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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Or just leave a comment below!
Lex says
Do you think you can sub milk for yogurt with maybe more water? Was just thinking because my baby is 7months so can’t have regular milk yet but still wanted it creamy w/o using breast milk/formula.
Robyn says
Hi Lex, I would use all water to make the rice pudding (so 340ml of water) and then stir in a couple of spoonfuls of yogurt before serving to your baby to make the rice pudding creamy. (If you cook the rice with the yogurt the yogurt will split.)
Hope this helps! Robyn