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.
Just finished a big bowl of it and it turned out great! I topped it with some cooked apple chunks.
Love the apple idea – delicious!
Thanks for the recipe. I’m going to try it this morning. I’m on an IBS diet and need some variety in how I eat rice. Cream of wheat always makes me think of my grandma. She used to make it when I would come to visit and serve it with raw sugar.
So glad you liked it. I love the memories–we have the same experience!
I don’t have a food processor either
Let me know if you have a blender–it should work!
what did you use to grind the rice? I don’t have a coffee grinder
You can use a blender as well–I need to update that post with some different options. Do you have a blender?
not a very good one. Something cheap
It should work for you I think! I would just not do more than 1-2 cups at a time.
but brown rice usually takes like 40 minutes to cook. How does this cook so quickly? What types of rice did you use?
Grinding the rice speeds up the cooking time. I have used both short and long grain organic brown rice for this recipe. Hope you like it!
I believe we can also toast the rice prior to grinding and cooking for a more nut like taste. Cooling the rice after toasting before grinding might be advisable.
Also, adding some buckwheat groats to the grind adds flavor and balance.
Great tips. You can soak and dry it first as well. https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/soaking-grains-the-why-and-the-how/
I have made a black cream of rice which I believe to be better to brown and a lower glycemic level then all others.
I use a coffee grinder at the high level of the espresso settings.
Great idea! I will add that to the post.
Will the home made version of cream of rice still be as high in iron as the boxed brand?
I am asking because the reason I wish to buy it is due to low iron levels and a love of rice porridge.
No, Anne – they add iron to their product. You can see it on the ingredient list. You could buy a good iron supplement instead. I did a little research and FERRIC ORTHOPHOSPHATE appears to not be the best for absorption. I personally use iron bisglycinate coupled with vitamin C when I want a good one. There are some other food based supplements as well. This is just based on my preliminary reading so I’m not certain about the absorption rate, but I do know that taking vitamin C with iron is supposed to help and Cream of Rice doesn’t have that.
I am struggling to find a good dietary source of iron at the moment.
I would probably be eating the cream of rice with berries or fruit which would more than likely cover the need for vitamin C.
I’m still struggling to find a good vegan iron supplement for low iron and anaemia.
Thankyou for your help all the same, I will definitely try your recipe all the same… Gotta love rice porridge =D
Hi there. Sorry for your struggle. Have you seen or tried Solgar Gentle Iron or Optiferrin C? Those have the same form that is apparently well absorbed and well tolerated.
No that is all wrong. Ferric (+3) iron is already too oxidized. You need ferrous (+2) iron. Metabolically, “adding” that extra electron is very difficult. +2 has one more electron than +3; the total # of positive protons charges is fixed and defines the element.
These are all, by definition, “inorganic” forms. The generally used iron supplement is ferrous sulfate. There are others; Total cereal literally contains iron powder, which is worthless unless you have very strong stomach acid. If you doubt the “supplement” in Total (and other commercial cereals) is just plain iron grind it up and stir it with a magnet. You can pull the black iron bits out of it.
This isn’t harmful BTW, just ineffective. It does however preserve the cereal – those little packets of “oxygen absorbent” people use in long-term storage is just powdered iron. Again, if you doubt it, use a magnet.
Ferrous iron links the hemes in hemoglobin together, and it is the iron that changes charge state to attract & hold the diatomic oxygen molecules for transport.
If you really want an “organic” (kind of silly but) form of iron just look for any ferrous anything. Ferrous is the positive charge in the compound; a negative could be a gluconate, a succinate, a citrate, or if you can find it, an ascorbate. That is just a few of the possibles.
Hi there. What is all wrong about what I wrote, please? Thanks.
what brand cream of rice do you buy, Anne? Please
It is not a fad for my daughter. She threw up for about 8 months. 12-18 times a day. We found out she was very sensitive to gluten and even plain oats now will make her very sick for weeks.
My rice is not grinding what do I do?
I’m sorry – what are you using?
Thanks for this!!! Gluten free being called a fad is a highly misinformed statement considering celiac disease, crohns, and food allergies! Our home is gluten free thanks to celiac. I wish it was just a fad for us.
You are so welcome!
Is it more difficult to grind sprouted basmati? For some reason, it didn’t work. Maybe I should have resoaked? Thanks for posting this recipe!
Good question. I have never tried it! I wouldn’t think so.
this dish is pure carbs. the glycemic index value of cream of rice is through the roof; you may as well be eating a bowl of sugar, because that’s what you’re body is turning it straight into, it’s even worse than cream of wheat. this “gluten free” fad is leading people to make some really uninformed choices. there is a lot more to diet than whether you’re eating gluten.
No, if you make this dish with brown rice it is not like eating pure sugar and you can grind this as large as you wish. So there is that difference and there is of course some nutrition in rice. Furthermore, you can add butter and whole milk or coconut milk and coconut oil and protein as well if you like or use a white rice that is lower in glycemic load like jasmine or basmati.
For many “gluten-free” is not a fad – it’s a life necessity and that’s what it is for us. We actually eat few carbs these days, but your body does need some and for some people grains serve a good purpose. Thanks for reading. Perhaps if you spent more time on my blog instead of just making a nasty comment on one post you would know better whom you are conversing with.
Furthermore, there are ways to lower the glycemic load of foods like white rice – have you heard of resistant starch? Thanks.
Well for body builders it is the “best and most easily digestible carb” for sedentary people not the best choice
Hi there. Are you saying that people who are sedentary digest it in a different way? I’m not advocating for people to be sedentary but wondering where you got that information. Thanks.
As in bodybuilders looking to consume more calories use rice as it’s an easily digestible source of carbs.
Eat more = more gym gains
Not the best choice for sedentary ppl as eating more and not burning those excess calories will lead to unwanted weight gain – obesity etc
Hi Ben. I think it depends on the quality and your perspective. Some people do well on grains, especially gluten-free ones and rice is known to be a resistant starch which is a whole different topic that you might not have heard about. Thanks for reading.
no, rice is not sugar…don’t be ridiculous. rice is a staple food for billions of people, and contains protein, fiber, vitamins (particularly B vitamins), minerals, etc. rice is good for you and i have lived on mainly rice for weeks on end before.
on top of that, you can mix in other stuff here….damn near anything mixes with rice…you can make it like a breakfast with raisens or like a dinner (they call it “jook” in Korea and mix it with even seafood like abalone, vegetables, pork, etc.) ….
try not to be so ignorant and narrow-minded…educate yourself before making such comments, please.
Thank you for posting this cooking method. I like to mix equal parts corn grits, farina and cream of rice together for a very hearty breakfast cereal. I also use this mixture to make dosa and idli (Indian dishes). Commercial cream of rice is very expensive and this will be very economical for my family.
We lived off of it for months at a time. breakfast lunch and dinner. We started getting creative and made savory versions of it too.
I would you be so kind to post your recipes
sure, you could add sesame oil to make it very savory…maybe sesame oil, tuna, green onions, mushrooms….wow i’m getting hungry just thinking of that. rice is extremely versatile.
I thought I was good having Lowan Gluten Free Brown Rice Porridge until I recently realised it has 2 preservatives added. I was soaking the above porridge in coconunt/almond milk & cinnamon in a pyrex dish and taking it to work most mornings to heat up in the microwave as my mid morning snack/additional breakfast (I am lacking in nutrients and get hungry every couple of hours). I have just come across your recipe and wonder if after washing brown rice, I can then do the same as above and soak it to overnight and heat the next day at work?? Thanks
I think that should work – please let me know after you try!
I used the same proportions as cream of wheat cereal.
1 1/4 cup boiling water
3 T ground rice
Cooked for 2 1/2 Minutes on low
Keep stirring
Makes one serving
Has anyone tried freezing this? I am the only one who would eat it and I would probably eat the whole pan, which would be bad, so freezing in portions would be better for me. Any ideas???
Yes I think you could do it. Ice cube trays for very small portions.
You can use 1/4 cup rice to 1 cup water and dash of salt for one serving.
Grind into fine powder coarse grains become more lumpy since I can not have cream of wheat which was my favorite this recipe was excellent for myself since I can not have iron fortified cereal
Glad to hear you liked it! I don’t eat wheat anymore and I don’t like that fortified stuff either. Thanks for reading!
This did not work at all for me. I followed the directions and used these portions, but after ten minutes of simmering and waiting for it to thicken, I still ended up with liquid milk with ground rice sitting at the bottom.
I’m sorry – did you figure out why this possibly happened? It has worked for me every time.
The key is mixing throughout – I used a very low temperature on the stove and stirred madly whenever I stirred bringing up what was on the bottom of the pot stirring out any lumps. Then when it started to boil used the whisk and whisked for the 5 minutes. It was amazing the most silky, almost pudding like porridge with no lumps. We served with a little Breton butter, brown sugar, bananas and walnuts. Plus I cooked it in a blend of coconut milk and water. Absolutely delish! I am also thinking of making a savory version to serve instead of polenta with a stew of roasted root vegetables. Thank you!
Sounds lovely (the savory version!). You might enjoy the topping on this shepherd’s pie. Sorry about the icky photo! https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/adzuki-bean-shepherds-pie-with-low-carb-topping/
You need to cook it for 40 minutes. I made it with almond milk. Absolutely delicious.
how about soak that uncooked rice for 2 hour or more or overnight before make this.
Actually, white rice is preferred on the “Perfect Human Diet” for its safe starch properties. Let the rice cool to room temperature and you get resistant starch. The body doesn’t burn as much of it as fuel and sends it to the gut to build gut bacteria…prebiotics.
Fiber isn’t totally necessary as it irritates the lining of the stomach, but the gut bacteria is.
I’ve been reading some about that. Thanks. Isn’t there an amount of time you need to cook it for?
No, I believe it is normal cooking time. The key is to let it cool to at least room temperature. What I was doing before I came across your recipe was cooking it, putting it in the fridge over night, then in the morning add sweetener, cinnamon, vanilla extract and some cream and eating it cold, almost as a rice pudding.
Sounds good. I am pretty much off grains right now but perhaps down the road….
I Like how that sounds