for fruits to use for sweetening for recipes like prunes, bananas etc. very handy and can get it to me without a problem, can you please send it to me? I am trying to substitute for someone who needs to watch sugar.
If not, this was a huge help, as was the recipe. Thanks so much.
Robyn says
It depends on how sweet you like things, and if you are substituting in baked goods – I would hesitate to use this substitution in say cakes or cookies, as it could impact the texture. I’m afraid I don’t have a chart, but if you have any specific questions about substituting things, send me an email and I would be more than happy to try and help you – no promises, but I’ll try my best 🙂
A says
Thank you! I will let you know when I have specific questions. I really appreciate it.
Cheryl Taylor says
Can this be frozen please
Robyn says
Hi Cheryl, great questions – I’m pretty sure that I have frozen this rice pudding, but to double check I’ll make some and freeze it, then let you know for certain!
Robyn says
Yes you can freeze this rice pudding! Defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat in a pan or microwave until heated through – you will need to add a little more water when heating. Hope this helps! Robyn
Karen says
Hi Robyn
Can I ask if you use American cup sizes? I’m from the UK, thanks 🙂
Robyn says
Hi Karen,
Yes it is in American cups.
I have actually just refined the recipe so it is now all in grams or cups – so 50g rice to 160ml milk and 180ml water (you can use 180ml milk and 160ml water if you prefer a slightly creamier rice pudding).
I hope you like the recipe 🙂
Thanks, Robyn
Michelle says
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I just made for my grandson (7mths) and used oat milk. I have even put a serve away for myself. 🙂
Robyn says
That’s so good to hear Michelle, thanks for letting me know 🙂