If you grew up loving the cozy comfort of Cream of Wheat, this delicious homemade Cream of Rice Cereal is sure to warm your heart! It’s a wonderful gluten-free alternative to the store-bought version and uses just a few simple ingredients.
This warm and tasty bowl is seriously comfort food at its very best.
Growing up, Cream of Wheat was one of my favorite foods. I remember the comforting feeling I would have just seeing the small red box. I loved diving into that bowl of creamy goodness topped with brown sugar, a little milk, and a dollop of margarine (yikes–yes, I said “margarine”).
Simply delicious.
Since our family is gluten free and whole foods focused now, I haven’t had the boxed brand in decades. In fact, my kids have never tried the original Cream of Wheat since we’ve been gluten-free that long, and well, you know–the processed food thing.
One day, I realized — why not make my own version?
By using wholesome, gluten-free ingredients, I knew I could create nutritious alternative to the processed version I used to love.
So I did it, and now Cream of Rice Cereal is now a favorite in our house!
It’s very soothing for an upset stomach, so it’s my kids’ go-to food when they’re sick. When they aren’t, it’s a simple but also special treat.
If you grew up loving Cream of Wheat like I did, you’re going to love this gluten-free cream of rice cereal… and your family will, too!
What is Cream of Rice?
Cream of rice is a very basic dish. It’s just a hot cereal made from ground, uncooked rice.
Sounds pretty simple, right?
The real magic happens when you add a bit of creamy liquid like coconut milk, a little butter, and a sweetener. Then, it turns into the most delicious bowl of cozy comfort!
The brand behind Cream of Wheat also makes Cream of Rice® that is a gluten-free alternative to their main cereal. Both cereals are fortified with vitamins. However, the name “cream of rice” can actually refer to any cereal made from ground rice.
Is Cream of Rice Cereal Good for You?
The boxed brand of Cream of Rice is gluten free, making it great for those who are avoiding gluten, but it contains synthetic vitamins that you might not want to eat.
You can make this homemade version entirely from wholesome ingredients.
Don’t you just love tasty, hearty recipes that you can feel good about sharing with your family? Plus, it will save you quite a bit of money over the boxed brand.
The ingredients in this homemade cereal are very inexpensive. Basically you only need rice (white or brown) and liquid, which can be water, milk, or a dairy-free milk substitute.
At the time of publishing this post originally, a serving of the homemade variety cost only 14 cents each, which was about five times less than buying the packaged version.
This recipe also comes together in just five easy steps, and you most likely have the ingredients on hand in your pantry.
How to Make Cream of Rice Cereal from Scratch
This recipe is so simple, it can be made on even the busiest of mornings. And what busy mom doesn’t love having yummy recipes you can make in a matter of minutes?
- Grind rice coarsely in a blender or coffee grinder. It’s up to you how finely you want to grind the rice, as this will affect the texture of the cereal. I prefer a coarser grind that gives the dish a heartier feel.
- Heat liquid over medium heat to a slow boil. For the liquid, you can use water, milk, coconut milk, etc. You can even make your own Homemade Coconut Milk, Homemade Almond Milk, or Rice Milk, etc.
- Add rice gradually, stirring while adding. I always use brown rice, which makes a very hearty and filling dish. White rice will cook faster and make a lovely cereal, but it does have less fiber and nutritional value. You could also make this with basmati rice, jasmine rice, wild rice, black Japonica rice, or any other variety! Each one will give you a new flavor profile and will surely turn out delicious.
- Cover and simmer for about 4 minutes, until thickened, stirring occasionally and adding more liquid as needed. The ground rice will soak up the liquid and become wonderfully creamy.
- Serve with desired toppings. I recommend butter or another fat, like coconut oil, sweetener, cinnamon, and a dash of salt. I list the salt as optional, but for me, it definitely is not. I include salt in pretty much all of my recipes, including sweet dishes, since it brings out the sweetness and totally makes the dish.
Topping Options
Because the rice makes such a neutral and comforting base, you can have a lot of fun with the toppings.
Butter, a low-carb sweetener, cinnamon, and salt are my favorite ways to dress up this dish. To make it extra rich and hearty, add a bit of cream on top. This Almond Fruit Dip would work well too for a fun twist.
More Processed Food Replacements
Here are some other alternatives to packaged foods that you might enjoy:
Homemade Taco Seasoning (so good–you’ll never buy packets again!)
Homemade Vegetable Broth | All-Purpose Seasoning (tastes great on everything)
Homemade Chocolate / Carob Chips (better than store bought!)
Homemade Powdered Sugar (so easy!)
Homemade Truvia Copycat (Sugar Substitute)
What You Will Need
- Uncooked Rice
- Liquid (water, milk, or non-dairy milk like coconut milk. Here’s how to make your own Homemade Coconut Milk, Homemade Almond Milk, or Homemade Rice Milk.)
- Salt (optional. But it’s not optional in my book. I recommend Real Salt)
- Optional Toppings: butter (or other fat), sweetener, cinnamon, cinnamon sugar (here’s a link to our “best” homemade cinnamon sugar) etc.
Recipe and Dietary Notes
- Watch the pan when cooking the cereal. If necessary, add more liquid to keep the cereal from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- You can boost the nutritive value of this dish by soaking the rice overnight. See this post on Soaking Grains – the Why and the How for more information.
- Liquid Options: For the liquid, you can use water, milk, or a non-dairy milk like coconut milk (here’s how to make your own Homemade Coconut Milk, Homemade Almond Milk, etc.
- Rice: You can use any variety you choose. I prefer whole grain. If you use white rice it will cook much faster, but you will be giving up the fiber and nutrition of the bran and germ. White rice has a higher glycemic index as well.
- THM Diet: If you are on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this cream of rice qualifies as an “E” recipe, depending on your topping choices.
- Salt: I mention in the recipe card that salt is optional. For me, it most certainly is not. Try it with a dash and you’ll see what I mean. It accents the sweetener and the cereal isn’t the same without it.
Cream of rice is a great way to warm up on a chilly fall or winter day of course, but you could easily add a bit of jam and some berries to make it perfect for a spring or summer day as well.
Basically, there’s no wrong way to eat this!
Cream of Rice Cereal (Rice Porridge)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Grind rice coarsely in a blender or coffee grinder.
- Heat liquid over medium hit to a slow boil.
- Add rice gradually, stirring while adding.
- Cover and simmer for about 4 minutes, until thickened.
- Make sure to check the pan while the cereal is cooking, and stir it occasionally. Add more liquid if needed to keep it from sticking to the pan.
- Serve with desired toppings.
Notes
- Watch the pan when cooking the cereal. If necessary, add more liquid to keep the cereal from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- You can boost the nutritive value of this dish by soaking the rice overnight. See this post on Soaking Grains - the Why and the How for more information.
- Rice: You can use any variety you choose. I prefer whole grain. If you use white rice it will cook much faster, but you will be giving up the fiber and nutrition of the bran and germ. White rice has a higher glycemic index as well.
- Salt: I mention in the recipe card that salt is optional. For me, it most certainly is not. Try it with a dash and you'll see what I mean. It accents the sweetener and the cereal isn't the same without it.
Nutrition
Note this post was originally published in April, 2013. It was since updated with new information and new photos. Here is an original photo for reference:
Let me know what you think of this recipe if you try it.
I’d love to hear how you serve yours.
When I tried to grind up dry white rice in my food processor, it didn’t grind properly (it was very chunky and cooked really unevenly) and it put of this super funky metallic smell. Does a blender work better? Any advice on making this a more successful venture?
Thanks! This looks delicious. I grew up on cream of rice — made with milk and a bit of maple syrup — and my dad even sang the old jingle for it whenever we ate it. Such happy memories! It makes it even more fun to eat it with my kids, with just a bit of maple syrup!
Yes, a blender, especially a Vitamin (here is my affiliate link: https://secure.vitamix.com/?COUPON=06-005927 ) will work much better. I have a grain grinder that works great too. This is an affiliate link to that product. You can get it w/ or without the electric base. https://amzn.to/1Lgyp7r Hope that helps! I agree on the memories!
My husband made me your recipe today as I am bed bound feeling very under the weather. Just what I needed to perk back up again. One of my childhood favorites! Yummy.
I like it best with white jasmine rice cooked 1/2 in water and 1/2 milk and served with honey. It’s the best!
Oh good! Sorry you aren’t doing well – hope you get better soon!
This is crazy cool! I’m glad I happened onto this site. I had some extra time this morning and was considering what was for breakfast when I noticed a bag of rice (white). I got about a cup of rice out and tossed it into my coffee grinder, added a dash of Cayenne Pepper, and sugar – then set to grinding.
The difference for me was that I ground it into a very light powder which seemed to make the cooking process go pretty quick. Microwaved for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Results: Hot, delicious, and filling!
Now that I have your website to refer to, I’ll include ‘soaking’ into my food prep.
Great stuff – thanks for sharing!
Hi and thanks! And nice to “meet” you – very interesting site you have.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Are you gluten free?
Soooo. Yummy. Just made this for my sick celiac kiddo. Cream of wheat was a household fave and this is SO similar!!!!
One direction change that I might suggest would be to add “stir or whisk continuously as you add the ground rice” I should have remembered to do this but ended up with some sizeable lumps. Still delish with butter and syrup! Mmmmmm!!!!
Great tip- thanks!!!!
Hey there, this is great!
Question for you.
How well do you think this would keep, or have you tried making a big batch and reheating? It sounds like a silly question since the recipe probably only takes 10 minutes to make but I have an hour+ commute and like to eat when I get to the office. If I made a batch for the week and put it into containers do you think it would reheat well?
I think it would reheat just fine – but I can’t make shelf life claims. If you add some sweetener and salt it would keep a bit longer. Hope that helps.
In fact, I should clarify that – we reheat all the time. Of course some folks think that “just made is best” but we have eaten it both ways and my kids are fine with it. It might be a bit thicker so you might want to thin it out some.
My Mom always made a Finnish dish called “rice porridge” (riisi puuro).
You can make it sweet… or not. My Mother never made it very sweet.
We’d always stir a spoon of jam or pour over some Finnish fruit ‘soup’.
Basically it’s the same recipe as yours, but whole rice grains. Traditionally
it would be made with short grain white rice. I always make it with brown.
Usually I buy brown basmati.
Sounds yummy!!!! Did she live in Finland?
Although my Mom was born and raised in Finland, she moved here, to Canada, in 1952.
Of course, we were raised very much in the Finnish culture. My siblings were born there;
I was born here. I have always referred to them as Finnish Canadian and myself as a Canadian Finn!
How fun! Thanks for sharing!
This is great.
Just to clarify, should you soak rice, before grinding, or grind, then soak
. If the later, should you rinse the rice, because of arsenic?
You soak prior to cooking. Or you grind and soak – either way. I don’t think rinsing will do anything to the arsenic. Lundberg (affiliate link) has one of the lowest amts of arsenic from what I have read.ttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005763K40/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005763K40&linkCode=as2&tag=whnemo-20&linkId=FMF5Q2435EVULCUM
Thank you for creating this GF option for childhood cream-of-wheat lovers! It looks amazing. I took the liberty of posting a link to your recipe on my blog to help other people who are looking for delicious GF breakfasts, called “Gluten-Free Go-Tos”: https://makingmindfulness.blogspot.com/2014/06/gluten-free-go-tos-roundup-style.html. Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you thank you so much for this it is truly a winner my kids loved it. Now we didn’t use cinnamon do to they don’t like it in something’s. I am very impress!!
Yea!!!!
Cream of rice, or rice porridge is so simple and easy to make and it too is my go-to food if I’m not feeling well, thanks for the recipe! When i am feeling well, i like to add fruit (fresh, dried, or frozen), nuts, berries, seeds, it makes such a wholesome heart-warming breakfast! I use a magic bullet to grind the rice, works perfect! And talk abut saving on your grocery bill 🙂
YUM!!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I’ve searched all over for the package, but am not having any luck, until I found you. I love this cereal and am on an elimination diet by my allergist that requires that I have this a few time during the week. I also love/loved Cream of Wheat but with this diet there are no wheat products allowed (until, of course, I start adding things into my diet). I will now try this and am sure it will be wonderful. Thank you again. Best regards, Lou G
Wonderful! Hope to see you around again! (hope you subscribed :)!)
Hi Adrienne,
My oldest daughter has been having more allergy trouble lately, so we have her on a very limited diet. I’ve been struggling to find breakfast food that she can eat (and that she actually likes), and she loved this! I added frozen blueberries and raw honey to the mix, and she and her sister ate it right up. Thanks for the recipe!! 🙂
YUM Lauren! We are on very limited diets too – hang in there!
What is the recipe for 1 serving? I wake up at 4:30 am and the rest of my family at 7 after I’ve been at work for a while. But I always loved cream of wheat but being celiacs and I’ve been looking for something to replace it. What would the recipe for a sjhle serving be?
I think that a 1/3 dry rice would be about 1 serving, but of course it depends on how much one eats :).
Looks delicious. I have bookmarked it to try. My wife and I frequently make our own Cream of Oat Bran, using the toasted milled Oat bran that one can buy at Trader Joe’s.
And when we are feeling really decadent, we make it with 1/2 milk, 1/2 water, and 2 triangles of Mexican Cocoa chocolate per 3 cups of liquid, for our healthier “Cocoa Wheats.” Does anyone else remember cocoa wheats from childhood? Yum!
Also I sometimes sub part of the Oat Bran with almond meal for extra protein and good fats.
YUM!!! I will have to try that for my boys!
I love cream of brown rice and make my own
Roast the rice first, roast it until it pops, then grind. Use a heavy pan, and keep an eye on it!
Oops. Then grind the rice. And optimally, cook it for 10 minutes at least! Wonderful with added ground almond meal, or even some cut up bananas. But it will taste way better, and be easier to digest if you roast the rice first. Take some time, roast several cups in small batches, grind it, put it in a jar on the shelf.
I wanted to check out some of your links but when I click on one the whole page changes so I lose my place….as a suggestion can you make your site open a new page when you click on a link instead of losing the page you are on?
Sorry – my son must have missed having that code in there. It should be fixed now – thanks!
YEA!!!! Thanks for this. Recently going gluten free I was in mourning over losing my ultimate comfort food…cream of wheat! I also love it when I am sick…even 45 years later. We must be kindred spirits as I LOVE it too with real butter, salt for sure and sweetener! (My dad always added crumbled bacon or sausage…that is pretty good too.) I was thrilled that there was such a thing as cream of rice…and NOW to have this much thriftier version makes my day! I must say that I found last winter the very best improvement (who knew it could be improved) is making it with straight with coconut milk!
I’ve been making oatmeal w/ straight coconut milk too. Did you see my easy peasy recipe?
Oh, wow. This is so simple, but so much better than the store bought junk. Using brown rice really helps with texture, as well. I am in such bliss right now… 😀
You can do something like this called congee that is traditional for Chinese and in other cultures as well. Difference being that you don’t grind the rice but instead cook it in lots of water for a long time. I used to make it a lot in my crockpot. Cook the rice overnight in the crockpot with a few slices of ginger. In the morning it is ready to go and you can add toppings like you would oatmeal or even go savory and add tamari, sliced scallions and sautéed mushrooms or whatever floats your boat.
I’ve heard about that – thanks!